I’m finishing up a pretty exciting project today. But right now, I’m waiting for the finish to dry. Then I’ll have to wait for the glue to dry. So…look for this week’s post tomorrow night. I think you’re going to love it.

UPDATE Thurs 3/5: The glue isn’t holding. Time for Plan B. Sorry peeps, this may take a few more days. Wed 3/11: Ok, just a few more hours, and I’ll post this TODAY! … OK, here it is »

My apologies to those of you who had difficulty with my site this week. I tried something that didn’t work. It’s back to the old design until I work out the kinks. While I do that, I thought I’d post a project from two years ago. I bought a bunch of canvas tote bags, fabric markers, and stencils and went wild. While I admit I overdid the “It’s easy being green” theme, I had a lot of fun—and they made great gifts. Click here for the tutorial »

Inspired by West Elm's capiz shell table lamp

Some of you may remember my first faux capiz shell lampshade that I made for Sunset magazine. It was originally inspired by West Elm’s popular capiz shell table lamp. I was going for the mod look, but I didn’t quite pull it off. Plus I discovered, after two years of use, that the colored rice paper fades badly. The white circles still look beautiful, however, so I decided to redo it in all white. I used a different type of thread this time (white polyester instead of clear nylon thread), which made all the difference. Overall this new lampshade is easier, cheaper, and classier than my first attempt—if I do say so myself. Click here for the tutorial »

When I told my brother about this week’s project, the first thing he said was, “You know you can buy those, right?” Halfway into the project, I started to wish I did. My old shower slippers fell apart recently. I examined the shreds and decided that I could make my own—only better. I bought a thrift-store bath towel for $1, grabbed an old pair of flip-flops, and went to work. So glad I stuck with it. They feel like heaven on my feet. Click here for the tutorial »

I admit these thrift-store plastic sconces look pretty good in the before photo. But trust me, they looked dated and icky on the wall. Plus they’re broken. Luckily the pieces were broken off symmetrically, so you can’t tell after a fresh coat of paint is applied. I’m tickled that the mirror and sconces look like they were MFEO. I love serendipitous finds like that. Click here for the tutorial »

I’m fed up with ugly tissue boxes. Even the semi-cool ones never match my decor. I used to buy the white tissue boxes from Target, but they discontinued them. So I took matters into my own hands. I found this wooden tissue box cover at a thrift store for a couple bucks. After removing the peeling decoupage and adding embellishments of my own, it’s transformed from eyesore to mod statement. Click here for the tutorial »

My new friend, Heika DeHart, shared these images of her daughter Aspen’s adorable bedroom. Nearly every decoration in the room was created from scratch by Heika herself. My favorite project is the stunning dresser. I loved the result so much, I asked her to share her instructions. She tells how she made her own stencils, how she cut silhouettes of her daughter, and more. Thanks, Heika! Click here for the tutorial »

I saw this window frame at a salvage yard and coveted it for a few months before finally buying it. Instead of the opaque Plexiglass it came with, I inserted mirrors. I love mirrors because they can make a small space feel airy and bright. This one offers an added bonus: the illusion of an additional window. I planned to paint the frame, but decided that I like the natural, rustic look of it. Plus, it matches the wooden doors in my apartment. Click here for the tutorial »

Closet cleaning isn’t a flashy subject, but I can’t help it: I’m in full organization mode. I blame the new year. I simplified this closet by chucking old clothes and sticking with just one type of hanger (padded hangers and skirt hangers are on the left side).

The solution to the shoe mess: plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store. I built a simple shelf unit for them out of plywood that I got on Freecycle. Rick at The Barn Woodshop was kind enough to cut the wood. Once the pieces were cut, assembly was a cinch. Click here for the tutorial »

I’m selling some of my old projects to make room for (and generate funds for) new projects. So far I have just a few items listed on Craigslist, for those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Smaller items will be listed on Etsy soon. Click on the “For sale” link above or click here to see what’s for sale. More to come, so check back often. Thanks in advance for your support of Craftynest!