|
|
I am determined to bring some order around here. I am. One way or another. Anyway, while I was thinking about it (instead of doing it) I started looking for ideas for drawer organizers. I’ve seen some great ones at the Container Store, etc., but I hate to spend money when I can do it myself. I just needed to focus.
And then I found a fabulous tutorial:
DIY Drawer Organizer
Aren’t they great? The wonderful tutorial is from The Stonybrookhouse Blog and she has terrific step-by-step instructions.
And a ton of other useful posts, too. Um… you might want to check out the pumpkin brownies. Just sayin 🙂
Love love love this one! It’s so simple – and brilliant! I found this on Pinterest – and had to pin it myself (definitely not pretending it was my original idea!)
Is that not a terrific idea? If you have to have a visible cord – for, say, your printer – why not make it fun? Use the leaves-and-bird idea as shown. Or maybe flowers. Use twist ties to attach paper or felt or fabric flowers. Or just draw them on the wall. Or a combo of.
This is a classic “why didn’t I think of that!” idea. And fun. And fabulous!
This is such a useful tutorial! I found it over at How About Orange Blogfrom Jessica Jones. She’s got tons of useful ideas over there. With her super clear pics and instructions, she teaches us how to make gift bags – from newspaper!
Gift Bag from Newspaper – Tutorial.
And of course one of the nice things is that you can use any paper (no, it doesn’t matter if there are folds or creases). Talk about saving money – and giving a gift where even the wrapping is special!
and did I say “saving money”? Hallmark will have to manage without our $$, thank you very much.
Remember the white plate (with a recipe!) I blogged about recently? It’s here. The idea was to write a recipe on the plate, bake it, and voila! Permanent decoration. Well I have been seeing this idea more and more lately – and I wanted to share one more example because it’s so charming – and timely 🙂
What a darling idea for a Valentine’s Day craft that everyone will love! I found it at It’s Overflowing – overflowing with creativity, that is!
You might want to check out her Tips pages, too – she’s got some really useful ideas there. “How to remove sticky stuff” and “An easy way to hang art” and “DIY Microwave popcorn” (you know that one’s going to be used!)
Very cool blog. And I do love that plate idea!
And gorgeous. Take a look at these – “pom pom flowers”, they’re called. I think they’re ethereal and beautiful!
And they’re made with wax paper! This is what DIY is all about, or should be. Taking something ordinary – wax paper! – and with minimal skill (but a lot of imagination, thank you Marichelle from Nice Package Blog!) – something completely different is created.
You can find the tutorial here, at the Nice Package Blog. It’s not hard at all and her pics are wonderfully clear.
And come on – aren’t these flowers wonderful?
P.S. And why couldn’t these be a wonderful decoration for your wedding? They LOOK like wedding flowers!
P.P.S. When you visit Nice Package Blog you’re going to find more wonderful ideas. Go look, you’ll thank me for it!
This is a super easy do-it-yourself project – and an inspiration for more ideas, too. I found this over on Pinterest. And if you think I am totally in love with Pinterest, you are right! I’ve linked to Liina O’s “Homemade” page and she has found tons of good ideas, go peek!
As shown here, this is a fun, decorative bowl:
This cute bowl would be a great accent in the family room, and a fun project to do with the kids. But, I do have to add, it could be a little time-consuming. Rolling up the magazine pages (gluing them maybe?), then cutting them – that could take a bit of patience.
So what I’m proposing is adopting the idea. Blow a balloon up to a nice chubby round shape. Use thinned glue or wallpaper paste, to apply torn strips of magazine pages, old brown paper bags, or newspaper pages, onto the surface. Keep layering them. (Note: the wallpaper paste could be flour-and-water, super cheap and non toxic).
Keep layering the torn strips. When the surface looks good to you, and there are enough strips of paper on there to be fairly sturdy, I’d apply polyurethane to make it waterproof. Add a couple layers.
Then bust the balloon. Voila! A strong-ish container that could be a vase (if you’ve waterproofed the inside, too) – or a toy holder (make the opening at the top really big, for that one) – or a place for the kids to keep all their pens and markers (make that one small) – and, well, you get the idea.
The colors that work in your house, a shape you like, a project that you and the kids can do together – and a way for them to see that THEY can make things that work. Love it!
You are going to love this – I found a wonderful, clear, easy-to-follow tutorial for making your own paper flowers. Take a look at these gorgeous decorative petals!
As shown in her tutorial, these are made with brown paper bags! And I really like the natural-paper look. But also – think how you could personalize these! Color paper, magazine pages, you name it. Your imagination’s really the limit here – and it’s practically cost free.
Or, use a pretty white textured paper – talk about DIY (and beautiful) wedding decorations!
The wonderful blog where I found this excellent tutorial is A Place For Us and she has some wonderful, charming, thought-provoking, useful posts there – it’s totally worth your time.
Do I sound like I’m really enthusiastic about this one? You’re right. This is a great find. Make some flowers – and check out that blog!
I saw this idea over on Pinterest and fell in love. Take any plain dish – and turn it into a personal gift or work of art 🙂
Actually I think the one in the pic has poetry written on it – or it might be Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven?). But no matter. Â Buy a simple plate at the thrift shop. Write your favorite muffin recipe around the edge using a Sharpie.
Then bake the plate for 30 minutes at 150 degrees in your oven (or more – I’ll doublecheck on that). Presto! The writing is permanent.
Then bake the muffins, load the plate up, and take them to your sweetie or favorite neighbor as a gift.  You get to show off, you get to play with a new art form, and your sweetie gets his (or your) favorite  muffins.  This is a win!
P.S. And of course, what a darling way to make a personalized gift for someone special. An anniversary gift for your fave couple – with their names and wedding date. A birthday gift for your mom with a quote she loves. You get the idea!
P.P.S. Oops! I almost forgot to give credit! I couldn’t find the original source – but it was first pinned by the beautiful Marissa Villasana on her ‘Crafty’ page – and she has some wonderful ideas over there to check out!
I found this idea recently and I just love it. This could be wallpaper, carefully applied – but it’s not. It’s a stencil. And you can do it yourself 🙂
To make it even better, the stencil pattern is FREE! It’s from All Things Thrifty – a do-it-yourself and thrifty blog with tons of good ideas, tutorials, how-tos, and pics. Scroll down the page I’ve linked, to see this particular wall pic – but read the whole page to get lots of inspiration and ideas. AND she has a tutorial on how to make the stencil!
Now, I happen to love the one she shows in this pic – that it’s asymetrical, that it’s turquoise, just because that’s a great color, and it’s in a mostly white room – but those are details that appeal to me. Of course it could be in exactly the color you need – in whatever configuration works for you.
Yes, you could use wallpaper to achieve this look, especially if the background color of the wallpaper matched your own wall color. But you’d have to buy a whole roll of wallpaper (probably), in the exact right color, and, well, think how much better to just Do it Yourself.
Especially with a free stencil pattern. And a tutorial. And spending practically nothing. How cool is that?
So today I’m talking paper again – and a couple home-made gift wrap ideas I think will offer you some inspiration.
Do It yourself Gift Wrap Idea Number One
I love this one! You could use a store-bought doily, and that would be lovely over kraft paper, or fabric, or a plain box. Or instead of a doily, cut out a snowflake like you used to do when you were a kid (basically fold a piece of paper over and over and then cut out various shapes, and then unfold). Use a piece of colored or patterned paper and you’ll have wonderful homemade ‘lace’ like this one. It looks wonderful, and it doesn’t cost much (or anything, if you use old magazine pages or whatever you have around the house) – and it’s fun and individual.
and
Do It yourself Gift Wrap Idea Second Version
Now that is fun! Take any gift box, or a cereal box turned inside out, or a recycled box rescued from your local UPS store or printer. Find some markers or sharpies or paint brushes in your craft cupboard – and draw some pictures! If you have to paint or draw over some printing already on the box, so what? That could make it even more fun. If you’re not a great artist – so what? Draw circles or stars or just add scribbles with lots of colors. Ask your kids to draw their favorite pictures. (Okay, maybe put newspapers down on the kitchen table first.)
I’m sorry, Hallmark Corporation or whatever company it is these days that manufactures wrapping paper – but these are much better. They’re ecologically smart, they don’t cost much – and who has bunches of extra cash these days? – and even more important, they’re made with love and they’re PERSONAL.
Isn’t that what gift-giving is supposed to be about?
P.S. Oh! I must give credit where it’s due. I found both of these wrapping ideas – and more yummy ones to explore – over at Going Home to Roost, a wonderful blog full of do it yourself ideas, and recipes, and gentleness and healthy ideas and, well, it’s a lovely blog you ought to read.
|
Coolness
DIY
Eco friendly
Gardening
Home Decor
Indie / Design
Thrifty
vintage
|
