So last week we talked inspiration for a DIY Drop-Cloth Patio Rug. Team Whimseybox helped me decide on Option 1: The Jewel

Supplies:

• Canvas Drop Cloth
• Acrylic Paint
• Foam Brushes
• Foam Paint Roller
• Pencil
• Poster Board or Paper for design template
• UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating

Lots of blogs have directions for making a drop cloth rug. I combined steps from my favs (Make Today Great, Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss) along with some ingenuity and scavenging and got to work.

I bought a 9×12 drop cloth and cut along a conveniently placed seam to make it a 9×4. The rest may make an appearance as a guest room rug – stay tuned. BONUS! The drop cloth had plastic sheeting attached to the back which should work as a spill barrier for the floor!

Steps:

1)       PREP the drop cloth – Run a quick warm iron over the whole thing to release the wrinkles.  If you have the time just drape it over a railing or clothes line, gravity will do the work for you. Head outside and spray that guy down with 1 can of the UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating. DON’T SKIP THIS!! I tried and the cloth soaked up paint like mad.

2)      BASE COAT – As I mentioned, I tried to paint pre-clear coat and only got a 2’x2’ square covered before I ran out of allotted paint. Plan B: I scavenged some left over acrylic ceiling paint for the maintenance closet in the building, thinned it out with water and rolled it over the entire rug.

3)      DESIGN – Once the base coat is dry, go to town with your design.  I am terrible at free hand – I mean, never made a symmetrical shape in my life, so I practiced on poster board until I came up with the shapes I wanted, and then used that as a stencil.

4)      PAINT – Water will stretch acrylic paint forever! 1 $3.99 tube of paint and 8 oz of water was all I needed for each color. And look how vibrant they stayed! I painted each shape 3 or 4 times until the thinned paint ran out.

5)      OUTLINE – To pop the colors of the shapes and hide some of my edging boo-boos, I carefully outlined in Gold (which I am obsessed with!)

6)      FINISH – Once all of your paint is dry (overnight was all mine needed), head back outside and use the other can of clear coat to seal your finished product.

TADA!! I’m eagerly anticipating my furniture arriving next week so a proper patio photo shoot can show you how the rug really ties it all together! Happy Crafting

 

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Hi, it’s Esther from WhollyKao. I’m excited to introduce a new series that’s centered around repairing jewelry. As a DIYer, I prefer fixing things myself  when they break. And yes, this applies to jewelry. Through this column, I’ll show you how to repair jewelry so you can wear it longer.

First up: how to repair bracelets using elastic thread. Lots of chunky bracelets are made using elastic thread. This allows them to look cool without having a giant clasp. With normal use, the elastic will wear down and break. It’s just a matter of when!

Materials Elastic Thread (I used .5mm, but feel free to use what works best for your bracelet!)

Needle (optional)

Clear Nail Polish or Glue

Start off by arranging all your beads in a row. Make sure they fit together correctly. For my bracelet, that meant matching the curves on each bead. Flip your beads over so that the holes are facing you, then start threading the elastic thread through the holes. String your thread through all the beads a second time, beginning with the one you started with. I like to do this because it’s sturdier. Make sure to keep your thread taut as you string it through that second time. To do this, hold the first strand down firmly with your left thumb, and use your right hand to string the second thread through. Tighten the thread as you go. When you reach the first bead, make sure both ends of the thread are inside the bead, and then tie a square knot. Now do it again, and trim your ends. The last step is to slide your knot to the inner edge of your bead (so that it’s almost at the hole), and glue that knot to the inside of your bead (you can also use clear nail polish instead of glue). This keeps the ends together so your bracelet doesn’t fall apart again. Follow the previous steps a second time for the bottom row of holes on your bracelet. It may be easier to flip your bracelet inside out and string it that way. When you’ve finished, flip your bracelet back to ‘right-side-up.’ Hope this tutorial has been useful to you! If you have any jewelry repair tricks or tips of your own, we’d love to hear them!

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We’re constantly rolling out new features on the site, but I wanted to take a moment to point out one that we’re excited about -

Share Your DIYs Directly From Instagram!

If you like to snap an Instagram of your DIY projects, you’ll love this – it’s now fast and easy to share your projects on Whimseybox by pulling photos directly from your Instagram feed. (No more having to download to your computer and then upload!) Here’s how it works: When you’re adding a project, in Step 2: Add A Photo  just click the ‘Sign in with Instagram’ button. After you enter your user name and password you’ll see your latest Instagrams appear. Simply click the one you’d like to use.

Copy + Paste Any Picture URL

Not a ‘grammer? We have an easy answer for you too! Now you can simply paste the URL of any image when uploading your project. Then our servers will do their magic to download and upload the image for you. (No worries, we aren’t hotlinking directly to your blog or doing anything that will slow down your site or cause you huge hosting bills.)

Now it’s easier than ever to share your DIY project with the Whimseybox community. And it’s great timing, too – because there are still 4 days left in our Home Decor DIY Contest – find the full details here and enter today!

 

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Are you ready for the next step after glow-in-the-dark ink? If so, get ready to start making with electroluminescent wire! It’s a bit like those glow sticks you would get as kids, except they run on a power source so you can turn them on and off. It is essentially a copper wire with a coating that glows when you hook it up to a battery. EL wire is a great way to start out in smart textiles or using electronics in your work as it doesn’t get hot, requires really low power, and is easy to use.

Digital Dawn Project

People have been doing really interesting work with EL wire throughout this century (I’ve always wanted to say that!). One of the first artists I saw using it was Rachel Wingfield and her studio Loop.ph. She uses electroluminescent technology in other forms besides wire as well. She works mainly in environments and interiors. Check out her Digital Dawn project from 2000 as well as the more recent (and lovely) loop.ph project SonUmbra. Rachel has said her work springs from “the convergence of design and science, and ultimately the synergy with nature.” Maybe there is a space in your home that would benefit from an update from those old fairy lights…

Sonumbra

There’s also plenty of ways to use EL Wire in fashion and apparel. Daft Punk made a splash in EL wire suits in 2007! And project runway contestant Diana Eng produced a beautiful chiffon dress with EL wire for her Fairytale Fashion show during her residency at Eyebeam. A company called Electric Mvmnt has even started producing EL hoodies for commercial sale. Fun, right? Might give you some ideas of your own I suspect…

 

EL Wire

A great place to get started with your own making is Adafruit. Her amazing electronics site is full of tutorials to get you started working with electronics in general, but has some very thorough projects about EL wire (and panels! And tape!). She, Limor Fried, started the site as an engineer at MIT and writes wonderful tutorials and instructions that take you through everything step by step.

AdaFruit also sells the materials you would need to make these projects, but there are lots of other shops as well. I like Cool Neon especially for EL products because it is their specialty, and of course Inventables is always a favorite (I mentioned them in my first post here).

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I’m not the type of gal to own many solid-colored accessories. I live for prints, designs, and bright colors. So when I spotted this blue tote, I was itching to print a pretty doily onto it.

Screen printing is fun, but sometimes I get super lazy and don’t want to drag out all the equipment and make a huge mess. On those lazy days, I turn to other methods of printing.

One of those methods is silkscreen adhesives. Stick them to anything — a vase, a tee shirt, a box – glide some paint over them, and you’ll have yourself a printed design in minutes. They’re reusable, and they make clean up a lot easier.

If this is your first time using the silkscreen adhesives, I recommend testing them on scrap fabric first to get a feel for the technique. That way your final project will be even lovelier.

Supplies

- Plain canvas tote bag or muslin tote bag

- Martha Stewart Crafts Paint in Satin Pacific Iris

- Martha Stewart Crafts Floral Doily Adhesive Silkscreens

- Squeegee

- Bowl of water or sink for rinsing silkscreens

1. Prep your work surface by covering it with newspaper or an old sheet.

2. If you’re using your silkscreen adhesives for the first time, cut the adhesives along the thin white lines to separate them.

3. Decide where you’ll place the adhesives. You can print several doilies all over, or just print one giant doily in the center like mine.

4. Lay your tote on the table with the side you’re going to print facing you. Peel the adhesive from the paper. (Make sure you save the backing. The adhesive is reusable, so you can place the adhesive onto the backing for storage after you’re finished.)

5. Place the adhesive onto your tote, sticky side down. Smooth out all the wrinkles. If the adhesive isn’t smooth and flat, your design will run together and create blobs of paint. (Trust me; I produced a lot of blobby designs before I got it right!)

6. Squeeze a small amount of paint onto the adhesive. I like to squirt my paint onto the blue edge of the stencil for a more even distribution of the paint.

7. With your squeegee, pull the paint over the adhesive using light pressure. (Using too much pressure might cause the paint to bleed to other parts of your tote. More blobs!) Add more paint if needed. Continue to distribute the paint evenly over the entire adhesive until you’ve filled in the design.

8. Once you have distributed the paint evenly, carefully remove the adhesive. Let the tote dry.

9. Dunk the adhesive into a bowl of water or rinse it in the sink. Drying paint can clog the silkscreen, so always wash your adhesives immediately after use.

Ta-da! You now have a printed tote — and not too much of a mess.

There are countless ways to use these adhesives. What are you going to print your design on?

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Click here or on the image to download. Happy summer!

 

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Here is your weekly dose of Pinspiration!

“The creative adult is the child who survived.” -Ursula K. Le Guin 

Kristin Guy

Kristin Guy is a Los Angeles based food & lifestyle writer, designer and photographer for several national online publications. She is also the author and online personality of TheCuisinerd.com, a quirky food destination where readers are inspired to dine by design and geek out gourmet style.Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook

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Tubular Twine Transformation: Using common materials in an unexpected way.

I was walking to work the other day and noticed this pop of color at a nearby construction site. It looks like something you would find at a craft store with it’s trendy neon color, but its purpose isn’t exactly glamorous. It’s mason’s twine and it’s used to mark straight and even lines around a future work site. I just think it’s pretty!

It made me curious as to what else might be available at my local hardware store.  Only one way to find out! I headed to McGuckin Hardware which carries just about every tool, gadget and widget know to man. They have EVERYTHING! My first big breakthrough was in the plumbing aisle where I found octagonal and triangular copper tubing which I thought would make a nice jewelry design. Alas, copper is kind of expensive and I was worried that I would damage the copper (or myself) while trying to cut it to size. I continued my search…

Next I found this vinyl tubing. Oh the possibilities…not to mention it’s ten cents a foot!

I found the mason’s twine in day-glo orange. Score! Now for the construction (no hard hats required). As I was putting it together I was asked several times what I was making. The honest answer was “I have no idea.” But that’s not entirely true. The idea was there (vaguely) but the finished product had yet to be determined.

I started by cutting the vinyl tubing in two inch pieces.

With a length of twine I strung three pieces of tubing together and tied it off creating a triangle.

I cut the excess twine and used a lighter to melt the frayed ends.

Once I had five tubular triangles I laid them out to determine the best order (they are slightly varied in size). And then I took another length of twine (a long piece) and threaded it through the top of each triangle.

Now to tie it off with an adjustable slip knot.

Overlap the two ends and tie a knot AROUND the overlapping piece. Do the same on the other side and you have an adjustable necklace. Once again cut off the excess twine and singe with a lighter to prevent fraying.

I’m pretty happy with how this flouro-geo necklace turned out.

Shape shopping: when the idea in your head is so abstract that finding the materials requires wandering the aisles until form and function collide.

 

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- The National Stationery Show is coming up in a few days, so that means I’ll be glued to Oh So Beautiful Paper where you can spy all of the delicious paper goods that will be draining your wallet in a few months.

- Speaking of paper, check out these totally free and totally adorable printable cards on Caravan. (via)

- Looking to freshen up your fonts folder? Find 25 freebies here.

- Planning any weekend DIYs? Save big at Micheal’s this week – 25% off your entire purchase! – with this coupon share by Studs + Pearls!

- In sad news, we recently learned of the loss of Kathleen Ricketson, the founder of whipup.net which has long been one of our favorite craft blogs to read. There is a fund being setup for her children so if you’d like to contribute you can find more information here.

PS – Don’t forget to enter our home DIY contest and win a $50 Amazon giftcard! There’s only 7 days left!

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Recently invested in a multi-pack of oven-bake clay?  If not, you should.  It’s one of the most versatile materials out there — as evidenced by these seven great DIYs for jewelry, plants, cord-keeping, and more!

Hanging Garden via Penelope & Pip

Logo Tags via Yiskah Knits

Geometric Pendant Necklaces via From Panka With Love

Heart Cord Keeper via Idlewife

Mini Plant Pots via Fellow Fellow for Say Yes to Hoboken

Copper Vase for The Felted Fox

Bead Necklace via Delighted Momma

Learned a new technique or bought a specialty tool or material for that one special project but don’t know how to put it to use next? One Material, Many Ways is dedicated to rounding up the finest projects to put those special supplies and skills to use!

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