tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85975325800786238352012-02-17T17:47:45.800+01:00This is my blog about the DIY things I do, some How-to's, instructions and tutorials. Let me give you some keywords: DIY, manualidades, artesania, Manresa, Bages, Barcelona, jewelery, jewellery, pearls, ganchet, ganchillo, crochet, sewing,Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.comBlogger2511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-69367260518947772582012-02-15T07:27:00.000+01:002012-02-15T07:27:01.230+01:00

24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-12450217828903555612012-02-09T08:00:00.000+01:002012-02-09T08:00:06.488+01:00

This week, I finished a new quilt project. A star quilt to be precise.This 120x120cm quilt is loosely based on the tutorial at the Moda Bake Shop. Front: Backside:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-16703970113943376692012-02-08T20:10:00.000+01:002012-02-08T20:10:00.723+01:00

We went to the Creperie Bretonne the other day. The nice thing they do there (besides making delicious food) is that they leave on every table a glass with crayons, so people can draw on the white paper place mats. The nicest drawings get put up on the wall. I had a go on drawing a green apple. Lets see if they will put it on the wall… Wax crayon on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-74624501509283385672012-02-01T23:44:00.000+01:002012-02-01T23:44:00.152+01:00

We started watching the new Doctor Who series. The Tardis is a ship that travels through time and space. Its camouflage circuit had a malfunction after a visit to London, that’s why it looks like a police box. 24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-64599349491593514112012-01-25T18:33:00.000+01:002012-01-25T18:33:00.283+01:00

24x17cm watercolor on 250 g/m2 paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-26713753833996880482012-01-18T17:12:00.000+01:002012-01-18T17:12:00.980+01:00

24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-18373232537869820052012-01-14T09:25:00.001+01:002012-01-14T09:25:11.546+01:00

So, a local English school is doing cooking workshops for children. Two teachers are going to lead the workshop, both in costume. While one teacher went for a comically large costume (large chef hat, big Santa Claus belly), the second teacher (my SO) wants to go for comically small (mini chef hat). So I made a small chef hat. If you want to make one for decorative or costume purposes, I show you

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-48885774199056851052012-01-11T11:12:00.000+01:002012-01-11T11:12:00.390+01:00

  17x24cm Watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-47465957100206743982012-01-05T22:55:00.001+01:002012-01-06T07:44:13.277+01:00

In this lengthy tutorial I am going to show you how to make this basket out of newspaper: What you need: 12 newspaper pages Stapler Clothespins Ruler Felt tip pen Scissors First we have to fold the newspaper pages to strips. Lay out the page in front of you. Fold top and bottom edge to the middle. Fold again. Fold again. Fold in the middle. Congratulations. You have completed one strip.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-3794236939032493962012-01-04T16:04:00.000+01:002012-01-04T16:04:00.748+01:00

  24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-81823481920670424032012-01-02T11:03:00.000+01:002012-01-02T11:03:00.932+01:00

From a few pages of paper I had laying around and a bit of cardstock I made this 9x14cm notebook. The pages are sewn to a cover sheet, which is glued into the cardboard cover. On the cover I sew green lines and felt pieces and glued on buttons.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-62766414796909369602011-12-29T16:08:00.000+01:002011-12-29T16:08:00.616+01:00

Here is a pin I made from some felt scraps. If you want to know how it is done, head over to Infarrantly Creative!

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-55643807987107832892011-12-28T00:00:00.000+01:002011-12-28T00:00:00.587+01:00

  24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-18314802948293109692011-12-24T00:00:00.000+01:002011-12-24T00:00:01.343+01:00

To all my readers: Disclaimer: The photo was shot by me, but neither the fireplace nor the dog belongs to us.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-86563538825170510392011-12-21T16:44:00.000+01:002011-12-21T16:44:00.803+01:00

As seen in nature. 24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-31345475604516711032011-12-14T16:42:00.000+01:002011-12-14T16:42:00.224+01:00

  24x17cm watercolor on paper Disclaimer: Painting based on http://posierow.com/wp-content/uploads/wpsc/product_images/MATR3.5inR2.jpg

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-63659628432246821862011-12-07T08:00:00.000+01:002011-12-07T08:00:06.112+01:00

  24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-78787089683261425412011-12-06T19:47:00.000+01:002011-12-06T19:53:38.144+01:00

Winter time is a-coming. Time to make some decoration. How about tiny snowmen? Prepare a small amount of salt dough by mixing 1 Tablespoon of flour, salt and water together. Form three small balls and  stack them. Add broken off toothpicks as arms and nose. Mark the eyes with a toothpick. Let the snowman air dry (mine needed 2 days to get totally dry). When dry, you can paint the snowman with

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-51085954798568530062011-12-02T08:00:00.000+01:002011-12-02T08:00:10.453+01:00

Last Saturday we went to a basket weaving course organized by the city. We had the whole day to work on three recycling projects. 4 milk cartons become a flat basket envelope: 12 pages of newspaper become a square basket with pointy edges… … or a rectangular basket with even edges. If you want to know more about the art of basket weaving with recycled material you can have a look at Lois

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-39391638564686793192011-11-30T08:42:00.000+01:002011-11-30T08:42:00.146+01:00

  Similar to last week I present to you a watercoloring of grey knight mushrooms. This painting was made using only black paint. 24x17cm black watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-58112645616691273032011-11-25T20:55:00.000+01:002011-12-06T13:01:05.223+01:00

Today  I sat down and did some origami, something I haven’t done for a long time. I chose birds as theme and looked instructions up on the internet. The internet: It’s awesome!

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-16521136686878645952011-11-23T16:58:00.000+01:002011-11-23T16:58:00.380+01:00

After a long dry period in Catalonia, finally rain starts to fall. The humid conditions have started the mushroom growth. One of the common mushrooms is the Lactarius sanguifluus (here know as Rovellò). Here is a watercolor sketch of two Rovellós found in the region of Bages: 17x24cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-16904040550746542112011-11-19T19:37:00.001+01:002011-12-06T13:02:35.153+01:00

Following the post earlier this week, I a, going to show you step by step how the Felt Babushka Pin was made. Firstly you need 3 templates for body, head scarf and face. Using different colors for the 3 components, cut out felt pieces. You need two for the body. Arranging face, head scarf and front body piece, sew the face on with white thread. Cut two pieces of black zigzag ribbon.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-13796832045681829482011-11-18T08:12:00.000+01:002011-11-18T08:12:00.397+01:00

One fast and cute project: I made a babushka brooch made with felt, cotton filling and two small glass beads for the flowers on the belly.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-3340755454665035842011-11-16T19:45:00.000+01:002011-11-16T19:45:00.602+01:00

The other day I was just dabbling in making a bunch of sky and cloud paintings. Just  to practice how to do it.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-70337460075929266932011-11-09T18:27:00.000+01:002011-11-09T18:27:00.291+01:00

  A bridge to pass the Sèquia in the vicinity of Manresa. Watercolor on paper 24x17cm

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-51368295613713987452011-11-07T20:03:00.000+01:002011-11-07T20:04:52.186+01:00

This is another purse I made with the same pattern as the one earlier this day.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-28807937611314856232011-11-07T08:00:00.000+01:002011-11-07T08:30:17.239+01:00

Following more or less the tutorial by Rashida over at Sew timeless, I made this coin purse. It works great and was a very fast project. Give it a try!

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-66698617503597958472011-11-02T18:00:00.000+01:002011-11-02T18:00:06.018+01:00

  Watercolor on paper 17x24cm

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-43637764389332524572011-10-26T08:00:00.000+02:002011-10-26T08:00:03.135+02:00

Girona as seen from the stone bridge. Watercolor on paper 17x24cm

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-67838046521382846962011-10-19T08:00:00.000+02:002011-10-19T08:00:03.154+02:00

  For travelling or just convenience it is nice to have a small watercolor set. A good travelling set is quiet expensive, so I decided to make my own. At the dollar store I bought a small compartment box. The box has certain walls you can take out. That is nice, but also makes the compartments for the colors leaky. For now I decided to solve this by making tin foil trays for all colors (see

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-91301555768017701372011-10-12T17:47:00.000+02:002011-10-12T17:47:00.833+02:00

This week I present to you the fifth mini album. They are 7.5 x 7.5 cm and are made from air mail envelopes. Check out the fake stamps on this one. I carved a cork and used it to make the postmarks with acrylic paint. The album has an accordion fold with pockets. Every pocket contains a card with a 5x5cm post-themed watercolor painting. Here are the paintings in detail. Can you spot Postman

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-49301233769887839922011-10-05T20:27:00.000+02:002011-10-05T20:27:00.710+02:00

  It’s that time of the week again. Watercolor Wednesday brings to you another 7.5x7.5cm mini-album. This time it is fruits & vegetables themed. The cover has self-adhering felt flowers. The back of the album has a slide-out card.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-8057424390684456852011-09-28T19:25:00.000+02:002011-09-28T19:25:00.736+02:00

Another 7.5x7.5cm Mini-Album. The album is packaged in a flat box. Both are leave-themed. Inside are 8 small 5x5cm bird-themed paintings. Here are the paintings in detail.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-40902544677155087122011-09-21T18:08:00.000+02:002011-09-21T18:08:00.280+02:00

Continuing the mini-album trend set last week, I made another fabric-covered album (7.5x7.5cm). The album contains 12 cat-themed mini-paintings (5x5cm).

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-48123997755449079082011-09-19T19:46:00.000+02:002011-09-19T19:46:00.123+02:00

  Exploring a bit the wonderful world of book binding, I made this notebook. It contains 30 pages and is 15x9cm in size. The spine is bound with Japanese stab binding (or Japanese side stitch). The interior of front and back covers is lined with paper salvaged from an envelope.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-33531844098659903952011-09-14T07:51:00.000+02:002011-09-14T07:51:00.388+02:00

This mini album contains 12 miniature paintings. The album is 7.5x7.5cm with fabric covered covers and a ribbon for closure. The interior pages are 7x7cm and are folded from one larger page. Every page has a small painting of 5x5cm.   Here you can see the paintings in detail. Clicking on them to see them bigger.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-23500017121790814362011-09-13T08:00:00.000+02:002011-09-13T08:19:19.383+02:00

Going on with small bookbinding projects I made a mini album. The size is 7.5x7.5cm and the cardboard covers are covered with fabric. The fabric is sewn to the covers as well as a ribbon, which is used to close the album.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-34589515087268471762011-09-09T19:15:00.000+02:002011-09-09T19:15:01.127+02:00

Following the design of the coin purse earlier this week, I bound a 14 x 9 cm notebook. Front: Back: The notebook has 40 pages.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-58186611642940932282011-09-07T18:55:00.000+02:002011-09-07T18:55:00.153+02:00

  17x12cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-62354665743707239152011-09-05T19:05:00.000+02:002011-09-05T19:05:00.609+02:00

Similar to the milk carton coin purse, I made this recycled coin purse. The cardboard outside has a nice look in combination with the grommets and the black elastic band.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-56309681230827075442011-09-01T16:40:00.000+02:002011-09-01T16:40:00.197+02:00

As you already know, I am the proud owner of an Android 10 inch tablet.  Having the tablet on your lap or the table without support is not the best, as you don’t have the best position / viewing angle for reading or watching a movie. Instead of buying a plastic stand with exorbitant pricing I found the perfect tablet stand: This ultramodern design stand has two configurations. The first one is

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-61801827059298632402011-08-31T13:45:00.000+02:002011-08-31T13:45:00.756+02:00

  12x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-33646222121259397172011-08-26T19:19:00.001+02:002011-08-26T19:41:13.662+02:00

For some fast picking on a ukulele you might need a pick. Felt picks are pretty common, but not all music stores have them. You can make your own felt picks with only two ingredients: Self-adhering felt and some plastic. I used felt meant to protect furniture and the plastic of a drain cleaner bottle (thoroughly washing it with water). Later I tried also the plastic of a transparent printer foil

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-42140988857419352372011-08-24T17:01:00.000+02:002011-08-24T17:06:59.957+02:00

  12x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-11126222494703952852011-08-17T21:21:00.000+02:002011-08-17T21:21:00.087+02:00

Today I am going to show you the steps of making a watercolor painting. First of all I start off deciding what to paint. Here I will paint an artichoke. I decided to use yellow, different shades of green, green-blue, violet and grey-blue. Taking my favorite artichoke, I do a rough pencil sketch. The basic color is going to be yellow. Adding light green I start to define a bit more the

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-79536253700286772362011-08-10T09:55:00.000+02:002011-08-10T09:55:00.782+02:00

This one is for framing and putting on a wall. A seashell painted after a real-life seashell found at the beach of Peñiscula. 24x17cm watercolor on paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-69482442473618478692011-08-07T21:50:00.001+02:002011-08-26T19:39:59.729+02:00

I got myself a Spongebob pineapple style Ukulele, which is not a high quality instrument (putting some good strings on it helped somewhat), but it is a cheap instrument you wont be afraid to hand it to someone else or lug it around. The gigbag that came with the Spongebob Ukulele was very flimsy, so I decided to make a padded gigbag for it. This is the result: The bag has a front pouch and a

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-14880269203348791602011-08-03T09:50:00.000+02:002011-08-03T09:50:00.314+02:00

Due to temporal summer heat induced insanity I present you the Ukulele playing cat. 17x12cm Watercolor on Paper

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-75864545914551510812011-07-30T10:07:00.000+02:002011-07-30T10:07:00.530+02:00

Summertime is traveltime. Why not take a notebook with you to the exotic mysterious places you visit? Pardon me, you do not have a notebook? Lets make one! First of all you have to cut the pages for the notebook. I am aiming for a 14x9cm notebook, so I cut 30 pages of 14x18cm. Fold the pages in half and group them to 6 signatures of 5 pages each. Make a hole guide for stitching the pages. I just

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-54079257139682469512011-07-27T09:24:00.000+02:002011-07-27T09:24:00.927+02:00

On my task of watercolor research I scored a set of washable felt markers at the dollar store the other day. Carioca seems to be a real brand of fine italian art supplies. So this is a little test run for the markers. The color of the markers runs more easy than you might think. When you wet the paper at first it looks like nothing happens, but after a little while the colors are starting to

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-11076478298750781922011-07-23T09:47:00.000+02:002011-07-23T09:49:26.437+02:00

This is just for documentation purposes. I had to throw together rather fast a pouch for a friend, so I couldn’t take more notes for a tutorial. The good news is, that I was asked for another one, so most likely I am going to publish a tutorial on it.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-83393941283971777742011-07-20T22:38:00.000+02:002011-07-20T22:38:00.961+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-35428116563505228072011-07-18T07:35:00.000+02:002011-07-18T07:35:01.622+02:00

This are two patchwork gift ideas for kids. The first ball is a Patchwork Puzzle Ball and you can find a tutorial at Thimble. The second one is a simple Patchwork Ball, consisting of 12 pentagons. A tutorial can be found at Ihanna.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-67328187425604592212011-07-13T09:02:00.000+02:002011-07-13T09:02:01.002+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-15966559463242551972011-07-11T21:08:00.001+02:002011-07-11T21:08:52.717+02:00

A fun short project to make decorative things to hang on your wall or window. For this you only need two long wood skewers and scraps of wool. By wrapping the wool around the skewers you get these colorful “Ojos de Dios” (or as I prefer to call them “Lid for Russell’s Teapot”).       

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-21255895140825906392011-07-06T08:59:00.001+02:002011-07-06T08:59:00.524+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-80449807231935745522011-06-30T22:22:00.001+02:002011-06-30T22:22:16.583+02:00

It’s time again to try out some recycling. How about making a billfold wallet. For this we use a heavy plastic packaging, like a cat food bag. Don’t forget to clean it thoroughly or you’ll hava a lot of cats following you… Lets go. I cut 4 pieces of the bag. Now I fold over one edge about 1 cm and sew it in place. Now I laid 3 of the pieces over each other with about 1.5 cm offset. I have sewn

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-73826998404959253472011-06-29T08:21:00.000+02:002011-06-29T08:21:00.511+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-26706952815186454782011-06-22T08:19:00.000+02:002011-06-22T08:19:00.294+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-50441644309332601172011-06-21T19:24:00.001+02:002011-06-21T19:24:47.223+02:00

Her is a short tutorial for a didgeridoo bag. We recently purchased a bamboo didgeridoo without an appropriate transport bag. Crafters to the rescue! Lets make an awesome bag that no one else has. Step 1: Cutting the fabric Here I cut a fabric piece of 132x32 cm for a 120 cm long didgeridoo. A heavy fabric does just fine. Step 2: Add some loops Later we want to attach some kind of handle or

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-56197051430705001532011-06-15T08:18:00.000+02:002011-06-15T08:18:00.323+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-11895997212744680892011-06-13T09:13:00.001+02:002011-06-13T09:13:49.720+02:00

Summertime is coming and what is better to celebrate the sunny season with a cool tie dyed shirt. Here are the shirts I dyed at the last crafty Sunday craft-a-long. A tutorial for doing the spiral pattern can be found here:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-9303942243514249502011-06-08T08:22:00.000+02:002011-06-08T08:22:00.682+02:00

This is a view of the Illes Medes from the beach of Pals. As a bonus I give you today two apples:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-30597059699076993102011-06-06T08:35:00.000+02:002011-06-06T08:35:00.491+02:00

In this project you can use fabric scraps and recycle cardboard boxes. Similar to the project over at flax & twine I used cereal boxes and print out letters to make the “ABC” as 5x5cm tiles.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-33873723963301829902011-06-01T08:15:00.001+02:002011-06-01T08:15:00.190+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-72083395756370371692011-05-30T08:23:00.000+02:002011-05-30T08:32:34.506+02:00

Foxflat shared the pattern for the “Osoberry Bag” at her blog. This is my take on it. I used also a combination of plain and heavily patterned fabrics. On the front I added button for easy closing. I added a zippered pouch on the inside of the bag, which makes it a bit different from the original pattern. Surprisingly this was a very fast project, which only took two evenings.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-79562039105212293042011-05-25T08:14:00.000+02:002011-05-25T08:14:00.108+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-17456462302749027632011-05-18T07:30:00.000+02:002011-05-18T07:30:01.273+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-84537712806473763452011-05-14T08:04:00.000+02:002011-05-14T08:04:00.179+02:00

Out of the second edition of craft night with friends come this glass jars for tealights. The first is adorned with polymer clay in a floral pattern. The second, more simple one, has also polymer clay on it. And the third is very simple. Just added a crafting wire pendant with glass pearls to the rim.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-63745914677794477452011-05-11T19:28:00.000+02:002011-05-11T19:28:00.447+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-33241376780101931922011-05-07T07:35:00.000+02:002011-05-07T07:35:00.132+02:00

Back in the day I bought a rather large watercolor block. The paper (even though high weight) was not of the best quality, so I didn’t use it as much. So I decided to convert this block in a small watercolor notebook for fast sketches. Here is the block: I cut the pages down to 4 smaller pages each with 12 x 17 cm. With a corner punch I rounded off two corners. For this sketchbook I prepared 20

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-25086004418850411152011-05-04T08:42:00.000+02:002011-05-04T08:42:00.575+02:00

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-48863647496492947712011-04-29T08:00:00.000+02:002011-04-29T08:00:14.442+02:00

This is a decorative birds nest you can easily make out of some wool and fabric scraps. A tutorial for the nest can be found at Carolyns Homework Blog. Very important is also the recipe for the papier-mâché glue, which worked surprisingly well.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-3626636022847928772011-04-27T08:33:00.001+02:002011-04-27T08:33:00.466+02:00

Inspired by this watercoloring tutorial.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-81065602459444841612011-04-25T07:49:00.000+02:002011-04-25T07:49:00.431+02:00

After the successful start of the Twitter representation of this blog we move on to another popular platform: Facebook. Visit the page, become a friend by clicking the “Like” button! [Link]

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-49423678229806316142011-04-23T20:16:00.000+02:002011-04-23T20:16:00.833+02:00

Have an eraser, a knife and paint laying around? Why not carve  some stamps? Here are two stamps I made lately:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-64707812260170553092011-04-20T09:36:00.000+02:002011-04-20T09:36:00.371+02:00

Similar to last week I present you another watercolor sketch of a city. This one is Cadaques. Click image to enlarge.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-52936332800557527812011-04-15T08:15:00.001+02:002011-04-15T15:38:53.481+02:00

If you follow this blog, you might have seen it already here that I  already made a laptop/netbook sleeve. Now I reproduced this design for a friend and this is what came out:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-72868663315635538392011-04-13T20:48:00.000+02:002011-04-13T20:48:00.727+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-34747645636981070352011-04-11T20:28:00.001+02:002011-04-11T20:28:07.450+02:00

Just in! You can follow the activities on this blog now via twitter! Click on the Twitter symbol to get to the feed:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-80071639655824816292011-04-10T19:26:00.000+02:002011-04-10T19:26:00.271+02:00

Last Sunday we had a a crafting event at home, where we made stuffed felt owls. This one is the one I made: And here is a watercolor portrait of the owl I made the day after the crafting.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-13879891032716830932011-04-06T20:46:00.000+02:002011-04-06T20:46:00.270+02:00

  Bonus for today: Scribbles

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-31809251128259750682011-04-04T08:35:00.000+02:002011-04-04T08:35:01.181+02:00

I came up with a sleeve for the recently purchased Android tablet. The sleeve is padded and has a pouch on the front to put the USB cable and a cloth in. The cloth is very important to get rid off the inevitable fingerprints. Front pouch and tablet compartment are closed with the same button.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-90355609685386623852011-03-30T20:43:00.000+02:002011-03-30T20:43:00.333+02:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-88670226323672190462011-03-28T08:30:00.000+02:002011-03-28T08:31:02.123+02:00

I had a few button up shirts laying around which I wasn’t wearing anymore. So I cut them up and used the fabric to make a quilt out of them. The dimensions are 114 x 93 cm.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-4376706079102697882011-03-23T19:42:00.000+01:002011-03-23T19:42:00.437+01:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-84007643971967573502011-03-16T19:40:00.000+01:002011-03-16T19:40:00.961+01:00

 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-8926023316051868452011-03-15T08:26:00.001+01:002011-03-15T08:26:20.353+01:00

As you might know, I do not put a lot of things in this blogs, which are not generated by me (mainly because I use this blog as my productivity log). But last week I was participating in the Lifehacker Night School for digital painting. I would like to recommend this course of 5 short lessons for beginners of digital design. So, get out your graphic tablets and get going: Lesson 1: Get Started

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-7070577689136632202011-03-09T08:18:00.000+01:002011-03-09T08:18:00.728+01:00

Since the beginning of the watercolor experiment, I am drawing apples. Every time that I don’t know what to paint: Apples. 

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-63149262235651500812011-03-04T09:30:00.000+01:002011-03-04T09:30:01.923+01:00

One nice project you can do with old road maps: Weave a basket. I made a tall one. Maybe I put a glass in it and use it as a vase… A tutorial can be found here.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-84102513257513172202011-03-02T08:14:00.000+01:002011-03-02T08:14:00.646+01:00

To make more sketches and watercolor paintings I used our cat today. Really hard to sketch when he is not asleep.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-9546508769807017572011-02-25T19:33:00.000+01:002011-02-25T19:38:39.303+01:00

In an effort to get started on the sewing machine I made this reversible doll. The sewing pattern is my own. The doll can be turned inside out, which also gives the possibility to use it as a hand puppet.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-22983543980682197562011-02-23T08:10:00.000+01:002011-02-23T08:10:01.928+01:00

Without much ado, a watercolor beach scene:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-57779672706754114142011-02-16T08:01:00.000+01:002011-02-16T08:01:00.203+01:00

And suddenly, a pipe smoking cat:

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-2883203747747164612011-02-10T07:53:00.000+01:002011-02-10T07:59:31.181+01:00

I skipped the Watercolor Wednesday this week. But don’t be afraid, you’ll get your weekly watercolor dose. Again I sketched and colored statues I found on a Google image search.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-71787255864276211672011-02-09T08:29:00.000+01:002011-02-09T08:29:00.511+01:00

On my mission of upcycling/recycling I came across the Nespresso coffee capsules.I collected some which I cleaned out and didn’t really know what to do with them. Finally I integrated the capsule in these brooches which contain a material mixture of felt, wool and glass.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-83703350134633229052011-02-04T08:08:00.000+01:002011-02-04T08:08:00.418+01:00

Hello there! I report in with another upcycling project. Out of the old t-shirt pile I am going to make today a no sew t-shirt scarf. 1. Lay the shirt flat out. 2. Cut off the bottom seem and the top part. 3. Cut the shirt into stripes about 1-2 cm in width. Leave the stripes connected on one side. 4. Stretch the strips. In my example some strips broke while doing this, because the shirt had

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-21883613702338658012011-02-02T08:22:00.000+01:002011-02-02T08:22:00.295+01:00

One of the complicated things requiring skill and practice is sketching. As a practice I tried to paint some statues. Definitely I have to sketch more to get a bit better.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597532580078623835.post-77595672759326651202011-01-30T11:13:00.001+01:002011-01-30T11:13:02.149+01:00

Oh happy day! The Figaflors I Braves headquarter was filled with joy when this blog was featured on Noemozica’s “Noemozica & her stuff”. Jump over there and enjoy her blog. Click here for the Google translated version.

Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884318637445398544noreply@blogger.com0