Elizabeth from Oh Fransson has some really wonderful tutorials that I think you’ll love! The first one to catch my eye was the door stop tutorial. I love the square shape and the fact that she included a handle to make it easier to move around. It’s filled with dried beans and has a zipper opening at the bottom so that you can remove the beans and wash it if needed. She’s obviously got a good eye for design and is very detail oriented. Those of you looking for help with zippers will definitely appreciate that part. She even lets you know when you should switch to a heavyweight needle for best results. Her tutorials are comprehensive, well-written, and include lots of pertinent photos.

The second project I’m really excited about is the Little Shopping Bag Tutorial. Just last week I was lamenting that my RuMe bags were too big for just a lunch and lo and behold this bag is the perfect size. This is another super-cute design and she even gives you dimensions for a small, medium and large size bag. (Hey, save me from doing some math and I’m your best friend for life!) You’ll appreciate the section on eyelets in this one. She’s got lots of other great stuff on her site so take a look to see what catches your eye!

Cheers!
Donna

Photos and tutorials © Elizabeth Hartman.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been a bit obsessed with making crafts for my baby. My latest craft adventure has been making cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are so much cheaper than disposables, as well as healthier for the baby (and just plain cuter!).

Though I’m no expert at it yet, I’m having a great time figuring out the best patterns, the right fabrics, and all the details. I haven’t really done any sewing before, so I’m learning everything from scratch! If you’re interested, here are some of the best free patterns I’ve found so far:

Darling Diapers Newborn

Shar’s Newborn Fitted Diaper

Rita’s Rump Pocket

Those are the best free patterns I’ve found so far, but I’m still exploring. What has been fun for me is cutting up old T-shirts to make into diapers. That way, the diaper is essentially made for free, plus the shirt diapers end up so cute. I don’t have any pictures right now, but here is an example of the kind of cute diapers you can make these days:

Pretty adorable, huh? With diapers this cute, why would anyone want to use disposables?

It’s time to clean out your closets for Swap-O-Rama-Rama in Los Angeles this Saturday, June 28, at the Venice Center for Peace with Justice and the Arts. SORR is a giant clothing swap which, along with DIY workshops, encourages creative reuse and recycling. Rummage through the giant piles of clothing to find new-to-you garments and enlist the help of designers and seamstresses at sewing stations to help you alter, embellish and reimagine your picks into fabulous new creations. Silkscreening and embroidery will be available as well as help with specific projects such as plushies and shopping bags from t-shirts. (I’ll be helping out at the silkscreening station so please be sure to say hi!) It’s a really fun event and you’re helping the planet at the same time. What could be better than that? It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it’s $5 if you bring a bag of clothes and $10 without clothes. Email me if you have any questions!

Cheers!
Donna

Do you love to burn stick incense? Do you hate to clean up the ashy (is that a word?) mess? And, how about those tacky incense holders? Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of them, but it’s not because I think they are the latest in home decor.

Well, here’s the answer, and you can make it yourself! Not just make it, but completely customize it to match your decor, your party occasion, current holiday or your ever changing mood!!!

Creative Origins has posted an exclusive tutorial for their HANGING INCENSE BURNERS made from PVC pipe, that are a great alternative to the mess of traditional ones, and are unique as to their ability to hang up and out of the way. Plus - they are SO easy to use! Just remove the bottom, place your favorite incense stick in the holder and light. Replace the bottom and hang. That’s it!! Fills the whole room with fabulous fragrance.
Look at the different looks you can design. The possibilities are only as limited as your own power of imagination. You can use contact paper, paint (for plastics), and more to decorate your very own burner, and you get to tell everyone you made it yourself.
You have to see this! Or DO you? This incense holder is hanging from the switch of a floor lamp with a black pole. Very nearly unnoticeable. You could make one from the color of any wall, and it would disappear. Or, of course, you could decorate it as loud as you want. And, if all of that isn’t enough for you, they can be used out on your patio or deck with citronella incense sticks for a bug-free environment at your next gathering. So, click on over to Creative Origins for a great tutorial, fully detailed with pictures. And don’t worry, if it all seems a bit overwhelming to you, you can buy yours in the Gift Store.

One of the other sites I am involved in is Folding Trees and we have had a blast setting it up over the last couple of weeks. The site is about everything paper and June (from Planet June ) has written an excellent tutorial on how to make these very pretty lucky stars.

One of the other things I am busy with at the moment is the challenge to fold 1000 Paper cranes from recycled paper. Here is the first one I did:

I would love some help on this project so if you want to be involved hop over to Folding Trees and look here for more info.