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Posts Tagged ‘diy wednesday’
    
I’m sure all of us have gifts lying around the office or house that, well… don’t really suit our taste. For us it was these notepad holders which were given to us by a printing company with their logo and address imprinted onto its back. Not wanting to see anything go to waste, we decided to take a break from sorting the mountain of new orders, and set off on a mission to make these boxes look good. Some spray paint and a few colored Sharpies later, and look at how adorable those once-upon-a-ghastly (sorry dear printing company!) notepad holders turned out to be!
So if you’re looking to make use of something old, there’s nothing some paint and Sharpies can’t fix. Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gin & jacqie, kids, mommy stuff
Posted in he says she says / No Comments »
During the weekend, I couldn’t help but pop by Daiso for that quick fix of crafting materials. I spotted some foam-based A4 cases in our favorite colors, and picked them up with a customization idea in my head. Upon rushing home, I whipped up one of the above for each of the girls in the office, and can’t wait to give it to them!
Here’s what you need to make your own customized name A4 foam case:
1. A plain foam case from Daiso (they have quite a great variety of colors!)
2. Styling tape that’s generally used as draping markers on mannequins
3. A needle and thread
4. A fabric chalk
If you’re a newbie in sewing, don’t fret… this one’s a pretty easy starter to the fun of sewing, and if you’re really afraid to try, then you can opt for a glue gun to assist with the work instead. I didn’t want to use glue for fear of smudges, and I do find sewing rather therapeutic (although I did bleed from a needle wound on one of the girls’ case, but I hid it well enough that they’ll never know ;p). You can purchase styling tape – also available in an assortment of colors – at any haberdashery.
  
First, draw a draft of your font on an A4 piece of paper. Once you’re satisfied with your layout, draw the same onto the case itself with a fabric chalk. Pin the styling tape all through the design (you can also use regular cello tape for this because the foam case tends to run even when pinned), and just hand stitch your styling tape over the lines with a matching color thread. I wasn’t planning on using buttons, but since two names in the team (excluding mine) included ‘i’s', I decided to adorn theirs with some gorgeous fabric buttons I had purchased from Hong Kong.
And that’s about it! You can use this idea on baby onesies for those adorable customized shower gifts, or even on your man’s tees for that added love, or even better, on one of our Tom the tote as party packs for kids and adults alike! Of course, a Sharpie could be as easily used to draw designs right onto any of the above, but I like having textures on my things… it just feels so right. ‘Til next Wednesday, happy DIYing!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, gin & jacqie, kids, mommy stuff, party ideas
Posted in handbags & gladrags, in the bag, you say i say / 2 Comments »
 
Here’s a little DIY project you can do to spruce up those names cards you have clouding up your office desk. First, arm yourself with some clothes pegs, a few pieces of Jenga blocks (we used the leftovers of the Tesco set from our Ikea lamp hack), spray paint, and superglue. Next, spray paint your blocks and clothes pegs. Once dry, stick the clothes pegs on the blocks one by one. This part requires three must-follow rules: a) DO NOT stick the clothes pegs together before sticking them onto the blocks, b) leave a sliver of a gap between each clothes peg, and c) only superglue one leg of each clothes peg onto the blocks. All the above mentioned will ensure that your clothes pegs can still be pinched open for easy insertion of name cards. When the glue dries, glue another block on the other side of the holder to sandwich the clothes pegs between both blocks.
And you’re done!!! This is a great way to display your name cards, as well as use as a reminder to call suppliers or customers on particularly busy days. For travelers who are always looking for a better way to store their name cards, you should check out our Alex Passport Holder for convenient organization.
Unicorn rides, however, are available for purchase over at Groupon Malaysia. Have a great DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gin & jacqie, handmade, local loves
Posted in handbags & gladrags, local loves / No Comments »
    
Here at Gin & Jacqie, we’re all about ease and convenience. Which makes this handy dandy project all the more fun! Based on stuff we found around the office – white tack, cork boards from Ikea that we bought for our coffee pots, and colored pins – we created a pattern of dots that is functionable and suits our company identity (in case you haven’t realized, dots are our thing ;p).
Oh, how we adore decorating the office space with a little DIY!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, kids, mommy stuff
Posted in little loves, you say i say / No Comments »
Bored of your mundane pen holders? Need to add some colors and new life to your old bottles? Here’s a way so easy you won’t be able to say you’re too busy to try. Seriously. All you’ll need are some bottles, and some circled stickers made for office labeling. You can get the stickers at any stationery store in a variety of colors.
    
Just pull the labels off your bottles, place the stickers onto them in any pattern you’d like, and there you have it: dotted bottles to brighten your desk! This is also a great project to entertain your crafty kids with. Just make sure you give them plastic bottles to prevent from any potential breakage!
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, handmade, kids
Posted in handbags & gladrags, you say i say / No Comments »
Today’s DIY project is one that’s been floating around Pinterest with much love and quirk, and rightfully so. What started out as a presumably tedious task of bending wires and rolling yarn turned out to be quite fun. I actually tried to give this project a twist (haha) by making a letter holder. However, due to my inability to comprehend the dissatisfaction in the wire being manipulated into play a letter holder, that project was a complete failure and will have to be tackled another week.
But back to the simpler things.
The materials required are yarn (you can create an ombre look with a few colors combined, but I opted for a textured pink), soft wire (the thickness depends on your patience in having to bend them into shape), a pair of pliers, as well as a printout of your word or text just to make it easier for you to shape it. It doesn’t have to replicate the printout exactly, just use it as a guide towards forming your lines.
Start by forming your word according to your printout. I decided to make one for Jacqie to brighten up her office. Make sure that you pick or draft out a word or text that is cursive, just for the sake of creating smooth connections between the alphabets for your wires to join together.
Next, roll the yarn around and around the wires. Again, the thickness is up to you. I wanted mine to be a solid form, so I went around the wires quite a few times, doubling up the yarn as I went along. Just an fyi, these yarns could be purchased at any haberdashery, but I purchased mine from Czip Lee.
And that’s it! Two steps and you’re done and have become the proud owner of fluffy, adorable, customized typography! There’s quite a few possibilities on how you’d like to display your results; Jacqie wore hers as a necklace before it went up on the office wall, and it really made such a great statement piece. This is also the perfect way to decorate your child’s bedroom with their names.
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, handmade
Posted in he says she says / No Comments »
      
One of the easiest ways to entertain a child’s curiosity is to give them sensory projects to learn with. Because my daughter loves painting, and I love non-messes, this freezer bag painting sensory exercise was the perfect compromise. All we needed were some ziplock bags which can be purchased at any supermarket (the ones pictured above are from Daiso, as usual!), an assortment of paints (I used acrylics for thickness but watercolors or poster colors are fine), and blue tack or any tape to stick the bags onto the window.
All you’ll have to do is prepare the bags, fill each of them with a little paint, and stick them to any brightly lit window for that pop of color. Now, most parents do this with at least a combination of two colors in a bag so that their kids can learn the process of combining colors. My daughter, however, has this thing about splitting colors up. So our bags were filled with one color each  Once all the bags are stuck onto the window, just sit back and watch your kid finger paint without the mess! And if you’d like to get in on the fun, these bags against a clear window with the background of any scenery make amazing photographs for that Instagram addiction of yours ;p
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, kids, mommy stuff
Posted in handbags & gladrags, little loves, you say i say / No Comments »
On Christmas day, the toddler and I made some easy peasy snow globes with things we found around the house. These are relatively mess-free, and require no actual skill but the ability to maintain composure when superglue leaks all over your hands… I failed tremendously, and now have two completely white and stiffened palms as well-earned “scars”.
All you’ll need are some small toys, some jars (could be mason jars, could be recycled baby food jars, it depends on the size of your chosen ornaments… I used Ikea seasoning jars because they’re the ideal size for my toddler to hold), colored glitter, superglue, and general purpose silicone.
   
Begin with carefully applying superglue onto the bottom of your toy, then sticking it onto the inner middle of your jar cover. While the glue dries, sprinkle some glitter into the empty jar. I used a mix of green, red, and gold glitter. Try not to put too much glitter into the jar, otherwise you’ll end up with a very cloudy globe. Once that is done, pour water into the jar (you can also pour a little baby oil into it for a slower “snow fall” effect), leaving about half an inch of empty space to give room for better shaking, as well as to insert the cover and toy in without overflowing. Put the cover on, and tighten the lid carefully. Try shaking your snow globe; if it leaks by a little (usually barely a drop), take the sealant and trim the edges around your lid. The silicone takes quite some time to dry.
   
Our snow globes turned out very bright and vibrant (not to mention a tad too green thanks to the toddler going crazy with the green glitter), but otherwise perfect! These will also make really creative souvenir for parties, given the right theme. Of course, there are far more delicately planned DIYs for snow globes out there, and here are three of our favorite ones: Creative Mama’s Gift Card Snow Globe, Our Best Bites’ Photograph Snow Globes, and Bakerella’s Coca-cola Cupcake Snow Globes. Enjoy, enjoy!!!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, kids, mommy stuff, party ideas
Posted in little loves, you say i say / 1 Comment »
Yes, our DIY posts normally fall on Wednesdays and today is Monday, but since Christmas is our favorite time of the year, we actually got carried away with DIY craft projects! So here’s an additional one for this week, just because it’s only Christmas Eve and there’s still time for one more project! My 2yo and I were looking at ways to customize our tree decorations, and decided to make some Santa ornaments out of handprints. With some art block, red and white non-toxic watercolors, cotton balls and cotton sheets, and glue, we had such fun starting an entire factory of Santa handprints!
  
Use your child’s handprint as the base of your Santa figure. Once the red paint has dried, have your child paint Santa’s face out in the form of a rough circle. Then use the same red paint and paint over the top of Santa’s head so that it covers over as his hat. Paint white stripes over each arm and leg for costume detail, and draw eyes with a basic black pen. Lastly, glue the cotton ball onto the tip of his hat, and fold the cotton sheet into a triangle to be glued as his beard. Cut around your Santa figure, and punch a hole on the top of his head to insert a ribbon or thread. After that, all that’s left to do is hang your kid’s Santa handprints up with pride!
These would also make adorable gift tags as well as Christmas greeting cards. Have fun!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, handmade, kids, love, mommy stuff, party ideas
Posted in little loves, you say i say / No Comments »
If you’re stuck at home with a hyper toddler on a long school break, then this crafty project will keep them entertained, if only for less than an hour. All you’ll need are some blank wrapping papers (or in my case, I used brown A3 sized envelopes because I’m a lazy gift wrapper), some watercolor, and your child’s adorable thumb. These materials will help you create your very own reindeer wrapping paper/parcel.
   
Simply ask your kids to stamp irregular dots with their thumbs and some brown watercolor, creating a neat pattern as they go along. Once done and the dots have dried, paint antlers onto them. Use the back tip of a thin brush and dot eyes and a red nose onto each thumbprint. Don’t worry if your kids make a little bit of a mess with the stamping… it is, after all, their project. If you’re using an envelope like me, just put your gift in, fold the opening down twice, punch two holes, and pull a fancy ribbon through them to form a bow. And there you have it, a truly delightful and adorable reindeer print on a thoughtfully packaged gift! You can do the same to create a snowman print, or even a simple Christmas ornaments print.
We’ve wrapped grandma’s present in our reindeer parcel, and we’re pretty sure she’s going to love the thumb printed reindeers more than the gift itself ;p
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, handmade, kids, mommy stuff, prints
Posted in little loves, you say i say / No Comments »
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