Archives for October 2015

Pinned it, Made it – Geometric Blocks

October 27, 2015 · By ·

I have been spending time browsing through Pinterest and found so many good ideas for Home Decor display items.

One of the design decor ideas that I mentioned in a recent post that I will be adopting for the home will Geometric Designs, and I spotted this item; Geometric Blocks that I really liked.

Screen Shot 2015 10 25 at 8 27 47 pm

The only limitation is that most of these things are available in US and it can get rather costly to get them shipped to Singapore :( So I decided to make my own version of Geometric blocks.

Plain wooden blocks can be easily found at Daiso, and it is sold in a pack of 12 for SGD $2, so I bought 3 packs of 32 blocks and together with these other materials,

Geometric Blocks 1

Materials needed to make Geometric Blocks;

32 Wooden Blocks

Sandpaper

Gouche or Acrylic Paint

Brushes and a Paint Palette

Washi tape or masking tape

1. Sandpaper the surface of the wooden blocks, before paint is applied

Geometric Blocks 2

2. Use washi or masking tape and tape on a block cross diagonally to create a triangular shape

Geometric Blocks 3

Geometric Blocks 4

4. Apply paint on the triangular area on the block, taking care not to let paint drip to the sides of the block

Geometric Blocks 5

5. Paint triangles on all 32 blocks on all six sides, one colour at the time.

Geometric Blocks 6

6. There you have it, Geometric Blocks. Each block has 6 sides to it, so you can select a colour palette of 6 different shades that are complementary to one another.

Geometric Blocks 7

As I went with 32 cubes, of 6 sides each, it can work out to quite a number of sections on total number of cubes to paint. Then the cube was finished with a paint setting spray.

This project (including drying time for the paint) was completed in 2 sessions of 2 hours each. Rather time consuming, but the final outcome of the decor item was worth the effort.

There are likely many permutations of geometric patterns that can be created with 32 blocks with 6 sides each, and I haven’t found the time to explore how much patterns can be created with this.

But I love this decor item as it is interactive, and not static like most decor items or shelving displays.

And most of all I made it myself!

Geometric Blocks 8

Share it:

Related posts:

Categorized: Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged: ,

The Home Decor Project – My 8 Year Old’s Room

October 20, 2015 · By ·

(NOT a sponsored post)

I have always been a very visual person with a passion for design and crafts, but have never been formally trained in any form of art or design.

So putting together details and decor for a space got me rather enthusiastic and I was all game to transform this room into a space that Kyle will be drawn to and enjoy spending time in.

I wanted to re-use some of the furniture, namely, the baby changing table, an item we purchased for Kyle since he was an infant and minimise buying new furniture for his room.

Nonetheless, we went with three items from IKEA.

Kyle s room 1

 (L to R): Micke Desk with integrated storage $99, Micke Drawer unit on castors $89 and MALM Bedframe (super-single) with 2 Drawer Units $449

I think IKEA furniture is good for a growing child’s room, as it is affordable. But since it is hardly durable, it becomes a necessity to update the furniture after 3-4 years.

IKEA furniture can look generic, i.e., you can probably find 10,001 other copies of children’s room that will look the same as your child’s room if you don’t make the point to decorate the room with other items. Can totally understand why IKEA Hackers exist, as I would likely fall under that category of consumers if I had more wood-working knowledge and time on my hands.

So with a lack of knowledge of how to hack furniture, the next best thing I can do to a room is to put together stuff tastefully.

The Room BEFORE Kyle s Room 2

 

The Room AFTER

Kyle s Room 4

The neutral shades that are fundamentally in his room are white, grey, black and brown. The grey curtains darkens the room, but the room needed curtains that blocked out the sun, especially during weekend mornings so that the boy can sleep in on non-school days. Besides I abhorred the design of the curtain that came with the house.

I layered multiple sources of lights to the room with table lamps and other lighting near the dark curtains to create a warmer ambience.

Kyle s Room 7

The shades of blues, greens and primary colours from the art and plants in the room adds some vibrancy and creates a more personalised touch to his room.

Kyle s Room 14

The accessories for the room such as the ‘block out lights’ curtains, potted plants, lamps and other lights (fairy lights from IKEA, others from Lazada.com), cork board from Art-Friend work out to be less than $200.

All artwork in the room is by Kyle created over the past 1 year, some are on canvas, while others have been mounted on cardboard.

Air Balloon Hanging Mobile near window is handmade, patterns and instructions can be found on the blog here.

Kyle s Room 10

Kyle s Room 9

Except for the one with ‘washi-frames’, which were very old but much-loved postcards of dogs that I kept for years, that were dugged up from the dusty boxes from the rental storeroom space.

Kyle s Room 6

The most challenging part of decorating the room has to be fitting the old furniture into his room; the baby changing table, a 5 year old table and IKEA plastic chair.

The old changing table is now a book shelf. All I did was to reduce the number of books that Kyle has, by keeping those that he currently likes and read and having a decluttering sale to clear the rest of the other books through my Facebook page. So with less books, I am able to brighten the shelf with some green but artificial plants.

Kyle s Room 8

I have created a little Lego building / reading nook behind his bed, and brighten it up with ambient lights and the boy helped me put up more of his artwork on the side of the bed.

I am still toying with the idea of up-cycling the old table and plastic chair, but until I am done with fitting in the furniture and work on the decor for the other rooms, I will work on this table and chair at a later time.

Kyle s Room 13

So far Kyle loves being in his room, as it is not just a comfortable place to sleep but a cosy place for him to read and play as well.

I am sure this space will continue to evolve, but before I work on anything, I am sure to run the ideas by him first. I have made a point to ask for his input on various things in his room and included him in on the planning, as I want him to feel like he is a big part of the planning process for the decor of his room.

When we move again in 2-3 years time, he will definitely be included in the process of the design of his space in the home.

Kyle s Room 5

Share it:

Related posts:

Categorized: Home, Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged:

10 Daiso Craft Materials

October 9, 2015 · By ·

The US and the UK has their Dollar Stores, while Asia has its $2 version with its Daiso Stores.

Most Singaporeans love all things Japanese, from food (I am Japanese food fan myself!) to their culture. So naturally, products that are branded in Japan (although many are made in China) will be largely popular with Singaporeans.

I think the Japanese are ingenious with their ideas for craft, so to find a store where craft materials are found easily and cheaply is a thrill for any crafter.

Here’s sharing 10 of my Daiso buys for craft:

1. Felt Craft Daiso 8

I have used the felt from Daiso for some of my felt craft projects. As Daiso felt is made of polyester, it is washable and good for making of felt ornaments. But not recommended for the making of toys, softies and craft projects, that one intents to keep or requires more handling.

Daisy felt is best used for children’s craft, hair ties or clips. hanging mobiles, ornaments, brooches or small felt mascots.

Here are some Felt Craft tutorials, where Daiso Felt can be used;

Felt Projects(L to R) Craft Tutorials can be found in link; Felt Air Balloon Mobile, Felt Birds and Leaves Hanging Ornaments

2. Origami Paper

Craft Daiso 3

I use Daiso Origami paper for making Kirigami and occasionally Origami creations like these;

Craft Daiso 21

Kirigami and Origami can be used for gift wrapping and many other decorative purposes (Washi tape, wooden pegs and Kraft Paper Bag pictured below are all from Daiso).

Craft Daiso 20(L to R) Craft Tutorials can be found in link; Bear Kirigami and Ribbon Origami, Rabbit Kirigami Gift Card and Washi-fied Gift bag and Wooden peg

4. Cutting Mat and Precision Knife

Craft Daiso 27

They are a must-have when making Kirigami or cutting paper.

4. Construction Paper Craft Daiso 2

I have just discovered these coloured papers in Daiso a couple of months ago. I found the texture of the paper and range of colours available adequate for paper-flowers making. These papers are also sold in A4 size in a single colour in a pack.

Craft Daiso 11

Daiso coloured paper are good for card creations like these;

Craft Daiso 29Top to Bottom Craft Tutorials at link; Nothing Like a Mother’s Love Card, Papa Bear Father’s Card

5. Colour boards in Styrofoam or Cork Material Craft Daiso 5

I get them in white to mount the boy’s and my paintings to create a faux canvas base, and skip the picture frames, so that they can be easily pasted on the walls with blu-tack or mounting strips.

No one should put original ‘art’ in frames, unless they are reproduction prints bought from IKEA 😛

Cork can also be used in many DIY Homeware or Decor ideas. Just add your own designs with markers or paint.

6. Wooden Blocks in various sizes or Wooden Sticks and Sandpaper Craft Daiso 7

The wooden blocks are available in small square, rectangular shapes etc. These blocks that can be drawn, painted on, or pasted together to form a letter holder like this, with glued-on Hama Beads;

Screen Shot 2015 10 03 at 12 42 27 pm

While Sandpaper is a must have to prep the wood before it is ready to be painted on.

7. Pill Cases Craft Daiso 15

Extremely useful to segregrate Hama Beads into specific shades.

What is Hama Beads Crafting? Read more about it in this post. While the tweezer in pictured below is also from Daiso.

Craft Daiso 17

8. Shrinky Plastic and Tracing Paper Craft Daiso 4

There are at least 3 different types of Shrinky Plastic that are sold in Daiso. Pictured below are the clear and the opaque ones. There are the Neon ones available in some of the Daiso stores.

I have tried the opaque ones that come with a keyring in the pack and found them to be good enough for making keychains and fridge magnets.

Craft Daiso 6

9. Magnetic Tape

Craft Daiso 23

Useful for making your own magnets from Shrinky Plastic, or magnetic wooden pegs.

10. Wooden Pegs

Craft Daiso 26

Apart from its basic use for hanging laundry on a drying rack, wooden pegs have numerous uses in craft. Just stick on washi tape :)

I have been using the small wooden pegs for winding my embroidery thread (like a thread spool), while the small scissors and sewing pins pictured below are also from Daiso.

Craft Daiso 16

I spend more time in the craft aisle in Daiso than all the other aisles combined, as I am always looking for the next item that I can use to craft something new.

However…

There are a few things that I have bought from the craft aisle that I would not buy again, namely, play dough, soft clay, embroidery floss (thread), paint and brushes. Since it is $2, can expect that these things are not of very good quality.

The play dough and soft clay is really hard to manage without making a huge mess. Even after lining the table / floor with newspapers, the stray bits of dough or clay tends to stick on the floors and tables. Only recommended for moms who have no issues spending some extra time to clean up after their child after play.

While DMC is always my choice for embroidery floss, even when sewing on Daiso Felt. The quality of thread does make a difference to the one who is sewing and to the final product.

As for the Daiso paint and brushes, they are apt for children doing exploratory art, but not when the child or adult is starting to get more serious about taking up painting as a hobby. The paint pigments tend to be inconsistent and brushes often split at the ends after the first few washes.

For better quality art and craft supplies, and if you are willing to spend more than $2 per item, try Artfriend and Spotlight.

So what are the craft materials that you have used from Daiso?

 

For more on Daiso 101, 


Next on the 101 Daiso Blog train will be Winnie of ToddlyMummy.

Winnie Toddly Mummy

At her blog,  http://toddlymummy.blogspot.com Winnie shares her thoughts on parenting, fun learning moments of home learning sessions and outdoor adventures. She reviews books and other kids’ stuff. She sometimes shares about her favourite food too, along with the occasional side orders of stuff that she finds useful as a busy mum.

 

Share it:

Related posts:

Categorized: Craft and Handmades, Inspiration, Out and About · Tagged: , , , , ,
Next Page »