Cucumbersome » inspiration

Japanese Masking Tape + Eva

britt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:47:47 +0000

Looking for a reason to buy some (more) Japanese masking tape? Yeah, me too. I covered these tiny binder clips with some of the tape and they are pretty adorable. Almost makes me want to get organized. Almost. Maybe these would help, too:

These clothes pins made by Whitney of Whisker Graphics remind me of ones by SusyJack. Whitney also used the tape to label her files.
The very clever Merilee of Mer Mag made these great invites:

And while we’re on the subject of garlands:

These decorations from Project Wedding (they have great party ideas even if you’re not getting married) use the tape for the little flags and place settings. I love that color combination.
And last but not least:

Holly of Decor8 had the idea to make a simple border on a picture frame. It really suits that photo, doesn’t it?
So if you were looking for ideas to justify purchasing some beautiful masking tape, there you go. I bought mine through Origamisan who had good prices and was willing to make custom combinations.
In other, bittersweet news: my laptop has bit the dust. It has served me well (*moment of silence*). But I have found comfort in my brand new MacBook! It’s so beautiful… and fast. It will be much easier for me to post now. I do sort of feel like I have deserted Wall-E for Eva, though. That may be a dorky reference, but I seriously loved that movie.

A Two-Part Plan

britt — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:46:32 +0000

My ideas are often a little too grandiose for my skill set. Seriously. I have these projects stuck in my head, and no clue how to follow through. Instead of taking the time to learn, I tend to run ahead to the next project, leaving behind a messy path of tools and supplies. Not good (especially in a tiny apartment - I wasn’t kidding about the messy part).
I have a two-part plan. Part one: organize. Part two: learn some real skills. Part one has been sort of dull, just sorting my woven fabrics from my knits and that kind of thing. I’ll spare you the details. Part two is definitely more Cucumbersome-relevant. Right now, I am tackling the intimidating art of sewing with stretch fabrics, with the help of the book Sew U Home Stretch. Turns out it is not all that scary, and I will be sharing some of the results with you soon.
So while I’m reading books, drafting patterns, and separating grommets from studs, feel free to peruse the gorgeous photos in my flickr favorites (shown above). I’ll be back very soon with some projects. Completed projects.

Humble Materials, Flawless Execution

britt — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:36:02 +0000

These gorgeous necklaces by Lauren Manoogian taunt me. Yes, they are made out of paperclips and tape (maybe even this tape?). But there is a huge chance that a DIY attempt will end up looking like a kindergarten project. Those colors are so perfect. Moving on.

These items by Marion Vidal led to a similar I-could-totally-do-that moment. Such simple materials with obvious construction. Yet again I have decided to leave well enough alone. The beauty of these bracelets and necklaces is in the subtle proportions and tones.
I was incredibly relieved to find this necklace project (shown below) that is refined and completely do-it-yourself-able on Park & Cube, inspired by this tutorial. Hurray!

P.S. It’s our second anniversary today! I can’t believe we’ve been married two whole years already. We had a beautiful pre-anniversary weekend up in Whistler and had the best meal ever at Araxi. Happy Anniversary, Ryan!

Promises Like Piecrust

britt — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:08:33 +0000

These illustrations by Maaret of Visual Notes make me so happy. They’re inspired by a song called “Promises Like Piecrust“. Aren’t they charming?

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

britt — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:00:11 +0000

Loving SSWTR’s take on iconic handbags - each one is stripped down to the essence of the original in shape and hardware, and sewn in plain muslin or twill. From the site: “Through this process, the hi- fashion designer bag becomes a lo-fi object sketch and consequently an alternate icon of itself.”
Inspired by: 1. Dior bag; 2. Hermes Birkin bag; 3. Chanel bag. The fourth one shown is the Ultimate bag - a hybrid of elements from Dior, Chanel, Gucci and Balenciaga.

Eleven Inspiring Ideas for Your Home

britt — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:05:52 +0000

1.Chalkboard drawers, LivingEtc, via Perfectbound; 2/3. Two cheap runners = One great rug, by Elsie Marley, via Perfectbound; 4. Sheet metal table, by Design Mom

5. Linen tin cover, by Elsie Marley, via Each Penny Pretty; 6. Paper-covered magnetic board, Martha Stewart, via Creature Comforts; 7. Numbered Glasses, Martha Stewart; 8. Button Magnets, Martha Stewart [these would also be good as thumbtacks]

9. Ikea Hack, Penny People Designs; 10.Aalto-ize your Ikea Frösta stool, by Martha and Tom; 11. Fabric-covered knobs, A Field Journal

Some of these are from a little while back. I’ve been collecting them and storing them away in bookmarks and emails to myself, for a rainy day. It’s actually beautiful weather, but lately I have been feeling rainy, creativity-wise. Putting this post together has got me thinking about all sorts of things I want to do. Thank you to everyone who shared their great ideas!
Do you know of any other good tutorials for the home?

DIY Headbands by Heart of Light

britt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:28:39 +0000

Ruffle headband tutorial

Quick braided headband

Knotted headband tutorial
All these beautiful headbands were created by Rachel of Heart of Light. The top one looks like something you would pay $40 for at Anthro or J Crew. I love it.
via For Me, For You

Just want to say that I have posted a few of my tutorials on Instructables including a variation on my recycled t-shirt necklace. You can see them here, and even download the PDFs, if you are so inclined.

Toile, Two Ways

britt — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:29:22 +0000

Left: Urban Outfitters. Right: Mine.
Eerie. I just posted my pillow last week, and UO just listed their version. I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought that Arren’s idea was worth replicating. The collective consciousness at work?

Light-It-Yourself

britt — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:33:45 +0000

I was flipping through Readymade’s book How to Make (Almost) Everything and came across the project pictured above. I love that it uses recycled material, but looks really modern. The instructions can be found here but if you don’t have the book, I highly recommend buying it.

This is another lighting project from Readymade magazine, created by Jean Pelle.
These two are my favorite, but here are some other really unique DIY lighting projects:
Plastic bottle chandelier by Michelle Brand: Inhabitat
Bic ball point pen chandelier: Inhabitat
Wine Glass chandelier: Readymade
Light string globes: Curbly
CD jewel case chandelier: Ecofriend
Part of me just wants to hang a single edison lightbulb but our apartment isn’t architecturally interesting enough. It seems like bare bulbs only work with gorgeous hardwood floors, exposed brick and beams. Like this, actually:

Anyone else have ideas for recycled and/or DIY lighting?

Toile de Jouy

britt — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:39:05 +0000

Toile. I think it’s one of my favorite words. Twahhl. The fabric can be rather matronly, though. A few months ago, I saw a toile pillow in an article on the Canadian House & Home website featuring Canadian bloggers (article has since been removed). It was in a really great shot of Arren Williams’ home, and said pillow looked like as if it had been colored in with highlighters. Very tongue-in-cheek. You can see the photo here, on Arren’s blog (scroll down). I emailed him to find the picture, and he told me that he had used highlighters. Fantastic.

I had bought half a meter of toile from Chintz & Company. So I got some highlighters and set to work. Coloring is very soothing, by the way. I was worried about filling it in too much, but I can always add to it. Here it is on our sofa:

I’m working on another (different) pillow but I think it goes quite well with the print we have above the sofa. The print is by Jessica Ritter and it’s called “Beneath the Surface”. We got a great deal on the Gus Modern sofa. It was the floor model at Koolhaus. Our apartment is still feeling a little sparse but Ryan and I are making a coffee table (more on that later), and I’ve been looking for some sort of rug.

Thanks to Arren for the great idea!