DIY fireplace redo; Legend of Zelda papier-mâché fire

Today I’d like to share a DIY project by my husband, Jon. Jon has been getting into the DIY spirit lately and decided that we needed to update our fireplace niche.

We live in an older home and have a handsome fireplace, and like many people, we don’t actually use it for its intended purpose, that is to say, we don’t light fires in it.

This doesn’t mean the fireplace niche has to be empty or “dead” space. We knew that we wanted to fill it with something interesting and eye-catching, yet integrated with the rest of the room.

This faux fire is the perfect solution. Jon is a big fan of old-school Nintendo games, so this project incorporates that perfectly into fun and graphic fireplace art.

While the following is not a complete step-by-step tutorial for making your own paper-mâché geek craft based on the Legend of Zelda fire, the pictures do show much of the process.  The materials at least are easy to come by and cheap.  All you need is some foam core or cardboard for the inside structure, newspaper and/ or paper shopping bags to use as the paper-mâché, some watered-down white glue (such as Elmore’s), and acrylic paint.

Happy crafting!

The fire has a bit of thickness to it (it’s almost 2 inches thick), so it’s able to stand on its own (see top of post). However, Jon wanted the fire to appear as though it was floating (above photo), so he suspended it with monofilament from a dowel rod wedged into the chimney.

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Earth Day project: Milk Jug Bird feeder

Happy Earth Day!

Looking for a way to celebrate Earth Day? How about tackling this classic, quick, and easy project for turning a milk jug into a bird feeder?!

Materials needed:

• as many one-gallon or half-gallon plastic milk jugs as you want
• one chop stick or skewer per milk jug
• one coat hanger per two bird feeders or some string
• hot glue and glue gun (optional)
• knife
• wire cutters if using coat hangers
• scissors
• hole punch
• pliers

Step one: After washing the milk jug, make two holes in two sides of the jug. Do this by first making slits in the plastic with your knife to get started, then use your scissors to make nice circles. The plastic is really easy to cut. I used the circles that are already on the jugs as guides, which are fairly large. If you are concerned with attracting larger birds, make your holes smaller.

Step Two:  Using your hole punch, make a small hole under each of your larger ones for the perch.  Thread your chop stick or skewer through both holes.  Secure with hot glue if desired.

Step Three:  Take your coat hanger and cut as shown.  Make two slits on opposite sides of your jug near the cap.  Insert the ends of the newly cut coat hanger and bend the edges so that it is secured inside the jug.  Hot glue around the holes if desired to reinforce and to prevent water from leaking through the holes.

Step Four:  Speaking of water, you will want to make a few holes in the bottom of your jug for drainage.  Make these with your knife, or better yet, a small drill bit.

Now all you need is bird seed and a tree limb to hang up your feeder(s)! Don’t miss out on future tutorials, stories, and news about upcoming events by liking zween on Facebook!

Suitcase restoration project

I love old suitcases. They may be antiquated luggage, but they have so many other things going for them. I’m not the only one that feels this way. People like old stuff, they like objects that tell a story and have a history. But the connotations of travel bring another level of excitement to these already awesome objects. When you think of travel, you think; adventure, exotic sights, and the unknown.

I think that’s what drew me to start my collection of old suitcases in high school. At the time, my best friends were traveling throughout Europe and it made me start to day dream of what it would be like to go to a place so different from the small town where I grew up (which I eventually did, but that’s another story).

Most of my collection came from my Grandma White. You might call her a hoarder. Well, she has a lot of stuff, but she’ll also give you any of it if you ask, so maybe that’s not really hording.

She gave me this suitcase probably 10 or 12 years ago, and it’s in pretty much the same condition now as it was then.

I’ve always really liked it. I could tell that it was a diamond in the rough. It has good bones.

Recently I was scavenging in the attic looking for something when I came across my suitcase collection and decided that I was finally going to tap into its potential.

But how?

Though a little rough around the edges (literally), I didn’t want to really change the outside; it was the inside that was making this beautiful and interesting piece unusable. I didn’t want to use it for storage or anything else in the condition that it was in. The fabric was musty, ripped, heavily stained, and pulling away from the exterior (exposing old, sharp, hand-forged nails. Ouch!).

It had to go.

With the lining removed, the case already looked a lot better. I even liked that the lid was lined with an old newspaper. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a date anywhere on it.

It was at this point that I decided that this case could make a nice display/carrying case for my artwork when I go to shows. Since I would be using the case in the open position at shows, it was important that the inside be lined and clean-looking, despite the shabbiness of the exterior.

I had the perfect fabric for this project.  A gold, velvety material that I inherited during college, and I had just enough! The fabric and the case combined remind me of my old cornet case.

To line the suitcase I first cut out three pieces of book-binding board, to fit into the bottom of the case. This was a little tricky, but I eventually got the pieces to fit into the case nice and snugly.

Next, I covered the boards with the fabric. I used an iron-on adhesive to adhere it to the boards.

The covered boards fit very tightly in the base of the suitcase, so I didn’t bother gluing them down.  I want them to be easily removed in the future if needed.

For the lid of the suitcase, I cut down a piece of thickest piece of cork board I could find and covered it with the same fabric.  Then I tacked it to the lid using small nails, both original and new. The cork board is a way to easily attach products to the lid for display at craft fairs.

To keep the lid at a 90 degree angle, I attached some grossgrain ribbon in a contrasting chocolate brown.

I get a really deep satisfaction of a well executed DIY project, which I consider this to be. I got something that I needed (a display), used materials that I already had and treasured but wasn’t really using (the suitcase and fabric), and kept the integrity of the original piece while adding a bit of my own story to it.

Do you have a DIY project that you are especially proud of? I’d love to hear about it! Tell us about it in the comments below, or better yet, post a picture of it on zween’s facebook page.

Sunglasses case tutorial

One of the best things about summer and being able to wear contacts again is sporting sunglasses (I was on a three-year hiatus from contacts right before and during my time in the Peace Corps).  My favorite are the really big bug kind, like the ones pictured above.  In fact, not only are they my favorite, they are my only pair.  That means I need to take care of them and not get them scratched up and why I decided they needed a cute case.

I’ve had the fabric that I used for the case for a long time.  I’ve always loved the pattern and colors, but never really had a good reason to use it.  It’s a soft, fleece-like material which made it perfect for this project, plus it coordinates really well with my everyday purse.

I came up with a really simple pattern which you’ll easily be able to replicate and customize for your own glasses at home.

Materials needed:
Soft fabric
Paper, pencil, and ruler
Scissors (for paper and cloth)
Sewing machine and thread
A small bit of elastic
One button

Step one: make your pattern. Decide how wide and long you want your case to be. Add 1 1/4″ to the width to account for the seam allowance. The length will be the length of the finished case x 2 + 2 1/2″ (for the flap) + 1 1/4″ (for the seam allowance). My pattern is 16 3/4″ x 5 1/4″. I then used a food container lid to make the edges rounded. You’ll notice in the picture below that there appears to be two patterns. That’s because I originally thought I would add some batting between my layers of fabric for extra cushion, however I later decided that this was unnecessary.

Step two: Using your pattern, cut out two identical pieces of fabric.

Step three: Pin the two pieces of fabric together (right sides facing). Bend the small piece of elastic in half (like a horseshoe) and place it in the middle of one of the short sides of the fabric. Make sure that the two ends of the elastic are in line with the edges of the fabric and the loop part is facing in. The elastic should be sandwiched between the two pieces of fabric. (Note that the picture below shows the elastic before it was inserted between the two layers of fabric.)

Step four: sew around the perimeter of the piece using a 5/8″ seam allowance. Leave a 2-3″ gap in the middle of one of the long sides to turn right side out. Before turning right side out, trim corners like pictured below.

Step five: Press your piece flat.  “quilt” your fabric.  This step isn’t really necessary.  I decided that I would run two lines of stitches down the length of the fabric, corresponding with the pattern for aesthetics and also to keep the fabrics from shifting.

Step six: Use your glasses to figure out where you want your case to be folded. Top stitch around the three sides to make the pocket. (Notice that I didn’t sew that little opening shut that I used for turning. It is unnecessary as it is now top stitched.)

Step seven: Top stitch the flap of the case. If the elastic doesn’t seem secure enough with just the seam stitch and the top stitching (as mine wasn’t) add extra stitching to ensure that the elastic loop doesn’t pull out. Position and sew on your button.

Now you’re ready to tote your sunglasses wherever you go this summer without worrying about scratches!

*Bonus* you can alter this pattern slightly to make a matching coin purse too! Instead of the button and elastic, I used two snaps as the closure. The buttons on the outside of the flap are just decorative to cover up the stitching from the snaps.

Happy sewing!

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How to make felt beads + pictures from River Colors Studio demo

Yesterday I taught some very talented ladies how to make these fun and easy felted beads at River Colors Studio.  It was a really great hour of crafting. I mostly enjoyed seeing everyone get so into the process.

below are some photos from the event:

That last photo shows Erika, the owner of River Colors Studio, getting in on the felting fun.

For anyone who was unable to make it to the demo yesterday or who need a reminder for any of the steps, I have compiled a picture tutorial.

How to make felted beads

Materials needed:
Fleece
Two large bowls (one with hot water and one with cold)
Dish detergent or shampoo

Step 1: Take a bit of your fleece and card it.  alternatively, if you don’t have a carder just separate the fibers with your fingers and make sure that there are no clumps.

Step 2: Roll the fleece into a ball as tightly as you can. This will help create a nice, round bead shape.

Step 3: Now take just a small amount of soap and water in you fingers and lightly massage it into the surface of the bead. What you want to do is lightly felt the outside of the bead so that it doesn’t unravel when you dip it into the water.

Step 4: Dip the bead into the hot water and gently roll the bead between your palms, as you would if you were rolling a ball of dough. Be slow and gentle at first.

Step 5: Once you feel that your bead is getting harder and more felted you can increase the pressure on the bead and the speed of your rolling. To help with the felting, continue to shock the wool by dipping it in the cold water then agitating it (rolling it) then dipping it back into the hot water. Keep doing this until your bead is as felted and hard as you want it to be. (Notice the difference between the hardly felted bead above and the sufficiently felted one below.)

Once your beads are as felted as you’d like them make sure to get all of the soap out of them.  It helps not to use too much soap to begin with and to change your water regularly.  Let your beads dry completely before using them for projects (about 24-48 hours).  A needle and thread should easily pierce the beads.  Now you can sew on embellishments, like seed beads and sequence or just string them together for a necklace or bracelet.  The possibilities are endless!  Here are a couple of things that I made with my finished beads:

Happy felting!

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Hair Clip Bouquet Display

Today I thought I would share a hair clip display that I came up with shortly before the Spring Showers Show last Saturday.

This  was a fun and simple project that didn’t cost very much money but added height, color, fun and interest to my table.

Since my hair clips are crochet flowers, I thought it would make sense to display them as flowers; that is, in a vase.  For this project I knew that I wanted a vase that had a small opening.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t come up with this idea before my last trip to the thrift store, since cheap vases are usually abundant there.  Instead I went to a local craft store where  I found the vase for $2 as well as the other materials needed for the display: two different gauges of flexible green wire and that dense green foam used in flower arrangements.  All of the items were found in the fake flower department of the store for less than $5.

To make the curly cues I wrapped the wire around different sized knitting needles.  The wire is folded into a small loop at the end so as to prevent the clips from slipping off.  The clips are easily removed for purchase by just opening the clip.

Do you have a fun and interesting product display that you’d like to share?  Tell us about it in the comments, or post a picture on zween’s facebook page.

How to refinish a picture frame

A few days ago, I wrote how I was inspired to make my most recent line of fabric collages by some old picture frames I had in storage.

Well, I’ve decided to refinish this frames using spray paint and share the process with you.

Step 1: Make sure that your frames are clean and dry.

Step 2: Choose your spray paint. I recommend using a primer regardless of what color or finish you choose.

Step 3: Locate an appropriate spot to work, preferably outdoors, as spray paint has really bad fumes. (I learned this the hard way and started in the attic. Though there are windows I quickly realized that it was a bad idea to do this project inside and immediately moved outdoors). Empty cardboard boxes overturned on grass make excellent work stations.

Step 4: spray the back sides of the frames with your primer. Make sure that you follow the directions on the can and try to spray as evenly as possible. Let dry for at least one hour.

Step 5: Spray the front sides of the frames with primer. Let dry for another hour.

Step 6: Spray the front sides of your frames with your spray paint. If your primer and your paint are the same colors as mine are, or if the back side will not show at all, you can stop here and not spray the back sides with paint, just wait an hour before you handle the frames. If you feel that you want to however, wait another hour and spray the back.

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Toot Tuesday; Inventory Organizer

Have you ever participated in a craft fair and felt that your inventory was less than organized?  If you can’t have every single thing that you have for sale on display, than you’re gong to need a place to store the overflow while at the event so that it’s easy to access.  This is something that occurred to me just today as I was putting the finishing touches on my last batch of puzzle piece earrings for the upcoming Cleveland Craft Coalition Art and Craft Bazaar.

That’s why today I’m sharing this super easy way to organize your inventory using things you probably already have around your house.

Materials:
A container that you already have. I used this old tackle box that was currently empty because it was the right size to hold all the earrings that I’ve made, plus it has a handy handle. A shoe box would also work very well.
Cardboard. Not corrugated cardboard, more like mat board. I have a bunch of board that I keep from large-scale sketch pads and damaged mats from art work.
Ruler
Utility knife
Scissors
Pencil
Masking tape

1. Measure your box to determine what sizes to make your compartment boxes.  Keep in mind that if your container has rounded corners like mine, your compartment boxes will have to accommodate that.  Depending on the type of products that you have will determine how big you will want your compartment boxes.  In my case I wanted to separate the earrings into color families.  I also knew that I wanted two levels of boxes.

2. Measure and draw out the bottoms and sides of your box, depending on how big you want your base and sides to be (see above).  Note that the side that you draw your guidelines will be the outside of your box, in case this matters to you.  Using your utility knife and ruler, detach your box from the rest of the board (see below).

3. Following your guidelines, remove the corners from the template, score the remaining lines, and fold up the sides of your box (see below).

4. Place a piece of masking tape on the outside corner of your box, long enough to stick out past the box by about an inch on each side. With your scissors, slit the tape that hangs off the edge of the box down the middle and fold over the sides (see below).

5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have as many organizer boxes as you need. If you are making more than one level, as I did, you will want to place a piece of board between the two layers for added support.

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Toot Tuesday: Paper Beads

For today’s Toot Tuesday I’m posting a tutorial that I originally published on my previous blog, Emily and Jon in Morocco.  To view the original post, click here.

In this post I will give a how to for making paper beads and will show examples of some finished jewelry pieces.  I got the idea for trying the paper bead project from a CraftSanity blog post. On Jennifer’s blog she even has an awesome video of a TV segment where she demonstrates the process.  After I originally published this tutorial last August, I found another really great video tutorial from Mzuribeads, a cooperative in Uganda who make amazing paper beads!

How To Make Paper Beads

Materials:
Old Magazines
Glue (I found mine at the hardware store)
Paint brush (small)
Something to form the bead around such as knitting needles, pens, etc. (I like beads with small holes so I use a very skinny knitting needle. They are widely available in Morocco)

Step one
cut up some magazine pages into long triangular pieces. Play around with the length and width of the pieces because they will make differently shaped beads. Try to keep the triangles uniform if you want your beads to be a similar size and shape.  For example, if you want your beads to be 2m at their widest mark off one side of your magazine sheet every 2cm.  On the opposite side, measure 1cm from the edge, then mark off every 2cm from there.  Then draw lines across your paper to create the elongated triangular pieces and cut out the triangles.

Step two
Paint the glue onto the wrong side of the magazine (the side you don’t want to see). Start the glue about one inch from wide end. If your glue starts all the way at the wide end then you will glue it to whatever you are making your bead with (oops).

Step three
Starting at the wide end, tightly wrap the paper around the knitting needle/pen. Go slowly so that it looks pretty!

Add just a little more glue to the point and hold it in place for a second or two to secure it well.

Step four
Generously add a coat of glue to the entire bead and let dry in a way that the bead is not touching any surface

Now you know how to make a paper bead so make lots of them so that you can get some use out of those old magazines and junk mail!

After learning the process myself, I lead a workshop on it for the woman’s cooperative, Al Falah, that I worked with while in Morocco.  They loved making the beads and couldn’t get enough of it!  Below are some of the pieces that they made.

Above; Oumaima (right) and Fatima work diligently to make paper beads for an upcoming event.  To view more photos of this particular day and the women at work check out this post.

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Learn to Knit, Make Some Mitts

I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m a novice knitter.  I like the idea of knitting and usually about once a year I get the urge to knit something.  This conveniently happens around Christmas time when I can satisfy my need to give knitting another try by making gifts for people.

Christmas, 2009 is a great example of this.  I borrowed Stitch’n Bitch by Debbie Stoller from the Peace Corps library and was determined to really learn to knit (up until that point I only knew garter stitch and didn’t know how to hold the yarn or needles, so I was extremely clumsy and slow).  With this wonderful resource in hand I learned how to pearl which meant that I can now make stockinette  and ribs!

Now, I started out at as a crocheter and consider myself pretty competent at it.  I love how versatile it is.  But from my point of view, there is one definite advantage (among others I am sure) to knit over crochet; stretchiness.  And ribs is one of the best ways to do that.

For all you hard-core knitters out there (or even semi-competent ones) please don’t laugh at this ridiculously easy knit pattern.  It is because of its simplisity that makes it a good project for the beginning knitter.

Mitt pattern:

Using worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles, cast on 32 stitches.  I LOVE the double strand cast-on that I learned in the above mentioned Stitch’n Bitch book.

Now you’re going to make a 2×2 rib pattern, meaning that you’re going to knit two, pearl two, until you reach the end. When you turn your work you will knit the knit stitches and pearl the pearl stitches.

Stitch’n Bitch does a wonderful job at explaining how to make ribs in case my explanation is a bit confusing.

Just keep knitting (and pearling) until you have the desired length of fabric that you want.  My mitts are 7″ long, but I think really long ones would be great.

Once you have the length you want, cast off but don’t cut your yarn.

wrap the rectangle of fabric around your wrist to decide where you want your thumb hole to be.

Once you’ve done that, take it off and using the already connected yarn, stitch up the seem using single crochet and a size D hook.  Where the thumb hole is, single crochet into one side of the hole and continue seeming up the two sides of the fabric once you have the hole the size you want.  That way you can use one strand of yarn for the whole piece and only have two ends to weave in!  I left a 2 and 1/4″ gap for my thumb hole.

Happy knitting!

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