diy

Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to give a gift that your significant other won't return.

Creativity And Rebellion Why They Go Hand In Hand
Studies on creative people have consistently demonstrated that creativity is associated with openness to new ideas, risk-taking, and being inner-directed. Do these traits put creative people at odds with the culture and people around them? The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no.
By Street 5 years ago in Humans
Artistic Solace
The modern concept of, "me time" hasn't been something I've been able to fully perfect, let alone practice much of. Spending time working on hobbies, honing in on crafts, or even creating for creation's sake has always been something that I do for others. Ask me how many self-portraits I have, and I'll tell you I created one during a state of depression after feeling very alone and abandoned. Not being able to create for anyone else, I made something of my own, for my own. It never felt natural, and it didn't fulfill me.
By Joannis Rodon5 years ago in Humans
The Slick
"You wanna do what?" my gorgeous bride asked me. I repeated, "I want to buy a sawmill so I can make beams so I can build us a house." She stood there looking at me like I had gone crazy. We didn't argue. We never argued. We figured out a way to help each other realize our dreams. Little did we know this dream would take us deep into the Rocky Mountains, a little town hidden away in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and across the Atlantic Ocean to Germany and France. My plan was to use timbers that others had discarded. Trees that had been discarded due to roads being cut or storm-damaged trees. I wanted the ability to mill these trees on my own since I would have more control over waste. I also wanted to experience the entire process of timber framing. This dream would require a significant outlay of cash but if I took care of the tools, I would be able to recoup most of that money in the reseller's market. The tools weren't cheap nor was the education. I could learn a lot from reading but there's nothing like hands-on training. I joined the International Timber Framers Guild. I bought hundreds of books. I attended seminars. I traveled.
By Joey Lowe5 years ago in Humans
Making it Mindfully
Jewellery making is my passion, and my job, and I’ve been lucky enough to have been making jewellery for 25+ years, including sharing this passion with students across London and beyond since 2009. I believe that working on a creative project, like jewellery making, can be used as a form of stress relief and mindful mediation and my aim is to find ways to enhance this potential and share it with others.
By Penny Akester 5 years ago in Humans
Weddings, Birthdays, and Events, Oh My!
I love weddings and I love a good party. Mostly, though, I enjoy planning them. For me, the fun is in the details. Seeing that dream come to life. Whether you had your heart set on a boho wedding with peacock feathers or you’re wanting a penis themed birthday party for your nana with a sense of humor, I want to be a part of it. Not on the guest list, but behind the scenes. I want to be the one who’s helping you find the perfect baker who can make a cake that looks like a real life peacock, or finding provocative accoutrements to go with that cake pan they sell at Spencer’s.
By Kayla Crowell5 years ago in Humans
Here is your kit
Last summer, like every summer in Texas, it was deafeningly hot. Temperatures reached the triple digits every day for weeks. The air was sticky with humidity and the sun baked the sweat on my skin. It was too hot to be outside without shade, sunscreen, and a body of water. I wanted nothing more than to dive deep into the cool, consistently 68-degree water of Barton Springs Pool here in Austin. But like everything else in early summer 2020, the pool was closed. Uncertain when it would reopen or what other safe, socially distant options were available to me, I did what we all had already been doing for the past few months. I stayed home. I stayed inside. I cranked up the air conditioning, trying to stay cool. Inside my apartment, I had so much time on my hands. I was unemployed, laid off due to the pandemic like millions of others. I tried baking, reading, writing, you name it, but usually I ended up with a screen in front of my face. Watching TV and endlessly scrolling on my phone soon filled me with boredom and anxiety, as too much screen time tends to do. I decided to do some late “spring cleaning” one day. During my clean, I rediscovered a container under my bed that was filled with a stack of paper that had been cut and ripped out of old textbooks, atlases, and picture books. This was material I saved years ago when I would collage with friends, a fun and easy activity for even the least "creative" among us. We used to spend hours collaging. I was enticed by my old hobby and its potential to lift me out of my boredom. I started going through it. It contained beautiful, intricate, and fascinating images of people, animals, places, and inventions. These pages were from books about photography, the desert, airplanes, Marilyn Monroe, gardening, and everything in between. When catching up with the friends I had collaged with, who now live in different states, I asked if they wanted me to create a collage for them. I had plenty of time on my hands. And so did they. So instead, they asked for me to curate pieces that I thought they'd like and send that to them. In a way, it was a win-win. I flexed my creative muscles by assembling something beautiful and they took those random pieces and did whatever they wanted with them. That's how I started creating collage kits, which came to be the brand Here is Your Kit. Each kit is a one-of-a-kind montage of images and words that I found striking enough to want to pass on to someone else. I've been told kits I've created have reminded the recipient of a relative who passed away, a happy childhood memory, a trip they took, or a place they'd like to visit. Collage kits are a way to connect us to whatever it is we need. And during the summer of 2020, there was so much we needed to feel connected to. To me, they are the best embodiment of the phrase "everyone is creative" - something I believe with all my heart. It's been almost a year since I've created my first kit. Since then, I've created over 100 kits for friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers to celebrate birthdays, Christmases, holidays, and just because. It gives me such joy to cut and curate these little pieces of art. They reflect the endless potential we all have to do, make, and be. If you'd like a kit, please message me on Instagram at @hereisyourkit. I'd be happy to send you one; it'll be one of a kind.
By Emily Trofholz5 years ago in Humans
DIY fabric wall art for your office
It never hurts adding some colour and personality to an office, regardless of whether it’s the regular or home office – a workplace is a workplace. It is a place that should provide us with peace as well as inspire us and promote productivity. There are multiple ways in which we can enrich our office walls to be more eye-catching. Of course, you can always choose between ready-made wall art and DIY wall art. With DIY art, some free time and creativity, we can make it even more personal and emotionally appealing. These art pieces can complement your interests, opinions, attitudes, your family, or your office décor. You can use all kinds of materials and ideas – the sky is the limit! If you need some creative inspiration and help, take a look at some amusing wall design ideas to take to the office.
By Leo King5 years ago in Humans
the impressing power of collage
They hang prominently upon two screws driven deep into the wall to the left of my desk. The afternoon sunlight often shimmers off of them, the drop-forged, 100% stainless-steel 8” scissors. I did not hang them there as art, handsome as they are, nor to be easily accessible. They hang there rather, to be a constant reminder to edit. The scissors are thus double-edged, both tool and symbol. To the right of the desk is Miss January 1979, also a symbol.
By colton brown5 years ago in Humans
Self Growth
Happiness, like art is subjective. Even the very process of creating art is subjective, we impart our opinions, ideas, and unique style in with everything we create. Happiness is the same, our life’s experiences curate the things that make us happy, each person sees happiness a bit differently. Much like Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night for example, a masterpiece created from his outlook and his interpretation of his surroundings that came back to him in a dream. He was what drew me to art as a young child, his work sparked my passion and was my first real introduction to arts.
By Krystl Rowe5 years ago in Humans
Something for My Sister
My entire life has been an incredible journey bringing me to where I am today and who I am today. Recently, I’ve made the conscious decision to really start following my passions and pursuing my Personal Legend, as expressed by one of my favorite authors Paulo Coelho. For me, this means arts and crafts of multiple sorts! I’ve taken great interest in expressing myself through things I can create or even repurpose since I can remember including but not limited to making origami from magazine pages, making paintings three dimensional with beads, pipe cleaners, or whatever is around, refurbishing a piece of furniture in rough shape, etc. Every time I have ever created a piece of art, it has come out perfectly. By that, I mean I expressed myself exactly the way I needed to and felt the love that was poured into the project, which to me means it was a success thus perfect. Also, with humility I say, I am a decently well-rounded individual and have been for much of my life. This will come to a head later on and challenge one of the relationships in closest proximity to me.
By Cheyenne Clint5 years ago in Humans
Thread tracing a Dream
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” For a long time I thought I was born to be a designer, it's not a choice but the path life chose for be. After living a bit over a third of a lifetime I've come to realize the former is true, a lot of opportunity and even more obstacles present themselves however what matters is the choices you make and in a field as impossibly competitive as fashion you need to keep making that decision over and over again no matter how many times you feel you've gone ten steps back you need to keep taking that one step forward and fighting the odds.
By Candy Lowen5 years ago in Humans
Fashion's Sustainable Heights
I’ve known from a young age that designing was going to be a definite part of my future. However, growing up as a seriously academic student veered me towards unrealistic career goals that never truly satisfied my creative hunger. It was when I was choosing colleges to attend that I was determined to right my wrongs by declaring my major as apparel design. Up until that moment, although I knew design was my prospective dream, I also knew that I was a total newb to this entire industry and gate that I had just opened. Nevertheless, my 4 years spent learning the numerous facets of the fashion industry and the process of creating my own designs, from pattern and drapes to the final conceptualized product, has allowed me to tremendously grow as an individual and expand my creative talents.
By Lucy Hang5 years ago in Humans