idea notebook
Clever DIY, priced-right party tricks, and a playful kids’-room makeover
Get Crafty!
PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKI DUISTERHOF
How to upgrade everything from clothespins to drop cloths
Take clothespins at their word. Now here’s an idea you’ll want to clip and save: Inspired by a post on aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com, this project takes advantage of wooden letters intended for sorority and fraternity paddles (3/8"-wide letters, 80 cents each; paddletramps.com). If you plan to paint your letters and clothespins (¾"-wide clothespins, 75 cents each; bearwithusinc.com), start by sliding the clothespins apart into two pieces and setting the metal springs
aside. Apply two coats of spray paint to both the clothespins and the letters, allowing one hour of drying time after each coat. (We used Krylon’s Bahama Sea and Flat White, from $5.60 for 12 ounces; amazon.com.) Reassemble the clothespins. For each one, center a letter near the top, open edge, as shown; affix with wood glue ($5.95 for 4 ounces; amazon.com). Let dry for 30 minutes before using the clothespins to hang mementos from twine.
Continued on next page > Written by Jourdan Crouch
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Farm out barnyard toys as candleholders.
Anchor any outfit with a jaunty rope necklace. Humble hardware-store materials make it a snap to fashion this accessory. STEP ONE Use scissors to cut cotton venetian-blind cord ($6.99 for 48'L x 9/64"D; amazon.com) into nine 64-inch lengths. Loop the cords through the swivel-eye of a brass boat snap (5/8" boat snap, $3.95; amazon.com) until their ends meet. Clip the snap to a secure surface, like a drawer pull. STEP TWO Divide the dangling cords into three groups of six. Braid the groups as you would hair, making sure the cords lie flat and side by side. STEP THREE When you have reached two inches from the cords’ ends, secure the braid with a rubber band. Separate a single cord end from the center of the group, then double-knot it to one end of a 4½-inch-long, gold-colored chain, as shown. Then use pliers to attach a jump ring to the chain’s other end (chain, $10 per foot; Toho Shoji NY, 212-868-7465. Twenty-millimeter jump ring, 80 cents; beadfx.com). STEP FOUR Cut the other cords just below the rubber band. Wrap one-inch-wide gaffer tape ($12.99 for 60 yards; amazon.com), six times, around the cut ends and rubber band. Slide a copper slip coupling ($1.80; homedepot.com for stores) over the taped section, making sure the coupling fits snugly atop the tape. STEP FIVE At the necklace’s other end, wrap the tape six times around the cords just below the snap. Finish by sliding a second coupling atop the tape.
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To show these plastic animals the light, we applied a technique featured on thesweetest occasion.com. First, use a drill to make a small pilot hole in the flattest spot on the back of an animal (from $3.49; anwo.com). Align the pilot hole beneath the hole in the bottom of a menorah candle cup ($9.95 for nine; zionjudaica.com). Secure the cup using a no. 5 screw (its head will rest just atop the cup’s hole). Repeat to make multiple holders. Next, apply three coats of Krylon’s Fusion for Plastic white spray paint ($5.99; amazon .com), allowing 30 minutes of drying time after each coat. Finally, place a menorah candle ($4.14 for 45; amazon.com) inside each cup to set the herd aglow. 1
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THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY (NECKLACE) BURCU AVSAR, CRAFTING BY LAURA FENTON; (CANDLES) BEN GOLSTEIN/STUDIO D. ILLUSTRATIONS BY LISA YEN. OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPH BY BURCU AVSAR, CRAFTING BY JODI K AHN
idea notebook
Stitch up a table runner that’s beyond measure. Follow the steps below to do a number on a drab drop cloth ($10.98 for 6'W x 9'L; homedepot.com for stores). STEP ONE Cut a strip from the drop cloth that measures 14¼"W x 8'1¼"L; press it to iron out any wrinkles. To hem all four edges: Turn each under 5/8"; press, then stitch in place using a ½-inch seam allowance. The fabric strip should now measure 13"W x 96"L. STEP TWO Working on one of the strip’s long sides and starting at a short end, use a ruler and a pencil to measure and mark one inch at a time; continue until you reach the other end. Repeat on the opposite side of the strip. Next, using your ruler and our photo as a guide, draw a line at each mark, varying the line lengths. At each 16th mark, draw a line that crosses the entire strip. Trace over the lines using a black fabric marker ($2.99; createforless.com), which dries almost instantly. STEP THREE Just left of each line that crosses the strip, and working in numerical order, center a six-inch-high number stencil ($14.62 for set; stencils online.com). Affix with stencil adhesive ($4.65 for 4.4 ounces; misterart.com). STEP FOUR Using a foam stencil brush, fill in the stencil with fabric paint ($2.19 for 1 ounce; create forless.com). Let dry about four hours. Remove stencils; if needed, touch up the numbers with a paintbrush. To clean the runner, wash by hand and hang dry.
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