cat crafts:

[comearoundruby.livejournal.com]

well it must be said - my cat is my pride and joy, love of my life, apple of my eye etc etc etc. and - as tends to happen when one is so loved - my cat is spoiled rotten. well little miss princess has been having problems with scratching the sofa. she likes to stretch up to her full height and scratch down and has grown much too tall for her old scratching post. tired of the sofa scratching i did what any crafty pet lover would do....i built her a taller one.



- one 2x4x4 piece of cheap lumber
- one piece of an old disassembled entertainment center
- 3 square feet of scrap carpet samples
- 100 yards of rope

i plan on adding on to it. some ledges to lay on, ramps, all that fun cat tree stuff. but right now im just terribly proud of myself. rope burned hands and all.

( more pictures - sorry im just damn proud of it )

micron pens and barbie skin

[the-moonshiner.livejournal.com]

I've heard several of you dollmakers praising micron .005 pens for doing fine detailing, especially around the eye area. However, I've never been able to get them to work - they always either don't lay any pigment down and then instantly die when touched to a repainted barbie eye, or they yield a small bit of pigment and then poop out, never to be revived. I've tried several different brands, tested them out in the store to make sure they worked, etc, and have always gotten the above results.

So I've been making do with small brushes for black outlining and such, but my current project is a mermaid with a full-body traditional Japanese tattoo, and a black pen for outlining would be a huge help. (For example, this is what's on her back.)

Has anyone else had this problem with pens, and what did you do about it? I use Liquitex paint, in case it matters.

pampered puppy!

[sharmelon.livejournal.com]

my niece recently got a puppy (maltese) and she wants to dress it up. it's a male, so i have to avoid cute, frilly outfits and colors like pink (although, after looking at www.pamperedpuppy.com she asked her mom if she could make her dog gay). she asked if i could crochet a sweater or some outfits for her dog, and i was wondering if anyone has made anything similar to any that i put behind the lj-cut. these are done in different fabrics like cashmere, etc. but i'm sure i could also crochet something similar. i've found some patterns through google and stargazer's site, and i haven't tried them yet, but they don't look very cute. ;_;

anyway, here are the photos; those marked with a (*) are the ones i'm most interested in:


(*) cotton two-tone sweater

( click for more photo examples )

& also, one other question -- for doggie t-shirts, would baby t-shirt patterns be okay? :) both are tiny, hehe.

(no subject)

[aquagirl.livejournal.com]

Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of a website or other source to search where I may be able to find a sewing pattern for a trenchcoat? I've searched the usuals (Butterick, McCall's, Vogue, Simplicity...) and had little luck. I'm hoping for something fitted and feminine; sexy if possible. And I'm not exactly a top-notch sewer, so something not too difficult in skill level. Any ideas?

(no subject)

[heartfeltdesign.livejournal.com]

scarf for my boyfriend

[loudxmouse.livejournal.com]

( ...more? )

Ugly Dorm Rooms

[lovelyrita07.livejournal.com]

Alright, so in a few weeks i go back to school and i know that my dorm room has these ugly drawers in it. I'm not allowed to paint them or anything, but is there anyway i could spruce them up a little bit? I remember seeing a girl that put this plastic covering on hers that had a design on it, but i have no idea where i could find it or what it's called. If anyone could help, that'd be great :)

(no subject)

[ilona.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone,

I am planning to make myself a nice triangle-bikini, but I can't seem to work out how to make those tiny bikinistraps. I know how to sew regular straps - fold, sew, turn rightside out - but bikinistraps are way too narrow to turn, aren't they? So, how does it work? :)
Any other tips concerning bikinis are welcome.

-x-

You remind me of the babe...

[loudxmouse.livejournal.com]

what babe?
the babe with the power
what power?
the power of voodoo
whoo do?
you do
do what?
( remind me of the babe )

The giving of gifts

[illustrae.livejournal.com]

I love tiny things, and I love art to be functional. Therefore, it's not really a big surprise that when I saw the book "Omiyage: Handmade Gifts from Fabric in the Japanese Tradition" I was immediately inspired. I've been making clothing for several years, so I have a not-small collection of leftover fabric. However, I found that these designs are most well suited to a quilter's scrap box, so I went out and had a blast picking out fat quarters and remnants (which tend to be very inexpensive, so it's easy to get a bit carried away).

I liked a lot of the more purse-like designs, but I was truly impressed with these tiny flower-like pouches that aren't meant to hold more than a single favor or a few bits of candy. The instructions were fairly easy to understand, patterns for the petals and leaves and such are included with the book, and each design is completely hand-sewable (though I generally prefer to use a machine).



I've also included some close-ups of the individual purses, but I'm warning you, there are quite a few photos here.
( Flowery Purseness )

(no subject)

[maryshmary.livejournal.com]

hi all...im sort of new to crafting. i've always tinkered around with hemp and beading jewlery n whatnot, but nothing too great.

i was wondering, to make some felt broaches is the cheapo 20 cent a square stuff from walmart ok to use? and should i put some sort of backing on it?

also, does anyone have any ideas on how to cover bathroom lights? my b/f just got his first apartment last week and is already complaining about how bright the bathroom lights are. they are big, round lightbulbs in a row, sorta like a vanity thingy. there are only like 4 or 5 lights. i suggested getting some stiff crepe paper and just rubber banding them around each bulb, but he rejected that idea pretty quick. too girly or something *shrugs*

thanks guys :)

In desperate need of opinion...

[ex-jenniepan481.livejournal.com]

I am trying to go for a more realistic approach for my dolls faces. Here is my first attempt. http://www.gfxbank.com/is.php?i=22939&img=DSC02492.jpg Ignore the hair I just stuck it on him for a better idea. Please, please, please let me know what you think!

(no subject)

[voidofher.livejournal.com]

1. i made this for my friend. we just finished high school and i thought it would be nice to give her something. inside i put pictures and things that remind me of her or of the things we did together.
( + )

2. my brother tends to mess up when trying to burn music on cds, so i have LOTS of cds to use.. this is what i did with them:
( + )

Hooray for new patio tables!

[luckyroo.livejournal.com]

I've worked on this table the last couple of days and I'm proud of it.
Our patio table sucked. It had stains all over it and looked totally gross. So I decided it needed a makeover. With a little spray paint and some blank stencils, now we have a SEXY patio table.
( The Unit's Table )

The phoenix counterpart strikes!!!

[redchinadragon.livejournal.com]

Pictures = two.

Large = yes.

 

( Enter the Dragon )

new kimono silk pouch

[alustrial.livejournal.com]

I've been so insanely busy lately, that I've not had much time to sew (I thought it was a really smart idea to take traditional japanese dancing lessons and taiko lessons - I adore my lessons - but I just have no time these days for sewing!). Last Saturday past though, I had one of those intense "I have to make something or else I'll implode from creative frustration" feelings. So I made a pouch from my new book so I could donate to my dance class (they are selling Japanese things at O-bon to raise money). The funny thing is...it never made it to O-bon. It was promptly purchased by the first Japanese lady I showed it too...who wanted to use it to hold her tea ceremony utensils. Of course, the money she paid went to the dance group...and I was left with a slight ego swell :]

Anyhow - enough blabbering and to the photos!

The solid green fabric is vintage kimono silk. The patterned fabric is contemporary kimono silk that was given to me by the koto player of my taiko group (she had a huge bag of scrap silk from her kimonos that she gave to me! I love her!!!) and the pink lining is vintage kimono silk lining.



( Back and Lining Photos This Way! )

Thank you for looking! :]

A new wallet.

[myheartisglass.livejournal.com]

( I made this tonight, let me know what you think! )

(no subject)

[crystalclear277.livejournal.com]

i have two parakeets who were molting like crazy a couple weeks ago.  they were loosing some very pretty feathers.  and not those small white fuzzy ones that annoying fly all over the house.  i can't bear to throw them away because i think they're so cute and pretty and small.  what could i do with these feathers?  pictures of feathers behind the cut.

( pretty bird )

a little crafty goodness

[girlsinger.livejournal.com]

i'm a new crafter so i'm trying lots of things. nothing terribly special, but i could never live up to the talent of you ladies!!

warning: lots of pictures!

( a girl needs a hobby )

thanks for looking!

Insanely elaborate bracelet project

[http://users.livejournal.com/_recoil/]

I've never been so happy to finish a project in my life.

This is another auction item for the Make A Difference foundation.

It's a beaded bracelet.

( It started out like this )

Then finished off with sewn on five ring and barrel clasp with quartz beads.

So that's...*adds* 2150 beads all strung and sewn by hand.

And I'll never make another one again!

yay.

I need some help

[bluebuckeye.livejournal.com]

Because I procrastinate and do things very slowly I thought I'd get started on my Christmas presents early. I'm usually one of those people who buys the most expensive thing I can afford to show how much I love you, but I want to get away from that. I've decided to make the majority of my gifts this year but need some help on how to go about doing it.

1. The first gift I want to make is a wall hanging for my sister. She loves Amy Brown so I wanted to put some fairies on some cloth squares and make a small hanging quilt. What I'm wondering is how could I get the images onto the cloth? Are there iron-ons I could buy? Also, the images are copyrighted, obviously. Can I use them without paying?

2. I want to make some paper and put a cute quote on it and then frame it for my grandma. I remember making paper in elementary school, but don't remember the process. Does anyone know what to do besides tear up some other paper and soak it in water? Also, do I need a screen?

If you have any other suggestions of things to make I'm open to them as well. I can crochet (well, kind of) and am a beginner sewer. I'm not artistic in the least so if it involves drawing or painting details then I probably won't be able to do it.

Thanks in advance!

(no subject)

[girlx512.livejournal.com]

With previous mention of dog outfits, and a trip to the craft store only to discover dingle-balls, Cody had a new costume coming (c'mon, it was only natural).



And meet Pepe, Cody's alter ego...


He likes wearing shirts and sweaters, though I think the hat was a bit much. We'll just save that for Halloween :o)

(no subject)

[jesamine.livejournal.com]

i'd like to learn to crochet...so i can make my own poncho.

is it easy?
easier than knitting?
does anyone know of any websites that give clear instructions on how to crochet?
does anyone have any links to patterns on how to make a poncho?