DIY Pusheen Plush

I love Pusheen - everyone's favourite fat grey cat has pretty much become the Garfield of the internet, and the little cutie is everywhere, even in our Facebook comment boxes. I couldn't find a plush version here in South Africa, so I decided to make my own.

This is a SUPER simple project, and is great for beginners - and if you are terrified of sewing and don't even want to try, try using fabric glue to convert this to a no-sew project!

Let me know if you also love Pusheen, and which Pusheen comic is your favourite!

LDP x

DIY 90s Tattoo Choker

These choker necklaces were very popular in the 90s, and have crept back into fashion again. I vividly remember how desperately I begged my mom to buy them for me when I was little, and honestly, now that I'm older, they're just as cool. They're super simple to make, so why not create your own instead of buying one? Watch the video for full instructions!

LDP x

DIY Zip Earphones

I know that everyone is sick and tired of tangled earphones. Somehow, whenever those sneaky cables are hidden from sight, they contort into the kind of knots they don't even teach in boy scouts. So, here's the simplest fix for the age-old issue: say no to tangled earphones by attaching a zip to keep them neat and un-knotted.

I know, I know. It's literally so simple it hardly deserves a DIY. Just stitch the fabric edge of the zip around the earphone cable and voilà. No more tangled earphones! And plus, they look pretty cool, too.

 Let me know below if you're also sick and tired of your earphone cables looking like a Houdini-level challenge, and tell me if this life hack helps you solve that problem!

LDP x

DIY Sock Rhino

After recently revamping my sock sloth tutorial and turning it into a video, I decided another sock creature was in order. Living in South Africa, rhino conservation is a cause that has become very important to our country. 22 September saw the celebration of World Rhino Day, and the awareness posts floating around my Facebook news feed added to the inspiration to create this little cuddly friend.

This little rhino is a cute addition to any collection of sock creatures, and an adorable reminder to support rhino conservation - don't let the only rhinos left be plush toys.

If you make your own version, be sure to share it with me!

LDP x

DIY Scratch-Off Globe

I love travelling, and I've been fortunate enough to see a fair few countries in my life. However, as any sufferer of wanderlust will know, seeing a few only makes one want to see more - there's a whole world out there just waiting to be explored!
The idea is to scratch off each country after you visit it, and eventually, one day, scratch it all off. It's a fun craft for any traveller, or a great gift for the wanderlustful.

Let me know if you enjoy this tutorial, and if you make your own! What is your favourite place that you have ever been?

LDP x

DIY Photo Pocket Cushion

Instagram has become something of an integral piece in the lives of many, whether we like it or not. Whether it's photos of our pets, our meals or, in my case, our crafts, somehow, little square-cropped photos with vintage-style filters just get us going. However, yanking these pictures from their digital realm make for a cute, fun style, reminiscent of Polaroid pictures. Rather than simply tacking these to walls and notice boards, I thought of what other fun ways could be created to display these lovely photos, and I came up with my photo pocket pillow!

I used fabric and clear vinyl to create a cushion cover that offered spaces to add your own photos. What's great is that this makes the cushion cover customisable, and it can be changed as frequently as you like. Sick of one of your pictures? Just pick a new one! These also make lovely gifts, as they can be personalised with photos of special memories shared with the receiver of the cushion.

Instead of my usual photo-and-writing tutorials, I decided to try something different: a video! Sorry if it's not perfect, but it's my first attempt at a DIY on this platform.

 

Let me know what you think of the video, and if you give this project a try!

LDP

DIY: Dream Catcher Garland

So, earlier this year, I discovered one of the coolest sites: U lala. They're an incredible blogging site for college-age girls, and they focus on a message of "style, substance and spirit", providing a more positive, creative media platform for a demographic almost constantly bombarded by little other than celebrity gossip and negativity.

I fell in love with their site, and immediately applied to write for them, becoming the first international/non-US blogger on the site. For my first post, I put together a tutorial on how to make your own dream catcher garland, using some basic supplies and recycling some old bangles. Keep reading below to see how. (Note: post is image heavy, but super descriptive!)

DIY: Recycled Book Planters

This tutorial came complete with a mild existential crisis. I've wanted to make a craft project with books for ages now, however the thought of slicing up a tiny universe for my own selfish needs has always been too traumatic for me to bear. I eventually convinced myself that my charity shop book discoveries were only going to sit on a shelf until someone else threw them away if I didn't buy them and use them, so why not turn them into something beautiful?

What you'll need:

• Old books (preferably hard cover)
• Wood glue
• A piece of a plastic bag (like a zip-lock bag)
• A craft knife

1. Start by smearing wood glue along the sides of the book, to secure the pages together. If you plan on using more than one book for the planter, glue them together without putting glue in the area you intend to cut, as this will make it more difficult to cut through.
   
2. Mark the area you intend to cut out, where your plant will go.
   
3. Use a craft knife to cut out the marked area. It may be hard to cut through the cover of the book initially, but just keep going - it'll slice through eventually. :)
   
4. Once the area is as deep as you want it to be, glue the piece of plastic bag into the cut area, and trim the edges to be level with the cover of the book. This will stop water and dirt leaking into the book once your plant is inside.
   
5. Put your plant into the book, and look after it as your new pot plant.
   

Do you have any indoor plants? Let me know. I'm fairly obsessed with having tiny succulents on my windowsill at the moment.

LDP

DIY: Doctor Who Tardis Sneakers

I remember never understanding the Doctor Who obsession so many seemed to harbour. I remember being unphased by blue Police telephone boxes and not knowing why bowties were cool. I remember being able to walk past statues without casting a second glance, as opposed to carefully staring at them, reluctant to blink.
That was before I actually got around to watching Doctor Who.

At some point during the course of last year, I ended up binge-watching the entirety of the new Doctor Who (I admit that classic Who remains too vast for me to watch all of it). After watching the series, I was besotted, and I am now eagerly anticipation the release of season 8. To celebrate my new-found addiction, I made myself a pair of Ten-esque Chucks, decorating the sides with tiny painted Tardises.

What you'll need to make your own:

• A pair of Converse (or the cheaper, knock-off kind, like I used)
• Small scraps of leather or leather-look vinyl 
• Acrylic paints
• Podge
• Some fabric glue (I use Tacky Glue) and thread for attaching the Tardises to the sneakers

1. Cut out your basic Tardis shape from your leather/imitation leather
2. If your leather is a dark colour, start by painting a light colour as a base coat. 
3. Build up various shades of blue until you are happy with the colour of your Tardis.
4. Using a darker blue, paint on a grid to show the panels of the Tardis door, and use black to paint a rectangle at the top to create the "Police Box" sign.
5. Use white paint to create tiny blocks in the top two panels of the door, on both visible sides, as well as the notice on the door, and the words "Police Box". I used a toothpick and pin to do this painting.
6. Use a layer Podge to seal and protect the paint.
7. Glue the tiny Tardises onto the sneakers using fabric glue, and then stitch around the edges to secure them.

I also added the words "Don't Blink" at the back, using acrylic paint, however this started chipping off of the rubber soles - though it still looked cool for a while. :)

Do you watch Doctor Who? Are you as obsessed with the show as I now am? Who was your favourite Doctor? I'm very excited to see what Capaldi brings in August!

Thanks for reading,

LDP 

DIY: Grumpy Cat Bauble Ornament

Yes, yet another Grumpy Cat project. Although I’ve already made a Grumpy Cat brooch, as well as a Grumpy Cat Christmas sweater, I thought another project to protest festive cheer would be great to remove any remaining joy from the Christmas decorating.  If you want to ensure that your festive season is the grumpiest ever, or even just want to have a year-round reminder of Tardar Sauce’s eternal grumpiness, revamp a boring bauble to look like the internet’s favourite Grumpy Cat.

What you’ll need:
·         An old, plain round bauble ornament
·         Air-drying clay (I used paper clay)
·         Acrylic paints
·         A small scrap of white chenille wool
·         Miniature white pompom

What to do:

1.       Shape an ear, muzzle and Santa hat onto your bauble using the clay. Make the clay as flat as possible against the round surface of the bauble. Allow the clay to dry on the bauble, and once dry, slide the pieces off and re-attach them using some tacky glue.
2.       Paint your bauble a beige/cream colour, and paint the ear brown and hat red. Paint the muzzle area white.
3.       Using a photo of Grumpy Cat as a reference, paint the eye patches, eyes, nose and mouth.
4.       Glue a small piece chenille wool around the base of the Santa hat, and add the pompom to the tip of the hat.

And you’re done! Simply hang your grumpy ornament wherever you think it will remove the most joy and cheer. 

This project is also posted over on Cut Out+ Keep. 

Thanks for reading!

LDP x

DIY: Grumpy Cat Christmas Sweater

For most, Christmas is a joyful season, filled with, I don't know, joyful stuff. However, for others, Christmas carols and flashing fairy lights fast become hard to tolerate, with fruitcake leaving only a sour taste in one's mouth. If you're one of the latter, spread your disdain for the season by coming as close to Christmas spirit as you dare and donning a traditionally ugly Christmas sweater, featuring the face of the internet's beloved Grumpy Cat. Perfect for glaring at Mariah Carey-blaring speakers in.

What you'll need:

• Felt in Grumpy Cat-esque shades (cream, dark brown, white, light blue, and a tiny scrap of pink)
• A small scrap of white fleece
• An old sweater that you're willing to sacrifice for your hatred of the season

What to do:

1. Cut out the basic shape of the face from cream felt and the shape of the eye patches from brown felt. Sew the eye patches onto the face.
2. Cut out the muzzle area from white felt and stitch it onto the face.
3. Cut out the nose from pink felt. Attach onto muzzle.
4. Cut out two eyes from light blue felt and stitch onto the face.
5. Stitch on two black felt pupils and stitch a grumpy mouth with pink cotton.
6. Cut out an ear from brown felt and stitch it onto the head.
   
   
   
7. Cut out a red hat shape and stitch it onto the other side of the head. Add an extra flap to the top of the hat to create the point.
8. Stitch on a strip of white fleece to the bottom of the Santa hat.
9. Cut out a circle of white fleece and sew tacking stitches around the edge.
10. Pull the tacking stitches tight to create a more spherical shape.
11. Attach to point of Santa hat.
12. Sew your Grumpy Cat onto your old sweater and spread the disdain for the season!

As usual, this project is also posted over on Cut Out + Keep.

Hope you've all had a fun festive season, and expect a few more Christmassy crafts over the next few days - starting the 2014 decorating early, remember? Nothing to do with my laziness about posting. Nothing at all. *mumbles*

LDP x

Eraser Stamps

For a while now, I've wanted to create a shirt with a goldfish on it. I've thought long and hard about it, and I decided that I wanted a pattern made up of a number of goldfish. But how would I get all of the little goldfish the same? A stamp, of course! But where the hell do you get a goldfish stamp?
Well, if you're me, you make one.

After consulting my mother, in all of her infinite crafting wisdom gained from years of being an art teacher, she recommended that I craft a stamp from an eraser, as it was the simplest way of doing it. And, so, I did.
Here's how:

What you'll need:

• Eraser
• Cutting knife

What to do:

1. Draw your desired image onto the eraser.
2. Use the knife to cut the outline of your design into the eraser (vertically), and then cut into the eraser horizontally, cutting away the edges to leave only the design.
3. Ensure that your edges are defined and that your shape is cut out properly.
4. Use your new stamp to create your own designs.

This method of stamp-making should work for just about any design, so you can go wild with what you choose. Hopefully I'll get to use my goldfish stamp for the top I want to make soon, but unfortunately it's back to university after the weekend, so painting won't be happening in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have a go at making your own stamps. 

LDP

x

Live Slow, Die Whenever

For ages now, I've wanted a fox scarf. No, not a fox stole; there's something painfully morbid about having a dead animal wrapped around your throat. A fox scarf. I remember seeing the Lazy Oaf fox scarf a few years back (though it doesn't seem to be available any more) and absolutely setting my heart on it, loving the way it managed to be cute while still being slightly macabre. I remember it being out of my budget (everything is out of my budget) and reminding myself to make one in the future.

Fox scarves! Fox scarves everywhere!

1. Donna Wilson
2. Boondock Studios
3. BeeLicious Crafts
4. Lazy Oaf
5. Eugenia Kim
6. Prudent Baby (This one's a DIY!)

Although I do still want to make a fox scarf at some point or another, I decided to add a twist to this style. So, since we've established that my sloth obsession is no secret, I might as well carry on flaunting it, right? So much for "The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem".

What you'll need to make your own sloth scarf:

• Fur fabric
• Felt
• Safety eyes and nose
• Paint 

Steps:

1. Cut one long strip of your fluffy fabric , about 32-35 cm wide. I made mine as long as I could, using the entire length of the fabric. Make it shorter or wider to your own liking. Cut out a piece of fluffy fabric the size you want the head to be. Repeat this shape on another piece of fluffy fabric, then cut out a piece of felt for the face.
2. Paint the face using acrylic and fabric paints.
3. Ensure that the safety eyes and nose fit appropriately on the sloth's face.
   
   
4.  Sew the two fluffy head pieces together, then turn right-side-out.
5.  Place the head where you want it to be on the scarf.
6.  Sew the face and head onto the scarf, and add the safety eyes and nose. Sew down the length of the scarf and close the ends, sewing foot shapes at each end. Leave a section in the middle open to turn it right-side-out, then turn and close.

Aaaaaaand you're done! Wear your scarf on any lazy day you choose. 

I actually wore this scarf to my first exam on Wednesday, because the exam hall we write in is freezing. He kept my neck super cosy while I concentrated on Linguistics. 

I also posted this scarf with one of my outfits on Chictopia, which you can see here. 

In other news, I am this week's featured member on my favourite website, Cut Out + Keep! Click here to read the interview. 

Thanks so much for reading!

LDP x

Sock Sloth

I can't be certain why, but recently, I've been slightly besotted with sloths. I don't know when or how this started, but seriously, have you seen how cute baby sloths are?! (Spoiler alert: they're really freakin' cute).

One of the first noted occasions that this obsession showed its prominence was when I found this picture:

I don't even know where I found this, so I don't know to whom I ought to credit it.
Blame the internet.

After I'd finished making my "Thrift Sloth" jokes, I happened to be looking around the Sock Dreams website for some inspiration for the sock-craft contest that Cut Out + Keep is currently running, when I stumbled across these:

Look at them! Just look at them! They are incredible! Exclamation mark!
Also, you can find them here.

These gave me some much-needed inspiration for a contest entry. I would make a sock sloth!

(I also wrote a tutorial on how to make your own, so keep reading for that.)

The Day of the Grumpy Cat

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't enjoy Sundays. Mondays, I can handle. But Sundays? No. It's a pretty serious dislike: if it were any more serious, there would be a Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats song about it. Every Sunday, I am inevitably miserable about something or another.

In honour of this week's unhappy Sunday, I made myself a Grumpy Cat brooch, based on the meme.

He's pretty simple, made from felt and a little brooch pin. If you want to make your own, here's how:

You'll need:

• Felt in various colours
• A brooch pin

How to do it:

1. Cut out your pieces of felt (I cut up a picture of Mr Grumpy Cat himself as a pattern).
2. Use a bit of glue to attach your ears to the head pieces. Secure with a few stitches.
3. Glue down your eye pieces and muzzle piece, then secure with stitches.
4. Sew on two tiny blue felt pieces for eyes, then stitch on pupils, and a nose and very grumpy mouth.
   
   Set the face aside for now.
5. Sew the legs onto the front of the body.
   
6. Sew the brooch pin onto the back of the body, and sew the two body pieces together, adding stuffing.
7. Sew the two head pieces together, through the neck area, securing the head to the body. Add stuffing and close the head.
   

And then, your grumpy cat brooch is all ready to wear!

If you want to see it elsewhere, this tutorial is also available here on Cut Out + Keep.

Happy grouching. :)