Sunday 24 May 2015

How to Make a Beautiful Flower Brooch From Ear Swabs/Buds



Remember the guild you experience when you pick off a flower ? you want to carry the beautiful thing  forever-to wear it in your hair or to hold it in your hands- but you can't because it fades out quickly.

How about creating one by yourself, using things you probably have in your drawer.

This tutorial shows you the way and once you have the flower it's up to you if you stick a pin on the back to wear it as a brooch, an elastic band to wear it in your hair or a chain to wear it as a necklace or bracelet.The important thing is that it will never fade.

Materials:
1.A bottle cap -a wider one-like the ones from the milk bottles or Nestea
2.Some tissue paper/or toilet paper-it will work just fine
3.Different types of glue:
                You will need a classic /white paste one or mod podge
                 A liquid one/transparent one that it resistent
                 A very strong one -like SuperGlue or Loctite

4.Cotton Ear Swabs/Buds -a 100 pack is fine
5.Scissors and a Brush
6. A vintage button for the middle-or anything you like ( a bead, a piece of glass, and old earring, a shell etc)
7. A brooch pin or an elastic band-depending on what use you want to give to the flower



Let's begin!
Step 1.
Cut the paper in little pieces then fill the bottle cap like so : one layer of paste glue,one layer of paper
Once it's filled you can smooth the surface with a brush or your fingers
Step 2.
Pinch a hole in the middle,pour some glue and put the button there
Step 3
Start cutting the cotton ends of the swabs
Step 4
Trace a line of liquid glue on the edge of the bottle cap and start placing the cotton pieces forming the petals of the flower-leaving a little space between them
Place the next row in between the first one. The last one can be close together ,surrounding the button.
Step 5.
Glue on the back the brooch pin with the super strong glue.

And you are done!
Check out the video bellow if some steps are not clear enough:






Plastic Bottle Butterfly Magnets-Tutorial


It's always nice to be in the company of butterflies -whether it's in a form of a jewellery ,a dress or a decor element- they remind us of how beautiful nature is and throw us into a fairy tail making us feel like Disney princesses.

Having that in mind, you should definitely try this DIY. It's easy, fun, and the materials used are probably lying somewhere in your home.

So let's start!

You will need:
1.A 2 liter plastic bottle
2.Scissors
3.Some acrylic or glass paint and brushes -I used acrylic
4.Some magnets to stick on the back-I used magnetic tape that is already sticky- You can also use some double sided tape if you want to stick them on the wall




Step 1.
Trace a butterfly shape on a piece of paper and cut it out. You can also use a printed image.

Step 2.
Cut out pieces of plastic from the bottle. Make sure they are big enough to cover the shape of paper

Step 3.
Apply the piece of paper over the plastic piece and trace over it. Then cut it out-creating the plastic butterfly

Step 4.
Fold the plastic butterflies in half to create a more realistic look.

Step 5
Paint them. I used 2 colors for each butterfly-the lighter one in the middle and the darker one on the edges. After that I created some details with black-and added some dots with white paint.

Step 6
Glue the magnets on the back

And you are done!

Check out the video bellow if some steps are not clear enough:

Monday 11 May 2015

Stamped T-shirts with Potatoes DIY-3 Designs: Watermelon,Pineapple and Leaf How-To






Summer is approaching fast and I needed something light,fresh and new to wear daily. I went and bought 3 simple,cotton T-shirts and I personalized them with these cool stamp prints. I made the stamps from potatoes but you can also create stamps from rubber sheets.

For this project you will need:
  • Two small potatoes and a large one (also it's best you have more than that,because things might not go as planned from the start)
  • Cutting tools:a small kitchen knife and a x-acto blade
  • .Fabric Paints-I bought mine from the supermarket (Auchan) at a fair price and I'm sure you can find these at any craft store
  • Three cotton T-shirts -I found mine at sale for a very good price and I bought a bigger size than I actually wear-I felt like these fresh ,summer designs go best with a loose shirt.
  • A big box-as big as fitting your T-shirt in it-so when you stamp,the color doesn't absorb in the back side
  • Extra: some paint brushes and an electric iron (if the instructions of the fabric paint requires)
So let's begin! Yay!

The steps are not hard to explain and they are repetitive for each design. The whole trick in doing this is the carving into the potato your desired design.

Step 1. Creating your stamps-for this watch the video bellow
Step 2. Cover the box with the T-shirt
Step 3. Dipping the stamps in paint and start stamping
Step 4 .Let it dry 
Step 5. Iron it (Optional)

Sounds easy and believe me the watermelon design really is. The other two are a little tricky but this video will surely help:




Tuesday 5 May 2015

Candle Holder/Flower Pot DIY-Recycle DIY



Every time I cook something with eggs I feel bad for trowing away the shells.They have a nice bright color,and a texture that is easy to work with. Having these in mind I came up with the idea of creating a nice decor element,practical (with double purpose), that is cheap and easy to make.

Materials:
1.Egg shells (the next time you are cooking, clean them with water and save in a paper bag)
2.A glass (I used an empty Nutella jar-because duh! we are recycling)
3.Glue (I used BIC glue,you can also use mod podge)
4.Spray paint of your choice( I love the golden one-it's a must have if you are a craft fan)
5.Some varnish (this is optional)
6.Something to fill your jar-a candle,a little plant,crayons-whatever you like


Lets get started:
Step 1: Spray paint the jar. Some of these paints are very toxic so I recommend to do this step somewhere outside and not in your room.Also don't try to make it perfect.It is going to be covered with egg shells anyway.Let it dry for a couple of hours,or over night.
Step 2:Brake the egg shells in little pieces.
Step 3 :Apply some glue on the jar and spread it with a paintbrush.Then take a toothpick and dip it in the glue to collect the little pieces of shells more easily and place them on the jar.You can also do this with your hand but keep in mind that things may get sticky
Step 4:After you are satisfied with the result let it dry-then you can apply the varnish

See here video for this diy: