The Interior DIYer
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Caddy-up, partner

They say the best things in life are free. During an office clear out, one of the guys I work with walked up to me and said “Hey, this looks like something you could use”. Before I had a chance to reply with a smart-ass remark, it actually was something I could use …

For the sake of my story, turn the clocks back 24 hours. I saw this post from <3elycia which showed a super cute ‘yarn caddy’. I was curious as to what this magical contraption was. As many of you probably already know, it’s a device used to store your ball of yarn to prevent it from bouncing all over the place. I then found a few caddy tutorials online, but I was missing the main ingredient – an appropriately  large container. Turn the clocks forward one day, and co-worker hands me said necessary item. These coincidences boggle my little mind sometimes.

What you’ll need : some sort of medium / large lidded container, a hammer, a nail and screwdriver bit, and a corner or a tool box {see what I mean below} … Since this has a tin lid, I used a nail and hammer. If you’re using a plastic container, you might need to drill through it.

Place the lid upside down* on the corner of an open box with enough support and space below. I did this so I didn’t accidentally hammer the lid directly onto a flat surface. I started with the nail to make a guide indent for the screwdriver piece. I then used a screwdriver piece since it makes a wide enough hole to feed your yarn through the lid. You won’t be hammering with excessive force, so the screwdriver piece won’t be ruined in any way.

That’s it really. No ground breaking DIY skills necessary. But it’s been an immense help with keeping small furry paws away from my yarn stash, as well as keeping my yarn from running away under the couch.

*You’ll need to make the hole from the inside out / using the lid upside down. This way, when you’re using the caddy and pulling yarn out of it, it runs smoothly and doesn’t snag on any imperfections.

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A little extra – dust covers

My little ‘deceptive dust covers‘ tutorial is today being featured on Design*Sponge and I am so very excited.  I had been in contact with Kate from Design* Sponge, who wanted to post more stylized interior images of my dust covers, and I was more than willing to take more pics. Here’s two more pictures of my dust covers, integrated amongst my other books. Plus a painting that I love that my dad did. Squeee.

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After and before – Deceptive dust covers

This isn’t a new project to me. I first came up with this  deceptive dust cover idea close to seven years ago when I lived with my folks: I had a shelf in my bedroom holding everything I held dear. I am a neat freak and color coordination is paramount, so some of those things I held dear weren’t exactly, how do I say, appealing to my corneas. I created faux dust covers to cover up unsightly books and cd’s that I loved.
I’d like to say I don’t judge a book by its cover, but if it’s too bright for my living room I will hide it behind other books. Dark moody colors appeal to me more than bright ones – to each his own. So I sat down and over the past week I made covers for the books I enjoy too much and were making me feel guilty for stuffing them at the back of my bookcase – but no longer. Below I’ve written a little tutorial on how to make your own dust covers should you like to revamp any books of your own.

What you’ll need : enough heavy weighted craft paper {one up from construction paper} to cover your book{s}, ruler, scissors, pencil and eraser, thin gold pen, gold marker, and some form of adhesive – this is only used for adding another layer of paper to your cover – NOT to glue the dust cover to your book. We don’t want that. 

Step 1 : lay your book flat on the construction paper -completely flat- ensuring the spine is flat as well, otherwise you won’t get a truly accurate width of your book. Align with the bottom of the construction paper, this way you don’t have to cut out the entire shape of the book. Step 2 : on the construction paper, roughly mark the height of your book. Make sure to leave sufficient space on either side of the book to fold the side flaps (as seen in step 3). Step 3 : with a ruler, draw a lovely straight line for the top, and cut out. You will be left with a piece of paper the same height as your book, but wider on each side (above). 

Step 4 : fold the construction paper template around the book cover. What I do next is put pressure along the edges to make sure the folds are defined, as well as use my finger nail to define the edge of the spine. Take the cover off, and you end up with this. Step 5 : using a ruler and your gold marker, draw a design down the spine of your cover. Here’s where your creativity comes in. I took inspiration from some of my favorite old books, alternatively you can find images of old books. I also cut out a little label for added charm. Step 6 : with your pencil, lightly mark where you will place the text. Once you’re happy with it, go over with the thin gold pen. Affix any labels if you choose, et voila, you’re finished!
I’ve mingled these books in with my little existing collection. I have a lot of black bound books already, so I didn’t make any for this project. I’m also working on revamping my book shelves. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it is to me. I’m considering some interesting alternatives … Happy crafting! 🙂