bag made from a shirt

Admit it. You have some old shirts shoved away in the dark recesses of your closet. You know what I'm talking about. Those ones that you haven't worn in years and may not even remember you had until you poke around. Let's say we re-purpose those and get some use out of 'em, ay? This is so easy, you'll wish you had done it sooner.

Here's what you need:

1 shirt (long or short sleeved, doesn't matter)
scissors
needle and thread
sewing machine (optional)

Dig that shirt out of your closet. Maybe that one from the high school when midriff was in...

Cut the sleeves off along the seam, leaving the seam attached to the chest of the shirt.

This is what it should look like when you're done cutting.

Turn your shirt inside out, line up the bottom of the shirt and pin both sides together. Then, using a simple needle and thread or a sewing machine sew the bottom of the shirt closed. Turn the shirt right-side out and you get your finished bag.

Your finished product should look something like this. Wear the bag by putting your arm through the arm holes and place items through the neck hole, which you can enlarge by cutting past the seam. These bags are particularly convenient for rolling up and carrying in your purse for those unplanned purchases. I say, why should recycled bags just be used for groceries?

When I write to you next, I will have started my graduate school classes. Wish me luck!

Coasters

Hey all! It has been too long. I feel like I've been a crafting maniac this past month, but I don't have much to show for it. Thankfully, I do have one pretty nifty craft that I can share with you all. They are coasters made with your very own pictures (or I guess you could use a magazine, scrapbook paper cut-out or a print-out from the internet) shelaqued on to tiles with cork backing.

Here's what you need:

A tile (you can find one at a hardware store, like Lowe's or Home Depot), any size (mine was roughly 4.25 in x 4.25 in)
Picture printed on paper
Sheet of cork
Paper Adhesive (I used Us ArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive)
3D Crystal Lacquer
Crazy Glue (I used Gorilla Super Glue, which I found to be less sticky on my fingers than the name brand)

Here's how to make 'em:

First, choose the image that you want to put on your coaster.

Next, place the tile on top of the section of the picture that you would like to use and trace around the edges on to the paper using a pencil.

Then, using a paper cutter/trimmer, cut the the picture along the drawn lines.

Cover the surface of the tile with your paper adhesive. Make sure that there is no excess liquid, since that may create an uneven surface.


Carefully place the cut out image on to the tile. Run your fingers or a pencil along the edges to make sure that the paper has sufficiently stuck to the tile. Place something flat and heavy on top until it dries. Trust me, you don't want to leave out this step. If you do, the picture turns out all bumpy.

Once the paper is completely glued to the tile, cover the surface of the picture with your 3D glaze. You could use some kind of shelaque or modge-podge as well, but I tried both and I much preferred the 3D glaze. It comes out a lot more clear, smooth, and glossy.

Wait until the top of the tile has dried and then measure out a piece of cork and cut it to size. Use your crazy glue to attach it to the tile. Be careful, though, because the cork is quite porous and it easily seeps through on to your hands. I suppose you could try using hot glue instead.



Et voila! Now you have some beautiful new coasters!

Australia!

After 3 weeks in Australia and one whirlwind day in LA, I am back in Lil' Rhody! Despite having an awesome time, I am happy to be home, especially because that means I can hang out with k and do some crafting! But first, let me share a couple of pictures from Australia (I don't really think the way the pictures show up on the blog does them justice, but if you click on the images, they will get bigger):

A wallaby (they are like tiny kangaroos)

Beautiful beaches

My family inside of a cathedral fig tree

Cathedral fig tree - I still say this one looks like it
came out of War of the Worlds, but maybe that's just me.

My brother inside of a crazy rock formation

I figured that I couldn't leave out the kangaroo
pictures. They're basically required, right?

This bird really cracks me up. Also, after looking at it, I'm
not surprised that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.

Okay, you got me. This one isn't from Australia, it's from
my cousin's Bat Mitzvah in LA. I love the motion of the
picture, though, so I could not leave it out. I am
dancing w/ my dad in this one.

The following are some pictures that I took in Australia that have inspired some craft ideas, so I thought I would share them with you all as well.

I have never seen artwork quite like this before. The style seemed really unique and the colors were amazingly vibrant, which of course appealed to me.


These were the light fixtures in the main lobby of a hotel in Cairns. I don't
see why I couldn't do something like this on a smaller scale. Perfect
for a dorm room! Not that I'll be in one of those again.

I saw a woman with this sweatshirt bag in the airport.
And yes, I was a creeper and took a picture.

Back to the present. Today, I picked k up from work and we went to a park for some crafting and yoga. It was the perfect day for it. Sunny, breezy... People were out with their dogs and guitar notes drifted through the park from a nearby house. When I was in Australia I found a bunch of shells with holes in them, so we used these to make some jewelry.

k worked on a necklace, while I worked on a pair of earrings.

Final products: Earrings, necklace and anklet

Well, that's all for today! Good night to you all! I hope to have some more crafting news up soon, so check back later this week!

-e

Indoor picnic, hollowed out book purse, and frame

Hey! I'm very excited to finally make a post on me and k's blog! It is long overdue. I have been holed up in the library studying for the MCATs and have subsequently been hoarding my crafting photos.

A couple of weeks ago, two friends of mine from college came through Providence to say hello. k and my roommate joined us for a cute, little indoor picnic complete with Chilean wine, cheese, apples, honey, and much more deliciousness.

k's man regaled us with stories

Then we all headed downtown to my favorite bar to dance the night away. What an evening!

Now for some crafting. I actually started this last summer, but then put it down once I started my job and only just recently finished it. Therefore, I only have pictures of the final product, although I do intend on posting instructions at a later date. What you see below is a purse that I made out of a book (modeled by yours truly, rocking an army jacket from high school with pink pajama bottoms, of course).

I bought the book for $1 at a sale outside the local hospital's cafeteria. I chose it because of its large size. I made a book purse once before but the spine was too narrow to hold very much.

I used an exacto knife to cut the pages from the book and then lined the inside with fabric. It was hard to find a color that didn't clash with the strange maroon-ish shade of the book, so I chose gold to go with the writing.

Using the fabric and ironed on interfacing, I created "wings" that fold inward for the sides of the purse (aka the top and bottom of the book). I also made pockets for my phone and my pad of paper, which goes with me everywhere.

I could have bought handles for the purse from Jo-Anns or Michaels, but they all looked tacky, so I opted to make my own. The benefit of this is that I managed a way to make the straps adjustable so that I could wear the purse over the shoulder or slung over my back like so.


All that's left to do is to get some strings to tie the purse closed at the top, so that everything doesn't fall out.

Two nights ago, I stayed up finishing a gift that I made for k. Friday was my last day at my job (!!) and I wanted to give her a little something for her desk seeing as we sat side by side for a year and half. I thought it might be nice to make a picture frame, even though I don't seem to have any good pictures of the two of us... minor problem, really.

What you need:
- picture frame, one preferably with a wide frame
- magazines, newspaper, or wrapping paper
- hot glue gun

1. Set out your frame. Then, choose a piece of paper that you'd like to start with. Cut it so that it is longer than it is tall. Make sure that you don't make it too short height-wise, otherwise it will be difficult to roll it up tightly.

2. Turn the piece of paper over so that the side that you want to show on the frame is on the table. Fold a little bit of the bottom evenly across.

3. Now roll the rest of the paper, so that you end up with a little, thin, scroll. Or you could make it loose and big, it's really up to you. Roll it until you are nearly at the end of the sheet of paper. Pinch the center, grab your gluegun, and glue all along the edge.

4. Put the tube down and roll it so that it adheres to the glued edge. Now you can glue it to your frame like so.

5. Go ahead and add the rest of your paper to line the frame. I tried to keep to a color theme because I noticed, again with a previous try, that when I had a very bright frame, it took away from the picture.

6. After covering the entirety of the frame with rolled paper, I ended up with this.

7. I toyed with the idea of cutting all of the edges of paper to fit the frame exactly except for the corner pieces, but decided against it. Turn your frame over, and cut the excess paper off the sides. I have not tried it, but an exacto might work better for this than scissors since they rip the paper a bit.

8. This is what the finished frame looks like, sitting on k's desk at work. (too be uploaded soon)


Well, that's all for tonight! I'm off to bed and then to the library again tomorrow! I hope you all are having a great weekend and had a chance to enjoy the sun today!

- e

Boots & Flowers

I would have to say there is nothing better than a warm, sunny Saturday.... Except, a warm, sunny Saturday where you put a little goodness in the crock-pot and head outside for some gardening.

It has been chilly this past week, so I have been outside today getting some much needed vitamin D... and having a little fun.

I decided to put my old cowboy boots to use as a planter. It seemed like a pretty sweet idea. Take a look...

What you need:

- Some old boots (probably something you think would be able to handle plants, dirt, and being watered daily)

- Soil

- Plants

- Plastic bag

- Razor blade

- Hammer

- Screw

- Screwdriver

1. Take your boot and make a few drain holes in the bottom. Hammer in the screw a little and then use the screwdriver to get it in the rest of the way. This might be a little difficult, depending on the strength of the bottom of your shoe. Use your muscles! Or...your burly boyfriend.

2. Using the razor blade, cut holes in your boot (be careful!). Make as many as you like. I made two on the side and then one at the bottom. Before you cut your holes, take into consideration where you will be putting your boot and how that will coincide with the location of your holes. For example, I want my boot to stand against a wall, so I only put holes on one side.

3. Once you are satisfied with your work, put a plastic bag in your boot. Cut holes in the bag that mirror the holes in your boot. Stick your plants in there. If your plants are bigger, you might have to fish them through the boot and out the hole. I had this problem because my roots were too big to go in through the hole I cut. I stuck the plant right in the boot and pulled the top of the plant out the hole. Fill the empty space with soil. And don't forget to put a few plants at the top of your boot. Give it a little water and you are good to go.

I wanted a little color for the deck, so I used mostly flowering plants. But, if you are so inclined, you can make yourself an herb boot. You also might want to make sure your boot is securely in it's final spot. Maybe throw a few rocks around it so it doesn't tip over if it is windy. It would be a shame to go water it in the morning and find the wind blew it over.

See, now after all that hard work I can go inside, crack open that crock-pot, and have myself some vegetarian lasagna. Yum!

Collage Wallet Extravaganza

Hello. I hope you had as great a Saturday as e and me. We hit up the RISD student fair this morning. We then settled in for some crepes after a short walk. I decided mine would be best if there was no banana or crepe, just nutella...

Anyways, we decided to get going with some fun when we returned to e's apartment. Therefore, this afternoon and evening turned into a frenzy of magazine ripping and taping.

Collage wallets are pretty wonderful. I have been using one for the past...oh my goodness...7ish years. I have taught a few people how to make one and thought it would be a good idea for our first endeavor here.


What you need:
1. Magazine(s)
2. Clear packaging tape
3. Clear Scotch tape
4. Scissors
5. You can use pretty much anything you would like for the collage (ex. feathers, cloth, etc)


What to do:
1. Go through the magazine and pick out what you want for your collage. Cut using your scissors or rip away. It really depends on your preference.


2. Use the cover of one of your magazines as the base for your wallet. Mine usually end up being as wide as the page. I make the height of the wallet a little bit taller than a dollar bill.

3. Choose where you would like your cards to go as well as which side you would like to keep your dollars. Fold the page into three sections. Use a card to meaure how much space you need. Make sure you also leave space for your cash when you are doing your folding. For the wallet I made, I put the cards in the middle and the dollars on the right.

4. Next you will need to make the new home for your cards. Use the other outside cover of your magazine for this. Use your card to measure the depth of the pockets. Fold the bottom so that each pocket allows the card to stick out half an inch at the top (so you can see your cards). The height of one page usually makes enough space for three card pockets. I wanted to be able to fit more cards in my wallet, so I taped another piece of the cover and kept folding. I have a lot of cards. Fold the page like an accordion.

5. Once your card pockets are all set, tape them to the wallet and start your collage. Use the Scotch tape to stick your magazine pieces in place. Make it as crazy or simple as you feel.

6. Now comes the hardest part....the taping. Tape the entire wallet. Start by taping down the card pockets. Tape the highest one up, then fold it and tape the second one, and so on till they are all in place. The process of taping will make the wallet water proof and more durable. The hard part is trying not to get wrinkles in your wallet. It's no big deal if you do. Make sure you get both sides and all edges.

7. The last steps involve making a slot for your money and also to making a clear barrier so your cards can't go flying out if the wallet is upside down. To make the money slot put two to four pieces of tape face to face. I like to stick a little fanciness on mine, but make it so I can still see the money in my wallet. You can do that or completely decorate it. To each his own. Tape the outside of the slot to the outside of the wallet where you will be holding your money as well as the top and bottom so your cash doesn't fall out. To make a barrier for your cards, fold a piece of packaging tape in half the long way. Then tape the top and bottom to the top and bottom of the wallet over where you will be keeping your cards.

Fold it up and now you are good to go! Feel free to make changes and improvements. I learned as I went, adding such things as the card barrier after having my card all over the place. I also made a wallet that had a little pouch to hold change. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

-k