DIY Saarinen side table

Plastolux has a few DIY projects and hacks on his blog but this one is my favourite. A DIY Saarinen side table made from a pair of Bose speaker stands and a round piece of wood. Genius! Click here to check out the how to.

Foodie Friday

Foodie Friday may or may not become a regular thing. I certainly hope it does and I am trying to convince one of my good friends – who is an absolute star in the kitchen – to write a post once a week for Design Heaven. She makes one of the best Thai Curries this side of the equator.

I love food, especially when it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling for hours after. I usually find this feeling follows food that is made with fresh wholesome produce and minus the crap you find in most packaged food these days.

SO am I a happy camper that D loves making this bread recipe we found on You Tube. No Knead Bread is so simple you will wonder why you ever bothered with shop bread.

Sharing knowledge is the best

One thing I love about the blogging community is the generosity shown by some bloggers and artists. It amazes me the way some very talented individuals take the time to show you how to create a wonderful masterpiece all of your own.

Knowledge is power and some people don’t always have access to knowledge for several reasons. Lack of education, nationality, location, family commitments, money are just a few reasons. So its great to see people giving up some of their knowledge for all to access. Well those with access to computers and the internet. I am hoping those people who don’t have computers have access through public libraries.

Anyway here is a link to How to print your own fabric from Kelly & Olive.

Sewing Part 2

Last night I decided instead of watching crap TV I would make something on my new sewing machine. Well I did a quick search on the web and found a tutorial on how to make a half arpon. And the result ….

I love it! and I know exactly who I am going to give it to.

Hide it away

I spotted this cabinet on another blog awhile back and thought what a clever idea. And it has even more relevance now I need somewhere to set up my sewing machine.

Check out the full details on how to make your own hidden workspace on Martha Stewart’s site.

Kristie’s Homemade Home

I have been watching the new Channel 4 program Kristie’s Homemade Home featuring Kristie Allsopp’s renovation of her country cottage in Devon. Each week she tackles a different room or section of the house and sets about decorating it mostly with second hand furniture and handmade crafts. So far she has completed the kitchen, bathrooms, living area and the kids play area. My favourite part of the program is when she visits a local craftsperson and goes through how a particular piece is made. Kristie wants people to experience the huge satisfaction you get from making something yourself and if that is not possible employ a local craftsperson. On last night’s show we got to see how easy/mildly difficult it is to make a lamp shade. A definite skill worth knowing in my book. Anyway it seems from all the comments left on the Channel4 website a skill many people would like to learn too. I will be doing some research this week into where you can buy lampshade kits and if there are any local courses on lampshade making.

Simple DIY projects are the best!

Design Sponge has just posted a project that even I may be able to carry out! I am all talk when it comes to DIY projects. I often get some grand notions in my head but then I realise I don’t have the skill or tools to carrry them out.

This handy hall shelf is brilliant and so dam simple to ‘make’ - It could also be a handy bedside table if space is at a premium.

All you need is a wooden magazine holder and a couple of screwy thingy majiggys and probably a screwdriver thing. Anyway Design Sponge explains all here.

(The one above is from Ikea)

Ceramic Transfer lesson

Its all about do-it-yourself at the moment. Irene from the Bloesem gave me the heads up on a fantastic tutorial. The talented gals Heather from Skinnylaminx and Jesse from Jezzeblog got together to create some lovely dinnerware. But even better they posted about how to transfer designs onto  ceramics! The detailed tutotial can be found on Heather’s website Skinnylaminx. Heather also sells some lovely teatowels and aprons from her Etsy store. And Jesse has her own Etsy store  too – where you can buy some of her prints.

Heather’s plates -

Jesse’s plates

Ever wanted to design your own fabric?

For those of you who dream of becoming a Textile Designer but lack the skills or patience for the hard labour part – then this is for you. Spoonflower takes your design and prints it onto the fabric for you! (Thank you Apartment Therapy for this wonderous news.)

Now all you have to do is come up with a design – not so easy. 

Spoonflower are based in North Carolina in the states and deliver worldwide!

This is fantastic news for those of you who are creative and can’t quite find the pattern you are looking for.

Their website is in beta so you need to fill in a form to request an invitation before you can place an order.

Here are the costs (in US dollars).

Swatch (8″ x 8″) $5.00
Fat quarter (21″ x 18″) $11.00
1 yard (42″ x 36″) $18.00
2 yards (42″ x 72″) $36.00
3 yards (42″ x 108″) $54.00
4 yards (42″ x 144″) $72.00
5 yards (42″ x 180″) $90.00

Shipping rates as of May 2008 are as follows:

Swatch – International : $7

Fat Quarter – International: $10

Yards (any amt 1-5) – International: $12