hello again! we’re so excited to be back here on design*sponge sharing our recent craft and diy adventures with you all. last weekend we did a little event at our shoppe in conjunction with readymade magazine that was so fun we thought we’d share it with you. artist neil freese (whose work graces the cover of the current issue of readymade) taught us all how to make our favorite classic camp craft: god’s eyes. we were so inspired that we couldn’t resist whipping up a few lanyard keychains (swapping out plastic “boondoggle” for ultrasuede tape). they were a blast to make, and would also be perfect father’s day gifts. click here for the full instructions for both projects or just click “read more” below.

see you around the campfire!
-derek & lauren

god’s eyes

here’s what you need:
-sticks (twigs, chopsticks, pencils, dowels, etc)
-yarn
-scissors

1. tie the end of your yarn to the middle of one of the sticks.

2. cross the other stick over the first and bind them together by wrapping the yarn around the centers of the sticks in an “x” pattern a few times.

3. begin wrapping the yarn in a diamond pattern by sending it over and around one stick, then over and around the next. continue in the same pattern until you are ready to change colors.

4. to change colors, simply cut your yarn and tie the next color to the end. continue wrapping as before.

5. when you’ve done all your colors and are ready to finish, cut your yarn, wrap it around the top of one of the stick ends and tie it off with a knot. be sure to leave yourself enough slack so you can hang your god’s eye in a window or from the nearest tree branch.

lanyard keychains

here’s what you need:
-1 1/2 yards each of ultra suede tape in -two colors (ask for it at your local craft store)
-key ring
-scissors
-yarn darning needle

1. begin your keychain by making an “x” with the 2 pieces of ultra suede.

2. create two small loops with the bottom color (A, red in our pictures).

3. slide one end of top color (B) over the closest loop and through the furthest. Repeat with other end of top color.

4. pull all four ends of ultrasuede taut to create a nicely shaped weave.

5. continue create loops and weaving until you have approximately 4″ of woven lanyard.

6. insert the keyring through the loop at the beginning of the lanyard.
7. tie loose ends around keyring and tuck in using a metal yarn darning needle.
8. trim off any remaining ultrasuede.