DIY: color it spring

Here are some projects to bring some color back to your life after the cold, snow, and bleak of winter.

The 36th Avenue by Desirée offers 20 Spring DIY Ideas and Party Time. Among the ideas is a project for putting together a knotted t-shirt headband by Talitha at love, pomegranate house. The Milwaukee and Wisconsin Journal Sentinel also features old t-shirt to headband or bracelet instructions in its Fresh section.

***

Talitha, Knotted T-shirt Headband, love, pomegranate house

***

At Refinery29, you can find 30 Awesome DIY Projects -- For EVERY Level. In the collection is Grace Bonney's Papier-Mâché Cacti, based on a design by David Stark Design (the D.Stark site's design is, uhm, interesting too).

***

Grace Bonney, Papier-Mache Cacti after D, Stark, Design Sponge

***

At BuzzFeed there's 33 Irresistibly Spring DIYs, where #30 is Decorate your computer cords with washi tape by Bri Emery at Design Love Fest.

***

Bri Emery, Decorate Your Computer Cords, Design Love Fest

***

-- Marge

A roundup of found objects

Talk about found objects!  Here's an eclectic collection of items and thingamajigz found on the web about found objects, art, and even a do-it-yourself project on block-printing fabric.  Also, before I go much further, let me urge you to check out the Wikipedia article on Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, a friend of Marcel Duchamp and a truly eccentric character.

To get a better idea of what found object art is here's a short description and some examples by Associate Professor Thomas Sakoulas at State University of New York at Oneonta.  One of his examples is a sculpture by Man Ray.

In my search on found objects, I found an online community of  artists called Cloth Paper Scissors, "where mixed-media artists come to play." They offer "4 Free Assemblage Art Ideas plus Beginners Guide to Assemblages" in return for your email address.  Since I haven't tried this site out, can offer no recommendation.

Trend Hunter art and design has an article on "DIY Found Object Decor."  The sample here is Industrial Pipe Bookshelves by Stella Blue Design (commercial).

A Pinterest-like site called Oobject has a collection of chandeliers made from found objects that is pretty unforgettable.  The objects used range from tampons to gummy bears to human bones.  The tampon one by Guerilla Girls is shown below.  An article with close-up photos is available at Neatorama.

As promised, a DIY project for block-printing fabic is available at Design Sponge, another site that reminds me of Pinterest.  (Maybe it's the glitzy ads that bring Pinterest to mind??)  The article is by Kate Pruitt and a photo is below; the design is by Jaime Morrison Curtis at Prudent Baby.  Jaime is quite an artist.

As for me, I like to find my found objects at the hardware store -- a treasure trove of shapes and promising possibilities.

-- Marge