Empress Bat's Journal: DIY

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

DIY decorative storage box: Part Two of the 'Organise and Beautify' saga

In 2012 I sorted and stashed my craft supplies oh so neatly after my husband bought me an awesome shelving unit from Ikea...... however, with working fulltime, studying, trying to maintain the usual household chores, designing and creating jewellery and other things to sell on etsy, and all the other things I do, my craftroom/study/office/hang out has become sadly neglected.

I decided that if the room looked nice and welcoming, and had plenty of storage containers and shelving, it would be easier for me to keep it decluttered and organised.

Step one for me then, is to get some nice storage containers..

I looked at the boxes I use to stash craft supplies and magazines in, they are functional, strong, and..oh so drab!

I don't know about you dear Batling readers, but I cannot afford to buy the latest and greatest in new trendy storage crates. So I had a look around my chaotic craft room, and found I have quite a stash of previously used and kept wrapping paper, as well as glue, tape, all sorts of things that I could use to make my ho hum storage boxes look less utility and more..well..me.

I gathered my supplies, scissors, glue, tape, old strong box (the one I complained about being drab), old wrapping paper, and ooooh some Martha Stewart/Avery bookplates I forgot I had!!!(see what happens when you start decluttering? you find cool things!)

I went over the box and its lid to ensure they were intact, and used some thick masking tape on areas of the box that looked like they needed reinforcement. I then painted the box with a very thing coat of Modge Podge that had been diluted in water, to prime the cardboard.

After the coat of diluted Modge Pode (it is basically a very thick PVA glue) had dried, I sprayed the box with spray adhesive and wrapped it in the re-used wrapping paper. (just like wrapping a pressy!)

I used an Exacto knife to cut out where the hand hold holes are in the box, and then wrapped these with clear tape to reinforce them.

Starting to look rather nice.. if I say so myself.

I didn't want the box lid to have the same paper on it, I felt that made it a wee bit too twee, so I hunted around some more in the chaos of my craft room, and found some old wrapping paper in almost the same design but in opposite colours!!

I then prepared and covered the box lid the same as I had for the box.

After it all dried I sprayed a thin coat of semi gloss varnish over it all to help strengthen and preserve the new look box, and stuck the Martha Stewart/Avery bookplate on it.

I am very happy with this box!!! It has the Gothic/Baroque look that I really love.

Now to do more sorting out of my room!

For inspiration I visit I heart Organizing, a very motivating and informative blog!

If you have any great storage ideas, DIY boxes or anything else that may help me in my goal to declutter and get organised I would LOVE to hear your ideas! Please feel free to let me know about them in the comments section below!

............................................................................................................... Please visit me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat handcrafted gothic goodies at bargain prices. see me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat ...Please visit me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat handcrafted gothic goodies at bargain prices. see me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat

Illustration Day: mermaid

I have been working on illustrations on which to base a new range of pendant jewellery and tote bags. I use thick cartridge and Indian ink as well as ink pens to draw with.

This collection is called Ladies of Lore, and so far I have drawn a Countess Bathory, a Medusa, and a Siren!!

Today's illustration is the Siren of Song!

Enjoy.

Find me on TWITTER

new #blogpost my own #art #mermaid picture http://t.co/KC8BewliYT
— empressbat (@empressbat) January 30, 2014

personalising my filofax my way : Dividing to conquer

The filofax Metropol A5 binder is definitely impressive, it has two pen slots, a heavy duty snap fastening clasp, one large pocket and 10 small pockets inside the front cover, and one mesh pocket inside the back cover. The vinyl is tough and looks good and the stitching around the binder is impeccable. The colour is happy but not gaudy, and the ring binding mechanism is sturdy.

Do i have any complaints about my new filofax?
Oh yes indeedy I do.

Why oh why filofax people do you make such gorgeous and useful and strong binders, only to ruin the image with your hideous and unimaginative inserts? The paper is thin, the printed address sheets, to do lists, and personal information pages are poorly designed, and do not get me started on the dividers!!!

the inserts the filofax came with

The main reason I wanted the filofax is for the superb binder, so this is ok. I can deal with the insert issue. I am creative, I have a computer, and i have a printer, and i know what i want!

First to decide how i want to organise my filofax, as this will determine what templates i need.

DIVIDERS!
I am thinking that five MAIN divisions will be the best option for me and i can make subdivisions within each main heading. I do not want my filofax to contain things about my day job, as this organiser is something for me to support my creativity, organisation, and self education.

The five main tabs dividing the filofax that work best for what i want are:

Information: calenders, maps, train timetables, time conversions
Study: information about the current course i am doing, additional and required reading, and notes
Business: this is about my etsy store where i sell my handcrafted goodies; craft suppliers, and customers
Home: grocery lists, budget, to do lists for home
Ideas: where i will put sketch paper to draw designs, or stick swatches of fabric , or work on blog posts

I bought a pack of five A5 dividers from Marbig, they were $2.45 from Officeworks; the prepunched holes do not match up with the filofax' but that is just a matter of punching new holes in them which was easy and doesn't look silly.

The A5 Marbig dividers in my filofax

The Marbig dividers have colourful plastic coated tabs, and come with a sturdy index page as well.

I can then use the A-Z and the numbered tabs that came with the filofax as subdividers (after I have decorated them to make them interesting!)

While I am talking about the dividers, I want to share this little tip with you: not all your to do lists need to be kept forever as an indelible part of your organiser, sometimes they are just quick notes to be thrown away as soon as the task is complete. This is why i made myself a laminated page to stick sticky notes on to, these can then be discarded when no longer needed!

sticky notes (new or with memos on them) can be stuck on this laminated page

So there you have it, dividers ready to go, and onto creating templates for my filofax!

Feel free to comment!

I have just created some #templates to use in my #filofax you can download them from my blog http://t.co/zDfYokPJy2
— empressbat (@empressbat) January 25, 2014

I am the proud owner of a filofax, let the creativity begin

I have wanted a genuine filofax since I first read about them in some glossy magazine my Mother was reading, way back in the 1980s. Of course as a child I did not have the money to buy myself a filofax, nor really did I have the need for one.

This however did not prevent me from finding out about them, and also making my own version with old ring binders and DIY decorated paper inserts.

Filofaxes have an interesting history dating back to the early 1920s which may surprise some who may have believed them to be a modern invention.

I use an Alice in Wonderland non dated diary, made by 7321 Design s,for my usual timetables, meetings, and work travel information, and have done so for the last three years. I am very happy with the Alice diaries and will not be replacing them with a filofax.

However , I still want a filofax!!

The reasons I want a filofax are as follows:

the binders are strong and hard wearing
binders are available in non-leather (for us Vegetarians) as well as leather and other materials
the ring binder mechanisms are strong, and come in a variety of circumferences depending on your personal preference for how much paper you can stuff into the binder
there are so many colours and sizes of binder to choose form
they have pen holders
they have clasps or zips to hold them together
they are customisable
all sorts of information can be shoved in them and ready at one's fingertips without the need for electricity (or a mobile phone that is charged) to 'boot it up' and get the information out of it
you don't have to use them as diaries, their uses as anthologies and compendiums of data are only limited to your imagination

Today I bought myself a filofax.

Tonight I am working on customising it.

I am creating my own templates on the computer and printing them out for my filofax. It is all very exciting!! I will tell you more about my customisations of my filofax and what I will be using it for, plus give you downloadable templates i have created, in later blog posts!.

So three cheers to my new cherry red filofax Metropol A5!!

Anyone else use a filofax or binder type organiser? Feel free to comment!

I have just created some #templates to use in my #filofax you can download them from my blog http://t.co/zDfYokPJy2

— empressbat (@empressbat) January 25, 2014

ALPHABET BLOG CHALLENGE: L is for Lace, ribbon, fabric!

Today i am writing about ideas to use up one's craft scraps. I have the week off work for the holiday period, and we are sorting the house out, that includes my study of art and cra supplies! While sorting stuff out i noticed a huge box full of tiny scraps of ribbon, lace, and bits of fabric. Just about to throw the lot away, i had a thought, why not use these scraps!!

Firstly i did a stock take of what i had, from the mess in the box, i divided it firstly into colours, then subdivided them into type. The colours were mainly red, black, green, and purple and after the sorting I realised there was quite a lot of usable lace and ribbon there.

What did i make?

(I will post pix another time)

ROSE HAIRCLIP With some scraps of red velvet ribbon i fashioned a fabric rose, i attached some green satin fabric, cut into leaves, to its base, and adorned it with black lace. I then hot glued the rose i had made onto a hair clip!

LAVENDER SACHETS I had scraps of fabric netting, i cut them into neat circles, added some scoops of dried lavender, and gathered the edges up, and tied the lot up with lace and ribbon! Shoved in the drawers of my dressing table they look decorative, smell lovelyl keeping the contents of the drawers fresh, and keep insects at bay!!

HAIR BOWS with matching lace and ribbon i formed bows, sewed them so they didnt undo, and then attached them to snag free hair ties.

LACEY SOCKS i sewed lace edging to brighten up some of my socks, and added little ribbon bows to the lace!

Ok i could rave on and on here, but the point is, before you throw stuff away have a look at it, work out what is there, and use it! Use, reusue, upcycle and recycle!!!

What do you do with your crafting scraps? I'd love to hear your ideas! Please feel free to add your comments and share your ideas!

Posted with Blogsy

Artist Profile: Kim from SassySteampunk

Today's blog is a feature on that amazing Steampunk artisan Kim, from the etsy store Sassysteampunk.

First things first: what is Steampunk?

Becoming popular in the late 1980s, Steampunk is possibly a sub-genre of Cyberpunk and takes inspiration from Sci-Fi, fantasy, parallel histories, and history meets future. There is an emphasis on steam or clockwork propelled engines, and modernistic inventions with an historical twist. I personally think of it as Jules Verne on Acid..... but I'm a classic goth, what would I know???

Kim of SassySteampunk
Kim hales from Alberta, Canada, her family comprises of two adult daughters, two grandchildren and two dogs. She is a jewellery maker and creates steampunk and goth inspired treasures. She is also a painter and designs tattoos although she states that she has known of her own.....yet.
An avid collector of blue dragonflies, and a fan of horror movies; collects glass orbs and also makes soap; what else inspires our steampunk artisan?

Inspirations
What inspires our Sassy Steampunk Kim? Kim said that she was initially interested in designing and creating steampunk items after seeing the video for Ben Lovett's song 'Eye of the Storm'. She has been interested in the steampunk genre for over four years, when initially she sold old watch parts. (think cogs, dials, cases, so cool!)

Kim's sassysteampunk treasures
Batlings, as you know I'm a traditional goth, i am into black lace, lush velvet, bats.... dripping candles ... knee high boots, and opera gloves....so some of you may be surprised, and exclaim in horror as you are overcome in a stupor when I tell you that I am a fan of the etsy shop sassysteampunk.

I seriously believe you do not have to be a steampunk aficionado to love her work!
I have purchased several amazing jewellery items from her, and they are beautifully made unique accessories that are a pleasure and honour to wear!

One of my fave pieces that I have purchased from Kim's shop is a small ring that comprises a dismembered watch set on a silver plate ring base and features a crystal as a focal point. I also have a gorgeous dragonfly altered art domino necklace, a beautiful bat cuff and a lovely bat necklace.

Kim is a true artist, as can be seen by her beautifully designed and created pieces, I encourage all of you to take time to browse her shop and buy yourself something delightful from her beautiful wares.

What to do with watch faces

I bought two working quartz movement watch faces recently, i want to make bands for them so they can be used... however I cannot work out what to use as the bands, or how to make them in a way that reflects me.

I have seen ones made with beaded memory wire, and some with chains and charms, but I want to do something different and something that reflects me.

I am thinking maybe some velvet ribbon, with bats and spider webs charms sewn in the ribbon.. but i am still working on it

anyone got any ideas?

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