A storytelling home by Léa Plourde-Archer

Easy crafts for lazy people: Picture magnets

22 October 2012

For the third installment of the series (part 1, part 2), I have prepared for you the easiest tutorial yet published: how to make picture magnets.

The biggest challenge may be to find the actual magnet sheets to make the magnets. I found mind at the local dollar store and there is no specific brand written on the packaging, but I’m sure if you look around at craft stores and the like, you’ll be able to find something similar. Websites like Amazon and Etsy carry some, but the ones I saw are quite expensive.

Materials needed:

Magnet sheets with adhesive

Mod Podge Matte

Scissors

Ruler (to mesure the photos, to cut more precisely)

Good quality printed pictures (can also be cut out of magazines)

Paintbrush

How to:

Start by choosing the images that you want to put up on your fridge. I decided to keep in line with the retro theme in my kitchen (I’ll show you later ;)) and selected old colorful food advertisements like those that are featured in these Taschen books.

Keep in mind that you can also decide to make any shape of magnet you want. With the scraps of magnet sheet I had left over, I stuck some nice paper I had on them and cut the pieces into small circles and squares to make more magnets (see photo at the end of this article)

The Magnet sheets I bought are 6 inches x 9 inches so I could fit two photos, each 3 x 4.5 inches.

Before you remove the waxy paper that protects the adhesive part of the sheet, make sure that everything fits like you want it to. If all is good, start sticking! Just be careful and go slowly. My sheets had a very strong adhesive and it was impossible to fix any mistakes. Once it was stuck, it wouldn’t budge.

After that’s done, use your scissors to cut each magnet.

Now, some may be satisfied just keeping the magnets like this, but since they’ll be used in the kitchen, near the stove, I thought that it would be better to seal the paper so they would be washable. I used one coat of Mod Podge on each magnet.

Use a regular paintbrush to apply a thin coat and wait a few minutes. If you see bubbles forming, pop them right away. The magnets should be dry and usable within 30 minutes to one hour. While you are waiting, go watch some PS 22 kids choir videos, go check out retro recipes on Midcentury menu, go dance to some Le Tigre or New Young Pony Club 🙂

Voila!
New look and feel

21 October 2012

Hi guys!

As you can see, the site is going through some small changes visually speaking. I hope you like it!

I’ll soon be working on some more content but I’ve been busy with a new job so that’s why I haven’t had time to write many stories lately.

Meanwhile, I’ll try to post some photos of the stuff I’ve been working on in my home, as well as other travel pics and other fun stuff.

Have a nice day!

Léa
Untapped Old Montreal

16 October 2012

Hi guys!

Check out my latest article for Untapped Cities, about fun things to check out in Old Montreal

http://untappedcities.com/travel/2012/10/12/a-guide-to-the-hidden-gems-of-old-montreal/

xx

Léa
Tykho radio: my first design object

14 October 2012

In 2004, my family and I went to New York. It was my brother and I’s second trip to NYC.

I was pumped. Usually family vacation meant camping, lack of electricity and activities such as clam fishing or long walks in the woods. Not my idea of fun (back then). So I told my mom that if I was to come, I’d be the one planning the trip.

I tried to make sure that everyone would enjoy themselves, so I found things that would please boys and girls, adults and kids alike. Sony wonder technology lab for the guys, Screaming Mimi’s vintage shop for the gals.

I had one thing planned specifically for myself: the MOMA store. Sounds kind of lame? Well, I was a young small town girl, thirsty for some big city design and fancy objects.

We didn’t even go into the Museum of Modern Art itself (it was closed for renovation back then). We just ended up spending over one hour perusing through the impeccably curated collection of objects.

I had a shopping budget planned out. I’d worked all summer as a street rep for my city, and I wanted to buy myself some treats. Whilst organizing the 4 day venture, I had already mapped out a few things that I wanted to purchase at this store. One of those things was the Tykho radio.

This particular item struck me because of its bright blue shade and clean, cool design. Plus, it was waterproof, which meant that bathing would never be boring again (that was an issue for me back then). At 55$ US, it wasn’t a cheap treat but I really wanted it so I didn’t mind.

When we came home from our fun trip, I proudly set it up on my bedroom shelf, glad that I finally owned such a beautiful thing. It felt like by buying it I’d accomplished something.

For many years, one of my hobbies was to spend hours reading magazines, listing the things that I wanted. Now, for the first time, I could finally own one of those objects for real. Seems kind of superficial and materialistic but for me it felt like I was growing up. I was able to make my own dumb decisions about buying useless objects. 😉

The radio itself worked for a good two weeks. If my stepbrother hadn’t submerged it, it would probably still be playing music but we sort of misunderstood how waterproof it actually was. I wasn’t upset. The music was just a bonus. I was more excited about how pretty and cool it was, so I’ve kept it ever since.

It’s really good at gathering dust, but I still love it.

Does anyone else own an object that they just can’t get rid of because it holds special meaning to them?
Easy crafts for lazy people: Abstract bleach wall art and bandana

9 October 2012

My second craft tutorial for lazy people will show you how to make a simple, abstract piece of bleach art and a matching bandana.

The story

I spent one bleach crazy day after being inspired by this tutorial by Stars For Streetlights. Bleach is a commonly used product that usually works wonders, but it can be quite a pain when you accidentally use too much of it or drop some onto your new black dress. The lightening effect is almost immediate and it is irreversible.

Basically, this means that you should only use it on fabric that you don’t mind possibly ruining.

I had an old dark blue skirt that I was just about to send to our local thrift store. Instead, I cut it up and made 2 bandanas and 1 piece of abstract art.

What you need:

– Scissors

– Fabric (dark blues and blacks work best for contrasting effects)

– Empty and clean spray bottle

– A canvas that is white or that you are looking to cover up

– A sturdy stapler and some staples

– A mask and some protective glasses (if you are doing this indoors and are sensitive to the smell of bleach, protect yourself)

– If you have cuts on your hands or sensitive skin, plastic gloves

Preparing the fabric: For the bandanas, if you already have some, take these as models for size by placing them on top of the new fabric and cutting around them. If not, find some measuring tape to measure the crown of your head, where the bandana will be resting. Then, creating a square form, measure a middle diagonal that is at least 5 inches longer than what you measured around your head, so you’ll have some fabric left to tie the bandana.

For the canvas, simply put the fabric against the canvas, leaving enough fabric on each side so you’ll be able to fold it back and staple it into the sides of the canvas. Cut the extra fabric.

Bleaching it: This is best done either outdoors or in the bathroom (provided your bathroom has a window or some sort of ventilation system). In your spray bottle, mix 2/3 bleach with 1/3 water.

If you are doing this outdoors, place a piece of cardboard or something alike to protect both the fabric and the surface on which you are working.

In the bathroom, you can use clothes hangers and hang them over the bathtub so the bleach drops into it.

Once the setup is good, start the spraying. Go lightly first, so you can see the result. It takes a few minutes for the bleach to react completely.

Tip: Keep the fabric creased to create different lines and designs.

Wait for a few minutes to make sure the bleach has fully developed before throwing the pieces into the wash. Make sure to put it on ‘delicate’ because the bleach may have weakened the fabric by making it thinner.

After that, let them air dry.

The bandanas, are done, now you can set up your frame.

The following process seems a bit complex but is easy: simply put the fabric on top of the canvas and then turn it so it faces down (keeping the fabric straight). Fold some fabric from the top edge onto the back of the frame. Proceed to stapling. Do the whole top part, until you reach the corners. Fold over the fabric from the right side, covering the top corner that is already stapled. Thoroughly staple the full side, making sure that it is good and straight and that you don’t staple all the way down to the corner (fold the lower fabric over before stapling it).

The last side you staple is really important because this is where you have to make sure your garment is installed tightly enough that it won’t create folds on the canvas (though lazy me actually likes those folds provided they aren’t too obvious). Staple the final side and voila! It”s ready to hang!