Hi there! Dani here again with this month’s craft project. This time, I’m sharing something from my childhood.

When I was in primary school, we used to have water balloon fights every day during the lunch period. As you can imagine, our teachers weren’t all that impressed with this arrangement. Our balloons were regularly confiscated, which meant we had to be a little more inventive. One day, I discovered you can make water ‘balloons’ out of paper! This served our purpose temporarily and it also started my love affair with origami.

While origami water balloons were awesome, my other favourite thing to make was little paper hearts. I would make hundreds of them with scraps of paper during classes (you know, instead of paying attention). I was also a bit of a book worm, so when I discovered that they could also be used as page markers, I was thrilled!

Making one takes about 5 minutes and is a nifty way to mark your page in your favourite book. I even give them as additional goodies when I gift books to friends and family!

Here’s how you make a heart-shaped bookmark that will slip onto page corners; you’ll need some coloured/patterned craft paper (or origami paper).

1. Cut a piece of coloured/patterned paper into a 12cm x 6cm (or roughly 5″ x 2.5”) rectangle.

2. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, with the coloured/patterned side on the outside.

3. Fold in half width wise to create a centre crease and open again.

4. Fold one side up at a 45 degree angle, so that the edge aligns with the centre crease. Repeat with the other side.

5. Turn the paper over and fold the tops down approximately 1/3 of each side. Fold in the corners of each side to form a heart shape.

6. This step isn’t mandatory, but I found it helps to keep the bookmark in its shape; place a small piece of tape down the centre line of the heart (from the inside) and across the last folds to keep the shape secure.

Now slide the heart over the corner of your book page (using the little ‘pocket’ that you’ve created at the back of the heart). Never worry about losing your page again!

Dani (DIY Craft contributor)

click here for more diy craft!

Hi there Drifter & the Gypsy readers! Dani here. I popped over from my blog to share with you the easiest and snazziest DIY to jazz up your porch or balcony.

–

I don’t know about you, but I love having potted plants around my house. A little bit of greenery goes a long way to make a place a little more homey. But you see, I have some little enemies who wish to ruin my homemaking: possums. The cheeky little critters keep munching on my plants. No matter what I do to keep them away, they always come back for more!

I think I may have finally found the solution in the form of hanging planters, but I don’t really like the ones you can pick up from the hardware store. They are a little boring for my tastes. I certainly won’t let some possums ruin my pretty patio, so I’m going to show you how to whip up a great hanging planter yourself and it only takes around 10 minutes!

What you need: Some thin, nylon rope in the colour of your choice, (I found this pink line marking rope at my local hardware store), scissors, a pot or bowl, and some plants.

1. First measure out 8 lengths of rope of equal size. The sizes may vary depending on how big your pot in, but I would say at least 45 inches (120cm).

2. Line up the ends of the 8 pieces and tie into one big knot around 6 inches (15cm) away from the end. Double knot it to be sure it’s secure.

3. Take two pieces at a time and tie them into a knot about 3 inches (8cm) above the base knot. Repeat with the next two pieces and so on until all 8 have been joined at least once and you have four knots.

4.  Split the pairs you just knotted together, tying each piece of rope to its neighbouring piece to create four new knots around 3 inches (8cm) away from the last set. (You can repeat this step if your pot or bowl needs more support). You will have made a kind of loose net.

5. Place your pot into the middle of the rope, with the base knot in the center of the pot/bowl.

6. Pull all of the pieces of rope together above the pot/bowl and adjust the loops around the bowl until the pot sits flat and securely when you lift it into the air.

7. Knot the rope above your pot (depending on the height of your plants) and tie off into a large knot. You can now hang your planter by tying the rope around a hook or beam. Ensure to knot securely – you don’t want it to fall down!

Hooray! Look how easy it is to make a pretty and affordable hanging planter. Make a whole bunch and hang them at varying lengths to create a stylish set, or even make some to give away as gifts!

Dani (DIY Craft Contributor)

click here for more diy craft!

We’ve all seen those old movies where the main character has a secret compartment in the bookcase. I always wanted to be able to tug on a book and have a secret passageway open up for me. How cool would it be to have a secret place to store your most precious things where no one would ever find them?

While I can’t show you how to make a book into a latch that opens a secret door, I can show you how to make a secret storage compartment that no one will ever find.

What you need is an old book, craft glue, a knife, a paint brush and a piece of cardboard.

1. Pop down to your local book or thrift store and pick up a book. You want to choose a book that is relatively thick so that your compartment will be deep enough to hide things in. Ensure it is a hardcover book.

2. Open the book to just after the title page. Using a paintbrush, paint a liberal amount of craft glue around the edge of the remaining pages. Place something heavy on the book (leaving the first few pages open) to keep all the glued pages together firmly as they dry. Repeat as many times as required until all the pages are stuck together firmly.

3. Take the cardboard and cut out the shape you want your compartment to be. Leave at least 2 – 3 cm from the edges to ensure they stay stuck.

4. Place the template onto the pages and press down. Using the knife, cut around the template, you should be able to cut around 10 pages at a time. Remove the pages as you go, after a few cuts you won’t need the template any more, you can use the previous cuts as a guide. Cut until you are about 1cm of the book from the back of the book.

5. Neaten up any rough edges and then apply a few coats of glue to the inside edges and backing page to seal. Allow to dry completely before using.

And there you have it! Who would guess there was a secret compartment hidden away on your bookshelf?

Bonus points for what kind of book you choose: go with a book you would actually read so that it blends in with the rest on your shelf or choose something completely out of character so you can always find it!

Dani (DIY Craft Contributor)

click here for more diy craft!

I know most of the world is in the middle of winter at the moment, but let me tell you, over here in Australia, we are in the midst of a heat wave! It’s summer here and it seems like this year we are hogging all of the good weather for ourselves! For those of you fighting off the cold, I thought I’d show you a fruity way to inject a bit of color and warmth into your days while you wait for the warmer days to come around.

I had these corkboard coasters stashed in the back of my kitchen drawers, but you can pick some up from most craft stores or even Ikea.

To turn them into citrus-y delights you will need some white paint, colored paint (in the appropriate colors), an extacto knife or box cutter, paper, double sided tape (optional) and some water proof paint sealer.

1. Get together enough plain corkboard coasters for a full set; I used 6.

2. Apply a few even coats of white paint (I used some white spray paint) to create a base coat and let dry. Repeat on the alternate side.

3 & 4. Using an exacto knife or box cutter, cut out the citrus shape. You can use a stencil as I did or draw one up by hand. If you are particularly skilled you can even forego this step and complete the rest free hand. Allow to dry completely before going onto the next step.

5. Mix up your colors and coat one side and the edges completely. I chose to make 2 of each color; green, orange and yellow.

6. Once dry, flip over and place the stencil onto the other side. If you have the time and patience, secure the cut outs to each coaster using double sided tape. This is fiddly work. Since didn’t mind if my coasters weren’t perfect, I carefully painted the coaster with a coat of water and pressed the stencil onto the surface using a flat towel to remove the excess water. The paper should stick to the coaster temporarily.

7. Using a sponge or soft paint brush, dab the paint on to the coaster, being careful to get as little under the edges of the stencil as you can. Apply more than one coat if you wish.

8. Once dry, remove the stencil and touch up the lines and colored areas as required with a small paintbrush.

9. Once the coasters have dried completely, give them a top coat of paint seal to protect the paint from water and once dry you can now use your bright new coasters!

These coasters will not only help to keep away the winter blues, but will also transition your home seamlessly into Spring. Enjoy! – Dani

like what you see? click here for more diy craft!

Hi there! My name is Dani of Kittenbear. I’m taking over the Craft DIY column on Drifter & the Gypsy. I thought we’d kick things off with an easy DIY for you to try!

I’m one of these people who love to decorate. Every year I go all out for pretty much any event I can put up some kind of celebratory decoration! It’s a habit that is not without its downfalls. More and more I’ve noticed that decorations are getting more and more expensive, which is crazy when you can make them yourself! I’m here to show you my favourite homemade decoration: the tassel garland! The best thing about this baby, apart from how ridiculously cheap and easy they are to make. You can whip one up for any occasion!

Now let’s get down to it: You’ll need tissue paper or cellophane paper in your choice of colours, scissors, string and a long piece of cord.

1 & 2. Take your tissue or cellophane paper and fold one sheet of paper in half width-wise. Take your scissors and start to cut strips of fringe along the unfolded short edge of your folded tissue, leaving about 10cm of uncut tissue along the folded edge. You can make your fringing as thin or thick as you like, it all depends on your preferences.

3. Carefully, so as not to rip your fringing, unfold the paper into a flat single sheet. You should have fringing on either side of the paper.

4. Starting from one end (with the fringing still on either side) begin to roll the paper up into a tight tube of sorts. Be careful to keep the fringe untangled.

5. Once you have rolled the whole sheet, take the solid centre and twist gently until secure. Curl the centre on itself to create a loop at the top of the tassel. Secure with a bit of string or even thin tape of a similar colour.

6. Repeat steps 1 – 4 until you have as many tassels as you need for your garland. Trim your ends if desired and string your tassel onto a long piece of cord, leaving enough room to tie off when you hang it up.

And that’s it! You can string your garland up anywhere you like! Talk about an easy way to decorate for a special occasion!

click here for more diy craft!

Sweet and simple, but totally cute!  A craft project that can be done in 15 mins or less flat.

Step 1: Download this printable PDF with 12 different labels here!

Step 2: Print out the file on 8.5 x 11 sized paper (I used 65 lb paper for a little extra weight).

Step 3: Cut out each label using scissors or an x-acto knife.

Step 4: Place the labels on top of the lid and screw the top over the label to secure it in place.

Fill your jars with a homemade treat and decorate your jars with fabric and twine. These labels are a great way to add a little fun and personalization to a homemade gift. Enjoy! – Holly

click here for more diy craft!

Hi guys!  I’m Holly Casto from Holly Would and I’ll be here once a month to give you a new DIY craft to try.  DIYs are my favorite way to de-stress and get creative.  And now I get to share with you my fave DIYs!

First up… the diamond rug.

inspired by: west elm, lonny magazine, and anthropologie

–

Supplies:
- Sharpie markers (I used the magnum size)
- Plain white rug (mine was from TJMaxx)
- Yardstick/ruler
- Piece of paper

1:  Remove your dog from the rug.  (haha)

2:  Measure out a set number of inches that you feel is appropriate spacing for your rug. I went with 10 inches but if you have a larger rug you could space them out accordingly. Every 10 inches (or whatever spacing you decide) along the top, make a small mark.

3:  Do the same thing down the side of the rug.

4:  Using a piece of paper and your yardstick, mark where the top and side dots meet.

5 & 6:  Connect the dots! Draw a thick diagonal line through the dots you made.

7:  To make the crossing lines, measure half of the distance that you measured before (so since I did 10 inch spacing, I made my first dot at 5 inches), then continue the 10 inch spacing from that point on. This will make your lines look more natural, like they’re part of a pattern, rather than just crossing at each corner. Do the same thing down the side of the rug, like you did before.

8:  To make the crisscross lines, connect the dots and make sure that your piece of paper will sit on the ruler and line up with the previous lines, making a right angle to make sure that the lines are straight.

9 & 10:  Keep repeating that process until you’ve covered the space of the rug.

Thanks for letting me share this quick & easy tutorial with you guys and stay tuned next month for another DIY Craft!  - Holly

diy graphic by amy moore for drifter & the gypsy