DIY Design Sly

Embroidery Thread Friendship Wraps

2011-01-12T21:45:00.002-05:00

I’m not a bling and glitz kind of girl, but I do love jewelry. Particularly bracelets. About 2 years ago I just started piling every single leather, string, and cloth bracelet I own on one wrist. Since then it has grown almost out of control. Unfortunately these bracelets have to be taken off once in awhile for formal occasions etc., ugh. So I decided to make these long friendship bands that just wrap to give the illusion of numerous thread bangles. To add a little sparke I put on a gold bead every 40 knots on the one above and some charms on the one below. I just used a standard twist knot to create both of these.

Holiday Sketches

2010-12-21T00:30:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share some holiday Sketches I did for this year's christmas cards. Just used a fine tip felt pen scanned them in and did a little cleanup.

Christmas Bottle Candle Holder

2010-12-06T19:13:00.000-05:00

My circle of friends goes through a lot of Sailor Jerry Rum, therefore I am left with numerous Sailor Jerry Bottles at my disposal. For those of you that aren't familiar Sailor Jerry Rum was developed by an old school tatoo artist from way back. The brand is very pin-up girl nostalgic. I am a big fan of the imagery therefore I created this christmas pinup girl tribute. I sprayed the bottle lightly in gold (heavier at the bottom). Then I penciled in my sketch and went to town. Picked up some emergency candles from the Dollar Store and Walla! PS this works with most bottles

Green Gift Wrapping

2010-11-27T12:40:00.003-05:00

In an effort to be green I decided I would not purchase gift wrap this holiday season. I limited myself to use only the things in my home to wrap presents. My first go to was newspaper, but it doesn't really have enough comics anymore so I figrued I'd snazz it up myself. I cut a triangle shape from an extra kitchen sponge made a paper plate full of blue paint and just started sponge painting different patterns. My intention was to make a real geometric pattern, but it actually ended up looking more organic then expected so I embraced it. I pushed it even further by using a crumpled paper towel to make an abstract flower pattern. I carreied out the home made theme by wrapping each gift with lace, fabric, hemp, and using a finish sample for the to from tag.

Craft Your Own Geometric Christmas Tree

2010-11-23T08:41:00.003-05:00

If your like me and live in a small 1/1 apartment, a full size christmas tree can be a little overwhelming. However, I still wanted to get in the holiday spirit so crafting my very own Xmas tree just seemed like the perfect solution. I started by hand drawing 2 tree profiles on black foam core. My next step was to glue neutral tone magazine clipings (black, white, grey) to the tree profile. I overlapped over the outline a little to ensure no black was exposed. For the leaves I glued down a patch of monotone red clippings and a patch of monotone green clipppings which I then cut leaves from. I then cut one of the tree profiles in half and glued them to the other tree profile. I then cut out H shaped connector pieces to attach the leaves to the branches.

Charming Clay Creations

2010-09-22T18:30:00.001-04:00

Everyone remembers playing with clay throughout their childhood, but few think to revisit it. One day I was perusing the craft store and a rainbow of colors caught my eye. I ended up buying 3 packs of Sculpey clay for about 1.75 each and went home that night to experiment. Thus I created these little necklace and purse charms. I embedded a wire hook in each before baking so they could be hung easily.

Flower Wire Picture Stands

2010-09-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

I am constantly receiving things in the mail that I believe are worthy of putting on display around the house. Items that are too pretty to puncture with a pin and too temporary to frame, such as a great art show flyer or a beautiful wedding invitation. For these flower wire picture stands I used 2 strands of 18 gauge stem wire each. By the way this stuff is great to have around in general for all kinds of projects.

The only tips I can share with you are the following….

Wire never bends back nicely so don’t be afraid to throw away a few oppsies
Draw out a template on paper first and bend wire along the path
Needle nose pliars are helpful for scabbing 2 pieces together

Personalized Decoupage Flask

2010-08-24T20:20:00.004-04:00

Engraving is nice way to give gifts a personal touch, but why not make it even more personal and decoupage it! This way you can incorporate that special someones favorite colors, places, brands, and memories into one beautiful composition. I made this decoupaged flask out of magazine clippings and images printed from my home computer. I made a potion of one part elemers glue and one part water..... laid the images down in a pleasing composition and brushed the glue over to preserve. Afterwards I sprayed with a layer of clear coat. I felt it might be necessary because of that pesky condinsation.

Beachin Tie Dye Halter

2010-08-16T23:18:00.000-04:00

Tie Dye has been around since the 70s. But it has come a long way since those swirl patterned grateful Dead Ts. This season subdued low contrast tie-dye patterns can be found everywhere. This pic of Kristen Cavalari inspired me to create my own halter from a white v-neck T.

Pirate's Booty Charm Necklace

2010-08-09T09:07:00.007-04:00

These are inspired by a floral necklace made by American Eagle being sold in stores for 20 bucks each! I made 10 of these sailor themed necklaces for a bachelorette party down in the Florida Keys. Since anchors and all things nautical are huge right now I figured it would be a cute theme and a cheap way to unite the crew. As you can see they are pretty simple to craft and rather inexpensive.

Boho Flower Accessory

2010-07-06T23:59:00.000-04:00

preliminary sketch

You'll need:

liquid stich, old jeans, scissors, old buttons,

tweezers (to tear the jean edge), needle and thread

Sew these on, or clip them on for a more temporary facelift

Sew onto a scrap ribbon to make a casual headband

So a friend of mine asked me to create a money bag for the money dance she and her groom will be doing on the big day. If your not familiar with this custom....the bride and groom start out dancing to a song and guests one by one shell out cash to have a brief dance with either of them. Anyways, I want to do something really delicate and consistent with their theme. Obviously any item for the big day has to be perfect so I figured I'd have a little fun practicing. I made a flowers for myself from some old jeans I had laying around. These are great to dress up an old pair of flats. The pics above explain the process. There will be a more refined and elegant fabric flowers for the loot sack. I will be posting this in the coming weeks.

Do Dad Tack Board

2010-07-06T21:57:00.001-04:00

After finding these old frames stuffed under a cabinet for 1 year +. I figured they deserved a new life. Now they have a whole new purpose which makes my life much more convienant. Follow the steps below to give your old frames a second chance.

5 Flavor Finger Sandwiches

2010-07-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows party food is great for a couple reasons. For me it's the fact everything can be eaten sans utensils. It is also appealing for the commitment phob in all of us. If the particular food item doesn't suit your palette throwing it away is no biggie. I made these finger sandwiches for a party inunder a hour. All it took was 2 loaves of white bread with the crusts removed. I find it is easier to make the sandwiches, then cut off the crusts. This produces a lot of excess but great for feeding the fish.

The flavors for these are
-tuna
-deviled ham
-pimento cheese
-peanut butter jelly
-cucumber

Zig and Zag Color Blocks

2010-06-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

When I first moved in I realized working with the 50's linoleum might prove to be a challenge. I wanted to downplay the floor as much as possible so I thought why not just make the wall so obnoxiously loud and the floor will just disapear. I picked out colors that would tie into those used in the backsplash and in the floor. All this took was 2" painters tape artfully arranged and color applied as needed. I believe it ended up looking like some sort of city block map, which I think is pretty rad. If I had the chance to do it again I would of made some of the black shapes with chalkboard paint like the wall on the right.

Pipe Cleaner Periwinkles

2010-06-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

Create three dimensional wall art in a snap using good ole’ pipe cleaners! I created these within an hour and for under 5 bucks. Pipe cleaners are especially fun because of their pliable nature. Try layering them to create more dimension, and try tying them together to create a decorative screen.

DIY done Sly

2010-06-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

DIY done right is clever, crafty, but never kitchy. DIY Design Sly seeks out clever reuses for everyday objects, smart uses for pretty pieces, cheap thrills, and just fun design in general! I myself enjoy finding things around the house and giving them a new life. Check back often for new ideas and feel free to post some of yours.

Yours Truly,
Rach