The Best of DIY

Frightfully Funky Halloween Decoration

2008-10-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

It seems like you can have a wreath for any holiday it's no longer just designated for Christmas. I really love this frightful feather wreath it's very different. It almost looks like feathers from crows which makes it perfect for Halloween. If you love decorating for Halloween or are hosting a party check out the instructions to make this scary wreath.

Carve Your Own Pumpkin

2008-10-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite things to do in the month of October and watching the Red Sox play in the Series is another favorite. I carved this pumpkin in 2004 when they won the World Series.

All I used was a really sturdy knife, a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds and gunk, and I had some pottery utensils that I used to poke out the design. I found a large Red Sox logo online printed it out, taped it to the pumpkin and started poking holes in the areas I was going to carve out. I didn't want to go all the way through since there were so many details I didn't want to chance breaking anything.

I found a really neat website that goes through the process of carving a pumpkin. They even give you tips on how to preserve your pumpkin, which is what I need living in the south, your pumpkin only lasts a few days.

Ghost Toast

2008-10-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

I love the month of October, it's my Birthday month, Halloween and I love the change of weather! This whole month I'll be posting Halloween and Autumn crafts, there's a lot of them. I really like this Ghost Toast it's a fun thing you can do for your kids on a Saturday morning! I found this tutorial on Curbly.

DIY Ribbon Valance

2008-10-01T05:49:00.001-07:00

Looking for an inexpensive creative way to decorate your windows? Well, you can create a valance using ribbons. This is such a great idea, I never would've thought of that. I found this idea on the Blissfully domestic website, check out the tutorial. I could see using this ribbon valance in a babies room, it would look so cute!

Candy Corn Crochet Pattern

2008-09-29T05:40:00.001-07:00

Looking for some decorating ideas for your Halloween party or fall parties? If you like to crochet Lionbrand has a cute pattern for candy corn. They even have a pattern for pinwheel candy. If you don't want to be tempted with real candy laying out you can make these instead. You may have to sign up to be able to view these patterns if you haven't yet.

To Do List Holder

2008-09-26T05:52:00.001-07:00

I love being organized and to do lists help! Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure all of your lists are full. Over at A Little Hut Patricia Zapata has created a To Do List Holder and she's posted a tutorial. This holds your note cards or scrap paper and it gives you a hard backing so you can take it out in the grocery store and easily write on it.

Reusable Sandwich Wrap

2008-09-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who like to bring your own lunch to work...I introduce to you a reusable sandwich wrap! The Small Object blog has a tutorial on how to make one of these stylish and handy sandwich wraps. I usually bring my own lunch into work, I don't like to spend tons of money eating out, plus it's more healthy. I also don't like having to keep buying plastic sandwich bags. But, with this reusable sandwich wrap you can just wipe it clean and keep using it and it looks cute!

Kid's Sea Monster Collar

2008-09-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Etsy artist Lumpkin creates some really cute knitted outfits. I especially love this sea monster collar, she has an adult size in her shop as well. This would be great for when the weather gets colder and you want to add a little whimsy to your outerwear.

DIY Fabric Labels

2008-09-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you that create things to sell on etsy.com, craft fairs or even for your own family members I've found a tutorial to make your own fabric labels. To add a little extra special touch wouldn't it be nice to have your own own label to attach to your craftings? PatchworkPottery has a great step by step tutorial and I was surprised you really don't need too many materials for this project. I posted about making a felt embroidery label a while back, but this one is probably much quicker.

First Day Of Fall DIY

2008-09-22T05:54:00.001-07:00

Yay! Today is the first day of fall. I love the beautiful colors of the fall and the crisp, cool weather. To get started right away decorating your home for fall I've found a great tutorial. Betz White has a tutorial on how to create these autumn leaves and acorn decorations.

Netflix Origami

2008-09-19T13:01:00.001-07:00

It's finally Friday and I'm sure most of you are planning on watching a movie tonight, maybe even a Netflix movie. Now if you are a Netflix member than you know about the piece of paper that gets torn off and thrown away from the envelope. Well I found this really cool website called Netflix Origami, where it shows you how to create different types of origami from that piece of Netflix paper. How clever is that?! Now you can add origami to your movie night.

Mosaic Table

2008-09-18T05:51:00.001-07:00

Looking for an inexpensive way to create a mosaic table? Well the person who created this table spent a little over $30 and it makes for a beautiful kitchen table! I found this on Crafster, she goes through all the steps she took to make it. The table was bought at a Goodwill store for $10 and the tiles were bought online at wholesale for $20. I never would've thought of checking online.

DIY Wood Clock

2008-09-17T05:39:00.001-07:00

Design Sponge has a tutorial that shows you how to make one of these wood clocks. All the major things you'll need are a wood disc, clock parts, power drill and a wood burning tool. I just love how this clock looks.

Shell Crafts

2008-09-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting tons of shells, every time I go to the beach I come home with handfuls. One of these days I was thinking I could use those shells somehow in a craft. Well, the Martha Stewart website has 17 pictures that show how you can use shells in a craft. I really liked this one, attach shells to a string of lights and hang it on your porch. This would look lovely on a summer evening.

Nerdcraft: Handmade NES Coffee Table Controller

2008-09-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

The author of the Ultra Awesome blog created this awesome NES coffee table controller. It can actually be used as a controller, it's wired up to a Nintendo. You can also open it up and use it as storage for all your video games! There is a video posted at the bottom of his post that shows how the table works and how it was created.

Floating Headboard

2008-09-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Apartment Therapy has a great tutorial on how to create a romantic headboard for your bedroom. I think this looks gorgeous, I definitely need to spruce up my bedroom it is too plain.

DIY Photo Flipbook

2008-09-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

I used to be so fascinated by flip books, I loved going to the Disney store and looking at all the character flip books. I kinda forgot about flip books until I saw this tutorial on Photojojo. If you are into photography you gotta sign up for the Photojojo newsletter, they have so many great projects. But anyways, Photojojo has this tutorial on how to transform video frames from a point and shoot camera into printable snapshots to turn into a flip book. They got the idea from a flip book tutorial on the Curious Blog, but simplified it.

I like the leather spine from that tutorial. I would love to try this but all I'm missing is a drill! Make sure you have Photoshop CS3, if not you could always use the continuious shot function on your camera and take a few 100 shots of your subject moving.

Artist Spotlight: Nicole Gastonguay

2008-09-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love amigurumi! I came across the amigurumi artist, Nicole Gastonguay her stuff is amazing, she makes anything you can think of from cheeseburgers to sardines in a can. She has had her creations up in a gallery and you can purchase some of them through her website.

Shoe Rack Tutorial

2008-09-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

I just love to be organized, but I'm always kicking off my shoes in the entryway and they start piling up. This shoe rack I found on not martha would be perfect for the entryway, it holds just enough shoes, has a modern look and doesn't take up too much space. There is a tutorial over at not martha on how to create this shoe rack.

Mini Journals

2008-09-08T11:28:00.001-07:00

Journals are a great way to put your creative ideas on paper to always have to look at. It's always nice to have one handy when that idea sparks. Well, I found this great website, Maquette, that has a tutorial on how to make all different kinds of journals.

No Knit Scarf

2008-09-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Soon it'll be time for scarf weather and Christmas is just right around the corner. Well we will start seeing ads for Christmas soon. But I'm sure there are a lot of you crafters out there that want to start on some scarf projects for Christmas gifts. This nice and cozy scarf is made out of thick yarn that you braid together. It's such a quick project that ends in a great result. Follow the tutorial on Martha Stewart Living. I can't wait to start on one myself.

Beer Sweater Cozy How To

2008-09-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

Aren't these little sweaters the cutest things?! I'm usually not big on using a beer cozy...but that's probably because I live in warm weather all year round. Melissa Martensen created these cute sweater cozy's and was nice enough to post a tutorial on how to knit them, just in time for the cold weather.

Remote Control Pillow Tutorial

2008-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Are you always trying to find your remote for your tv? I'm always misplacing my remote, I think this pillow is a great idea to try and keep them all together. If you are into sports you can get a pattern of your favorite sports team to put on there. Julie-bird has a great tutorial on how to make this remote control pillow.

Mike Tyson's Punch Out Scarf

2008-09-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share this really cool scarf with you all. I grew up playing Mike Tyson's Punch Out on Nintendo, this is such a neat idea for a scarf. Unfortunately it is sold out on etsy.

Wall Squares Tutorial

2008-09-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

I don't have too many decorative pieces on my wall, but that's probably because I'll be moving soon. I'm always looking for neat and inexpensive ways to decorate my walls. I found this patterned wall square tutorial on decor8. All you need to make it is decorative paper, foam board, spray adhesive, x-acto knife, and some acryllic paint to match your paper. Local craft stores such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels has a wide variety of scrap book paper that would be perfect for this project.