Designer Pumpkin | Louis Vuitton

Make this delightful Louis Vuitton pumpkin by drawing the logos all over with a brown oil-based Sharpie pen. Instructions here. Happy Crafty Friday.
Photo by Colin Cooke.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

A REAL Bookshelf | Made from Books | Fabulous

This is so clever. A real bookshelf made from real books. So fabulous. Looks pretty easy to make. This would be a good weekend project for someone. Found here.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Another DIY Hot Water Bottle Cover

I found another picture of a hot water bottle cover made from an old sweater. I like the turtle neck, don't you? This one would be super easy -- actually the easiest one so far. I like the ticking bed linens too. I'd love to crawl into that bed tonight.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Tree Bed With Bird's Nest

I like it but I would have to have a headboard.
Tree Bed ~ $15,000 from Shawn Lovell Metalworks

I woke up this morning to a dense fog so I'm pretending Webster and I are in England. We had a delightful walk in the mist while the coffee was brewing. I am very tempted to take my first cup and jump back in my rumpled bed and watch a recorded TV show. My DVR is quickly filling up because of all the new fall programs. Some I don't like already but I have to watch the pilot to find out. See you later.



Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

How to Make Your Own Seed Tape | Tutorial DIY

I've spent quite a lot of time lately cleaning up all my bookmarks. I ran across this site I've been saving forever and it's the perfect time to post this wonderful tutorial since summer's over and there are tons of seeds to be saved. This is the ultimate recycling project that looks like a lot of fun.

"The intent of seed tape is to make planting easier when you have teeny tiny seeds that need to be planted just inches apart (like carrots and radishes). But it’s also fun for gifting flower seeds or giving away seeds you’ve collected from your own garden. And it’s a pretty simple and very kid-friendly project." How to Make Your Own Seed Tape

Don't forget this little seed planting rhyme:
"One for the fox, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

More Paper Flowers

Does anyone know if there is a template for making these paper flowers? I love them. The appear to be one piece. I guess you must score them towards the center to make them take on the form of a flower. Help, please. Leave a comment if you know how these are made. [image source]

Learn How to make a seven flower paper pop up card. For more Paper Design How-To Videos & Articles, visit WonderHowTo.

I found this video. Follow the instructions for making one flower. Just cut the scallops more deeply.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

2011 Calendar 12-Sided Geosphere | Free Download | 3-D Calendar with Tutorial

The photo above is the 2010 calendar. I haven't made one for 2011 yet. I am including pdf templates for both 2010 and 2011 at the end of this post.

This was my #1 most popular download last year. The 12-sided calendar is also known as a regular dodecahedron. The upcoming year (2011) will be my 4th 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. Do all cutting, scoring, and folding first; then 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. If this is your first attempt you might want to experiment first with regular paper before jumping to cardstock. I am publishing this super 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!

HINT: Before you start scoring and folding you might want to use a highlighter to mark any dates that you need to remember such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Download PDF 2011 Calendar Template here.
(showing MONDAY as the first day of the week)

Download PDF 2011 Calendar Template here.
(showing SUNDAY as the first day of the week)
I just learned how to make this adjustment.
Most American calendars show Sunday as the first day of the week.
I'm going to use this template to make my 2011 calendar.

Download PDF 2010 Calendar Template here.
(First day of week Monday)

I don't know if I can correctly call this origami because it requires glue.
I highly recommend YES Paste - Acid Free.
An $11 one-pint tub lasts forever.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Paper Flowers

I love these paper flowers made from old book pages.



Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Sweet Paul | Great New On-Line Magazine

You will really enjoy Sweet Paul, an on-line magazine that has something wonderful on each and every one of the 74 pages. Issue #2 will be out September 10th. View the premier issue here. I guarantee you'll be as impressed as I was. Enjoy.



Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Hot Water Bottle Cover from An Old Sweater

Start looking for old sweaters at rummage sales, thrift shops, garage sales, etc. to make covers for your hot water bottle. These would make great gifts for all the people in your life that you want to be nice and warm and cozy when they tuck into bed at night this winter. This one looks so easy...no pattern required. No zippers or buttons or buttonholes either. Nice.



Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Pedicure Socks + Yoga Socks | Free Knitting Patterns

Down load free Pedicure Socks pattern here.

Download free Yoga Socks pattern here.

I've never knitted any socks because turning the heel aways scared me. These socks would make cute gifts for your friends. I always see ladies walking around in the winter in flip flops with cotton sticking up from their toes and naked feet. These cute pedicure socks are just the ticket, aren't they? Love the yoga socks too.

Here is the complete list of free patterns from Vogue Knitting. Happy knitting.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Seed Saving Envelope 2010 | Free Download

Time to start saving seeds again. I made a new 2010 seed saving envelope for you today.

Click on the image to enlarge. Then print. You'll get two seed savers on one sheet of paper. Write the information about the seeds on the back of the envelope. Happy Gardening. Share you seeds with friends. Tuck some seeds from your garden inside a greeting card or Christmas card. Enjoy.

Other Seed Savers I've designed and blogged about.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Boy (8 years old) Designs Wallpaper

His name is Otto. He's 8 years old and lives in Sweden. I love his drawings of ships on wallpaper, don't you? Order here and see more views of this paper in rooms. Very cool.

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Craft Wrap Gift Compute in a Closet

Craft, Wrap & Gift Closet | The Inspired Room
I've always been a fan of offices in closets. Here's another idea for creating a craft, wrap and gift closet. Image from Country Living.




Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Mr. Boddington | Imaginary Friend Inspires Studio Name

Mr. Boddington - Home
A wonderful studio. How did the name come about? Proprietor says, "Mr. Boddington was my imaginary friend as a tot…. shhhh!" Specialty: Old World Stationers in NYC. Nice interview here.




Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.