this past week i have been passionately involved in nineties movie madness on best week ever, where the public can vote on the ninetiesest of nineties movies (go clueless!). the relevance of this to my diy is that in my mind, altoids are a very nineties food. if there was a nineties food bracket, i…
to say that craftynest is a wealth of fantastic diy projects would be a massive, massive understatement. monica ewing, formerly a designer for sunset magazine, now runs a fantastic blog called craftynest where she shares some really spectacular diy projects. there were too many to even pick a favorite so i thought i’d share a…
this is the last installment in the paint projects. over the years of apartment dwelling, i have amassed a fairly large collection of house paints, some of which i’ve hardly used. i decided to create some quick “objet d’art” with a few random knick knacks lying around. this is an easy way to create a…
this third project using paint is good for people who like to change their house around a lot. these mirror stencil designs are easy to put on and take off, and they leave no marks on the mirror so you can change the design over and over again. if you have any contact paper left…
this incredible diy project makes my jaw drop every time i see it. the talented britt of cucumbersome created these seriously fantastic tables after seeing the curator table at anthropologie. inspired by angie’s diy faux-nelson jewelry chest on d*s, britt decided to create her own, more affordable (and dare i say, more beautiful?), version of…
the second diy using paint was inspired by an artist grace has featured before on d*s. i was deeply taken with the crochet pebbles from resurrection fern, but sadly i cannot wield a crochet hook with any skill whatsoever. i decided to fake it and create a linocut stamp with an abstract crochet pattern that…
this month’s material is a simple one…paint! obviously paint comes in many forms, and one of my favorite craft tools is the paint pen. they have come a long way over the years, and the newest paint pens provide a really clean, fluid line of paint and are great for drawing with. in our home…
karyn from make something is helping me keep the chalkboard love going today with this awesome diy project she made for her home. not content to just have a beautiful chalkboard in her home, karyn decided to get extra crafty and drill holes through which twinkle lights from urban outfitters could shine. i love the…
this fun diy project comes from designer cat seto‘s new blog, designing moms. one of her contributors, jackie, came up with this fun project to make customized dominos for children- but that are cute enough that a few adults might want to use or display them as well. using paint sample strips and images from…
valentine’s day is right around the corner, and i’ve decided to make something for my boyfriend that is a little unconventional and can last beyond the holiday. i used some vintage jewelry pieces (read: ugly eighties earrings), and some other knick-knacks I have collected over the years. for a personal touch i also included a…
these days i have a strong affinity for anything chalkboard related. it began with the vintage frame chalkboard i bought from gosia at blue bell bazaar on etsy (above, in my house), and continued with my most recent column for craft magazine about using chalkboard or magnetic paint (online here). so i was thrilled to…
seven days in, and so far 2009 appears to be the year of de-cluttering and cooking (for us anyway). this project is a direct result of those current obsessions. it’s also a good example of the criteria we use when coming up with project ideas, that is, we hope whatever we make will be useful…
this fun project from d*s reader lisa berry straddled the line between before & after and diy project so well that i couldn’t resist posting it as a project today. as a christmas gift for her mother, lisa decided to use these cedar slices to create a personalized silhouette series of her family. the steps…
[my apologies, kate's new diy series was supposed to go up yesterday but i totally fell behind] this month i will feature projects using canvas, and to kick it off i decided to use a lightweight canvas fabric to create an unusual “night light” painting that could look good on or off. we needed a…
alexandra hedin is a lifestyle and entertaining expert in the beautiful pacific northwest. her work is always so lovely and i was thrilled to hear from her about sharing one of her diy ideas. she came up with a quick and easy (and affordable!) way to create modern silhouette “portraits” of your family (or pets)…
photographer jen thompson sent over these photos of her home and i was instantly smitten with the framed chalkboard in the back. i picked up a vintage frame chalkboard last month and have loved to see how people use them in their homes. but when i found out that jen’s was actually made from an…
a few years ago we were delighted to discover that most hardware and lumber stores carry a selection of tapered wooden table legs. they come in a wide variety of heights, from 4” to 28”, which means you can easily make all sorts of tables (from bedside to dining room) out of just about anything….
we’ve been wanting to get a bird feeder to hang outside our living room window for some time now. (hopefully it won’t drive our cats nuts!) this little feeder was inexpensive and easy to make, and we were able to customize it with paint to look like a little snack stand at an amusement park!…
we came across these tiles during one of our regular hardware store browsing sessions. normally used to tile your kitchen or bathroom, they’re an irresistible bargain at 45 cents apiece. add a little spray painted design and some stick-on vinyl pads for feet and you’ve got yourself a custom trivet for less than $1. (while…
with so many fantastic entries from this year’s diy contest, i’m still poring through them and sharing some of my favorites that didn’t make the finals. this project from jason halstead was a favorite of mine because it combines my two loves- before & after makeovers and diy projects. unhappy with his ‘ugly 50s-era sewing…
