Showing posts with label Tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tutorial. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Origami Wreath | Paper Craft Tutorial


Origami wreath made from old book pages
glued on a gift tag.



I made this one from recycled security envelopes.


Wreath made from old sheet music.

Tutorial. (via Domesticali)
NOTE: I made a few changes.
I changed my dimensions from centimeters to inches.
I cut 8 strips measuring 1-1/2" wide x 3" long.
It was so easy.
I made the one in the second photo on the first try.
The strips interlock and pull apart easily as I found out when photographing my wreath outside in the wind. If you plan to hang these on your tree and have little children around, it might not be a bad idea to use a spot of glue on each strip. You will figure it out.

So much fun. So many possibilities. Once again, here's something wonderful made from nothing. I like that! Have fun. Make lots!

Nice to tuck inside a Christmas Card too.


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Monday, November 30, 2009

Decorate Christmas Cookies Easily

I scanned the images from an old insert in a Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I think the geometric colored sugar designs are quite beautiful and unique. Easy too. Look in your kitchen junk drawer and see if you can find some utensils with slots or holes. Don't forget to look at your barbeque tools too. 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

2010 Calendar 12-Sided Geosphere | Free Download

This was my #1 favorite download last year. The 12-sided calendar is also known as a regular dodecahedron. The upcoming year (2010) will be my third year with one of these on my desk. It's pretty tricky to assemble - especially at the end when you feel you need another set of hands. All you have to do is to remember to do NOVEMBER last. It is the only month that doesn't have any fold-over tabs. It is helpful to have a chopstick handy to poke inside to assist in securing anything that's not sticking or properly aligned. This prevents bending the paper. I used card stock and scored all the dotted lines with the sharp tip of a compass guided by a see-thru ruler. Cut out whole design before scoring and folding. Cut solid lines, score dotted lines. I also had to adjust the pdf to "fit to printable area" since without that correction some of the outside edges did not print on my printer. Experiment first with regular paper before jumping to cardstock. I am publishing this extra early this year in case you want to make some for holiday gifts. People love them and everybody needs one. You can't beat the price either. One sheet of paper, some glue and your time. The ultimate home-made present that will be used every day next year. Perfect!


Download PDF

I don't know if I can correctly call this origami because it requires glue. I highly recommend Acid Free YES Paste. A $10 one-pint tub lasts forever.

If you want to practice on a 2009 calendar, go to to my popular post from last year. Have fun. Rosemary

Download 2011 Calendar here. My newest post.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Welcome toads to your garden ~ Tutorial for making a toad house . . .

Gal Friday just emailed me that she found two toads while digging in her garden today. She is busy making toad homes right now from broken flower pots.

Download PDF instructions here.

Picture and instructions via Garden Gate Magazine.

"Don't throw the smaller pieces of broken clay pots away. Those smaller pieces that have a hole in the top make wonderful homes for spiders, who are among some of a garden's best tenants. Invite them in!"
This wonderful tip was sent to me via email from a reader. Thanks, Mayo.



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Sunday, February 22, 2009

FREE DOWNLOAD | 2009 Geosphere Origami Calendar (12 sided) . . .

This was my #1 favorite download last year. This 12-sided calendar also known as a rhombic dodecahedral lived on my desk for the entire year. When 2008 became 2009 I could not remember what this shape was called until I saw something on the Internet today about a "geosphere" and a light bulb went off in my head. This word enabled me to find the download for 2009. This is how I will be spending part of my day...folding and pasting. It's pretty tricky at the end if I remember correctly. I used card stock. Enjoy!

Download PDF

I don't know if I can correctly call this origami because it requires glue. The original website offers a glueless version too. Here's the link for both versions with helpful hints. You can thank me later. Have fun, Rosemary DOWNLOAD 2010 CALENDAR HERE.



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Sunday, January 4, 2009

2008 Lists of Top Design Blogs, Best Design Articles, Free Downloads and More . . .


Top 90 Design Blogs Ranked by Alexa






Top 25 Ad Blogs for 2008 Ranked by Alexa






Best Design Articles 2008
This site has numerous tutorials & downloads.
It's my favorite site of all!





2008 List of Lists in Every Imaginable Category



You will have to bookmark this post in order to peruse all of these lists. I have barely scratched the surface myself. I found the first two Alexa lists while reading The Denver Egotist and the last two by doing a Google Search. Have fun and don't hate me too much when you get lost reading and clicking. Plowing through everything will be almost like reading the entire internet. I love year-end lists of all kinds, especially the ones that might help me improve my own blog. Enjoy!



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Friday, October 31, 2008

Make the BEST HALLOWEEN MASK EVER (free download) . . .

I love this DIY paper craft (with tutorial) so much. You will be the hit of any Halloween Party holding this up to your face!

Say goodbye to uncomfortable plastic masks or sweaty (and ill-smelling) latex hoods. Put a little craft into your costume this year and have a ghoulishly good time doing it.

Full instructions.

Download template.

Photo: Jeff Rudell

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

FREE DOWNLOAD ~ Origami CD Sleeve ~ Tutorial . . .

Here’s a video showing you how to do a little origami to turn a sheet of paper into a CD sleeve:



I like this craft. I often make custom music CDs to tuck in with Christmas Cards. These would be good to make out of gift wrap, recycled paper, custom printed paper, etc.

Further Step by Step instructions
~ very easy to understand.

Another set of instructions in a pdf document ~ also easy picture reading. You can print a cheat cheat.

NOW here are TWO COOL DOWNLOADS for PRINTED GIFT WRAP...perfect for these cd cases. They both use black ink so you won't have to waste any colored ink.
The designs are very elegant.


I made the two you see above in just one try. They are sooo easy. The one on the left is called SWIRLY. The one on the right is called GRAPHIC. They are both from Martha Stewart. These gift wrap papers are designed to be printed on an 11x17 sheet of paper. Ignore and print on standard 8-1/2 x 11 inkjet paper. Don't print the second page of the pdf. When the printer page comes up choose print page 1 of 1.

When these print on standard paper size you will have a 1/2" margin at the bottom and there will be small white margins on either side. This will all be folded under. You can choose where you want the 1/2" margin. It can either be tucked under and have a completely printed case or you can have it show and use that space to write the CD title on it. The choice is yours. The two I made have the white band showing so I can write the title on the outside. PS...you just barely fold the corners under in the last step.

Let me know how you like this tutorial and download. It's so much fun to make something out of nothing, isn't it?



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Thursday, July 24, 2008

How to subscribe to a blog...

I am going to attempt to teach you how to subscribe to my blog. Notice I said my blog but my tutorial will enable you to subscribe to all blogs or anything that has an RSS feed. Confused? Don't know what an RSS feed is? Well I didn't either until I watched a video on YouTube. You will thank me a thousand times once you master this simple technique.

First I have to ask you a few questions. How do you log on to my blog? Do you have a shortcut on your desktop? Am I listed in your favorites? Do you click on my blog often only to be disappointed that you have already read my current post? Wish you could be notified when I post something new? Well you could if only you had a Google RSS Reader.

A really cool dude from Common Craft will now teach you in a very easy to understand film.



Now wasn't that easy? I found a page on Google.com that has picture icons of all the products they offer. I couldn't possibly exist on the internet without a great number of these items. I am a Google Girl all the way! When the page comes up, look on the right side under communicate and click on the icon for the Reader.

Now I will teach you how to subscribe to MY BLOG in your reader. At the top of the page under SUBSCRIBE TO I have two boxes. Click on the one that says posts on the little arrow to the right and some choices drop down. I have no idea what the first few mean...just look for the little orange box at the bottom with the word Atom. Click on that. Then copy the URL in the address box at the top of your toolbar. Then paste it in the add subscription box in your reader. And there you are! Aren't you proud of yourself?

Still can't do it? Don't know how to copy and paste? We could never be friends! Just kidding ~ I will do it for you. Here is the URL: http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Now go and ask someone to teach you how to copy and paste. I read somewhere that if you don't know how, you should just put your computer and monitor out at the curb on trash day. Just bite the bullet and do it...it will make your on-line life so much easier.
PS...UPDATE: I just tried something new and it's awesome. When you click on my POST box a little icon pops up with a + sign and a Google box. If you click on that another box pops up that will enable you to put the subscription directly in your reader. Cool. I try to learn something new every day and just did! Please share your new-found knowledge with a friend.



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