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!

I'm quite certain this is one of those DIY tutorials that you're not sure when it will come in handy until it's too late. Perhaps you're planning to throw a lottery-inspired party, or maybe you want a fun spin on holiday cards this year. Whatever the purpose, bookmark this fantastic DIY idea for creating a scratch-off lottery ticket using just dish soap and acrylic paint! I'm flabbergasted!

Why not create a lottery-themed birthday party for the gambler in your life? Take a cue from eHow and decorate with orange and white balloons, a lottery ticket cake, lottery centerpieces and then some! The invitations would be so easy to create with our new scratch-off tutorial, and the possibilities are endless!

Of course, don't forget the gift, which could be a sweet, handmade sentiment expressing that you hit the jackpot when you met your certain someone. Sweet, right? I'm such a sucker for romance.

I'm really happy with my cute little 14-inch laptop. Wish I'd chosen a different color, though. The lid is a dark blue that looked sleek and soothing on the website when I placed my order. In real life, though? It looks just like plain old navy blue -- definitely more blah than soothing.

Are you unhappy or bored with your laptop? Yeah? Well, fortunately, there's never been a better time to personalize your machine ... or your iPod, Blackberry, cell or other device, for that matter. Whatever your gadget, make it really pop with a cool custom or DIY skin. Let's take a peek at some of the options:

1. Ready-made Skins. First up, there are tons of ready-made laptop skins out there. These may be purchased from computer manufacturers or from a number of other online sources. Dell, for example, now offers over 200 skin designs in a rainbow of colors and styles. Visit Dell Design Studio to see them all.

Nothing says "summer afternoon" like bubbles. Kids love water play, and bubbles add texture and visual appeal. So what happens when you mix bubble play with art? You get bubble prints -- water color-inspired designs that are both beautiful and and fun to make. Kids just don't get to make bubbles, they get to create multi-colored masterpieces.

Here's what you'll need:

• Bowls -- Preferably different shapes and sizes to add interest. Glass bowls won't be stained by the food coloring. Low bowls -- even flat pans like pie plates -- work best, because you'll use less water and therefore need less food coloring.
• Food coloring (various colors)
• Water
• White art paper
• Dish soap

Either find a safe place to work outside or cover your work space with plenty of newspaper, and let's get started.

You love your new apartment. There's just one problem: Those bare walls! They're blank because your landlord made you sign on the dotted line, promising no drilling and no nail holes.

Relax. With a little creativity you can decorate your apartment's walls and make your new home look fabulous -- without breaking the terms of your lease.

Step One: The Tablescape

Identify the heaviest and/or largest pieces in your collection of wall decor. I'm talking framed posters, paintings and large framed photographs. Now position each one atop a piece of furniture and accent with smaller items. You are creating what interior decorators term tablescapes. Lucky you: tablescapes are totally fashionable right now.

Michael Jackson is being remembered this week via online arts and crafts forums. Some items up for viewing (and often for sale) predate the superstar's June 25 death but are now receiving renewed Web exposure. An array of brand new Jackson-themed works are also appearing as crafters and artists begin paying tribute to the performer.

Some gems in the mix include this Blue Planet Creations black canvas tote bag with sequin glove design. While you're over at Etsy, check out this nicely designed mini toss pillow cover by piece of melon. The off-white cover features Michael Jackson's face, dramatically hand-stenciled in black ink.

This leather purse by Craftster member Karen Louise M. is definitely worth a look. Originally shared with the Craftster community back in 2007, the bag features the "Thriller" album cover on what looks to be dark brown leather with brown blanket stitched edges.

I know, paper cups are bad, and I am bad if I use them. What if I reuse them? Can I redeem myself just a little?

If you've got paper cups kicking around, there are all sorts of ways that they can be re-purposed into cool Kiddie Crafts. Just this afternoon, I went to the pantry for some dried pasta and realized that there was only a very little bit left. I also came across some leftover party cups that I'd stashed away. What do you do with pasta and paper cups? Make maracas of course!

After the break I'll tell you how, share another paper cup craft that we tried, and point you to a few more that I think pass the kiddie craft test (simple, inexpensive, fun, and easily modified for different ages).

Planning a road trip this summer, and want the perfect accessory? How about a map purse? Or, for you guys, a map bag. Instead of lip gloss and lotion, you can put... um... manly things in it. Spare socks? A razor?

Perhaps it should best be the "car bag" and hold things to make the trip more comfortable: tissues, a water bottle, sunglasses, chewing gum, and, a little art-comes-to-life, maybe your maps can go in the map bag.

I envision using it as storage inside the car rather than as a purse to carry around town, because I'm just not sure how sturdy it would be. Most women I know carry a load of stuff in their bag. Would a map and two layers of contact paper, no matter how well-stitched, be up to the job?

To make one, follow the instructions here at Sonya Style. If anyone makes one, feel free to report back and tell us how it holds up!

Being the mom of a toddler doesn't let me sit for extended periods of time, so I have to pick and choose DIY crafts that are not so mind intensive that I get lost in them and end up totally ignoring my child. I know that will end when she goes to preschool, and I can focus on more intricate projects.

One of the first on my list for that time will be this paper cutting tutorial. I am decent at drawing, and pretty good at sitting for a long time, when necessary. The fact is, Heather makes it very easy to fall in love with her artwork, so her "cut tut" should definitely be added to everyone's crafting "to do" list.

Heather gives instructions detailing her drawing of the design onto thin white paper, used sticky tape to adhere the white paper to a piece of black construction paper,and then sat for hours cutting out the intricate design.

This project takes extreme patience and some seriously steady hands, both of which I don't really have right now. If you happen to have that patience and steady hand, I'm sure your not so crafty friends will be amazed to receive your gorgeous gift.

[via Whip Up.]

Nothing says 'fresh' and 'modern' like graphic artwork. It's a perfect pick-me-up to a drab decor, or it can add a funky flair to a traditional decorating scheme. However you choose to use it, graphic is "in."

You could spend a fortune and buy some canvases from a trendy artist, or you can do it yourself. I vote for me!

Plaid has a very easy tutorial showing how to create your own graphic artwork: a set of three coordinating canvases that you can make, using stencils and four colors of paint.

After painting the base color on each of the canvases, just use stencils to paint on the designs. They will have your own personal touch, you can make them to match your own decor, and they will give your room an instant face lift. They'd also make a cherished housewarming gift for a special friend.

If you fear art, as some do, and this project is more than you can handle without an accompanying Margarita, you can try framing some handmade paper instead. A block print design will give you a similar look, and you can still say that you did it.

If you are cut from the same indecisive cloth as I am, then you acquire a multitude of paint sample strips when you are choosing a new color to paint a room or a piece of furniture. Then, because you are also a packrat, you can't bear to throw them away.

Sure, you can give them to the toddler to play with, but isn't there a better use for these colorful strips? They are made from sturdy paper and the colors are true and deep. I know there is an art project in there somewhere.

Jackie of Jackie's Space agrees with me, because she has created some beautiful cards using old paint sample strips. I love that she has used the coordinated colors of the paint sample strips with three dimensional elements, like ribbon, gems, and a silk flower.

She's got me thinking, that Jackie: what if the paint sample strips were paired with a watercolor design in complimentary colors? Or maybe some copper wire and beads woven through the strips?

The possibilities are endless, and wasting the paint sample strips as mere trash is a thing of the past. What do you do with your old paint sample strips?

My son has a vivid imagination; in fact, we don't often live with Owen. Superheroes, firefighters, knights, and astronauts live here (and run errands with me, but that's another story), but Owen doesn't actually touch down on planet Earth all that frequently.

Reading Parent Center's article on how to raise an imaginative child, I realized some of what may contribute to Owen's fanciful personality. Sure, genetics plays a part (I have been known to have a penchant for the dramatic), but apparently, so do many of the things that come natural to me as a mom.

So many, in fact, that every single thing on Parent Center's list of ways to encourage your child's imagination are an integral part of every day here on Planet Owen. From reading and telling stories to limiting computer and TV time, encouraging pretend play with props and making art and music, I have inadvertently made my house a campground for imagination.

What kinds of things do you do at home to encourage imaginative behavior in your children?

Think you're handy with a knife? Fiercely competitive? Sounds like you'd fit right in with this crowd of entrants in the Salon of Culinary Art, an annual fruit and vegetable carving competition held in New York. It's sort of like the Olympics...but with lots of produce and sharp cutting implements. And less exposure of gleaming, muscular flesh.

Saxton Freymann's books, especially Play with your Food, helped popularize this hobby/art-form. Freymann is known particularly for his fetching broccoli poodles and Brussels sprouts pigs. That's the kind of cutesie stuff that even I could probably master.

Leaders in the field, however, don't play around with such whimsies. Check out this New York Times slideshow to view the most intricately carved entries in this year's competition. Golden beet butterflies and rearing taro root stallions, anyone?

This paint swatch weaving project is attractive, simple, and best of all, super thrifty. Head down to your local paint store and pick up a bunch of paint swatches. If you're like me, and have a hard time envisioning how things will look when they come together, take a tip from the pros, and follow their suggested color themes. Choose something that complements or contrasts with the current color palette in your room.

Basically, all you have to do is cut the swatches into strips, lay your base, weave it, and glue the back with rubber cement. Add some bold focal points, maybe with a color drawn from the accessories in your room or your focal wall. Framing the woven swatches can take on a variety of forms, depending on the look you're going for. A bold wooden frame would add dramatic impact, where a thin basic frame gives an understated impression.

This would also make a great project for children. You might want to ask the paint store if they have leftover swatches from discontinued colors.

The cool thing about creating paint swatch art projects is that you get the exact colors you're looking for, instead of settling for something that doesn't quite match your current decor. Have you created any other projects with paint swatches?

Is all of this spring rain getting to you? If you have a three-year-old, you are probably outside in it everyday like I am, enjoying projects like making a rain gauge ruler and a rain book. But if your older, slightly more rational children prefer to stay indoors on torrential days, you might like making a rain stick with them.

What is a rain stick, you ask? It is simply a long tube filled with various noisemakers that make the tube sound like a rainstorm when tipped end over end. It has been used in different cultures -- invented in Chile -- to attempt to make the rains come.

This is an easy project that leaves the creativity window wide open, so every rain stick really comes out a unique expression of each creator. You'll need a mailing tube, some dried rice and peas, plastic drinking cups to cover the ends of the tube, aluminum foil and the odds and ends of art supplies, staplers, etc.