Do It Yourself…in shades of yellow
Posted in DIY, handmade, yellow November 18th, 2008 by piablog

I love a bit of DIY, don’t you? But let’s face it, DIY can often be a bit tacky, a bit ‘yesterday’, a bit umm, uncool. DIY can also be super complicated and since I’m an impatient little sausage, as well as having the attention span of a goldfish, my choice in DIY is: simple, short, sweet and stylish. So here for you today I’ve gathered a few of what I think are the coolest DIY projects around…

This handmade necklace is more than awesome. Not only is it super stylish and hip, but it is made from old stockings and tights by Lady Smaggle. I found it over at textile and jewellery design student Felicity Gleeson’s blog. Apparently the necklace has been doing the rounds on the web for a few months now, but it’s all new to me so I thought it might be news to some of you too. The how-to instructions are right here.

Grace from Design*Sponge also loves a bit of DIY, and it was through her that I discovered this super cool bird mobile by Spool. It’s the perfect project to use offcuts of fabrics (which I seem to have alot of) and you can keep adding to it with more petits oiseaux over time. You can even handstitch it if you don’t have a sewing machine (mine is sitting in storage in Sydney) and if you make the mobile for a newborn, you can send a new little bird each birthday. For instructions, just click here. Spool is a shop located in Philadelphia, a city I once called home (here’s a shout out to all you Philly birds, I love ya!). So if you live in Philly, go check out Spool, they have heaps of cool fabrics and generally seem like cool people.

And last up is Lena Corwin who is well, pretty swell. Her book Printing By Hand looks a treat and her ‘printed’ dresser project is la classe. It was featured in Etsy’s The Storque recently, you can read how to make it here.

I’ve always been a DIY gal, but with my workload and personal obligations increasing over the last couple of years I’ve slackened off on taking time out to ‘do it myself’. Also moving around the world has slowed the pace of my DIYing no doubt. But along with finding heaps of cool DIY projects on the web while researching for this post I found my own stash of ideas that I have been collecting over time to make into a book (I know I know, one fine day!). It’s funny because when I made the decision to move overseas I had the limited space of just one suitcase, and its situations like those that you realise what is important to you. In my suitcase was not clothes (I showed up all but nude when I first arrived in Paris) but notebooks. All of my notebooks. Filled with my ideas, loose written work, drawings, thoughts, and book concepts. And below is one of the notebook bundles – a pile of notes for a book that I have been working on for years, and look – how serendipitous: they’re bound in yellow…

Anyway, it got me thinking that I should make DIY a feature here in the (blog)house. But since I have just begun the blog favourites feature, I think I will save DIY for 2009. What do you think?

For now, I shall leave you with a few more fabulous DIY projects that I found around the (blog)block:

  • Michelle Kaufmann turns junk mail (my pet-peeve) into plantable paper.
  • Super simple: embroider your curtains with a cool word, from Derek & Lauren
  • Make your own tea towels with stamps (I could do this with my French vintage stamps, non?)

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    14 Comments

    1. trupeach says

      that necklace, those birds!
      perhaps there’s a crafty lass in me afterall because i really want to make an attempt at those DIY.
      thanks, pia!

      November 18th, 2008 | #

    2. Ida says

      Such beautiful photos. Their colors inspire me!

      November 18th, 2008 | #

    3. sofia says

      the birdies are sooooooo cute thanks for the link. How wonderful you have that project too, I have a whole DIY book project ready but no publisher, boooh 🙁
      Love love yellow ! Yellow and grey uhhmm…

      November 18th, 2008 | #

    4. ArtShades says

      What a lovely suggestion to make the mobile for a newborn and send a new bird each year. I’d love to do that for my baby god-daughter. Wouldn’t it be fun if her mum sends me swatches of fabric from her favourite dresses as she out-grows them? I made a few birds back in June (with fabric that meant something to me) when I first discovered Spool. They are here http://artshades.typepad.com/blog/2008/06/rare-birds-indeed.html

      November 18th, 2008 | #

    5. nadia says

      i love with the mobile!!!

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    6. kosenrufu mama says

      thank you for the ideas!!!!!!

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    7. Shannon says

      These are wonderful ideas – thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try out the bird mobile!

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    8. Clare says

      Great post. I warn you those spool birds are addictive. Once I started making them I couldn’t stop! Every time you use a different fabric it comes out with a whole new personality. I love the idea of making one a year for a child – it would be cute to make them out of a piece of clothing that the chid had grown out of.

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    9. Tilda B. Hervé says

      I love DIY!!! (The problem often is, that the projects or products looks a little bit to much handmade.) So I hope that DIY is your 2009 blog theme with your designy eye!!!

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    10. shilvia says

      all great ideas!!! thank you pia 🙂

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    11. pia says

      it’s my pleasure shilvia!

      Tilda B. Hervé (what a super cool name) – yes exactly, i know what you mean, I fell the same way. So I would like to cast my eye to find super chic DIY for 2009, and super easy. I’m glad you are into it, I will begin the category next year then!

      Clare – I love those birds! glad to hear you love them too, and that each one has its own personality.

      shannon – have fun!

      kosenrufu mama – you’re welcome!

      nadia – me too

      artshades – your birds are super cute. Yes, I love that idea of the out-grown dress swatches to be made into a little bird each year!

      Sofia – yes i can imagine you have loads of notebooks packed with cool DIY ideas – maybe we should get our heads together and make a book of our own!

      Ida – the colours are so vibrant aren’t they, perfect for these grey days.

      trupeach – perhaps there is a crafty lass in you indeed! I am hoping to inspire those less likely to make things, to make things, so I’m glad this first post has inspired you!

      xx

      November 19th, 2008 | #

    12. joanna goddard says

      LOVE this post, pia. i have been needing a pick-me-up from the winter blues lately! xo

      November 20th, 2008 | #

    13. Vanessa says

      pia those bird mobiles are gorg. love the colours!
      these are beautiful too: http://www.poppiesforgrace.com.au/catalogue.php?ProdGroup=7

      November 20th, 2008 | #

    14. Machteld says

      Dear Pia, what a lovely and inspiring post!

      I’ve got my pantyhoses all cut up and ready on my couch. Did you know that you’ll pbb be able to get a ja/nee or nee/nee sticker in the big public libraries in Amsterdam? When you stick it on your mailbox, you won’t receive junk mail that doesn’t have your address on it.

      Thanks Pia, and I have to say I’m slightly jealous of all your skills and how you seem to fit 28 hours in a day (jealous – not envious, as I wish you all the fun and skills in the world!)

      Love, Machteld

      March 6th, 2009 | #


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