DIY personalized phone cover

22 July 2013

We’re taking a break from the food posts this week and doing a DIY! (:

To be honest, I’ve had this planned out for awhile now. In my head, that is.

Soon after I got my spankin’ new smartphone, I purchased an inexpensive transparent plastic phone cover from one of the shops along the street with grand plans to turn it into a DIY.

So several months later, I finally got round to doing it. I mean, you need to save these kinda things for summer break, right? (But now that summer break is over and summer school is underway, I’m actually getting around to blogging about it. It’s one of those things, you know.)

But my procrastination aside, my guesstimate tells me that including the printing and cutting, this DIY took less than hour from start to finish. Super simple. Which I totally love.

Supplies:

Plastic transparent phone cover
Patterned paper
Cutting mat
Pen knife
Scissors
This template
Pencil + eraser
Inks + embellishments

I started by printing this template from Google images. I opened the image in Powerpoint, resized and test-printed it a couple of times before getting a size that fit the cover. (I’m sure there’s a less trial-and-error method to get this done, but this method worked for the non-techy girl.) The size that I eventually settled on was 14.4cm by 9.08cm. Then I cut out the template and measured it against the cover to ensure that everything was fitting right. Just a note: I printed the template on regular printing paper, but I would recommend printing on thicker paper like cardstock so it is easier to trace later on.

I have plenty of 6×6 paper pads so I picked my favorite patterns and simply traced and cut them out. I used Dear Lizzy’s older Neapolitan and 5th and Frolic collections. The turquoise paper from 5th and Frolic is a little thicker than the Neapolitan ice-cream cones patterned paper, so it was a little harder getting that into the case. Learning from this, I would definitely pick paper that isn’t too stiff, which would affect the fit of the paper in the case.

For the ice-cream cones, I stamped a sentiment from Amy Tangerine’s Sketchbook clear stamps with Hero Arts neon pink ink, and inked the edges with Versacolor’s mint. For the other turquoise one, I simply included a sticker from Dear Lizzy’s Neapolitan accent and phrase sticker book.

As a girl who loves variety, I love that I can exchange the patterns whenever I feel like it and have endless options to choose from. This is definitely one way to enjoy all the patterned papers I love on a daily basis.

4 down, 17 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

Adelia Makes // an introduction

21 May 2013

Today, I’m really excited to introduce a new series called Adelia Makes, featuring my very own little sister!

If you know us in real life, you’ll know that Adelia and I are total opposites (as I hear some siblings are). She climbs mountains while I make stuff and go shopping. She makes gourmet recipes while I zero in on fast, easy recipes. She takes the time and effort to do things to perfection while I usually just get it done and hope for the best.

And ~~maybe~~ probably I’m a little biased, but this girl is super talented and is capable of seriously amazing things. She bakes and cooks and sews – so this is a little segment featuring all the fun stuff she does.

I’m looking forward to sharing all the interesting things she makes! Stay tuned.

21 projects / DIY ring holder

13 March 2013

I was looking for DIY projects for the 21 list when I stumbled across this DIY ring holder. While I’m really not a big ring wearer, I immediately thought of my friend who was. Funny thing was that she was just telling me the other day that she needed a way to store her ring collection. So this was pretty perfect (:

I just followed the comprehensive instructions on this super easy DIY and it came together in a flash.

I covered a box with patterned paper just to pretty it up and covered the edges with washi tape. The only step I skipped from the original DIY was covering the felt with additional lace or cloth after rolling the felt and gluing them together.

(This is proof of how many rings I have, and even fewer that I actually wear, ha.)

And my sweet friend so kindly sent me a photo of all her rings displayed so nicely in the box.

Easy, practical DIYs are always a plus, for sure.
2 down, 19 to go.

21 projects / DIY washi tape keyboard

17 January 2013

I was looking around on the Internet when I spotted this pretty washi tape-covered keyboard. Very quickly, I googled “DIY washi tape keyboard” and had so many links come up on how to make this happen.

Following instructions from Her New Leaf, Karla Dudley, and Design Aglow (which pretty much all say the same thing), I picked out six of my favorite washi tapes and started on this DIY. My keyboard was covered in a couple of hours and I pretty much love the result.

The neat thing about washi tape is that it’s translucent and easily removable so I don’t have to worry about my laptop keys being ruined if/when I decide to take out the tape. And I can still see what letters and symbols are on each key so my typing doesn’t get messed up.

The only step I skipped was cleaning my keyboard with rubbing alcohol because I was (kinda) in a hurry to try this and didn’t have any rubbing alcohol around the house. Instead, I used a brush to clean out any dirt and wiped down my keys with a wet wipe. Also, my keyboard is normally covered by a silicone protector so I figured I could skip the first step. If your keyboard isn’t protected, I’d go ahead with the first step and use rubbing alcohol to get rid of any oil and dirt.

I would definitely recommend snipping the four corners before sticking the washi on because it certainly helps with it adhering to the keys. By the time I got done covering all the keys, some of the first few keys already had the washi tape curling up. So I’m guessing this DIY might not last too long. But I went ahead and put my silicone protector back on my laptop keys. Hopefully, that helps this project to last awhile longer.

Nonetheless, I love the pops of color on my laptop now and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

I love washi tape and I love a good DIY project. If you try this project, let me know how yours turns out!

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

10 January 2013

In these digital times where people type more than they write, and use a stylus more than they use pens, I’m still a pen and paper kinda girl who enjoys writing things down in notebooks and planners. As each year begins, getting to purchase new planners to use for the year ahead is definitely one of my favorite parts about starting a new year. Since planners are such a huge part of my daily life, I decided to share some of my thoughts about planners and what I did for mine this year.

From daily to weekly to monthly pages, there are numerous options for planners/organizers. You can get them from your local stationery shop or customize your own from Etsy. The choices are endless, really, so you have to figure out what works for you. I usually get a daily planner (one day to a page) from my local stationery store. I don’t usually stick to one particular brand or store so I just go with what catches my eye and has an affordable price.

When I first started using planners, I usually got the A5 daily planners. Last year and the year before, I switched things up and got A6 daily planners. This year, I decided to go back to A5 and got my regular daily planner in the larger size from Smiggle. But I also decided to get a smaller A6 weekly planner to carry around. Because I’m at home a lot, the A5-sized daily planner works for me because I don’t have to carry it around much and it has enough room for me to write my daily to-do lists in.

But decorating my planners and making them just a little bit more special might just be my most favorite part.

Those gold foam thickers blow me away and the Dear Lizzy stickers are just too cute for words. And I really do like that gold-misted Studio Calico wood veneer arrow.

I even stuck some washi tape on the inside cover just because.

These planners make me happy and I love using them. How do you plan for the year?

Together, we’re ready to conquer twenty thirteen!
Let’s do this.

Cards and such

27 December 2012

These pictures are long overdue. But as promised, here they are!

While it’s been pretty quiet on the scrap front, I’ve pulled out my supplies for the occasional card for some lovely people every now and then.

So there you have it – handmade cards from this year. I’m looking forward to making more fun things in this coming new year! Should be good (:

P.S. That lovely {amelia}writeshere font is Ali Edwards’ script writing from here! I love it!

Recently.

18 April 2012

Stuff made recently.

Well, relatively recently.

Like a couple weeks ago or so.

Embossed with clear powder.

Glimmer mist, as always (:

I like this picture – makes me happy (:

Completely random, but hey, happy Wednesday!

Heart Garland

15 March 2012

I was inspired by all these garlands/banners on pinterest so I decided it was time to make my own! And to make it even better, I got to use all those yummy Dear Lizzy Neapolitan papers (:

Supplies: Sizzix heart, butterfly die cut; Tattered Angels Mel’s diner, bronze glimmer mist; Cricut script embossing folder; ribbon; Making Memories celery acrylic paint; foam stamps; American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan collection; Studio Calico butterfly masks

It’s so pretty hanging on my door, and I had so much fun making it!

And here’s a couple of close-ups, all in the order that they’re hanging.

I die cut the scalloped hearts with my Sizzix, and embossed them with the Cricut script folder. Then I used Mister Huey’s butterfly masks by Studio Calico, and misted with Mel’s Diner glimmer mist. The rest was just about adding details – stamping with paint, die cut butterflies, and a couple of quotes from pinterest.

I don’t really know if you can tell, but I misted the butterflies with bronze glimmer mist for that little bit of shimmer.

I hope you have fun making your own!

March birthdays

8 March 2012

March is always a busy month of making birthday cards and gifts for friends.

Just thought I’d share the simple projects I made last week. It’s the thought that counts (:

Supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Imaginisce festive blossoms; Tattered Angels decadence chalk mist; My Mind’s Eye patterned paper (I think); Versamagic jumbo java chalk ink; 3D foam dots

Supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock; SEI patterned paper, ribbon; Lily Bee Memorandum collection patterned paper; Happy birthday clear stamp; 3D foam dots; Versamagic white ink

Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper, (I don’t remember what brand I cut the circles out of); Bazzill Basics cardstock; Versamagic black ink

Supplies: 3×3 canvas; Jillibean cardstock stickers; SEI patterned paper; Maya Road sheers, kraft doilies; American Crafts ribbon; Tattered Angels Mallard glimmer mist

Pinwheels again. Yay (:

I think I need to work on making cards ahead of time so I’ll at least have some on hand when I need them! That might be one of my new creative goals.

Thanks for looking!

It’s better to give than to receive

28 December 2011

I think that had to be my mantra for Christmas this year, reminding myself that Christmas is about worshiping Christ the Savior, cherishing the people who matter, and spending time with the people I love.

Now that the presents are unwrapped, and beneath the tree is empty, I’ll share the altered notebooks I made for my friends for Christmas this year! I’m a huge fan of handmade gifts because I think they are so easy to personalize and are usually more meaningful than store-bought ones.

So here they are!

In addition to being a fan of handmade gifts, I’m a huge fan of keeping things simple. And I tried to do that as much as possible with my gifts – baker’s twine, patterned paper, washi + paper tape, transparencies…

I hope they liked them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Happy post Christmas! (: