In the world of internet and cell phone communication, information and feelings are shared quickly and impulsively. I prefer face-to-face communication to the phone or email, but I’ve had several good friends move away over the past year. Writing a letter to a friend requires a sacrifice of your time and requires you to really…
Have passport, will travel . . . yes. Have passport in a hand-sewn leather case? JET SETTER. In the spirit of this month’s Design*Sponge travel theme, let’s take a lesson in leather hand sewing that we can use for a passport cover or just about any small case-like thing you can think of. Hand sewing…
Here in the Bay Area, we eagerly await the last month of summer. Believe it or not, it usually brings the first hot and sunny days of the season. I’ve rounded up our best outdoor DIY projects with the hope that everyone who’s lucky enough to get outside will be inspired to try out a…
As you may have figured out from my My Life Scoop posts, I’m a bit of a nut for tech accessories, especially pocket-sized ones. I can’t get over how awesomely small our entertainment devices are becoming; it makes traveling with them so much easier. But one issue I keep running into is how to neatly…
It’s summertime, and the sewing is easy! Chances are, you’re not in the mood to lock yourself inside this month to work on a complicated sewing project, but if you’re looking for some instant crafty gratification to whip up on your way out the door to vacation, this luggage tag is just the thing. You…
DIY Fabric Chandelier from 100 Layer Cake on Vimeo. Today is DIY day at D*S, but before we launch into our projects, I wanted to share this super cute chandelier project from the talented team at 100 Layer Cake. This is an easy-to-follow project that would work just as well for a wedding as it…
A recent house clean-out yielded many items we had a hard time parting with, even though their very existence has become obsolete in the last few years. One of the most noticeable of the bunch: road maps. As our ever-advancing phones and computers take over our lives, we find what was once useful is now…
My kind of sport involves hanging out with friends and, most of the time, having a drink. Bowling is what we do most of the time, but now that it’s sunny and nice out, it feels strange to be indoors while there’s daylight. Bocce is fun, but it requires a very specific court condition that…
You know those DIY projects that cause you to slap your forehead and think: of course! These personalized paper cups from the folks at Sticky Cake Inspirations are just that. The execution is simple and clean but also extremely versatile. I’m picturing the hundreds of fun variations you could use — different shapes, photographs, fabric,…
Summer brings out the travel bug in me. I start dreaming of the beautiful places I’ve been and the locations I still hope to visit. My initial idea for this project was to create a roadmap of one of my favorite travel destinations. I thought a subtle tray celebrating a place I love would be…
With the rush of technological methods helping us find our way, paper maps and Thomas Guides are quickly becoming obsolete, but their contouring graphics will always remain timeless. Use your dusty glove-compartment maps to make travel-inspired stationery for some good old-fashioned correspondence. A simple dividing line, address and stamp transform a map-backed note card into…
I have been obsessed with craft supplies since my early childhood, and I am not afraid to talk about my lifelong love affair with glue. It’s rivaled only by my love of tape, but more on that later :) Glue is a magical substance, and trust me when I say that the ability to permanently…
When my husband and I first moved into our house, we were on a tight budget, and a fancy ceiling fan was not in the plan. The last residents left this fan, and I’ve never liked it. This week, I decided to give my fan an upgrade and share it with everyone. The full project…
A couple weeks ago, Daniel submitted a living room redesign, and it was a huge hit, especially the work he did to transform the plain windows into this beautiful paned version. Daniel was kind enough to offer a tutorial on how to recreate the wooden panes. As it turns out, with just a little patience…
We have two exciting treats today: Another awesome DIY video from Brett’s new book, Sewing in a Straight Line, and the list of winners from last week’s book giveaway! — Kate Congratulations to everyone who entered on having some truly disastrous disasters!! I have never heard of so many fingers being sewn through, so many…
I love it when forced downtime produces something creative. Last week I couldn’t look at Twitter without seeing the hashtag #carmageddon (which didn’t end up being as bad as everyone expected), so I was curious to see how it would all work out. Luckily for a few people who chose to stay home and avoid…
Sewing in a Straight Line by Brett Bara — How to Sew a Round Bowl with Straight Lines Only from Rarebit Productions on Vimeo. We’re very excited to announce that our resident sewing expert and all-around awesome crafter, Brett Bara, has a new book out titled Sewing in a Straight Line. To celebrate, Brett is…
Try as I might, I cannot seem to grasp even the most basic of feminine beauty rituals. I’m constantly struggling to master rudimentary hair and makeup techniques, and my one-time foray into the “subtle” art of perfume left everyone in the room with burning nostrils. This DIY solid perfume locket from artisanal perfumer Mandy Aftel…
The office is one my favorite “rooms” in the house because so often it’s not even a room— it’s a converted closet, a dining table working double duty, or a well-organized nook. I love seeing how people customize their homes to make room for a workspace that suits their needs, and I can say from…
Welcome back to Upholstery Basics, where we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and completing our first project together: a wrap-around seat. Of all seating, dining room chairs get the brunt of the abuse — a little vino here, red sauce there. If you’ve been glaring at those chairs and wondering how to give them that…
