Headphone Cord Holder - D.I.Y

This is a D.I.Y. I have been postponing for ages! But, since not too long ago I bought me new headphones, I think it was about time.

There are two ways to do this. One is the simplest, just a cord holder with velcro, and in the other, you add a strap and make it a cell phone charm.

For the simple version, you'll need:

Can you spot the acetate?

* Acetate: thin, flat, transparent plastic. If you've ever made stencils, you'll be familiar with it.
You can also cut a plastic soda bottle if you feel like recycling :) but I don't know how easy it'll be to work with.
You'll need a rectangle of about 1 inch x 4 inches.

* Pieces of velcro: if you can get self-adhesive, even better.

* Universal glue: make sure it can glue fabric and plastic. By the way, mine lied! the velcro did not get glued, so I had to use contact cement (which to me, is like the mother of all glues)

* Pieces of fabric: big enough to wrap around the acetate strips. I recommend ironing them so they'll be easier to work with.

And, for the "upgraded" version, all of the above, plus:

* Fabric ribbon: very thin, about 0.5 cm, a tiny piece (an inch would do)

* Cell phone charm strap

* Studs, buttons, applique, or anything you want to add to it.

Steps:

* Cut the pieces of fabric big enough to wrap around the acetate. Leave about half a centimeter on the top and the bottom. You'll fold and glue these first.

Though not very noticeable, the acetate is right in the middle

* If you want to add the charm strap later, make a loop with the fabric ribbon and glue on the top corner. Use a stick to help you hold it in place if necessary.

Yes, I used a chopstick :)

* Let the glue dry a little between steps, so it doesn't get too messy.

* Fold and glue the left and the right side, one at a time (the order is irrelevant)

* Glue the velcro to the top and the bottom.

* Let dry, if necessary

* Attach the charm strap to the fabric ribbon loop and it'll be ready to hang from your phone.

Fold the whole piece, stick the two pieces of velcro and you'll have something like this

I added a stud for decoration

And that's it! No more tangled cords!

Note: in case you have to use contact cement, the right way to use it is to apply the glue to each of the parts you're going to stick together, then letting dry for about 15 minutes, and once it is totally dried, then you stick them together and apply pressure for a few seconds.
You may know this, but you'd be surprised how many people use it the wrong way.


Hope you've liked this project :)

Thank you for reading!

Fixing flip-flops - Another easy D.I.Y.!

Are you tired of this happening to you?

Are you tired of throwing away one pair of flip-flops after another because of this?
Ok, I'm starting to sound like an infomercial XD

The thing is, a broken pair of flip-flop is a chance for a D.I.Y. so you can go from that to this

I promise, this is very easy to do, and all you'll need is those broken flip-flops and long strips of fabric. As for me, I recycled an old scarf.

Then, you'll just have to knot! No sewing, no gluing.

However, piece of advice about the fabric you'll use: make sure it's not too silky or too elastic, since the basic process of this project is to tie knots, and trust me, you'll need those knots to be strong and not slippery.

So, are you ready?

Here are the steps:

First, you'll need to get rid of all the upper part to be left with only the sole.

Cut off these thingies :)

Then, you'll have to cut long strips of fabric, about 1,5 or 2 inches wide (or 3 to 5 centimeters). As for the length, it'll depend on how you'll like to tie it. I chose to make mine "ballerina style", so it was about 3 feet long. I suggest starting with this length and then cutting it if it feels too long.

Fold it in two and pass it through the upper hole. If you have trouble with this, use a safety pin. Pin the fabric and pass the pin through the hole and the fabric will follow.

Then tie a very strong knot (make sure it really is strong, it's important). The knot should fit in the hollow space but not go through the hole.

Tie the knot...

... and tuck it in

For the sides, you'll need two pieces about 8 inches long and 1.5 or 2 inches wide (20 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide).

The process is the same: fold in two, pass through the hole and tie a strong knot.

And the rest is truly up to you! You'll pass the main two strips through each of the loops on the side and then tie it around you ankles.

Ta-da!

Side view

I chose this design because it allows you to make a few different models.

Like this

Or this

And, another positive thing, is once you get tired of the model or the color, you can just take the fabric off and do it again with a different one.

However, I don't know how long the fabric will resist. I've seen this D.I.Y. before but no one specifies on this matter.
 I've been test-wearing mine in the house for a few hours, and they're holding just fine :) (I'd test them outside, but it's winter here, so...)

I hope you've liked it! :)

Thank you for reading!

D.I.Y. Decorated Pencil Holder. (Or how to decorate cans) - Another very easy D.I.Y

Do you have a lot of cans laying around and want some ideas on what to do with them? Here's a very easy decoration project.
Again, I can't believe I haven't tried this before.
You can do this D.I.Y. project with some materials you probably already have at home.

This is the result

You'll need

D.I.Y. Mag Cover Notepad - Very, very easy!

I'll introduce to you my first D.I.Y. It's a notepad decorated with the cover of one of my favorite Japanese fashion mags (well, with a print of a cover, since I don't currently possess any fashion mag... and if I did, I certainly wouldn't cut one)

{As usual, apologies for the low quality. HQ is not really necessary to understand each step, so don't worry}

This is the finished notepad.

I placed it next to some pens to compare its size.

What do you think? Want to give it a try? Let's go.

It's very, very simple. So simple, actually I can't believe I haven't done this earlier.

First, let's see the materials you'll need.

Of course, you'll need a printer (not pictured) to print your mag cover of choice.