Something to Make: Woven Paper Valentines

Last summer, when we were in Germany, I made a few coasters out of recycled magazine pages, following a tutorial I found at How About Orange (those are Jessica Jones's finished coasters in the photograph here).

It was fun to have a little project to make during Euro Cup soccer matches that required only a free piece of paper and a pair of scissors. Little traces of our stay left for Chris and Heike on their coffee table.

These can be a bit addictive. With Valentines Day coming, I decided to modify the design slightly, making paper hearts.

For these, I used fairly heavy coated paper samples from design magazines, and did not fold the strips. After awhile you just stop weaving. Glue the long edges of the strips together, trim into a heart shape, and Voila!

Tilt-shifting "Real-life" into Miniature

I discovered Tiltshift Maker through How About Orange, where Jessica Jones posted both original and tilt-shift photos of Venice (that's her image above). Tilt-shifting is a photographic technique that creates special effects when taking a photo, shifting the focus in unusual ways. One effect is to create the illusion of miniature scale models out of photos of real-life scenes.

You can go to tiltshiftmaker.com to easily transform your existing digital camera photos into tilt-shift style miniatures; no registration or sign-up required. Needless to say, some pictures work better than others.

If you are inexplicably fascinated – as I am – with miniatures, you'll find this to be fun. I tried it with a few pictures I took in Holland a few summers ago when we were on vacation there. De Banjaard, where we stay, is already a bit like a miniature village (especially if you stand above it, near the ocean, looking down), so the photo process just exaggerates that. (I really like the windmill in the gadget at the left, as it is a "miniature" of a miniature.)

Here are a couple of photos from Deutschland, too. My sister-in-law, Heike, said that when she returned to Germany after her first trip to the United States she had the uncanny feeling that Europeans "live in dolls' houses." These photos magnify that miniaturization-effect.

The Web at its DIY Best: Make a Booklet with a Pocket

Every time I feel the need for easy breezy inspiration, I go over to Jessica Jones's website, How About Orange. I am never disappointed. Despite an irrepressible penchant for language, interest in inquisitive cultural criticism, and devotion to complex, psychologically edgy writers (those I would call the Shakers), I take my ease with the Makers: the patient, clever craftspeople of the world. Brilliant visual thinkers who get lost – and found – in the flow of construction and design.

It was a study of Jessica's website that first made me want to launch my own blog, where I imagined I would offer tutorials for various artful projects. It hasn't turned out that way – I am easily diverted and driven down more cerebral or abstract avenues of pursuit, by the Shakers. Nonetheless, I feel that Makers offer examples of the interweb at its best: they are generous, inspirational, and they know how to teach. Maybe elenabella can be a bridge between these two blog spheres. (Jessica has a cool Monday Giveaway at her site today: purchase a pack of her new birthday cards and get a free set of postcards, available through her Etsy shop.)

Last Friday, Jones posted instructions for making a booklet with a pocket. She scoured the web for good ideas, finding this one at Curbly, another good DIY site. She revised the project template slightly, and offers it here, a nice freebie. Both Curbly and How About Orange link to Peter Baumgartner's Atelier Für Papierdesign in Freiburg im Breisgau, Deutschland, where there are many more projects, as well as videos about bookbinding. You can even sign up to take classes there, in beautiful Freiburg, where Andreas went to University, and where beloved Tante Ursi lives.

Baumgartner's silent zen-like tutorial about making the booklet is very calming and nice – take a look! He has others as well, for a magic briefcase, bookbinding, Japanese bookbinding...the possibilities are endless. You could even make a booklet containing this cool panorama of Freiburg, with the famous medieval Freiburg Münster at the center. Or one featuring Jessica's postcards. (She has an exquisite instinct for color, doesn't she?) Enjoy! Such pursuits are very peaceful and pleasing.