Crepe-paper flowers are among my favorite craft projects back in grade school! Martha Stewart Weddings has a nice tutorial on how to make them in two ways: single-petal and continuous-petal methods. If you plan to give something to your friends and loved ones on Valentine’s Day, these flowers make easy and very pretty tokens.

Start making them over the weekend so you have enough to give away on the 14th! -ardel

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*images via Martha Stewart Weddings

Probably one of the highlights of the recent Manila Fame show is the addition of live vignettes featuring craftsmen (and women) in action—weaving fabrics, carving wood products, and weaving rattan and buri furnishings. Whoever thought of this is a genius! It gives a human face to the featured products. At the same time, seeing how the furnishings and decors are tediously made somehow adds to their value.

On top of the usual furniture and decors, there was also a section for Philippine textiles. Twinkle Ferraren’s collection made from paper fabric (fabric made from plant fiber pulp) caught our attention. They look very similar to linen but they are actually made from pineapple fiber pulp. Twinkle is a young fashion designer who designs paper-art clothing since 2005. See her collection here.

Another interesting collection is the recycled crafts from Bayan ni Juan. I think most of them are made from shredded magazine pages, rolled, and made into small beads and cones.

This just proves how much talent we have in this country. I’m not just talking about the designers behind the furnishings, but also the men and women who make it possible for the drawings to become actual objects. We’re definitely a handmade nation!

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(Above) Papier-mâché pumpkin from At the Picket Fence

I was inspired to make a Halloween post after I saw a picture of a paper pumpkin from a twitter contact. For the past few years, Halloween suddenly became an official “holiday” here in Manila, with several households already starting a tradition of decorating their homes accordingly. So, for additional ideas, here’s a roundup of the paper pumpkins tutorials that I found online.

Take your pick!

Pumpkin from a book from Sagebrush Ridge

Easy paper pumpkin from about.com

Paper pumpkin lanterns from Elise Blaha

Layered paper pumpkin using printed craft paper from Prairie Story

I was giddy with excitement when I stumbled upon this Japanese website over the weekend. It carries all sorts of crochet patterns, from home goods and accessories, clothes, bags, kids’ apparel, and even amigurumi toys. What’s great is that most of the projects feature contemporary design (compared to the outdated crochet patterns that our mothers and grandmothers used to make).

The projects come with downloadable crochet diagram in pdf (so no need to learn Japanese). In 7th grade, we were taught how to crochet and read crochet symbols.  I’m thankful that I still remember how to read these crochet pattern diagrams! For a crash course on basic crochet symbols, you can refer to this site.

I can’t wait to get started!!! I just have to look for nice yarns though.

I’m loving the delicate look of these crochet-covered stone paperweights by textile artist Margaret Oomen. They look like sea urchins!

Learn how to make these through The Purl Bee’s a tutorial here.

Oh, wow. I can’t believe you can make a business out of making paper pom poms!!! I should have done this straight out of high school. All the pompom-making “training” from several years of cheerleading put to waste. Or not… -ardel

*photos via pom pom factory

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here are some of my finds while searching for halloween eye candies over the internet. make your own version of these decors using paper plates, scrap fabrics and patterned paper, dry branches from a tree in your garden, the ever dependable black cartolina, and a lot of black and orange acrylic paints.

happy halloween!

♦ halloween bunting and tree of mini treat bags from womensday

♦ spooky plates from design mom

♦ halloween dining setup from apartment therapy

♦ heirloom gem spiders from design*sponge

♦ halloween crafts from martha stewart living

♦ halloween decors from pottery barn kids

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When df started in 2009, all three of us were still “freelancers”. Because we had a lot of extra time in our hands, we managed to whip up some craft projects ourselves. Here are the first diy projects that we made in time for Halloween and Christmas. Hopefully, these will put you in the mood to get started with your decorations to avoid cramming on the last minute. Besides, Christmas season in the Philippines starts in October, right?! -ardel

• manananggal in the city
• monster candle votives
• recycled paper gift bows
• christmas twine balls
• tabletop christmas tree
• christmas stocking
• practical princess’s christmas decorating tips

Whenever I’m hit by the Procrastinating Bug, I go find something inspiring to bring me back to my working, thinking, designing mode. For this purpose, my flickr contacts have been very helpful.

This July, instead of design blogs, we are featuring six Flickr Photostreams for df’s Daily Reads. These are from my flickr contact list that are packed with photos which will surely encourage you to create, decorate, and make something beautiful for your space.

Here’s a quick preview of our July list:

day in the studio from artpropelled,

tilly & tommy elephants from retro_mama,

one of those moments from penwren,

my helper from fallon akers,

my studio from dottie angel,

and black wall from the happy home

Enjoy! -ardel

*top photo via dottie angel

Over the weekend, I started working on the items that I’ll be sending for the Art Swap Project: 1) a greeting card with a watercolor illustration and 2) a coffee painted throwpillow. I initially learned about Art Swap via a blog post by Babalisme, an illustrator & graphic designer from Indonesia. While I’m finishing my artworks, let me share with you these cute and practical illustrated ziplocks that Babalisme made for the swap.

When I finish my art projects, I’ll start decorating & labeling my travel ziplocks for my electronic items, toiletries, undies, and swimwear during my free time. They’ll be a better alternative to those expensive store-bought organizing bags.

You can even use these illustrated ziplocks as instant, reusable gift bags. -ardel