DIY Life

Who needs "practical" items when you can transform them into a quirky character with needle and thread? That's the question at the heart of the work of Ossu! Shugeibu, the super cool and macho guerilla crafting club from Japan!

Ossu! Shugeibu was founded in 2003 by Shoichi Ishizawa and seven of his male friends, none of whom had any background or skills in crafting. They were interested to find out what inexperienced but creative men could do with traditionally female crafts. The resulting "club" became a fun and inspiring community meeting on a regular basis.

Translated into English as Yo! Crafting Club, Ossu! Shugeibu is fueled by a mix of testosterone and pure creativity uninhibited by rules or conventions. Using repurposed materials and freestyle techniques, founder and president Shoichi Ishizawa inspires his myriad club members - men and women who have participated in his workshops - to create surprising craft art without any prior experience in the traditional crafts.

Want to see some Ossu! Visit NYC's Gallery Hanahou where the exhibition is currently taking place; it's a true inspiration for DIY folk worldwide!

If you're getting married this summer, it's probably a little late to start planning your big day right now. If you're tying the knot next year, however, or just looking for some last minute tips then -- wow! -- have we got some ideas for you!

Blushing brides learn what to do with treasured wedding mementos, hopeful grooms get pointers on the perfect proposal, and if you're the maid-of-honor, you'll be her hero for suggesting economical ways to make table center-pieces and party favors!

In my house, ink on skin happens when my teenage kids want to make a "mental" note. With a pen, or sometimes, in a moment of hormonal lunacy, a Sharpie. Perhaps you have a creative toddler in your house, or perhaps you even do it yourself. I've been known to jot down a critically important "must remember" note on the nearest available surface -- even if it is the palm of my right hand!

But once you don't need that note any more, you're stuck with it: ink just doesn't come out so easily. It's one thing to scour your own arm raw trying to remove that black stain, but just try doing that on an outraged toddler! It's a three-man job... unless, that is, you have a teabag.

According to a post by writer Lisa Katayama at Lifehacker, it's a simple matter to steep the teabag, let it cool briefly, then scrub away. Ink should lift right off -- even permanent marker stains.

Katayama's book, Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan, which features this tip, has been getting a lot of coverage at Lifehacker lately. She refers to urawaza as "life hacks and unmapped shortcuts" that were developed in Japan during the economically lean days that followed World War II. Now that they're available in book form, why not check them out?

I'm an adoptive mom, so I spend a lot (read: far, far, too much) time checking out other adoption blogs. One of my favorites is Do They Have Salsa in China? To keep her two little girls interested in eating healthfully, the blog's creative author has delved into bento boxes.

We've posted about the art of packing bento boxes before. Common in Japanese cuisine, bento is a single-portion meal that is often beautifully arranged -- food that is not only pleasing to the palate, but also to the eye. You can make bento boxes a toddler favorite with a few simple twists that I'll share after the break.

Back in March, I wrote about Hinamatsuri, a Japanese traditional festival celebrating the happiness and growth of young girls. Hinamatsuri is interesting, but it's not a national holiday in Japan: that distinction goes to Children's Day (Kodomo no hi), which was known as Boys' Day until the late 1940s, when it was expanded to include girls. And Children's Day is today!

The most visible symbol of Children's Day to most people is probably the koinobori, or fish kite (sometimes called a koi kite or carp kite). These are colorful windsocks shaped like a long koi. They are usually tied to a bamboo pole, where the wind catches them and makes them look like they're "swimming."

There are a few legends attached to why the koinobori are displayed, but most relate to the koi being energetic and courageous in the way it goes against the current, leaping out of the water when it swims. The koi becomes a metaphor for parents' hopes for their children, particularly their sons.

Today is a perfect day for family members to make simple paper or fabric fish kites of their own. After the break, we'll explore some of the history and motifs of this holiday, and check out a variety of related crafts: not just koinobori! We'll also talk about some non-traditional, totally American ways to celebrate the kids in your life.

I love the look of sushi, but unlike some other writers around here, I can't stand the taste of it. In fact, I can't even tolerate the flavor of fish! (Ironic, I know, given that I frequently post about Japanese stuff: I'd last about a day in Tokyo.) But there is something that I do famously love to eat, and that something is... cake.

I was therefore completely charmed by Craftster user .mila.'s Sushi Cake, created for a friend's birthday. It looks like a slice of kappa-maki (cucumber roll) or maybe anago-maki (saltwater eel roll), but no fish, seaweed, or rice is to be seen.

Instead, it's four layers of cake and chocolate mousse filling, with a layer of strawberries in the center.The "rice" is shredded coconut, the "nori" ("seaweed" wrap) is buttercream icing tinted green with food coloring, and the "filling" at the center of the roll, really just on top of the cake, is gummi candy in appropriate colors. Wasabi is represented by more green icing, and sliced strawberries stand in for the pink ginger (gari) that usually comes on the side. .Mila. even put chopsticks and soy sauce on the side.

I don't know about you, but I would be thrilled to eat this sushi on my next birthday.

This past Monday, March 3rd, was the yearly celebration of Hinamatsuri in Japan.

The name is variously translated as "Girls' Day" or "The Doll Festival." Although it functions as a day devoted to prayer for the growth and happiness of young girls, and probably originated as a celebration of the year's first peach blossoms (an alternate name is Momo no sekku, or "Peach Festival"), special ornamental dolls have become synonymous with the holiday.

Hinamatsuri is fun for little girls and their parents, and also appealing if you love to buy or create miniatures, or just have an interest in Japanese culture. Please join us after the break for more information about a few of the holiday's traditions, the dolls themselves, and lots of links to free downloads and projects.

I've written about furoshiki here several times in the last few months. How can you not love them? They bring traditional Japanese style into the 21st century with an eco-friendly bonus: you can avoid using throwaways like paper gift wrap or plastic carrying bags by wrapping something beautifully in a versatile, re-usable cloth. Recently, I came across a furoshiki bag style I've never seen before. I think it's so nifty that I have to share it!

Watch the video above to see what I'm talking about. It involves two cloths that have been stacked as two layers, then sewn together with stitches in the shape of a plus sign. Each row of stitches is halfway across one side, so the lines of stitches intersect at the center of the cloths and divide the stack into quadrants. Each quadrant is a small pocket, formed by the two layers of cloth, with open outer edges and a free corner point.

This furoshiki style is simple to tie: you can see it in the video, but I'll also describe it after the break. However, to get it to look just like the video's results, you need a cloth that has been dyed in a specific way, and if you're going to create your own cloth that isn't dyed that way or stitch together two existing furoshiki, scarves, or bandannas, there are some points to consider. Please continue reading if you'd like more details and ideas.

We've discussed furoshiki before: the Japanese idea of using a cloth to wrap and carry things, which has made a comeback in these environmentally-conscious times. I believe I mentioned that furoshiki could be many sizes, and here's an example of just that: a furoshiki made out of a bed sheet. Instructables user keng forms it into a gigantic bag, then stuffs the bag with pillows, which he can then carry away and store.

Keng discusses squaring an existing sheet, hemming the edges, and folding and tying into a sling-style bag with a shoulder strap. The bag can be used to move or store a lot, but when you're done with it, you can just fold it up into the same flat packet as a regular bed sheet.

This page of standard American sheet measurements should give you an idea of which size you'd like to use; King size is very nearly square on its own. You might also consider trying this project with upholstery fabric, which should give you a square at least four feet long on each side.

In our previous article on this topic, I linked to the following video, about a famous furoshiki shop in Japan: How to FUROSHIKI wrapping (1:17). The video shows how to make a shoulder bag of average size with a square of cloth. This project is exactly the same thing on a larger scale, so between the tutorial and the video, you should have no problem making a bag that will allow you to easily wrangle and tote almost anything you can actually manage to lift.

(I think it would be useful for a quick clean-up of kids' scattered toys when guests are on the way!)

Christmas is in less than a week: is all of your shopping done? It's getting a bit late to order anything (especially if you don't want to pony up for pricey overnight shipping), but if you're shopping for crafty friends, there's probably a lot available in your own town.

However, bead, paint, and yarn choices are completely subjective, you may not know what tools your loved ones need (beading loom? spinning wheel? umbrella swift? easel?), kits can be hit-or-miss, and I'm not sure anyone needs craft-themed sweatshirts. (Ever.) Have major advances in the world of crochet hooks or embroidery hoops really been made in the past year? Probably not. So when I thought about what makes a great holiday gift in the DIY realm, I kept coming back to one thing....

Please join us after the break to find the best of the latest craft books! There's certainly something here to please almost every creative person on your list: beaders and jewelry makers, people straddling the mixed-media art/craft divide, knitters, crocheters, scrapbookers, and anyone else who likes to learn how to make interesting things with their hands.

(Even better, you shouldn't have any problem finding most of these books at 4:00 in the afternoon on December 24th.)

Recently, we talked about screen printing: the versatile medium in which you can create anything from a simple t-shirt to a complex, multi-layered fine art print. Screen printing is easy, if you pay attention to detail, but people sometimes avoid it just because it can take up an inconvenient amount of space.

Another way you can screen print at home is with a small machine called a Print Gocco (pronounced go-co, not gah-co). It's made only by a single company, Japan's RISO, and uses proprietary supplies. It's compact enough to use in even a very small apartment, so it's a great solution for people with limited space... as long as you don't mind that it makes small prints.

Over the last few years, Print Gocco has become one of the most talked-about tool for artists and crafters. You can join me after the break to read more about it!

Have you heard of furoshiki? These traditional Japanese square cloths are getting a lot of attention lately, as a "green" alternative to wrapping paper and plastic shopping bags. Furoshiki means "bath spread" -- in feudal Japan, they were used to bundle and protect people's clothing at public bath houses, but over the years, their standard use has been to tie up any bundle you can imagine (they've even been used as baby carriers). The word is pronounced something like "f'-ROHSH-kee".

The term is a general one, not referring to any particular size or pattern, though most are around one-and-a-half to a little over two feet on a side. They usually have a printed pattern and a stitched hem around the edges. Unlike wrapping paper, which is often too creased and weak to effectively reuse, furoshiki can be part of a gift, and can be used again and again. They can also be tied up in various ways to make an "instant bag."

See much more about furoshiki, including diagrams, videos, alternatives, and places to shop, after the break!

For the whole month of August, I've been talking about amigurumi: a style of pointedly adorable crocheted or knitted toy, developed in Japan, that has become popular among English-speaking crafters. It could never have happened without two things: the availability of design-conscious Japanese craft books in other countries, and the Internet's ability to spread trends -- and make those books even more available.

Japanese craft books in general have become hot in the English-speaking craft scene. Until recently, translations were mostly limited to books that were released in the US by the publisher Ondori, usually about beading. Things are changing, as books like Fleece Dog and Sock and Glove (aka Sock Monkeys and Glove Dogs), and various offerings from Aranzi-Aronzo, have hit stores in the last few months. But there are still many cute, interesting books that will never be translated into English.

The good news is that, with only slightly more effort than buying them from your local bookstore or Amazon, you can get the best in Japanese craft books for yourself.

Find out how after the break! Don't worry: you don't need to be able to read or speak Japanese.

Kanzashi are traditional Japanese hair ornaments for women, usually worn with a kimono. They are often associated with geisha, but can be worn by anyone. One of the most familiar styles to westerners is the hana (flower) kanzashi. Not many masters are left, and for a long time, tutorials were relatively thin on the ground... I know, I've looked.

Now we have a detailed Tsumami Kanzashi Tutorial, by Christina Stoppa, DeviantArt user Kurokami-Kanzashi. She will teach you how to make a style of hana kanzashi, a trailing cascade of blossoms, out of small squares of fabric. Be sure to take a look at Christina's full gallery, where you'll see many examples of her fine work.

You may also be interested in checking out Kanzashi Core, a gallery of creations by indie fashion designer Vivian Hoffpauir, and other tutorial images by Flickr user SpanglySpangle. This Craftster topic discusses a video series of a Japanese kanzashi master at work, and adds some helpful links, like Ohbara's charming flower-folding tutorial. The results are not limited to use as a hair ornament, even though that's their original purpose; they can be used to make brooches, package decorations, magnets, and anything else you can imagine.

[ via MAKE ]