Tuesday April 11th, 2017
This may have taken me 4 months to finish and it’s not the most amazing table light in the world, but I did finish it, it works and everything, and for me…well it is the most perfect table light in the world.
There was a lot of work and thought over it, but it was worth my while because the next I’m making, won’t be so difficult to finish!
And now, lots of pictures because I just can’t get enough of it!
Thursday March 23rd, 2017
When my childhood friend and neighbor Sotiris texted me, telling about some chairs he was ready to throw out, you can guess what I told him!
The chairs you see below, were brought to my warm embrace ready to be reborn!
I started with the tougher one, just to see how much of challenge it was going to be. There was so much paint on it! However with the hot air gun, I actually made it and rather easily I must say. In approximately 2 hours I was done removing the 95% of the paint.
Later on I started sanding. Even though the original plan was to paint it over with some bright color, I had an epiphany and everything changed. While sanding, I realized that this weary/dirty (but consistent) look of the chair was something I actually liked. Besides, perfection is scarcely a target of mine in these “before&after” projects.
So, after i was done with the sanding, I gave it two coats of varnish (no color) and i left it in the workshop for about a week without looking at it. When I saw it again, I thought it needed that extra something! So I sprayed the legs an ombre yellow.
And then I decorated a little, for the needs of the photo shoot!
That’s about it! Now i’ll have to see what I’ll do with the other two. Any ideas?
Sunday March 19th, 2017
You know, pinterest is nice, tumblr is nice, my blog is nice, our digital lists and catalogues are also nice…but nothing is better than analog. You can’t smell the paper, or feel its texture. You cant put actual stickers or craft online.
And sure, I get the irony of speaking about analog on a digital medium, at the same time where I am listening to music via Spotify and in a while I’ll watch The Good Wife on Netflix… But! There is room for everything! So today, having extra inspiration from Flow Magazine (go, check it, it’s amazing!), I decided to start making a book like an analog pinterest. I gathered my papers, stickers, various stuff from magazines and started making my own Home Catalogue. And of course I took a bazillion photos, because these stuff look great on pictures!
Furniture, colors, wall stickers and tapestries carefully cut with a pair of scissors. And it’s really important to take your time. Cut shapes calmly, slowly while really looking at them. This way you’ll be able to dream with them, imagine the things you want to do. That’s why analog is so great; because it “forces” you to take your time, to relax and picture things in your head much more than you would by simply pressing the re-pin button.
Combine materials. Get washi tape, papers, everything that inspires you, everything you love.
Make your own notes. Don’t overthink it, just write whatever comes to your head while looking at the picture.
Make a page with samples of the papers and wrappers you have. Today I opened the box where I keep all this stuff and I saw so many things I didn’t remember having. So I decided to cut round samples of the papers, so every time I want something from the box, I’ll take a look at the book to see what I have.
Make a nice cover, write your name, put stickers, draw, anything! It’s yours and it should be perfect, your kind of perfect. And after you do all these, stop and take a look at what you made. You’ll be amazed. 🙂
Friday March 3rd, 2017
So it’s been a while since I started thinking about making a crate. Last Saturday was the day I finally decided to get on with it. 🙂 Lets see what you’ll need.
Tools: jigsaw, hammer
Materials: Wood slats, wood glue and nails.
And now let’s see what you need to do.
For starters you must cut the slats at the desired dimensions. For the smaller sides I cut 8 pieces. 3 per side to be placed horizontally and 2 per side to be placed vertically. For the bigger sides I cut 6 pieces. Finally for the bottom I suggest you wait until you’re done with the sides so that you can cut the correct sizes and pieces.
Lets see. Below you can see one of the 2 small sides. I didn’t start to nail and glue immediately, but I sort of tested it to see the best way to place the wood. I didn’t use a measuring tape of course to make sure that there are same distances between the horizontal pieces of wood.. because… well my eye sight is jus so good!
After that I started nailing and gluing. Don’t overdo it with the nails. 1 per spot is enough.
And here is one side! You make the second one the same way (good to use the first one as a “ruler”)
After you’ re done with the two, you put them to stand opposite each other like you see below. Then you start gluing and nailing the other sides pieces.
Finally the bottom. Same process again.
That’s it! Seriously, that was it! And this way I solved my “where-to-put-all-my-magazines-papers-notebooks” problem.
Hope you like it. If you happen to make one too, don’t hesitate to send a picture at [email protected] and I’ll upload it here 🙂
Friday February 3rd, 2017
Before you start reading the actual article, I just want to tell you that my very dear friend and great illustrator Thora, really honored me by making the above illustration to go with the article! Hooray!! You can find more of the amazing things she creates by following her on her instagram account . And we will continue to work together so you can expect many more amazing things to come! Lalallala!!
You know, sometimes creativity comes at totally inappropriate hours. And by inappropriate hours, I mean the time the the DIY stores are closed. You know, like a Sunday morning you have this HUGE idea and it’s just a shame not to do anything with it, especially when you feel like it.
Me on the other hand, I have been a DIYer and crafter for so much time, that I have so many supplies (even though not everything is considered necessary). So, on the following list (I love lists) you’ll find the uber-necessary stuff for your creative swings.
1. Masking tape. You can’t imagine how useful this stuff is. It’s an important “tool” to hang a frame up on the wall, to do some color blocking thing, to do crafting with paper and so many other things. Just make sure you get 2 sizes, a big and a small one.
2. Acrylic colors. Just buy a pack of acrylic colors. They are useful because you can use them for many types of surface and when they dry, they set very well.
3. Papers. Colorful, white, with patterns and designs, interesting wrapping papers etc. Of course you can’t stock up in a day, but when you go out to the stores and find something interesting, buy it even if you are not planning on using it immediately.
4. Glues. Wood glue, plain glue, stick glue etc. I don’t think I need to explain why.
5. Ruler. Seriously, you might think that there is a ruler somewhere in the house, but are you sure? Do you remember where it is? Always keep 2-3 rulers around and make sure you know where they are.
6. Washi tape. This is just like papers. You don’t buy it because you necessarily want to make something on that moment. You see it, you buy it and use it with every given chance. I think I have over 20 washi tapes!
7. Frames. Get some in various sizes and leave them somewhere. Seriously, just knowing they exist, is a creative push! Also it’s a great thing to have around if you want to make a last minute present for someone.
8. Nails, screws. plugs. It’s really amazing how useful they can be for projects beyond the obvious.
9. Twine, ropes, ribbons!
10. Cutter. Get your self a good quality cutter from a hardware store. Not only it cut better and on more materials than the paper cutter, but also due to it’s bigger size it has a better grip. It’s useful for all projects that require precision such as cutting stencils, making collages etc.
That’s it <3