“What’s the deal with Pinterest?” I’ve been wondering for a while. A few blogs I follow talked about it. A few bloggers I followed started a Pinterest account. I knew that I wasn’t about to sign up for yet another thing that I feel compelled to check everyday, so I wasn’t even interested in checking it out. But one day I had some time to kill so I went on it.
Oh boy.
Pinterest is a dangerous place.
As a result, this week’s favourite things is rather long… I tried to restrain myself, and I’ve left out quite a few things… so these have got to be my favourite of the favourite this week! (I hope it’s not too overwhelming to read…)
Never thought of weaving shrink plastic before! Brilliant! Here’s a tutorial by A Bird in the Hand Art.
These are like Jack and Casey – except made of felt instead of crochet! :D Posted on Checkout Girl, for the book Kids’ Crafternoon Sewing.
A very stylish version of glue batik! I think I’ll try it on a plain white tee I salvaged from my old closet at my parents’. Tutorial on Ucreate.
Pom pom Angry Birds and green pigs! XD Now one can set up a game of real life Angry Birds in minutes! How-to on Make and Takes.
I don’t do much embroidery but these are the cutest embroidered sheep ever! And very cleverly made too. From Just Crafty Enough.
Making image transfer with sand paper and wax crayons – what a novel idea! (well, to me anyway.) From Alphamom.
I’ve turned men’s shirt into skirts before but only with an elastic waist, never this elegant. Maybe Mike has a shirt he doesn’t want… :P Tutorial and diagrams on Burda Style.
Hanging pictures with pop tabs! Apparently it’s been tested and it works. Handy! From Apartment Therapy.
A springy coin purse made with a plastic container lid and fabric! Such a clever idea and makes a great gift! How-to on Idle Hand Empty Brain.
Make your own chalkboard paint! I’m allergic to chalk dust so I can’t ever have this in my home :( or my hands will break out in eczema and be covered in a gazillion tiny blisters *shudder* (actually, same thing would happen if I pet a cat, but I do it anyway >_<)… anyway, it is a great idea nonetheless for those who can enjoy chalk, and custom coloured too! Good things come from the Martha website.
Real life version of another internet meme – the Nyan Cat! :D Download template from ddi7i4d on Deviant Art!
I love these illuminated photo negatives. Making them into votive holders makes a great way to appreciate them. How-to on Photojojo.
Isn’t this the cutest tiny tooth plush ever? Pattern generously shared by Knitting Pony.
These gorgeous mums are apparently very simple to make, by cutting miniature marshmallows in half and dipping in coloured sugar! From iVillage.
A while ago a friend asked me if I have an ice cream maker – I don’t, but it doesn’t seem too difficult to make ice cream with ingredients and tools easily found at home! I love projects with readily available materials. Learn how to make ice cream in a zip lock bag at 2 Little Hooligans!
When I travel I always dread the luggage conveyor belt. What if my suitcase doesn’t come? What if another person has the same suitcase and mine got taken by someone else? What if I miss it as it goes by? What if I can’t get it off the conveyor belt and I get dragged along and stumble and fall on the conveyor belt? And so on. With these suitcase eyes I suppose I can at least solve the “what if another person has the same suitcase” problem. One less thing to worry about :D Via Swissmiss.
Spotted on Craft, this jelly fish one caught my eye. Though it’s sold already. But many more fascinating tiny worlds in tiny bottles over at the Tiny World in a Bottle Etsy Shop :D
Finally, I’ll end with a tremendously inspiring story of a young woman advocating for a reality check by creating a real life Barbie doll. It baffles me that after all the efforts on challenging the cultural concept of “ideal beauty” and women’s roles in society, little girls still aspire to look like Barbie. I was in fact quite scared when a 4 year-old told me that she was going to wave her magic wand and turn the whole city into “Barbie World”. Good thing her magic wand was only imaginary *whew*. I do hope that as she grows up she finds role models more worthy of her admiration and imitation than a plastic puppet of corporate profit-making. Anyway, I invite you to read the original article and the young woman’s story, but here are a couple of facts from the article that stood out to me, things that I find sadly laughable:
- If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5’9″ tall, have a 39″ bust, an 18″ waist, 33″ hips and a size 3 shoe.
- Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.”
I’m off to scoop myself some ice cream :P
Happy Friday, friends!
