#diy weekend

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Let's make the backyard a movie theater

I have always, always loved outdoor movies. I've also loved the idea of hanging a sheet in the park across the street and chowing down on popped corn while taking in the crickets and a flick.

Using the new Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector, I was finally able to test this out myself.

Here's the results:

Want more information on the projector? Find my full review here.

A couple notes about watching movies this way:

Make sure you have unlimited data on your phone OR access to WiFi. Streaming HD video eats up the data.

The projector we used has a battery life of about 2 hours, so you need to pick a movie with a running time less than that.

Iron your sheet! I bought the Knoppa Twin Sheet at Ikea, but it was a wrinkly, wrinkly mess when I took it out of the bag. Wrinkly sheet makes for a wrinkly movie.

Of course, don't forget the snacks either!

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Comic book bracelets

I love DIYs that are crazy easy, yet have a big impact. This is one of those. Wearing lots and lots of beautiful bracelets and bangles is really in right now (and not just with fashion bloggers, I promise.) - but if you don't want to invest a ton of cash on some new sparkle, this project is easy and lets you share a bit of your personality by using comic book art.

1. Pre-string a piece of stretchy cord with half your beads. I used silver and blue faceted glass beads - and here's a tip - they're 50% off at Michael's Craft stores this week, so it's $2.50 for a 9 inch strand.

2. Scan the portion of your comic book that you want to appear in your charm. You can use a couple different panels or a cover. I think 80s comic book covers are some of the best art out there, so I chose a Thor Journey Into Mystery cover from '86 and an Avengers West Coast Annual cover from '89. I scanned them and shrunk them down to about a half an inch. Then, print out two for each side of the charm.

3. Remove the stock photo in the charm and keep it. You'll need it to stiffen the comic book prints. Tape a copy of your comic book of choice to each side and then trim the excess. 

4. Now, use another piece of clear tape to create a lamination effect on the paper. You want to be careful not to touch the tape, because it will put fingerprints on it. Sandwich it in and cut the excess tape off.

5. Slip your comic book into the photo frame charm - being sure not to damage the tape.

6. Now, put your charm on your stretchy cord and finish beading. Tie it off and enjoy!

You need:

Comic book Printer Tape Scissors Stretch jewelry cord Beads Photo frame charm Needle 20 minutes

Total cost: $3.50 per bracelet (Note: I bought my charm at a Michael's store for $1, but you can find larger packs online for about the same price.)

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Constellation iPad case (video)

One of my favorite summer activities is star gazing at my family's lake place. The calm of the water and the clarity of the sky never fails to make me happy. This DIY is a celebration of that love. Your LCD screen provides the light for making your favorite constellation come to life.

The best part about this constellation iPad/eReader/tablet case? It costs less than a buck to make. Seriously. If you've got the tools and thirty minutes, you're done.

Here's how I did it:

1. Cut out two pieces of felt in identical shapes with the width and height of your iPad/eReader/tablet in mind. Allow for a half inch seam allowance around three of the four sides. The felt I used is an eco-friendly blend that is very soft and costs less than $.50 a sheet at JoAnn fabrics.

2. Using a very small hole puncher (I used Fiskars Hand Punch, 1/16-Inch, Circle), punch a hole in three of the four sides. Do this for both pieces of felt.

3. Print out a map of your favorite constellation. I used the big dipper. Now use this as a guide to punch out the constellation in the center of one side of your case. Using a larger hole punch (I used Fiskars Hand Punch, 1/8-Inch, Circle), punch out the major stars in your constellation.

4. Thread the edges with a thick yarn. You can do a straight stitch or do something fancy. Have fun with this.

Put your iPad/eReader/tablet inside and turn off the lights. Then, press any button and watch your constellation light up! Fun, right?!

You need: Two pieces of felt Scissors or fabric cutter Yarn needle Yarn Hole punches (two sizes) I used Fiskars 12-23508897 Hand Punch, 1/16-Inch, Circle and Fiskars 12-23518897 Hand Punch, 1/8-Inch, Circle 30 minutes Total cost: The felt was .39 a piece, the yarn, needle and hole punches were on hand.

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: LEGO barrette (video)

On bad hair days, I tend to go straight for the hair barrettes. See my haircut is one that has long bangs in the front that are either totally cute or totally unmanageable, depending on the day. On the crazy days, they get pulled back ASAP.

I have long thought that the singular LEGO stud looked like a little gem. There's some thing about the clear ones in particular that give off a jewel-like sparkle. It makes them perfect for this LEGO barrette DIY.

Here's how you do it:

1. Take a long, thicker barrette (like these ones) and put it on a piece of cardboard. This will give you the sturdiness you need to push down on the LEGO studs.

2. Using superglue that comes with a brush, brush on a long thin line of superglue. As you can see in the video, I painted half the glue on, did three studs and then painted the other half and applied the last three studs.

3. Let it dry for at least 30 minutes. If you are worried about the strength of the glue, you can lightly paint the sides and edges for more hold.

4. Remove from cardboard. If you're having trouble, you can use a butter knife or nail file to get it off.

You need: Super glue Flat bobby pins Single stud LEGO pieces 35 minutes

Total cost: The bobby pins were $2.50 and I already had the LEGO on hand, so about .42 per pin.

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Captain America's cupcakes (video)

Yummy!

The Avengers movie is coming out soon, which may just be another midnight premiere occasion. We'll see.

To celebrate, I made these fun Captain America Cupcakes. Here's how I did it!

1. Bake a cupcake. Any kind, then put white frosting on them. Make sure it's pretty even, because it will help later.

2. Get some fondant circle cutters. I used these. Put the largest one on around the edge. Now, use your clean fingers to gently tap on some edible glittering sugar dust. I used this brand. (You can buy it at Michael's Crafts.)

3. After you've done the outer ring, put the other two rings inside it. Use a spoon to carefully place some of the red dust in your second inner circle. Then use another spoon to carefully drop your blue dust in the innermost circle.

4. Remove the fondant circles and use your fingers to even out the glitter. Be sure not to use the same finger for both dust colors! It will make a mess. You can also add some more glitter too with your finger if you can be precise.

5. Use your leftover frosting and a toothpick to carefully clean up the edges of your circles.

6. Use a white star candy for the center of the blue shield. I can't find the ones I used online, but I bought those at Michael's too.

Eat 'em up!

You need:

Cupcakes Edible glitter dust Star Candy Fondant circle cutters Knife and spoons Toothpick One hour

Total cost: I made 12 cupcakes with all the supplies I bought and the total was $9, because I had to buy everything new. If you had some stuff on hand, it would be cheaper!

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Protective camera lens cozy (video)

Remember pop can cozies? They were such a hit in the 90s. They kept your cans cool and prevented perspiration.

While this DIY isn't meant to prevent perspiration - it is meant to protect camera lenses. However, I did borrow the idea from pop can cozies!

The basic idea is that if you don't want to take a camera bag with you every time you shoot, you can use these fleece cozies to protect your lenses in your purse. Simple and cheap to make!

1. Pick your lens and roll it up in your fleece. This will help you get the exact measurements. Allow for a 1" total seam allowance on all 4 sides and cut.

2. Sew the two short ends. Then sew the long edges.

3. Cut a piece of velcro to size. Put one piece of velcro on the inner edge and one on the outer. It's a good idea to pretend like it's done and roll a lens in there to make sure you've put two opposite velcro pieces on and to confirm that they are in the right spots.

4. Sew your velcro on. Make sure you use several rows of stitches and back stitch. This will ensure that your cozy is tight and strong.

5. Test it out and enjoy!

You need:

Fleece (I'd buy at least 1/4 of yard, due to pattern layout, but you can make at least 4 cozies out of it. Velcro Thread Scissors or rotary cutter Pins 30 minutes

Total cost: $1.50 per cozy = $2.99 for the fleece and $1.99 for the velcro.

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: Katniss Everdeen costume

If you're planning on going to the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games, you're going to need something to wear. So, why not dress as Katniss?

For Halloween this year, I dressed up as my favorite Tribute of all time and gathered my tips on how to make the costume.

There are photos and tutorials on each part of the outfit here:

1. DIY Mockingjay pin: You need one safety pin, some gold glitter, glue and thick cardstock. I did this project for $0, but it should cost you more than a buck or two if you need one of two of the supplies. 2. DIY Arrows: You need 12-24 inch dowels, ribbon, feathers, tape, thick cardstock and glue. This project cost me $8 for the feathers and the dowels. 3. DIY Quiver: You need one piece of poster board, tape and a roll of ribbon. This project cost me $1 for the poster board.

You could always go to the store and buy the Mockingjay pin and buy all the  props, but why would you do that when you can save yourself some cash?

If you want tips on what to wear with each accessory that might already exist in your wardrobe, like pants, boots and a jacket, then this photo should help.

I've also added a handy Hunger Games DIY navigation on the left hand side of the site, so as I add more things, you'll have an easy place to find them.

Who else is going nuts just waiting for the movie? I'm going to have a Hunger Games party with my friends and make a bunch of the meals from the Unofficial Hunger Games cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines.

Happy Hunger Games everyone!

[beinggeekchic]

DIY Weekend: How to make iPhone backgrounds

I've given out free iphone backgrounds here before, but I thought I've gotten a lot of questions on how to do it on your own, so here's the tutorial.

1. Open Photoshop. Create a file that is 320 pixels wide by 480 pixels long. Set your quality to 200 or more pixels per inch. You could use free software as well, just make sure that those are your dimensions.

2. Add text, images, whatever you like. In the video below, I show you how to go about adding images and moving them around within the frame you've created.

3. Once you're done, save as a high res jpeg. That means that when the quality box comes up on saving, set it to 12. If you are using another software that simply asks for small, medium or large: Go with Large.

4. Send yourself an email with your image. Make sure you are using an email that is also set up on your iPhone.

5. Open your email on your iPhone. Find the email and the image. The image should appear in the body of the email. Click and hold until the "Save Image" box comes up.

6. Navigate to your photos folder and click the arrow in the bottom left. Hit "Set as Wallpaper" and you've got it!

You Need:

Photoshop or an equivalent editing program A photo or text idea An email address set up on your iPhone 15 minutes