Owner: zakka life URL:http://www.zakkalife.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:30:23 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A SAHM of two sharing her craft tutorials and tips. Site statistics:Click here
Chicks 2008-03-26 12:23:00 A family friend gave these cute little chicks as an Easter gift to my children. The chicks are glued inside to what looks like green raffia grass. I'm going to hang this somewhere in the children's room. This was such a cute idea, I just had to share it. This would be a great way to package a homemade plush toy. Just an idea.
Read more:Chicks
My Dear Husband 2008-03-31 22:31:00 The picture above is what my husband found here. And yes, he actually ordered it! My response.new yorkerWonder if there's a t-shirt version of this?
Read more:Husband
Be A Superhero Every Night 2008-04-03 23:22:00 I purchased a pair of superhero PJ's for my son and he loved them. Too much in fact, he wanted to where them every night. Well, I wasn't going to buy any more, and I definitely wasn't going to be washing them every day. So using my crafty superpowers, I came up with the idea of sewing Velcro onto his other PJ's. That way he could wear the cape every night. Directions below.*If your child doesn't have a set of these PJ's you could easily make the cape yourself. The cape above is made out of a knit nylon and it's not even hemmed. Click on the picture above for a better view.1. Measure the distance between the Velcro on the cape.2. Using a sticky Velcro ( I purchased it at the dollar store) place it on the back of the shirt(refer to picture). Make sure the distance between the Read more:Superhero
, Night
Scribbit 2008-04-03 23:06:00 Michelle, author of the popular site Scribbit was kind enough to choose Zakka Life as site of the week. Thank you Michelle! If you've never seen her blog before, I highly recommend you check it out. She has an amazing talent when it comes to writing. Scribbit also features contests, guest posts, crafts, and more.
How to Make Miniature Food 2008-04-06 17:01:00 Here's a miniature Pocky box I made. For those who are not familiar with "Pocky" they're like stick shaped biscuits dipped in a strawberry coating (they also come in other flavors). I made this one for my daughter's doll house. These could be made for other things like stickers, embellishments, dioramas, the possibilities are endless. 1. Disassemble the "Pocky" box making sure not to rip it. 2. Scan the flattened box. 3. Scale the box to the desired size (I used Photoshop for this). Print the image. 4. Cut the image out just like the original box. 5. Score all the fold lines with a toothpick. Fold the box up and glue it. Done! And I'll add that this was a hit with my 4 year old. He wanted to play with it right away.
New Crafts Category on Alltop! 2008-04-08 17:26:00 I'm pleased to announce that Alltop (launched by Guy Kawasaki), has added a craft category to it's website! For those not familiar with Alltop, it can be described as a "digital magazine rack for the internet" featuring all the top stories. I'm personally thrilled that the craft community is being acknowledged on such an influential site. So please, show your support and visit Alltop. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can grab one of their new badges for your blog, here.
Read more:Crafts
, Category
Just Add Water 2008-04-07 18:16:00 What you're looking at is a flower made from biodegradable packaging peanuts and a little water, thats all. Here's the story behind how I figured out you could make sculptures out it. For Christmas my son received a box of Play Mais. It occurred to me after playing with the stuff that it had to be colored packaging peanuts. Today, after a short test my suspicions were confirmed, that's exactly what it is!Directions below on how you can make sculptures out of biodegradable packaging peanuts. This is a great project for children of all ages.This is what the biodegradable packaging peanuts look like. Make sure you are using this kind, not the Styrofoam ones.1. Dampen a sponge or paper towel and keep it on a plate.2. Dampen the surface of the peanut by stamping it on the wet sponge.
Giraffe Twine Holder 2008-04-10 15:18:00 Here's a cute way to display/store your string or twine . I'll admit it's not really practical but it's awfully cute!These two giraffes were purchased at Daiso for $1.50. All I did was make a small cut for the mouth with a craft saw. Then all you do is wind the string and have the giraffe's mouth hold it in place. Couldn't be easier.
Read more:Giraffe
, Holder
The Crafty Crow 2008-04-14 01:12:00 Cassi from the lovely blog Bella Dia has just created a new site called "The Crafty
Crow". It's a blog featuring some of the best children's craft ideas on the web. I especially like the "make your own sticker tutorial" which I plan on doing soon.
Make Believe Crown and Ring 2008-04-16 15:31:00 The other day my son said to me, "you're always knitting things for other people and nothing for me." Talk about making me feel guilty because his statement was true after all. I'm usually busy knitting up gifts for other people. So I had to come up with something a boy would like. So there you have it, the crown and ring idea. Directions are below if you want to make one.SuppliesSize US 8 needlesSize US 5 needlestapestry needleacrylic/lurex blend yarn81 stitches = 16 1/2"Crown
PatternWith US 8 needles cast on 2 stitches Row 1: K2Row 2 - 10: yo, knit to endbreak yarn and leave stitches on the needleRepeat this two more times, you will have 3 points (33 stitches)For the center pointCast on two stitchesRow 1: K2Row 2-14: yo, knit to endbreak yarn and leave stitches on the needleMake t
Spam Musubi 101 2008-04-18 18:59:00 Have you ever had spam musubi before? I never had this until I met my husband. But now that I've acquired a taste for it, I'm hooked. So much so that I was craving it last night at 11:30PM. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, "spam, do you know what's in that???" But I swear this food is the best. I've witnessed party guests devour it without knowledge of its ingredients. So, if you're feeling daring or just curious the recipe is below.Ingredients3 cups uncooked rice5-6 sheets or large size nori1 can of spamyoshida sauce (if you can't find this, 2 parts soy sauce 1 part sugar will do)*yields 5 to 6 rollsTo get started you'll also need a spam musubi press/sushi mold. Oh yes, there's a sushi mold made especially for spam musubi. This is serious stuff.1. Cook rice as usual
Cherry Blossom Festival 2008-04-20 21:41:00 We were fortunate enough to attend the CherryBlossomFestival
in San Francisco today. The picture above is a fish from the doll exhibit. My understanding is this fish was made in the Kimekomi method. Apparently the method involves applying the fabric with a special spatula and glue to a wooden carved doll or in this case fish. There's no sewing involved! I'm seriously considering taking a class to learn this. Below are some pictures I took of the parade.Boy Scout Troop Carrying CarpTaiko Drum FloatNBC Float
Child's Wooden Puzzle 2008-04-24 17:54:00 I made this puzzle from the directions in the Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine March/February issue. It's an easy, quick and inexpensive craft, just what I like. Basically all you do is decoupage an image on to a set of blocks to make a puzzle. Here are a few tips for making this that you won't find in the article.* use a medium like Mod Podge to decoupage with because it's non toxic* Start with an image that is slightly smaller than the dimensions of all the blocks put together* Coat the blocks at least 5 times. Children have a way of pulling up the edges if it's not decoupaged well.
Read more:Wooden
, Puzzle
The Friendlies 2008-04-29 11:15:00 Above is a picture of the friendlies, the official mascots for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. My husband's company is an official sponsor of the Olympics so they were sent a bunch of swag, these included. He was planning on giving them to the children but I intercepted the key chains beforehand . Because really, what's a two year old going to do with a key chain besides try to eat it.
Easy Mother's Day Card 2008-05-01 15:26:00 Here's a quick and easy card you can make for Mother's Day. All you need to do is roll out a circle of paper clay ( sold at Michaels and Daiso). Push the child's hand in the clay. Let the hand print dry for a day. When dry, glue it to your choice of card stock. This would also look cute framed in a shadow box.*Paper clay is very light so it won't way down the card at all. You can also paint paper clay.
Read more:Day Card
"We need to talk about your flare" 2008-05-03 23:37:00 I'm happy to announce that I finally created a button(or flare) for Zakka Life. You can add these buttons to your blogs instead of having a text link if you wish. Let me know if you have any problems installing the code.P.S. If you don't know what the picture above is about, click here.
How To Make a Unique Gift Tag 2008-05-06 17:00:00 This might look familiar to some of you. This star tag was shown in the "rethinking paper lucky stars" post. Someone recently requested the directions for it so I created a tutorial. Here goes..SuppliesLucky star paper (cut to about 3-4 inches in length)mini bradsembroidery thread or stringclick on the picture to enlarge and see the steps/directions better* For a personal touch write directly on one of the tails. Exp. Happy Mother's Day, Love Jessica!
Give Mom a Tattoo for Mother's Day 2008-05-08 16:12:00 I received a set of Valentine Cookie Cutters from a friend and was trying to think of other things that I could use them for. Then it occurred to me "tattoo cookies". I used the Sugar Cookie Recipe and Royal icing recipe from the Martha Stewart site. Both recipes worked out well. I recommend drawing out a picture before you start icing. Besides using the "flooding method" to decorate, I also used Foodwriter markers by Wilton.I also made some cookies with white icing for my kids to decorate, which they loved. This was so easy that the two year old was able to do it. As you can see from the picture you don't have to add icing on the cookies to color them with the pens.
Girly Gift Wrap 2008-05-11 18:58:00 This little girl is actually the wrapping for a small gift box. This project was a little labor intensive, but well worth it. Brief directions below.Side View of BoxSupplies: Paper, Scissors and Plain White Glue1. Wrap the box in plain white paper.2. Cut out legs and attach them to the bottom of the box. Bend legs at the knee.3. Using crepe paper cut out a shirt and skirt and glue them on Read more:Girly
Too Cute Tutu 2008-05-16 14:08:00 The other day I found a great tutorial for how to make a tutu. This is a no sew project and relatively easy to do. I'm happy with the results but next time I'll make it fuller. For directions to make the tutu, click here. The only thing I did different from the directions is weave a ribbon in and out of the tulle knots. I think the ribbon makes it look more finished.I'm thinking of making th
Sk*rt is now Kirtsy 2008-05-16 09:08:00 The site Sk*rt is now Kirtsy! It's still the same great site only they have a new name. Kirtsy is a social meadia platform that has been described as the equivalent to digg for women.Here's why I visit it at least once a week:to find great craft articlesto promote my favorite craft articlesto see what people are reading and blogging about
Goody Goody Gumdrop Necklaces 2008-05-19 00:12:00 Here's a necklace good enough to sink your teeth into, the gumdrop necklace! While eating gumdrops today, the idea popped into my head. So, I tested it out and it worked! Love when that happens. Just think of the possibilities with all the great shapes gummy candy comes in, coke bottles, frogs, hearts, etc. This could be a fun child craft project/treat. Perhaps favors for a birthday party? D Read more:Goody
, Necklaces
HTML Button Tutorial 2008-05-21 14:55:00 I created this HTML button without knowing how to write HTML code. When I first started researching how to make these buttons I could never find a good tutorial. All the tutorials out there just showed me how to make text chicklets. I wanted to use my own image. So I figured out a super easy way to make image html buttons. Here's the process.*Disclaimer - I do not write HTML code. I am not Read more:Tutorial
Japanese Craft Books - A dose of inspiration 2008-05-24 18:01:00 ISBN978-4-529-04543-8 I was out in the city today and got a chance to visit one of my favorite bookstores, Kinokuniya Book Stores. This is where I get my JapaneseCraft
book fix. Usually I just admire the books and absorb as much information as I can. But today I actually purchased a book. Something about the "Zakka" style just inspires me. The craft's are so clean and fresh. The books Read more:Books
Updated the HTML Tutorial 2008-05-25 15:30:00 I just updated the HTML Tutorial
with a good tip from Marie. Thanks Marie for your helpful information!
Ribbon Rosette Craft Series 2008-05-27 06:00:00 This week I will be showing different items you can make with ribbon rosettes. The first project for the series is embellishing earrings with rosettes.To make this simply place the earring through the center hole of the rosette. You can change the rosettes out with different earrings to get different effects. Or, add a little glue to the back of the pearl to make it permanent.Come back througho Read more:Ribbon
, Craft
Part II: Ribbon Rosettes 2008-05-28 05:00:00 Make these hair clips with velvet rosettes and crystal beads. After you make the rosette from the tutorial here, don't cut the thread. Instead pull the thread up through the top of the ribbon, then string on a bead. Next, bring the needle down through the ribbon. With the same thread sew the rosette onto the bobby pin tightly. I made about 4 loops around the bobby pin before knotting it. Las Read more:Ribbon
Part III: How To Make a Ribbon Rosette Brooch 2008-05-29 05:00:00 Here's the last project for the series, the Rosette Brooch
.Directions - make the rosette from the tutorial here. Instead of making two rosettes with each color ribbon, make one rosette using both colors (refer to picture below).After you have the rosette made, place the button in the center of the rosette. Glue the back of the button and rosette to a pin like the picture below. Done.*I used E600 Read more:Ribbon
Baseball Birthday Cake 2008-06-02 15:28:00 Last year we had a baseball themed birthday party for my son. And now with baseball season in full bloom I thought I would share this cake idea with you. This would be a great cake to make for a T-ball party as well. My Aunt made this cake from scratch but you could easily by a sheet cake and decorate it yourself. She used cinnamon and sugar for the sand. The bases are made from marzipan (y Read more:Birthday
I've been tagged 2008-06-04 21:07:00 Top Left: Me, Mother in Law, Aunt who made the cake in the post below, my childrenI've been tagged for a meme by Chicken Legs. So I decided to add a picture to go along with it. I don't know about you but I always wonder what other bloggers look like. I'm going to change the rules a little for this meme. Instead of tagging people, I'm requesting you tag yourself. Here's the catch, if you do
Recommend Site To A Friend
