February 2012
5 posts
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WatchAn instant classic. Thank you Aasif Mandvi & Jon Stewart.
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Valentine's Day by way of Samuel Beckett...$9
I went to see Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape not too long ago at BAM. Rather transfixing, especially the repeated passage that is more or less the piece’s climax:
“We lay there without moving. But under us all moved, and moved us, gently, up and down, and from side to side. Past midnight. Never knew such silence. The earth might be uninhabited.”
We liked it so much, I decided it would...
January 2012
8 posts
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A more colorful reusable bag...$2
This reusable bag was pretty boring. So I added an iron-on. Hot iron: perfect for kids.
You need:
U-Create Iron-on
Permanent markers
Iron & ironing board
Light colored reusable bag (the heartier the fabric the better)
Want to see the steps?
Costs = $2:
U-Create Iron-on = $2
Everything else = free or already available around the house
How to:
Doesn’t require much...
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“Underground”
Via my friend’s...
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Homemade coloring books...
Happy New Year! At some point this year, you’ll have to give a gift to a kid. Make that kid a semi-homemade coloring book, individualized with cover paper as cool as they are. Made by Joel is one of my favorite blogs out there - Joel is such a talented illustrator, and he offers free pdfs of his awesome designs. Thanks, Joel, for these great coloring pages!
You need:
Cereal...
December 2011
10 posts
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Toilet paper roll Christmas tree...$5
Don’t have time/effort/need for a real Christmas tree? Me neither. Do you use toilet paper? Me too. It sounds like you may be the perfect candidate to make this toilet paper roll Christmas tree. Return those toilet paper rolls to whence they came - make them back into a tree!
You need:
A bunch of toilet paper rolls (I used 45)
Stapler
Spray paint
Want to see the steps?
...
9 tags
Washi tape gift box ornaments (Part Deux)...
More washi tape gift box ornaments. Strikingly similar to last Wednesday’s post…this time made with thin clear plastic cut from take-out containers. Yet one more easy upcycle of common refuse.
You need:
Washi tape (2 kinds)
Clear plastic refuse (cut into squares)
Something to hang your creation with, could be: wire (requires small pin/nail) or thread/string (requires...
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Washi tape gift box ornaments...
I hate buying veggies that are sold on styrofoam, but in my hood that’s the only way to buy brussels sprouts. Good news: styrofoam can be cut into lightweight tree ornaments (of all types, mine just happen to be gift boxes). Patterned washi-tape is the ultimate quick coverall!
You need:
Washi tape (2 kinds)
Styrofoam refuse (cut into squares)
Sharpie
Foam brush or paint brush
...
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November 2011
7 posts
10 tags
Toothpaste trees...
Every year I turn toothpaste box trees into Christmas ornaments (see last year’s here). The boxes are the perfect shape! This year I went for a Fruit Stripe Gum look. Super easy gift idea, only limited by the number of toothpaste boxes you have stashed. This is the first of several posts on turning trash into ornaments…stay tuned.
You need:
Toothpaste boxes (I used the small...
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Old books (and a corner) transformed...
My parents have volumes of 1972 encyclopedias that, unsurprisingly, nobody anywhere wants. Except me. I had a dead corner in my apartment. Nothing in it but an ugly, broken Ikea floor lamp I found on the street. So I took those old books off their hands, as well as a terracotta pot, a small (ugly brown) table, and a sweet lamp — a little bit of paint and paper all around — and...
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Tie rack and/or belt rack...
Keep your eyes peeled for old wooden tennis rackets. They make great hanging storage for belts, ties, etc. Really this sucker can hold anything - ideal for necklaces and earrings too. And you can paint it whichever way you like to suit any decor. The perfect addition to the tiny unused wall nook next to my closet…
You need:
Wooden tennis rackets (nabbed these from my parents’...
October 2011
9 posts
6 tags
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Dopey Halloween costume for a baby...
My first Halloween costume - I think a success. I made a Dopey costume for my friend’s adorable baby boy (his big sister is going as Snow White). It was surprisingly easy, even without a sewing machine.
You need:
Green long-sleeve romper
Snugly fitting baby hat (Baby Gap makes perfect ones)
Tan iron-on patches & iron
Brass-colored belt buckle
Black belt fabric (I used 1”...
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The Floating World: Japanese wisdom written on a...
Summer break is over and DIYs are back! Kicking it off with a doozy: some ancient Japanese wisdom etched onto a mirror.
Asai Ryōi, a 17th century Japanese writer, explained the time’s prevailing obsession with impermanence and fleeting beauty with the following:
“Living only for the moment, turning our attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the...
September 2011
9 posts
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August 2011
12 posts
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Painted accent branches...
A couple months ago, I picked up some branches someone had cut & left on the street - for a while they had pretty yellow buds on them, but slowly those grayed. Paint to the rescue. I mixed yellow & white to get the pale color that matched the birch forest painting I made in the spring. Ridiculously easy thing to add to any vase, and looks pretty neat [branches are in far right corner...