Craft Tutorial: Origami Empress

Girl's Day Card with Origami Empress

Well some how Girl's Day crept up on me again (it's March 3rd, yikes). So I had all these ideas of craft projects I would share and now there's no time to do them. However, I was able to put together this tutorial on how to fold an empress. Simple directions below.



Starting with a square piece of paper, fold in half diagonally. Unfold. Use the crease you made as a guide to where to fold the the right flap in (refer to right picture).


Fold the other flap in. Your paper should now look like the image on the left. Flip your paper over. Fold the top flap down (refer to right picture). Flip paper over.


Fold the bottom point up (refer to left picture). Fold both side flaps in (refer to right picture).


Fold the head of the empress. Click on picture to get a better view.

I ended up gluing down the arms to keep them flat. Done.

*For the card I just glued items on a white card stock in this order: mizuhiki cord, black card stock square, gold origami paper square, empress.

If you want to learn more about Girl's Day, click here.

New Zakka Life Facebook Page

There's now a Zakka Life Facebook page. If you become a fan, please add your Etsy shop, website or blog in the link section. I realize that not everyone likes to leave comments so this would be another way for everyone to see who visits Zakka Life. Also, feel free to post pictures of your craft projects in the photo section. See you over there.

A little off subject but I want all of you to know that I visit every person's site that leaves a comment. I'm just bad at commenting. Yes, I'm a lurker.

Creative Packaging: Bird Washcloth

This cute little bird washcloth was a favor from our cousin's wedding. It came wrapped up in a clear cellophane bag tied with gold ribbon. Curious how it was made, I dissected the washcloth to figure it out. I was surprised to find it's quite easy to fold. Posted below are simple directions on how to make this bird.

*Click on images to enlarge.



Start with a square washcloth with the tag facing up. Fold in half, diagonally.



Fold in the direction of the arrow (about one inch in width). Continue folding/rolling in this direction.



Your washcloth should now look like the image on the left. Now, turn it on the side so the corner of the washcloth is sticking up (refer to right picture). Add two small circle stickers for eyes.


Fold in half (refer to picture on left). Then fold the wings up. Secure with a rubber band. Then wrap with a decorative ribbon to conceal the rubber band. Done.

*These would look nice in yellow for a baby shower favor.

Vintage Craft Magazines

Workbasket and Home Arts Magazine, Circa 1969

Over the past week I've been in Connecticut visiting with my Grandmother. My grandmother is an avid crafter. I would say her two favorite crafts are crochet and plastic canvas. So over the years she has collected quite the craft stash. In her supplies were about 50 vintage craft magazines which she offered to me. They are filled with knitting, crocheting, and embroidery patterns.

I'm thinking of sharing some of the magazine crafts on a weekly basis. Would you be interested in me posting this? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Beautiful Holiday Handmades, 1978

Workbasket and Home Arts Magazine, August 1969

Okay, this isn't a vintage craft magazine but I just had to share. Anyone remember these, paint by water? The watercolor pigment is already on the paper and appears when you paint over it with water. I completely forgot about these until I stumbled upon one in the basement.

Knit Cap for a Ponytail

As promised, I said I would write a post inspired by this tweet.

Why are there no fitted caps with a hole in the back for longer hair? What am I supposed to do with it? Debra Roby

Well I'm not sure if Debra was referring to a knitted hat but that's what I thought of when I read this. I've seen holes for ponytails on baseball caps, bike helmets and even batting helmets. So it only made perfect since to have a ponytail hole for a knitted hat, right? Are you with me? So I gave it a try and it works and looks good! My only regret is that I cut my hair and can't rock one these hats myself (poor me).

So here's the how to. You can make this with any knit/crochet hat pattern that has a seam to sew up in the back. Sew your seam about half way down, leave open a 2 inch hole, sew the rest of the seam to the base of the hat. That's it.

Thanks for the idea Debra!

Out of Town

I'll be out of town this week due to some unexpected family matters. I still have a post planned for later in the week. Here's a clue, it was inspired by this tweet.

Mobius Scarf

Yesterday I spent the day knitting up this mobius scarf. I made it out of 100% silk yarn. I'm not sure if I like the width and length of it yet, it looks a little wimpy to me. I decided not to share the pattern since I'm not sure if I like it. However, I thought I would do a little round up of some of the mobius scarves on the web.

Autumn Rainbow Mobius - this has to be the best one I've seen so far. I like the shape and colors.

Crocheted Mobius Scarf Pattern

Mobius Scarf using Circular Needles

Mobius Strip Scarf Pattern

*If you know of any good mobius patterns, please share in the comments for everyone.

Craft Tutorial: Kewpie Valentine

Today I've been experimenting with cupcake holders for Valentine cards. I cut out paper cupcake holders into different size hearts and stacked them together. Then I glued the cupcake holders to some kewpie clip art hearts I found via Pokey Patch. I like how the Valentines ended up having a vintage feel to them. I could see these used to adorn packages or made on a smaller scale for a brooch. Lots of possibilities.

Japanese Wrapping Book

Last weekend I got a chance to visit the Kinokuniya Bookstore. And of course, I couldn't leave the store without buying at least one craft book. I purchased the book pictured above "Wrapping Book" (ISBN978-4-415-30519-6). What sold me on it were two craft projects. The first one you can see on the cover of the book. It's a squirrel glued to a glass jar filled with nuts. There's also grass paper wrapped around the jar. Clever no? The second project that made me take this book home was a brown bag decorated to look like a house. In fact, I already gave the project a try and took some pictures to share.


Wouldn't this make a sweet treat bag for Valentines Day filled with cookies?


To make the roof I used a striped card stock to resemble an awning. In the book they used a plaid print. Really just about any print would look good.

Craft Project: Kokeshi Spool

Every time I look at my twine holder it makes me smile. It's just a fun way to store/display twine. It took a couple hours to make, do to trial and error. It might take you less time depending on your painting skills. If you would like to add a little whimsy to your craft storage, this might be the project for you. Simple directions below.

Supplies

one wood bead, peg, and spool - can be found at most craft stores
acrylic paint
Glue - I used Ecoglue
Gloss Varnish - can be found at most craft stores
blush makeup - optional
paint brush

1. Glue bead to peg, refer to picture for placement. Let dry for at least an hour.

2. Paint the peg person(I made mine to resemble a kokeshi doll). I recommend starting with the face first. I added a little blush to the face of the peg. Next paint the bead. I painted it to look like a ball of string. And last, paint the body. Let dry for at least 20 minutes.

3. Paint two coats of gloss varnish on the peg person. Wait 20 minutes between each coat.

4. Glue the peg person to the wooden spool. Let dry.

5. Wind string around the spool and thread the end through the bead. Done

Time for a Change

Today I cut off over 10 inches of hair. I can be kind of impulsive like that. I get an idea in my head and then I'm quick to act on it. Now before you get concerned, no, I'm not going to make anything out of the hair. I'm not going to pull a Chris March. I kept the hair because I decided to donate it to Locks of Love. It just so happened that my hair met all the qualifications. Love when things work out like that.

Other changes I've made include the blog. You may have noticed that I changed the buttons over the weekend. I'm also compiling all the tutorials I've created on one page. That's still a work in progress.

That's all. I just felt like sharing today.

Here's a picture of the new hair cut since everyone has been asking about it. Sorry the picture is so bad but it was the best I could do in a hurry. I'm still looking for a picture of me with long hair. So far every picture I've come across, I'm sporting a ponytail. Which honestly is part of the reason why I cut my hair.

Craft Project: Sequins Bookmark

Today I'm contributing over at Blissfully Domestic. You can find the full instructions on how to make the sequins bookmark here. Hope to see you over there.

Knitting Pattern: American Girl Doll Hat

A few posts back I had shared about some accessories I knit up for my little sister's American Girl Doll (click here for post). Well they just received the hat and the good news is, it fits! I'm told it's a little loose but will not fall off the doll if you turn it upside down. The length of the hat is perfect; it's not covering the eyes.

Directions below. Sorry, there's no gauge for this pattern.

Supplies

US size 6 knitting needles
100% Acrylic 4 ply yarn

American Girl Doll Hat Knitting Pattern

Cast on 60 stitches

Row1: K2 P1 to the end of row

Row2: K1 P2 to the end of row

Row3: K2 P1 to the end of row

Row4: K1 P2 to the end of row

Row5: K across

Row6: P across

*repeat rows 5 and 6 until piece measures 3 1/4 inches.

starting on a right side K2Tog, K1 all the way across
P across on all the wrong sides
*do this until you have 8 stitches left
*for some rows you will end up with an extra stitch, just knit that one.

Once you have 8 stitches left, cut the yarn long enough for sewing the seam. Thread the yarn through each 8 stitches while taking them off the needle. Pull tight to cinch them together. Sew the hat closed with a tapestry needle. Sew pom pom on top. Done.