Few things spark nostalgia like favorite family recipes, and Christmas cookies have got to be one of the most nostalgic family treats of all. I designed these tree ornaments to commemorate some of my favorite cookie cutters. These were made by tracing the cutters themselves then adorning them with embroidery “icing.” They’re a great way…
Thanksgiving dinner may be just hours away, but there’s still time to add some last-minute DIY details to your table. If you find yourself with a few free moments tonight or tomorrow morning, that’s all the time you need to whip up these super-quick place cards. In this project, we’re sewing directly onto paper, which…
I’ve been totally smitten with the beautiful throws springing up everywhere lately. But I don’t love their hefty price tags. DIY to the rescue! There’s an amazing array of stunning wool fabrics on the market, and it’s insanely easy to whip up a throw yourself with just a couple yards of fabric. At the fabric…
I love the look of old book pages. The toasty brown edges and pale centers of the pages pair perfectly with the stark black type. Simple design with such a vintage feel, but so fragile and brittle. To fix their fragility, I coated the paper with silicone. This technique preserves the fragile pages, making them…
Simple shelf-edging can be a great disguise for unattractive shelving units or it can transform your kitchen and library shelves by creating a more uniform look. Here I have alternated a decorative traditional fabric-edging with a utilitarian cork edge in the kitchen- a great spot for tacking up grocery lists and recipes… I have also…
When the time comes for your jeans to be reincarnated into your new favorite shorts, the top gets a new life but what about that sturdy bottom fabric going to waste? I have been saving the bottoms of cut off jeans for two years now, knowing that someday I would have a bright idea of…
this fun guys sewing project (brett will be back for sewing 101 next week!) comes from jacinda of prudent baby. {thanks for sharing, jacinda!} In my home we have a strict 4 pillow (2 per person) rule in our bed. So I came up with a solution for having pretty pillows that you can still…
My bathroom is quite old and somewhat grungy, so until I can afford better real estate, I thought a loud and colorful curtain would help draw the eye away from some of my bathroom’s less savory qualities… and thus, this patchwork shower curtain was born. It’s bright and fun, and it allowed me to use…
Time and time again I grow bored with my plain old bed sheets, or they become dingy and I yearn for the freshness of new linens before the time comes that I can afford them. A quick fix to freshening up sheets, shams, duvet covers or any other household linens only requires a bottle of…
we’ve got a whole slew of diy posts coming up today so i wanted to kick things off with this fun and affordable idea from artist eleanor grosch. eleanor picked up some cheap blue and white ikea dishtowels and turned them into a “south of france-inspired” tablecloth. total cost? $5. such a clever idea and…
I am a daily commuter and spend a lot of time in a car. Here is the perfect alternative to the everyday air freshener that uses all natural dried lavender. If you are lucky enough to not have to travel by car on the daily, this project would also put a woodland spin on a…
i am going to experiment with a new theme this year, which i might pull out every once in a while: all-in-one shopping trips!* the month of projects will be devoted to transforming/hacking objects from one store into brand new designs. i happened to live a stone’s throw from the hackable mothership that is IKEA,…
[today i'm thrilled to welcome brett bara of manhattan craft room to d*s with a special guest column. you've been asking for more sewing how-tos, so brett will be joining us for a sewing 101 primer, covering all the basics for getting started with home sewing. welcome, brett!] Hello there! I’m very happy to be…
on cold winter days like this nothing beats settling into the couch with a nice hot coffee (or hot chocolate). i usually try not to use the paper sleeves at coffee shops, so i was happy to see this cute reusable coffee sleeve design from megan auman that doubles as a bracelet! megan’s cozy/cuff SNAP…
this beautiful fall craft project comes from d*s reader and photographer danielle thompson of the thompson family blog. she created these gorgeous fabric pumpkins as a last minute thanksgiving centerpiece of vignette- i love the way they let you use up bit of leftover fabric (and they won’t turn to mush if you leave them…
chela edmunds is textile artist from melbourne, australia. she recently moved into a new apartment in brooklyn, ny and found that her beautiful windows overlooking the park only had enough blind coverage to reach chest-height. in order to let the sun shine through and maintain some privacy she created this simple but chic felted screen….
lately i’ve been looking fun, inexpensive ways to give friends thoughtful “just because” gifts. this year more than ever i feel really grateful to have a small group of good friends (something i didn’t have a lot of growing up) and i love doing little things to remind them i appreciate their friendship. but because…
i can’t get enough argyle! here’s a quickie friday afternoon project for your onesie socks (click here for yesterday’s argyle card project). while i was playing with them i found that the band at the top of the sock make a perfect little soft neck at the top of the vase. i might have to…
oh i love this time of year. this month’s theme is definitely going to be back to school, because who can help but be at least a little excited about the start of fall and a new year for students everywhere. send your favorite student to school (or work) with this notebook lunchbag! this is…
laura has a wonderful new diy project over at the d*s guest blog today. she’s working with yoyos (a quilting technique that produces little round circles of fabric) to create a beautiful pillow. click here for the full instructions! ps: click here for the new d*s diy project archives!
