Image The dangling bright colors and shapes of Alexander Calder’s mobiles have always fascinated me. I’ve never tried to make one but I’ve just found simple, yet roomy instructions to make your own interpretation of a Calder mobile for your own home. The newly rennovated Indianapolis Museum of Art has a fantastic heavy duty Calder mobile hanging above their atrium […]
Headboards have swamped the design blogs for the past 6 months or so. Some are o.k., some are good and some are really professionally done. These two tutorials are produced by a company from which I’ve purchased patterns. They’are a little bit on the frumpy side, but the construction instructions are easy to understand and, […]
The Giddyup Rocking Stool by Tim Wigmore snagged my attention  because it combines two of my favorite seats, a rocking chair and
With the help of some 4″ square ceramic tiles, turning decorative paper napkins into a set of very polished-looking coasters is easy. To make a set of 4 coasters, you’ll need: 4-4″ square ceramic tiles (you can find these at your big box store for about 15 cents a piece) Mod Podge small paint brush […]
Take one old hardcover book. Fold the pages in half. Tuck in pictures, post cards, etcetera. To see another not quite as charming example of a folded paper card holder, go here. From Sweet Paul. Photo by Ellen Silverman.
A green velvet cane back chair made the perfect guinea pig for my DIY upholstery tutorial over on AT. Deep diamond tufting can be a bit tricky but there are several alternatives. Check out
 When a project seems only do-able by a professional, it makes me want to conquer it that much more. Maybe it’s because I secretly long to be a subcontractor or something. Anywho, carpet binding has always seemed to be something for which the DIY-er needs a professional. Well, not anymore! Watch this video…
Capture a breath of spring with these gorgeous origami cherry blossoms. Although the blossoms themselves are folded paper, the stems on which they are attached are curly willow.
Turn simple wine glasses into lovely tealight lamps thanks to these equally simple DIY lampshades. The shades themselves are made of vellum. They might be just the thing for an upcoming spring wedding!
Is a gigantic box of Godiva chocolates and a dozen roses not in the budget this Valentine’s Day? Then how about making this very easy, one-piece-of-paper pop-up flower card for your sweetie? Â
Being socked in today inspired me to finish my oval ottoman. The VIBRANT plaid was gleaned from a huge vintage pleated skirt. Once the waistband and pleats were removed, there was a piece of fabric measuring 6 yards by 36″. Before the transformation, the red striped ottoman had clunky legs and the fabric had been […]
I’ve seen swirly, colorful cakes before, but this one takes it….the cake, I mean. To make it even better, it’s low-cal.
A custom, zero clearance insert plate for your table or band saw minimizes tearout and prevents those tiny bits from dropping into the blade throat. From Rockler.com, “A zero clearance insert is a substitute for the throat plate that came with your table saw. The opening in the insert is cut on the table saw […]
My Little Mochi has a very fun–and slightly odd–tutorial on how to make one of these fabulous ‘snap’ boxes. Why is it slightly odd? Because it’s written in pidgin.
Whether for your new 5.1 surround sound system, your cramped media room, or when just wiring your home to fill it with music, it’s best to get speakers off the ground, furniture, and other resonant surfaces, and up to ear level. And since non-powered speakers are actually not heavy at all, with less than $2.00 […]
Mold. It’s BAD NEWS. As well as just being gross it can do some pretty rotten things to your lungs. Prevention is definitely the way to go, as once you’ve got mold it’s the very devil to get rid of. Luckily, you don’t need harsh chemicals to stop mold arriving and bringing 50 gazillion of […]
Think that if you take a paint chip into your big box or hardware store they’ll always match it correctly? Wrong. I found this out the hard way last week when I handed over a paint strip containing Benjamin Moore’s lovely Silver Fox to the paint mixer dude at my local big box store, indicating the […]
A few packs of push pins, a pin board, a dash of inspiration (and possibly a little too much time on your hands at work) And Voila! Gloriously geeky wall art! It’s Mario. And push pins. And genius. Golf claps and whoop whoops to you, clever chaps at the Student Computing Center at the University of […]
Wait, wait, wait! Don’t take that garbage bag of wrapping paper to the recycling bin just yet. After you’ve created a paper fan and weaved yourself a handbag, unwrap these lists for a whole heap of new ways to recycle your used wrapping paper. It just keeps on giving. 12 Ways to Reuse Wrapping Paper::Easy […]
Christmas traditions in my family are pretty straightforward….and boring when compared to what’s going on in the rest of the world! Here’s a list with links, just in case you’d like to adopt one or two or more. In Norway, they hide brooms on Christmas Eve to ward off witches looking to take them for […]
