DooItEasy: October 2011

Rustic Wedding Cake Stand

Labels: cake stand, diy, handmade idea | at 23:37

I’ve realized after blogging for a little over a year now how much sucker I am for anything rustic. Yes, the theme has been used a lot recently in weddings, but I still love it and I don’t think anything says more “woodland rustic chic” than a cake stand made out of real wood pieces. Are you throwing an indoor wedding and having difficulty bringing the outdoors in? How about surprising guests with 4- 5 log stands on a dessert table with mini cakes and pies on top and flowers scattered everywhere?

What You’ll Need

A Cross-Cut Wood Plaque (round or oval)

A Cross-Section of a Tree Limb (Make sure the top and bottom are parallel)

Titebond Ultimate Wood Glue (or a similar extra strong wood glue)

A Large Wood Clamp

Instructions

Cross-cut wood plaques can be found in your local craft store or online at Hofcraft. The come in a variety of sizes ranging from 5 inches to 12 inches in diameter. They are usually found in the section with the wood-burning kits and other wood crafts. They are clean, sanded and ready to use.

1. Take your tree limb section and wipe the cut surface clean. Put a generous amount of extra strong wood glue on the surface. (see figure 1)

2. Place the limb section in the center of the back side your wood plaque and press down firmly. Wipe away any excess glue with a clean, damp cloth. (see figure 2)

3. Place the two joined pieces in a wood clamp and let dry for at least one hour. If you don’t have a wood clamp, you can stack a few heavy books on top of your pedestal until it’s dry. (see figure 3)

4. Use your pedestals to display cakes and desserts (see figure 4) or use as a base for a centerpiece. If you want to place food directly on the wood surface, coat it first with a food-safe wood sealer. If you would like to keep the wood it’s natural color, place a piece of parchment paper beneath your cake or dessert.

What it Cost

Wood Plaques $3.99 – $5.99 each

Tree Limb – Free from our wood pile!

Wood Glue – $3.35

Thank you http://www.oncewed.com/514/diy-wedding/decorations/rustic-wedding-cake-stand/?currentPage=1

TWIG PUSH-PINS AND WALL HOOKS

Labels: diy, handmade idea, wood pins | at 23:33

we have a big tree in our back yard that has become somewhat problematic. it grows at a very perilous 45 degree angle; i think it’s because its roots were dislodged by the placement of the neighboring fence and paved ground. anyway, our landlord has ordered a landscaper to come in and occasionally hack off bits, but the landscaper does this in a very haphazard manner. now the tree has all these blunt stumps where it has been cut and starts to grow new branches all askew…it looks ike it has a franken-elbow (technical term). they also never clean the pieces up AND they throw large pieces in the dumpster, not the green waste bin! okay, that’s enough complaining. here’s the lemonade from this situation: free twigs and branches!!

i have been collecting some of the nice round branches hacked off from poor sad tree and kept them for future projects, and on a rainy day like today one came to mind. the little twig push-pins are SO cute and take under an hour to make. dare i say thirty minutes even? the larger version is also a great way to add a little fun to your hanging collection of art. i hope you have some twigs lying around or a park nearby, so you can make these cuties. have fun! -kate

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

materials:
1. twigs, .25″ – 1″ diameter (at least 10″ long – so you can keep your fingers away from the saw)
2. saw (if you have or know someone who has a chop saw, good. that makes this project awesomely fast. if not, a simple hand saw will do work fine because these are so tiny)
3. hammer
4. small t-pins
5. small finishing nails (1.5″ long)
6. super glue (the gel is preferable, but any strong glue will work)
7. needle-nose pliers (with a cutting edge)
8. safety goggles and mask (for use during sawing)

cost:
t-pins, nails: $3
twigs, tools, etc: free, on hand

time:
30 minutes to an hour

instructions:

1. cut your twigs into small nubs, about .5″ long for the push-pins, and 1.5″ – 2″ long for the wall hooks. when using the saw, make sure your hand is far from the cutting area. do not use a twig that is under 5″ because your hand will be too close to where you are cutting. be safe!

2. take your needle-nose pliers and snip off the top of your t-pins and your finishing nails. for the t-pins, you want your headless pin lengths to be about .75″ long. for your nails, you want to cut off the small head part only, leaving the whole length of the nail. save one nail for later.

3. for the twig push-pins, hold your cut t-pin in the center of a round twig nub with the sharp point facing up. tap the pin with the hammer until it sinks into the wood about halfway. this won’t damage the tip too much (it will still be sharp enough to be a tack) and it will firmly secure the pin into the twig. repeat with the rest of your twig push-pins.

4. for the wall hooks, take the saved nail and hammer it into the top center of the larger twig nub, stopping when it has sunken in about .5″. use your pliers to pull the nail back out again, leaving a small hole in the center of the twig nub.

5. take one of your headless nails and dab superglue on the non sharp end. use your hammer to tap the glue end of the headless nail into the hole about .5 – .75″, leaving 1″ on nail exposed. let these dry.

6. now your hooks and push-pins are ready for use! depending on that surface you are nailing into, the hooks can hold about 10-15 lbs. – enough for a small mirror or picture frame.

YOU’RE DONE!

Thank you http://www.designsponge.com/2010/04/diy-project-twig-push-pins-and-wall-hooks.html

Fun with plasti-dip

Labels: diy, handmade idea, plasti-dip | at 23:26

For our first meet-up the craft of choice was PLASTI-DIP , a rubberizing paint, normally used to coat tool handles and such. Inspired by beautiful plasti-dipped origami; my heart raced with the possibilities of all the chincey knick knacks that could be turned chic with one dip. Fellow creative Kelsey from Minted Life saw the same vision and a craft meet-up date was set. FC crafters brought tons of fun objects, keys, twigs, origami, paper balls and figurines to dip. A big thank you to all the FC craft crew for making this event awesome.

Here are the results:

Here’s How to Dip:

Warning! This craft should only be done outside to allow for ventilation, but even outside it smelled like a bad perm

Tie wire or string around the object you wish to dip

Stir plasti –dip outside over a covered surface (this stuff does not come out!)

Using string or wire slowly dip object

Slowly remove object and allow for it to drip briefly over the dip

Hang object to drip dry over a covered area

Dry time takes approximately 30-40 minutes and to get a thicker coat you may re-dip if needed.

Lessons learned: Plasti-dip takes longer to dry in rainy weather. Its toxic smell is intense, and without a mask your throat will burn. It’s very difficult to get a perfect dip, but the end product is pretty cute. This was an ambitious craft that turned out to be decidedly more complicated than expected.

Thank you http://fellowcreatives.com/2010/09/16/plasti-dip/

Make Your Own Wood Block Photo Frames / Note Holders {Simple Picture Displays}

Labels: diy, fram, handmade idea | at 21:51

I have an incredibly simple {and inexpensive} project to share with you today. It doesn't get much easier than a cut piece of wood, dowel and twine to create a perfect photo frame / note holder. Just tuck in a wallet size photo and/or love note and you have a quick personalized gift for Father's Day or that special teacher at the end of the year.

Materials Needed:
1 X 4 Piece of Lumber
{or larger width depending upon size of holder you wish to create}
Dowel Rod
Gorilla Wood Glue
DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Begin by cutting the 1 X 4 into 6 inch long blocks. Any size lumber can be used - I simply used scraps that I had left from another project. The size of lumber you choose should depend on what size frame you are looking to create.

Using a hand sander, sand the wood and round the edges a bit if you'd like.

Cut the wooden dowel rod into 4 1/4 inch pieces. Measure the diameter of the wooden dowel and drill a hole using the same size drill bit. The hole should be centered and approximately one inch from the bottom. Drill about 3/4 of the way through the wood making sure not to drill all the way through to the other side.

Glue the dowel into place using a tiny bit of Gorilla Wood Glue. You may need to tap the dowel into place using a hammer - as it should be a pretty snug fit.

Give the wood a base coat of paint. I used DecoArt's Americana White Wash

To create a design using a vinyl stencil - cut a piece of vinyl large enough to cover the front of the wood block. I used my Silhouette machine and three shapes from the online store:{geometric_background_med_1954} {houndstooth_square_lg_1297} and {chevron_pattern_C00192_24282}

Adhere the vinyl to the front of the wood block and add a second coat of paint using a contrasting color. I used DecoArt Stencil Paint in Mississippi Mud.

Once dry, removed the vinyl and distress for a worn look {optional}.

To create the holder cut a piece of twine and staple one end to the back of the frame. Tightly wrap the twine around the wood, approximately 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom, several times and secure with another staple to hold into place.

These are perfect for the mass amount of wallets I receive through out the year of my nieces and nephews...there is always a new school picture, sport's team picture, or family photo coming my way.

The wrapped twine makes it easy to slide in photos and quickly change them out when need be.

I made a set for my desk as well to fashionably display my many to-do lists...at least it makes them pretty to look at, right?
Thank you http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/05/make-your-own-wood-block-photo-frames.html

How to transfer inkjet images to wood

Labels: diy, handmade idea | at 21:18

Here we go! This is what you'll need. Mod Podge, Elmer's washable glue, and a piece of cardstock.

Step 1: Brush the Elmer's glue onto the cardstock in a nice smooth layer.

Make sure you cover the area where you will be printing. Let it dry.

Step 2: With an inkjet printer, print an image onto the glue side of the cardstock.

Step 3: Brush a smooth, thin layer of Mod Podge onto the wood.

Step 4: Stick your image face down onto the wet Mod Podge. Press and smooth to make sure the image has good contact with the wood. Let it dry OVERNIGHT. Don't peek too soon!

Step 5: Soak it. You can dunk it in water, run it under a faucet, or squirt it with a spray bottle. Let the cardstock get really wet and soft. Gently peel off the cardstock. I held this under running water while I peeled it. You can gently rub the image with your finger tip to loosen any remaining paper pulp.

Step 6: Voila! And no plasticky decal edges! The Elmers washes away completely. Totally smooth!

Thank you http://matsutakeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-transfer-inkjet-images-to-wood.html

Turn Doilies Into Luxurious Pendant Lighting

Labels: decoration, design, diy, handmade idea, lamp | at 09:10

By now, most of us have seen the pendant shades made from string. They're cool in their own right, but this idea takes things to the next level and eliminates the frustration of string sliding off. Doilies seem to be the perfect fit for this project and give a nod to the past and present at the same time.
Thank you http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/diy/turn-doilies-into-luxurious-pendant-lighting-dos-family-148064

ReCraft Your Chair: Knitting Eames Wire Chair

Labels: cool, decoration, diy, handmade idea | at 09:07

Having achieved success with their plywood and molded plastic chairs, Charles and Ray Eames challenged themselves to make a reasonably priced, strong but lightweight, quality chair out of bent wire. Introduced in 1951, it was an immediate hit. Distinctively, unmistakably Eames, the wire chair has stood the test of time and is as popular today as it was half a century ago. Here is a moder take on these chairs by Akira Ishikawa.
Thank you http://therecraft.com/post/9785463566/knitting-eames-wire-chair

DooItEasy

Rustic Wedding Cake Stand

TWIG PUSH-PINS AND WALL HOOKS

Fun with plasti-dip

Make Your Own Wood Block Photo Frames / Note Holders {Simple Picture Displays}

How to transfer inkjet images to wood

Turn Doilies Into Luxurious Pendant Lighting

ReCraft Your Chair: Knitting Eames Wire Chair

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