Alison Caporimo - InstaCraft: Fun & Simple Projects for Adorable Gifts, Decor, and More

INSTACRAFT Fun & Simple Projects for Adorable Gifts, Dcor, & More By Alison Caporimo Photography by Meera Lee Patel Ulysses Press Text copyright 2013 Alison Caporimo. Photographs copyright 2013 Meera Lee Patel. Design and concept 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. by Ulysses Press P.O. by Ulysses Press P.O.

Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-253-3 Library of Congress Control Number 2013938283 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions Editor: Katherine Furman Managing Editor: Claire Chun Editor: Melanie Gold Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop Design and layout: Elliot Stokes Indexer: Jay Kreider IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in Directions, photographs, and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned and pictured in this book. FOR MY FAMILY CONTENTS

While our processes have changed, its still a fact: we love to do things with our hands. That is why I spent the better part of a year sitting at a paint-dashed desk creating and testing various simple craftsso you can sit down and make something special in no time at all. This book is an invitation to remember our roots, but it also invites us to revise them. I will not ask you to chop or carve, but I will encourage you to spray and hang, cut and fold, and maybe even dip. There will be paint and there will be scissors and maybe a few more grade-school basics, but most of all there will be funwith the added bonus of simple handmade projects you can share. As for my shopping list, I included nothing that you wont find lying around the house or in the recycling bin (glass bottles, take-out containers, and even Tic Tac dispensers have all made it into this book).

If youre going to venture out for a material or two, the only place you need to look is in a local hardware store. While youre there, pick up some E-6000 glue, which is my preference when it comes to strong crafting glues. When you do sit down to craft, give a listen to the song suggestions Ive made while you spray-paint, try out a recipe during a projects dry time, or use a special tip for a variation on your favorite creation. Ive woven these extras throughout the following pages to keep you creating even while youre creating. This book is for everyone: those who are plugged in and logged on, and those like my grandmother who couldnt touch the seam of a single dress without naming its stitch. Whether you feel like you dont have time to craft or were born without an artistic bone in your body or simply havent gotten around to trying it yet, this book was made with you in mind, with the hopes that youll make something new rather than buy it or rethink a box or bottle before tossing it.

These wishes I pass from me to you, from my hands to yours. Now, lets make something beautiful. A spritz of color here and a dash of it there make everything look so much sweeter. During my mothers first visit to Paris when she was 15, a French chef and an African prime minister taught her how to play chess. Ever since then, the game has stuckshe was so excited when I was old enough to learn. Growing up with multiple boards in the house, a bishop or two were bound to go missing.

When I didnt know what to do with an incomplete set, I found a way to give it a second life. MATERIALS Chess pieces Spray paint Strong glue Jars Newspaper DIRECTIONS Remove lids from jars and place on sheet of newspaper Glue a chess piece to the center of the lid Once dry, spray-paint Flip to the back of this book for a tutorial on how to spray-paint like a pro. Its easy, I swear. While lids dry, fill jars with candy, cookies, or anything else you like STORY TIME My mothers family chessboard was wrapped ten times over with masking tape. Every time my grandfather lost, he would break it in half and then apologize profusely. But it never stopped him from playing! If Im using butter, its likely that whatever Im putting it on is going to be eaten with my handswhich is why I find the lack of handles on most butter dishes so troubling.

I decided to fix that. Now, the next time you eat that ear of corn or slice of toast, you won't have to struggle with slippery fingers and this no-handle nonsense. MATERIALS Glass butter dish Small plastic farm animal toys (I found mine at KMart) Spray paint Strong glue Newspaper DIRECTIONS Set butter dish lid onto a sheet of newspaper Glue the toy to the center of the lid Once dry, apply spray paint to the lid Let dry before placing it on top of butter dish plate TRY THIS! Glue a few different animals onto the lid before applying spray paint for a herded handle. Writing utensils outnumber just about everything else in my room by roughly twenty to one. To keep them in one place, I upgraded a neglected ball of twine and found myself feeling even more inspired to write, sketch, and draw. MATERIALS