Every winter, my cat, JFK, who is usually an outdoor cat, gets a little bit crankier . . . well, a lot crankier. When he’s not sleeping directly in front of the heater or scarfing food, he’s begging me for attention. On my last trip to New York, I learned a lot of great tips from…
To see Merrilee’s other projects in our DIY Gift Series, click here, here and here. Thanks so much for sharing your DIY genius with us, Merrilee :) — Kate For that last-minute “I need a one-of-a-kind gift, like right now!” present, this hand-stamped, no-sew knit scarf is just the thing. The minty green and blue…
Today we’re sharing the last two projects in our DIY Gift Series from Merrilee of Mer Mag. To check out her previous projects — a cozy mountain pillow and a pretty bleach-dot clutch — click here and here. Thanks for sharing, Merrilee! — Kate Hi, friends! Merrilee here again to help you check off those items on…
If you’re living in dorms (or have ever been a teenager, for that matter), you’ve likely come across wall hangings. I’m sure you know the type — sold at the local head shop and printed with any number of psychedelic images such as kaleidoscopic patterns, tie-dye, dancing wolves and moonlit dolphins. Wall hangings, with their…
It’s pouring outside as I write this, but I know there are sunny fall days ahead, and I intend to get out and enjoy the turning of the leaves eventually. I thought this design from Stevie May and Ashley Renuart provided a unique spin on the traditional picnic blanket, and it’s pretty enough to double…
Now that summer is over and the nights are growing a bit chilly, I’m sure many of us will start spending more time indoors, cooking hot meals or catching up on our favorite shows. (I recently became addicted to The United States of Tara, and highly recommend it — Toni Collette is amazing.) If you’re…
This past week, a new publication came across my desk with one of the best titles I’ve ever seen. You Are Awesome is a collection of 21 fun, simple, colorful craft projects by Abbey Hendrickson, crafter extraordinaire and the woman behind the popular blog Aesthetic Outburst. The projects range in size and scope — from a…
We saw a huge range of projects submitted for the tape contest. The majority were wall designs, followed closely by painted furniture treatments. In the end, only a few objects were submitted — but within those few were some really stand-out designs, like this painted leather sketchbook by artist Amber Jensen. Amber has been crafting…
This tape sponge lamp project was the grand prize second place* winner from our DIY contest, and it’s easy to see why it was such a hit among voters. By creating a simple repeating shape, Giselle managed to transform the material into something organic, elegant and almost unrecognizable as tape. There are very few materials or…
While the D*S editorial team is collectively focused on everything autumnal, I’m sure there is a large group of you out there that wishes summer would last a bit longer, and probably another group that is still experiencing high temperatures and lots of sun. This project by Erin Souder was one of my favorite finalists…
It hasn’t rained in Oakland for weeks, even months, but that hasn’t stopped me from stockpiling a list of projects for those overcast days ahead, when all I’ll want to do is to curl up on the couch with some good music, a mug of tea and a glue gun. Grace and I both gravitated…
When Grace was in town a few weeks ago, we did a little shopping at some of the new shops in my neighborhood. While browsing the jewelry at Marisa Haskell, we noticed these beautiful striped beach towels piled in the corner. They were a steal at just $30 each, and I wanted to buy out…
Balsa is one of my all-time favorite materials: It’s cheap and lightweight and easily handles bending, cutting, staining, painting, glueing and pretty much every other technique that comes to mind. It’s also a great resource for creating professional-quality results with few tools, as you can see in this awesome balsa lampshade project from Jamie Samples…
With farmers’ market season upon us, it’s always a good idea to have lots of reusable produce bags on hand. But the problem with regular cloth bags is that they’re not see-through, making it easy to lose track of what’s in the fridge and resulting in tragic forgotten-vegetable casualties. To help keep track of what…
I love the look of papier-mâché. It is sturdy, classic and timeless, but sometimes it is just too much trouble — the layers, dripping and drying time, and then the painting. If I had an art/craft-dedicated studio and time to spare, I would be all over it. But for now, paper clay is my new…
This is the last project in our summer DIY series with guest contributor Brittany Watson Jepsen. It’s been a pleasure having Brittany back on the site for a bit, and I feel majorly inspired by her clever, modern projects. Click on the links to view projects One, Two, Three and Four. Thanks so much, Brittany! —…
This is the fourth installment of Brittany Watson Jepsen’s summer DIY series. Check out her previous projects here, here and here. I love how simple and minimal these projects are, creating awesome results with only a few materials. Thanks for sharing, Brittany! — Kate For those of us lucky enough to have minimal living space, creative space planning is…
My early attempts with leather stain were messy, awkward and always too dark. I pretty much resigned myself to dark colors and floods. Then a friend, Eric Trine, started playing with dye in a spray bottle, and I was instantly intrigued. The results looked quite cool. So after giving it another try, I’m here to…
This is the third installment of Brittany Watson Jepsen’s summer DIY series. Check out her previous projects here and here. Thanks so much for sharing your DIY talents with us, Brittany! It’s great to have you back :) — Kate I’ve had copper plumbing tubing on my mind lately, and I’ve been thinking about how…
It seems no matter what I do, I can never get a handle on all the tiny odds and ends that accumulate around my house. From craft materials to hair ties, the bits and bobs are constantly trying to take over, so in the never-ending quest to corral them, these little fabric bins were born….
