idea notebook
Clever DIY, savvy garden shortcuts, and an instant living-room makeover
Get Crafty! Snappy projects you can tackle in an hour
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALISON GOOTEE/STUDIO D; CRAFTING BY JODI K AHN
Stitch up pockets that have bird-inhand appeal. Give an old skirt a fly new look with a pair of denim patches (5"W x 7"H patches, $1.89 for two; createforless.com). Place patches, wrong sides down, atop parchment paper and iron out any creases. Pin the patches together, wrong sides facing out. Next, download, print, and cut out our bird template (countryliving.com/ birdtemplate). Place the bird shape atop the patches, and trace around it with a fine-point Sharpie. Using sharp scissors, cut out both patches at once, then separate. Topstitch all the way around each patch, close to the fabric’s edges. To turn the patches into pockets, pin them to your skirt, as shown. Working atop the first stitch and removing the pins as you go, sew the pockets in place by stitching around the bottom of each bird, from the point of the beak to the tip of the tail. Backstitch at each end to finish your fine-feathered design.
Continued on next page > Written by Jourdan Crouch
JULY/AUGUST 2012
. COUNTRYLIVING.COM . 51
idea notebook
Extend the shelf life of secondhand books. “I’m crazy for the patterns on these covers,” says CL contributing editor Cathe Holden of the condensed books Reader’s Digest published from the 1950s through the ’90s. She often nabs them at yard sales for next to nothing; you can also find the volumes on eBay and Etsy, where they typically go for around five bucks. Here’s how Holden transforms the tomes into stealthy storage boxes. STEP 1 To make one box requires two
books—the first will become the outer cover, while the second forms the inner framework. Using an X-Acto knife, carefully remove the entire stack of pages from the first book, cutting as close to the spine as possible. Conceal the now-exposed inner spine with colored paper cut from the first page in the stack, adhering the paper with paper glue (paper glue, $5.50
52 . COUN T RY L I V I N G.C O M . JULY/AUGUST 2012
for two ounces; amazon.com). Discard the rest of the stack. STEP 2 For the inner framework, you’ll need to cut four panels from the second book’s covers. Use the first book to determine the panels’ dimensions. With the first book open flat in front of you, measure the width of the inner spine and subtract a quarter inch. This will be the width of every panel. To determine the length of two panels, measure the length of the inner spine and subtract one-half inch. To determine the length of the other two panels, measure from the outer edge of the first book’s cover liner to the initial crease of the spine. Cut all four panels from the second book and discard it. STEP 3 Form a right angle by aligning one long and one short panel, using our photo as a guide. Attach using hot glue, making
sure the panels’ patterned sides face out. Repeat with the remaining panels. Attach these two right angles to form one rectangle. Cover the framework’s top edges with thin strips of colored tape ($3.50 for 3/5"W x 33'L roll; cutetape.com). STEP 4 Return to the first book and lay it open flat. Stand the framework atop the book’s inner back cover and hot-glue in place. Finally, hot-glue the spine to the framework, then stash your stuff in the box.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY (FROM TOP) AMBER C. M C PHAIL; MIKI DUISTERHOF, STYLING BY CARLA GONZALEZ-HART, CRAFTING BY JODI K AHN; (OPPOSITE PAGE) ALISON GOOTEE/STUDIO D
Get right to the point with photorealistic magnets. The key to crafting these sharp fridge accessories? Adhesive magnet paper ($7.29 for 12"W x 24"L sheet; promagproducts.com). Simply download our PDF (containing these dart and pushpin photos) at countryliving.com/ magnets, and print it out on computer paper. Next, pull the magnet sheet’s paper layer away to reveal the magnet’s adhesive side, and place your printed images atop the adhesive. Smooth out any bubbles before cutting out each image with sharp scissors, working close to the images. Then, take aim at the fridge to see your handiwork hold tight.
Repurpose cheap plastic straws as cheery coasters. Colorful straws take on a supporting role for cocktails with a few strips of bright duct tape. STEP 1 Using sharp scissors, cut 15 straws of the same color to a length of 5½ inches. Repeat with 15 straws in a second color. Next, create a “loom” by drawing a 5½-inch square on a piece of cardboard. STEP 2 Beginning with straws of one color, squeeze an end between your thumb and index finger; run the straw between your thumb and finger to flatten. Tape the straw’s ends flat along opposite sides of the cardboard square. Continue flattening and taping straws down, side by side, until the square is filled. Depending on the width of your straws, you’ll need 13 to 15. STEP 3 Weave the other color straws, one at a time, in and out through the taped-down straws. Push the straws tightly together as you go, to form a checkerboard pattern. STEP 4 Cut four 7-inch-long strips from a roll of duct tape in a coordinating color ($9.26 for 2"W x 180'L roll; amazon.com). Place 1 strip atop each side of the square so that 1½ inches of the tape rests on the straws. Using an X-Acto knife, cut all the way through the tape and the straws on each side to create a clean square that measures approximately 4½ inches. Discard the cardboard loom. STEP 5 Finish off the coaster’s edges by cutting four 1-inch-wide strips of duct tape. Fold 1 strip over each edge to create a ½-inch border, trimming as needed, for extra polish.
53