Spruce Up with a Hobbit Door Wreath

Hobbit Door Wreath from Set to Stunning

Now that nicer weather is more predictably ensconced, you might be in spring cleaning mode. Or maybe you’re past that, into “this place needs some sprucing up” mode. How about a nice new door wreath…with a touch of geek? Scruffy over at Set to Stunning has just the project tutorial for you – a Hobbit door wreath!

I like that she “added oomf” to her acorns with glitter and Mod Podge, and that this wreath was originally intended as holiday decor, but now is a year-round essential.

I also love that by creating the wreath, you’ll “be the envy of those you don’t know half as well as you would like, and those you like half as well as they deserve.”

Links of Interest:

What Team Are You On? Cap or Iron Man?

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With this tutorial from Crafty McFangirl you won’t have to choose sides. You can make both cool boxes, and just in time for Mother’s Day, too. I don’t know a mom out there that doesn’t like organizational tools. Plus, you can run with the concept and techniques covered in the really excellent video tutorial and make boxes for all the Avengers (or Justice League too!).

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Make A Keyboard Kitty!

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Looking for a Mother’s Day gift idea you can make yourself? How about this sweet Keyboard Cat from Urban Threads? The tutorial takes you step-by-step through making your keyboard wrist rest. They use two separate hand embroidery patterns (available for purchase, $1 each) to embellish the cat’s face (the glasses) and the front of the wrist rest (ehem . . . what I would say is the kitty’s posterior) with the words “I’m adorkable”.  It’s a fun and simple project that is bound to be a hit with anyone, especially hard-working moms.  The hand embroidery and stitching on this one is pretty simple, and I’d say it’s safe for any beginner to tackle. Plus, you could use just about any combination of fabric color and thread color too.

Go forth and conquer, stitchers!

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Paper Piecing in a Flash

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Designer Michelle Thompson has come up with another amazing paper piecing pattern for quilters, this one featuring everyone’s favorite speedster, the Flash. You can find the pattern on Fandom in Stitches, along with dozens more superhero and pop culture paper piecing patterns. I think what makes Michelle Thompson’s patterns so striking is her use of decorative stitching to enhance the details (take a look at all the line work–it’s all satin stitching done by machine!). This pattern is definitely not for the faint of heart, so if you’re new to paper piecing, I’d suggest looking for something with fewer pieces to start with.  You can find all sorts of ideas and even tutorials on Fandom in Stitches.  Go forth and conquer, quilters!

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Make Your Own Giant Origami Bunnies!

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Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I’d share this cool tutorial from Amy on Oh Happy Day so you too can populate your space with giant origami bunnies! Because who doesn’t need one or two (or twenty) giant origami bunnies, right?! The tutorial has lots of pictures and even a short video for one of the more complex steps, and it all seems easy(ish) enough to follow.  Some pretty expensive paper is getting used for the bunnies shown (something like $40/roll–yikes!).  I haven’t tried this, but I think if you’d be willing to go with a less giant bunny, instead of using 53″ square piece of paper (as called for in the tutorial), you could probably get away a 24″ square piece of poster board for around $1. Furthermore, if you were a super creative type, I don’t see why this concept of giant origami couldn’t translate to other cool shapes (if somebody makes a giant Yoda origami, you MUST share your creation!).

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Make Your Own Harry Potter Kindle Cover

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Thanks to the crazy Black Friday sales this past November, I got an uber cheap Kindle Fire for the holidays.  So, I’ve been on the hunt for some kind of cover or sleeve to make for my new toy, and I found this great tutorial.  It’s a DIY Harry Potter Kindle Covers tutorial by Jess at Practically Functional. The tutorial has lots of great pictures and takes you step-by-step through the entire process of making these cute Kindle Covers.  You’ll need to come up with your own pattern pieces, but everything’s made from felt which is a pretty easy medium to work with.  Plus, you can size this DIY to fit whatever e-reader (or tablet, or phone, etc . . . ) you want. What’s more, if you’re feeling adventurous, you could adapt the pattern for a character from another House too.

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