DIY | Decoupage Easter Eggs

All Images via Newfoundjoye

If you couldn't tell, I spend a great deal of time making things. Holidays are perhaps the best excuse known to man for me to get some ideas together. My coworkers are the best audience. They appreciate gifts and they get them fairly regularly. For Easter, I didn't want to step on anyone's (religious) toes, so I decided to make Easter eggs. Detailed instructions are after the jump.


Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Expense: Affordable (maybe about $20) to Moderate ($50)
Supplies: Real or wooden eggs, Blas-Fix egg blower, acrylic paint, image cutouts, Mod Podge (Matte), paintbrush, string (optional), wire (optional), long needle (optional), beads (optional)

DIY | Cupid Cake Pops

This is obviously an older project, but you never know when this might come in handy. Bakerella posted about making these cupcakes right before Valentine's Day. I looked at them for a long while and realized that these could be taken to the next level with some very simple tweaks. Hence, Cupid Cake Pops.


Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 6+ hours
Expense: Moderate (depending upon how many items you already have)
Materials: Cake mix and appropriate baking supplies, construction paper or cardstock, lollipop sticks, cellophane wrappers, ribbons, candy coating, frosting, cookie cutter (1" or less) wax or parchment paper

DIY | Crocheted School Spirit Throw

I came across this pattern on Red Heart last month. It was a nice blanket, and I thought it suited my sister. On a whim, I decided to make it for her. Although they specify the type of yarn you should use, I opted not to use a Fiesta style yarn. Instead, I let my sister choose her own colors. I think that grey and white was an excellent combination. If you are new to crochet, this pattern is definitely for you. You will learn how to hold your yarn properly and it is the same stitch over and over again.

Difficulty: Easy/Beginner
Time: Depends upon experience (took me approximately 48 hours total to complete over the course of 3–4 weeks)
Expense: Moderate ($30+)
Materials: Available in craft stores and online (I bought from Michaels and AC Moore)

Hit the jump for some additional images of the blanket (including a nice closeup).

DIY | Extruded Bracelets

I don't know what it is about February, but I feel extra crafty during this month. Maybe it is because Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Either way, I found a great, easy project that you just might want to try out. These extruded bracelets by syndee holt are inexpensive to make and a great way to accessorize. Believe it or not, these only require Sculpey (modeling clay). While the tools might seem a bit pricey, you can reuse the majority of them, so the cost can be justified.Visit the Polyform website for detailed instructions.


Difficulty: Easy/Beginner
Time: 45 minutes to an hour
Expense: Moderate (I spent $65 on supplies)
Materials: Available in craft stores and online (I ordered through A C Moore)


There is one thing I changed. Instead of getting Jacquard brand inks, I bought Copic Ciao markers to add color to my Premo! Sculpey. That saved me the trouble of wearing gloves and using cotton balls. My results are actually the image above! Not too bad for my first time, right?

DIY | Candles

A candle is such a versatile item. It can be given as a gift, used as decoration, burned for relaxation and much more. What makes a candle more than just any candle? When YOU make it of course! I made candles as Christmas gifts for close friends and you could make them for your friends/loved one(s) for Valentines as well. It was a new experience for me that was made easier by my choice of supplier. I ordered online at CandleScience and followed their guide. Hit the jump for supplies and such.


Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Expense: Moderate
Materials (available in craft stores and online):

• Wax (I used paraffin, but choose the right kind for your project)
• Pre-tabbed wicks
• Dye Blocks or Chips
• Container or Candle Mold (for pillars and votives)
• Wick Bar to hold the wick during pouring
• Wooden Spoon for stirring
• Pouring Pitcher and double boiler
• Thermometer to check wax temperature
• Candle fragrance (optional)
• Decorative materials like glitter or stickers (optional)
• Warning Labels (recommended when giving gifts)

DIY | Sheep's head towel wrap

I believe that I mentioned my love of k-dramas before (Korean dramas for those just joining me). Whenever the actors are in saunas, they usually wrap their towels "sheep's head" style. I decided that I wanted to learn how to do it and looked it up online. If you want a new way to wrap your hair after washing it, give this method a try!



Difficulty: Easy
Time: Quick
Expense: Free/cheap
Materials: A few

NEW to DIY entries beginning August 2010: Difficulty—range is based upon ease [easy, average, tough], how much time you'll need to devote [quick, relatively involved, time-consuming], expense [free, cheap, moderate, expensive] and materials needed [a few, many, a lot]

Bright idea

I stumbled upon this image the other day. These little light bulb terrariums are quite nice. If you are interested in making them yourself, follow these instructions. If you would like the finished product, buy them on Etsy.

Image 3 little terrariums, sittin' on a ledge via flickr/linoleum jet

DIY | Smiley Cake Pops

I often salivated over the oh-so-delectably-photographed cake pops on Bakerella. Since I was already expecting to be snowed in this weekend, I decided to give them a try. They only require a bit of baking experience, so this is easier to do than you might think. All it takes is a box cake (or your own special recipe) and a can of frosting to make the balls that will become cake pops. From there, you need some melted candy wafers to cover the pops making them look like pops. With edible markers, you can add fun faces (even though it is not necessary. For detailed directions, visit Bakerella's blog. Good luck with yours. My own images of the process and the results are after the jump.

Above image via Bakerella. All others via yours truly.

DIY | Hazelnuts Felt Bunny

I have fallen in love with softies. They are not too hard to make and can be as custom as you can imagine. I decided to try making a softie on my own. Nothing seemed like a better start than the Hazelnuts Felt Bunny. The pattern does not require a sewing machine, too much work, or too much money. In fact, I made two over the weekend and it took me four hours for the first one. The second one was only three hours, so practice makes perfect. In addition, the combined cost of the supplies was less than $20. I didn't quite follow the pattern to the letter in terms of the finalized bunny, but I was happy with the result. Hit the jump for my bunny softies. For the pattern, visit the Hazelnuts blog.

Above image via Hazelnuts blog. All other images from yours truly.

DIY | Book with stab binding

Completed Cover, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I love book arts. Bookmaking has become quite lucrative and popular over the years. If you would like to create a custom gift, consider making books for friends and family. You can follow the tutorial from kate e. did on flickr.

DIY | Ornamentation

Believe it or not, this DIY project is courtesy of yours truly. I wanted to give my coworkers something custom and simple as a Christmas gift this year. I immediately thought about making my own ornaments. I'm not talking about using popsicle sticks or something like that. Instead, using solid ornament bulbs, I decorated them with my own style and preferences. You can do one dozen for less than $20. I bought glitter pens, glitter, stickers and bulbs from A C Moore to decorate. I already had Sobo glue, so you may decide to pick up a small bottle depending on how much of a mess you are willing to deal with. Hit the jump for more images and some decorating ideas.

The holiday season

Ah, the holiday season. With Thanksgiving creeping up quickly and Christmas right behind it, the holiday season is supposed to be at its peak. However, the holiday spirit is lacking this year. Maybe it is because I am more aware of the commercial side of the holidays or they are just losing their magic, but it feels like no one notices the season is upon us.

You may wonder what I mean. It is simply this: the holidays cause people to be nice. People will smile at you, open doors, hold elevators—they seem like they are in "the holiday spirit". Food drives are active, food baskets are delivered, toys are given to tots and people are ringing those annoyingly high-pitched bells for donations. Yet I feel that most people are hardly even going through the motions. Why is that?

Either way, I won't let that stop me. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas (yes, Christmas, not X-mas). To get myself into the mood, I've been working on some crafts and gifts. Look forward to some DIY entries a little later.

DIY | Cat Crackers

Thanks to Free Cat Health Tips, I have been taught how to create my very own homemade cat treats. I cannot vouch for the other recipes on this page, but I made Dallas cat crackers today. They were extremely simple to make. Just follow the directions below:

6 ounces of undrained tuna
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into treat sized pieces. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool. Give to your cat and watch them gobble it up.

DIY | T-shirt memory blanket

With the recent closure of my college storage unit, I have discovered that I have tons of t-shirts. Although I am too attached to them at present to do this, I am considering making a T-shirt memory blanket in the future. The above image is from an Etsy shop that will make the blanket for you. However, if you would like to get your hands dirty, try this seven step plan to make your very own memory blanket today! I would suggest choosing like or complementary colors and using solid squares as buffers between shirts. Another route to try is to use t-shirts from the same theme (i.e. yearly events or sports teams). If I ever decide to "up-cycle" my t-shirts, I'll post an image of my blanket up here.

DIY | Straw ribbons

How often have you decided to decorate a gift box or bag with a touch of ribbon? Well, regardless of whether you do it all the time or not, I wanted to give you another alternative. Straws can be used to create reusable, unique ribbons for your presents. Check out WikiHow for details!

image TOHGIN minako

DIY | Gummy Bears

You are probably aware of the colorful and tasty gummy bear, but have you ever thought about making your own? I came across an article that will allow you to do just that. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on making these sometime before Halloween. For the instructions, visit WikiHow. Let me know how it works for you and I will update once I've made mine.

Doesn't time fly?

So, I've been blogging for four weeks as of today. Hopefully, those who read the posts here at newfoundJoye enjoy the content. I know it's all kind of sporadic, but that's sometimes how my thoughts are. Please continue to stop by whenever you like. If you've got eyes, I can find something for you to look at. I've been coming out with eye candy for a while now. Also, you can look forward to more game reviews and recommendations as well as author spotlights and do-it-yourself projects. Film reviews will be forthcoming and possibly more design and fashion. So, here's to you, the readers of newfoundJoye.

DIY | Bouncy ball

You can make some bouncy balls for an inexpensive price all on your own! Follow these three easy steps. Buy some liquid glass, ethyl alcohol, a popsicle stick and plastic gloves so you can get started right away.