idea notebook
The coolest crafters on the Web, plus resourceful ways to wake up your bedroom decor
Get Crafty!
For this special issue, we asked top DIY bloggers for their best projects.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY K ATE MATHIS; STYLING BY SCOTT HORNE
Transform a plain vase into a work of art. The blogger: Camilla Fabbri, cfabbridesigns.com/blog The project: Used paintbrushes get a new lease on life for this fanciful centerpiece. “I love the way the colorful bristles look,” says Fabbri, an Evanston, Illinois, artist, “and the whole thing takes just minutes.” Simply space two rows of plain rubber bands around a tall, cylindrical vase, then tuck brushes (Fabbri used about 40) inside the bands until the tools completely surround the vessel.
Continued on next page > Written by Jourdan Crouch
MARCH 2011
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idea notebook
Shrinky Dinks hold the key to making darling jewelry. The blogger: Cathe Holden, justsome thingimade.com The project: “As a kid, I got a kick out of shrinkable plastic,” says Holden, a graphic designer in Petaluma, California, “but I’m having even more fun with the stuff as an adult.” In an hour, Holden crafted this bracelet using her collection of vintage ephemera—which she’s sharing with CL readers. You’ll find two handy PDFs with 34 presized images at countryliving.com/bracelettemplate. STEP ONE Download the PDFs, then print onto Shrinky Dinks sheets ($9.36 for six; shrinkydinks.com). Note: Images darken while baking. STEP TWO Cut and trim your desired images. Use a 1/8-inch hole punch to make holes ¼ inch in from the left and right sides of each image. STEP THREE Bake according to package directions. Let pieces cool for one minute, then spray with clear acrylic ($4.28; amazon.com). Use jewelry pliers to link the pieces with jump rings and finish with a toggle-hook set (jump rings, $2.79 for 80; toggle hooks, $2.39 for 10; createforless.com).
A desk accessory worth its weight in gold The blogger: Brittni Mehlhoff, papernstitchblog.com The project: “My office can look like a tornado hit, so I crave
crafts that help me stay organized,” says Mehlhoff. For this nifty nautical paperweight, the Jacksonville, Florida, artist relied on a pair of silicone candle molds. STEP ONE Following package instructions (and wearing rubber gloves), mix pottery plaster powder ($5.57 for 10-pound bag; dickblick.com) and cold water. Stir continuously until the mixture reaches the consistency of pancake batter. STEP TWO Slowly pour into each mold (anchor mold, $12; firstimpressions molds.com; round base mold, $5.75; thesage.com) until the mixture reaches just to the mold’s top. Let dry for one hour. STEP THREE Gently remove the hardened weights from their molds. Let the plaster set for one day, then spray the front and back of each weight with a clear shellac ($9.49; doitbest.com). Allow an hour of drying time, then paint the weights with gold liquid leaf ($3.55; misterart.com); let dry for another hour. Coat each piece again with shellac and, after an hour, attach the anchor to the base using superglue.
56 . COUN T RY L I V I N G.C O M . MARCH 2011
idea notebook
Hide a kitchen cabinet behind a vintage painting. The blogger: Kate
Pruitt, katepruitt.com The project: “I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of secret storage,” says Pruitt, an artist who lives in Oakland. So she riffed on that idea with this clever kitchen cache, which pairs a flea-market painting with an old metal medicine cabinet. (Note: Your painting’s wooden frame should measure at least ¾ inch thick and overlap the cabinet door’s surface by at least an inch on all four sides.) STEP ONE If the cabinet has a mirrored front, carefully remove the glass (be sure to wear gloves, as you may have to break the glass). STEP TWO Lay your painting facedown on a flat surface, then center your cabinet facedown atop the painting. Use a pencil to mark the cabinet’s edges on the back of the frame. STEP THREE With the cabinet still resting on the painting, open it up to expose the back side of the door. Use a permanent marker to mark a dot in each corner of the door, making sure the dots align with the thickest part of the frame. STEP FOUR Lift the cabinet off the painting and lay the cabinet facedown atop a piece of scrap wood. Drill a hole at each of the marked dots, then place the cabinet on top of the painting again, aligning it with the pencil marks on the back of the frame. STEP FIVE Use a drill to drive ¾-inch screws through the door holes into the frame. STEP SIX Mount the unit to the wall using the premade holes in the cabinet’s back. If holes don’t exist, drill one in each corner.
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GO TO COUNTRYLIVING.COM/CABINET
to see step-by-step photos of the project above.