After posting pics a few weeks ago from Lauren’s garden, we had a feeling that readers would be interested in the hanging plants she had on display in her backyard. Turns out Lauren crocheted the clever containers herself, and she’s given us an easy to follow pattern so readers can create their own hanging gardens.
She made a bunch of the crocheted plant cozies, all of varying size and color, and let us borrow a big handful to play with. We filled them with flowers (naturally), but the possibilities are endless. Pick a little posy and hang it on a friend’s front door- they’ll get a pleasant surprise when they arrive home from work. Put a cluster on a hook in the kitchen and they’d be a pretty way to store and display fresh herbs from the farmer’s market.
These little knits would make great wintertime decorations, and possibly even stocking alternatives. Imagine a candy-colored row filled with goodies hanging from your mantle. So get out your crochet hooks and get cracking. (If you’re not so deft with your hooks, Lauren’s got some you can buy at her Etsy shop, too.)
CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump!
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November 5th, 2009 - 01:00pm
while working on the projects for the design*sponge book, i made a lot of trips to the craft store…let’s not say a number, but too many! every visit i rushed past the rainbow haze of the kid’s section to get to the serious adult stuff like balsa wood and X-acto blades…i know, i’m super hardcore, right? but anyway, this last trip i allowed myself to browse the kid’s aisle, and let me say there are some real treasures there! so the month of november is dedicated to making modern, useful design projects out of kids’ craft supplies. this first project is made with pipe cleaners, and is inspired in a big way by tord boontje’s until dawn curtain. this would be a great holiday garland (they sell tinsel pipe cleaners!), a quickie room divider, or drape it over a hanging bulb to create a neat lamp (not touching the bulb of course). this cost five dollars and took the duration of a movie to create, so you can definitely experiment with the possibilities. have fun!! -kate
CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!
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November 4th, 2009 - 12:00pm
inspired by erik’s recycled wine bottle torches, lindsay and taylor from purr design decided to create these beautiful wine bottle vases in their home’s dining room. i love the way they set off the area with a painted square, and today you can learn their full how-to steps for the project! thanks so much to lindsay and taylor for sharing!
CLICK HERE for the full project steps after the jump!
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November 4th, 2009 - 11:00am
today’s first diy project comes from margie of resurrection fern in ontario. she created these stunning crocheted lights using twine and a little spare time. i love the final result and the way the light glows through the fibers. CLICK HERE for the full project steps!
November 4th, 2009 - 10:00am
d*s reader evita smith of the happy heathen sent over this beautiful halloween diy project inspired by the silhouettes of carew rice. i’m usually not a fan of halloween decor (i don’t like orange and black together for some reason) but these manage to look holiday-appropriate and sophisticated, so i’m sold! thanks so much to evita for sharing her clever halloween crafts with us!
CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!
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October 28th, 2009 - 01:00pm
today’s first of 3 diy projects comes from susan of doggie eyes. she created this incredible “wallpaper” using images she printed from the web and a little spray starch to attach them to a wall in a decorative pattern. the “x” shape she chose looks so much like a regular wallpaper roll from a far i can’t wait to try this in my bathroom. the spray starch comes off relatively easily so it’s heaven for a renter. thanks so much to susan for sharing!
CLICK HERE for the full project steps after the jump!
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October 28th, 2009 - 11:00am
Want to have your own Audubon print? This blue heron hand-colored engraving from 1837 could be yours for $80,000.)
There has always been a relationship between interiors and nature. In light of the current and (seemingly never-ending) John Derian-esque craze for all things nature, I thought it might be fun to take a look at one of the most well-known naturalists – Audubon.
from left: Flamingo, Gyrfalcon
It’s nearly impossible to look at a bird print and not think of John James Audubon. And there’s a good reason for that – Audubon’s Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838, was comprised of 435 images all drawn life-sized. The book was a result of 18 years of work. Not only did Audubon trek across the United States searching for his subjects, but he spent nearly as much time looking for subscribers for his volumes. In light of Audubon’s enormous achievements, it’s extraordinary to realize that he likely never would have pursued his career as a naturalist if his life had worked out the way he had intended. It was only when Plan A didn’t work out, that he turned to drawing – and he pursued his passion for birds with a dogged determination.
from left: Wild Turkey, Yellow breasted chat from the New York Historical Society
John James Audubon was born in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) in 1785, the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and plantation owner and his French chambermaid, who died of infection shortly after his birth. His illegitimacy would be a source of embarrassment for his entire life and something that he successfully concealed from all but those closest to him. After the death of his birth mother, he was taken to Nantes, France where he was raised by his father’s wife.
An original Audubon print can run you into the tens of thousands of dollars, but this DIY Audubon paperweight is less than ten dollars! It a quick and fun way to bring a little nature into your home or office!
CLICK HERE for the rest of the post – including an easy Audubon-inspired DIY after the jump!
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October 27th, 2009 - 12:00pm
