All posts tagged: DIY

bookmark.

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Here’s a handmade gift idea for all your book (or magazine) lovers, and in my case – craft book enthusiast! For this project I used two colors of 4mm cord. I cut 4 strands 4-feet long with one color and 1 strand 8 inches long in the second color. You can mix and match however you like. I used basic macrame knots for this project, starting with 4 Lark’s head knots to attach the longer cords to the shorter cord. Then a series of square knots alternating between a square knot for strands 1-4 and 5-8, and then a square knot for strands 3-6, until you have about 8 inches of cord left. Finish off with a double half hitch knot for strands 1-4 and 5-8 going diagonally down and inward, then tie the two inner most strands together to create the pointed bottom. Trim and fray as you wish. Add a cute tag for funsies. Pair with a book of choice. What’s on your reading list this winter? Me: Modern Macrame by Emily Katz.

paper bag.

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It’s the easiest Halloween treat bag ever! If you’re pressed for time or need something foolproof for Halloween crafting, look no further. All you need to create these treat bags are Paper bags – Size will depend on what you plan to use for filling. I found these smaller bags at Daiso. A black marker Treats – I picked a few types of candy and stickers. Optional materials: Brown or green felt for the stem (You can also use paper.) Fabric scissors (or paper scissors if using paper) A stapler Work on a flat surface. Fold ~1 inch of the top of the paper bag to the backside. This helps with centering your jack-o-lantern drawing. Next, draw a jack-o-lantern face with marker. If you’re using a permanent marker (or thin paper bag), consider using a piece of paper or cardboard inside the paper bag to prevent the marker from bleeding through. You can write a note on the backside of the paper bag, too. Then fill with treats. If you’re adding a stem, cut out …

macrame basics.

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Use these knots and techniques to create unique designs for your macrame pieces. Lark’s Head Knot The lark’s head knot is often used as an anchoring knot to start your piece. Fold rope cord in half. Place the midpoint underneath the dowel in a U fashion. Bring the top loose rope strands over the dowel and through the U. Pull loose rope strands all the way through to tighten the knot. Square Knot To create a square knot, work four cords at a time. Using the first four rope cords, place rope cord 1 over cords 2 and 3. Place rope cord 4 over rope cord 1, under rope cords 3 and 2, and through the loop made by rope cord 1. Pull rope cords 1 and 4 out and up to create the first half of the square knot. To complete the square knot, perform a similar but opposite pattern. Place the now rope cord 4 over cords 3 and 2. Place rope cord 1 over rope cord 4, under rope cord 2 and 3, and through the loop …

sriracha.

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Halloween may look a little different this year, but you can totally still dress up! Here’s a Halloween Throwback (just two years…) because I never got to post about our Sriracha costumes. I cut the roosters out of felt and attached them onto a red dress and red tee (inside out so you couldn’t see the design) with double sided tape. I made the green caps out of La Croix boxes and felt. I attached mine to a headband and Hubby’s to a hair clip. I like designing costumes that are comfortable / easy to maneuver in so I try to use what I already have in my outfit repertoire as the base of my costumes. That makes it easier to wear to work if Halloween falls on a workday, and do normal things like go to Starbucks and tell them my name is Sriracha (Yes, they spelled it incorrectly.). I thought the comically tiny and comically large caps would be a nice touch. When we went to Chipotle for our annual boo-rito run, the …

cardboard loom.

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I taught a weaving class with Craft Buzz back in May and we created cardboard looms. Since I haven’t restocked my acrylic looms in a while I thought I’d share the how-to for this simple, find-materials-at-home DIY, plus some weaving reference videos, so you can get weaving, too. All you need to create a cardboard loom: A piece of sturdy cardboard. The larger the cardboard, the larger you can make your weaving. The one I used is about 9 inches x 10 inches. A ruler Pencil/pen Scissors I like to leave 1-inch margins on the left and right sides of the cardboard (so I have cardboard to hold as I weave). Between the margins, mark every 1/4 inch at the top and bottom of the cardboard. Cut ~1/2 inch slits at each mark, at the top and bottom of your cardboard. That’s it! Prep and weave as you would on a wooden/acrylic/bamboo loom. For a quick weaving tutorial, view my short videos: Setting up your loom Tabby (basic) stitch Rya (tassels) Tabby stitch variations Finishing …

missing you.

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File these milk cartons under things I didn’t need but wanted to craft with. They are so cute! Also file these under pandemic crafts – I’m making Missing You milk cartons to send to friends. For this craft you will need: Milk cartons. You can purchase cartons precut and prescored with attached adhesive strips, or create your own with a template. I purchased mine from Impressed Cards, but I don’t see them on their website anymore. You can find similar ones at Michaels. Markers in a variety of colors Photos of your friends, preferably with you so it’s less weird (more on that later) Adhesive, if needed. I recommend glue tape or double sided tape. Treats to place inside the milk carton. Prepackaged snack packs work great, especially if you will ship them. How to: Add a photo: Maybe this craft is a little strange to be modeled after those missing kids milk cartons, but it cute. Also, I feel like it’s less creepy (and less like your friend is actually missing 🙈) if you …

craft beer and craft crafts.

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This quarter’s Crafty Lady Night was at a brewery! We enjoyed craft beers and craft crafts! This time we made yarn wrapped plant hangers and keychains. This is a great project for on the go, and you don’t need that many materials. Plus, it’s a fun gift idea. Try it out and let me know what you think! Here’s the how-to for the plant holders: Materials: cotton cord, ring, assorted yarn, scissors Cut at least 4 strands of cord, 5 feet in length. Fold all cords in half and place a ring at the midpoint (or tie an overhand knot). Start with a foot of yarn. Fold yarn so there is a U with one short and one long end. Hold the strands securely on the cord and begin wrapping the cords with the long end of yarn. Wrap starting from the loose yarn end and ‘up’ towards the bottom of the U. Place the long end through the bottom of the U. Hold the long end securely as you pull on the short end …

make and play diy: halloween edition.

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Kellie from Make and Play DIY took my himmeli pomtass workshop at Craftcation 2019 and was inspired to create a Halloween themed kit for her subscribers. She asked me to help with the project, so I got my nails done and started filming! I had recently purchased a camera holder so I was excited for this opportunity to film a DIY. Kellie sent over lots of materials for me to play and experiment with before finalizing the project details: yarn, straws, felt, markers, a sewing kit, … I created two himmeli pomtass project variations. Here’s the first: Howl at the Moon. For this project I used yarn, a pom pom and tassel maker, paper scissors, fabric scissors, embroidery floss, a craft needle, a sewing needle, a tray, a ruler, four paper straws, and four wolf die cuts. My second variation: Caged Bird. For this project I used yarn, a pom pom and tassel maker, paper scissors, fabric scissors, embroidery floss, a craft needle, a sewing needle, a tray, a ruler, twelve paper straws, and one …

yarn wrap.

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A cozy yarn craft for Fall! Materials: Wood ornament wreath – You can also wrap letter ornaments. Assorted yarn – Try a variety of colors and textures. Scissors Craft needle I removed the hanging string so I could wrap the entire ornament. Begin by tying a double knot. Trim the tail to less than an inch. Begin wrapping, keeping the wraps close together. I wrapped over the yarn tail to hide it. Overlap yarn to completely cover the ornament. Once you’re ready to switch colors, tie the first and second yarn ends to each other with an overhand knot. Continue wrapping, again wrapping over the yarn tails. You can “go back” and overlap the wraps to cover any gaps. Shortcut/style choice: double up the yarn and wrap two strands at the same time. Once you’ve wrapped the entire ornament (you can also partially wrap the ornament – it’s up to you!) use a craft needle to assist with tying a double knot. Then sew in the loose tail into a few of the yarn wraps …

macrame feather leaves.

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I’ve been seeing these feathery leaf rope things on the interwebs and I am obsessed! After some trial and error with rope and knots, I finally figured it out. Materials Single strand cotton rope (this kind of rope unravels nicely) Comb Scissors Instructions Cut one piece of rope 24″ in length. Fold in half and tie an overhand knot close to the top. This will be the hanging loop. Cut 28 pieces of rope 12″ in length. Create reef knots along the main rope. Fold a 12″ piece of rope in half. Place underneath the main rope. Place a second 12″ rope folded in half on top of the main rope in the opposite direction. Place the top folded rope ends into the bottom rope loop; place the bottom rope loops up through the top rope loop. Tighten. Secure by pulling the top two ropes at the same time; pull the bottom two ropes at the same time. Push the knot up. Repeat, alternating the direction of the bottom and top ropes, until you have …