Origami arrow magnets and tacks

It only takes a minute to make simple origami arrows. They can be used as magnets to hold up your stuff.


I added self-adhesive magnet tape to these, available from craft stores. You could also chop up some of those free magnets that come in the mail with advertisements on them and glue those on.


The arrows can also be turned into thumbtacks for your pin board.


Lift up the arrow head flap, poke a tack through the paper, and stick the head back down on top of the tack using glue or double stick tape.

I learned how to make the arrows from Joost Langeveld's site. Refer to the instructions there, or read on to see my steps.

How to fold a paper arrow:
Start with a square piece of paper. Origami paper is easiest to fold because it's thin. If you don't mind a bit of wrestling, you can also use regular printer paper like I did for the red and orange arrows. Those were made from 3" squares. The patterned purple arrows were made from 2.5" squares.

I'll add captions below each photo.


With the pretty side down, fold a square paper in half and open it again. (Or as Maria suggested in the comments, just press a little pinch to mark the center. Then your finished arrow won't have a crease running through the center.)


Fold the top and bottom edges inward to meet the center crease.


Fold the two left corners inward at a 45 degree angle. Edges should align with the center crease.


Fold the pointed end over.


Turn the paper over so the point is hidden, then align it so that the point is positioned like the pink line in the diagram (though the point is on the underside and not visible.) Grab the top edge of the rectangle and fold it down, making a valley fold along the dotted line.


The result should look like this. Half of the pointed triangle is exposed.


Rotate the paper 90 degrees counterclockwise. (Well, you don't have to, but I found it easier and that's what the photos show!) Press down with your fingernail at the point where the top layer of paper meets the triangle. Poke your other finger in between the two layers of the flap to open up a little pocket, at the same time folding the long top edge of the flap down to meet the center crease.


Squash the resulting triangle flat.


It should look like this.


Repeat on the bottom side, folding the bottom edge upward to meet the center crease.


It should look like this.


Flip the arrow over and you're done.

If the arrow wants to pop apart a bit (especially if you use thicker paper), add some glue or double stick tape under any flaps to hold them down.

Free, vintage Facebook cover images

If you're tired of your Facebook timeline banner, you're welcome to download one of these free cover images. I made them using bits and pieces of public domain art from vintageprintable.com. Their licensing states that the site's images can be copied, shared, distributed, and adapted— even commercially— so here you go.

Click any image to bring up the larger size. Then save it to your computer and upload it to Facebook.

A good gallery of free fonts

If you like adding free fonts to your collection, you might take a stroll through FreeTypography.com. It's a round-up of some of the best free fonts contributed by designers around the globe.

Oscar bingo on TV

My annual Oscar bingo game made an appearance on the ABC talk show LIVE with Kelly & Michael this morning. Thanks for the mention, Carly, Kelly, and Michael!

For an animated look at what Kelly was actually thinking, click here. To see Michael's secret thoughts, click here.

And for more Oscar party ideas and general inspiration, check these out:

An Oscar fashion quiz: Who wore the dress?

An Oscar trivia quiz: An impossibly hard test that will stir up feelings of inadequacy

Cocktail recipes for your 2013 Oscar party: A round-up of nominee-inspired drinks from fancy LA restaurants

Oscar party potluck recipes: A nod to each of the films up for Best Picture

A recipe for Crabby Snacks: You know, from Silver Linings Playbook. Someone attempted to figure out what crabby snacks and homemades are. I love the internet.

Have a great weekend!

Tattoo a banana for breakfast

Designer and illustrator Honey emailed to suggest that serving tattooed bananas might be a good idea for a brunch party. Might be? Heck yes; I love this kind of craziness. Put them in lunch bags! Hide them in the produce section at the grocery store and giggle at perplexed shoppers!

I had to try it immediately.


Simply make lots of tiny punctures in the banana peel with a pin, and the holes will turn brown. (I drew a quick outline on the banana with a sharp pencil first, then filled it in.) The banana will start to turn brown immediately. The longer you wait, the darker the black becomes, and it starts to look a bit debossed.

The heart is the result of 60 seconds of poking, then waiting overnight. The "hi" photo was taken half an hour after puncturing.

But I'm just an amateur banana tattoo artist. Look at Honey's Blues Brothers version:


See more of her work here. Wowzers. Except for the lettered versions, those are freehanded. You could also poke holes through a template printed on paper.

Have fun, kids. You know you wanna do it.

Make hexagon-shaped pillows

Have you seen Diane Gilleland's kaleidoscope pillow tutorial over at Spoonflower? Each pillow is sewn from two fat quarters of fabric. They're nifty.

Printable letters for party banners

HP has a big library of printable files, including these letters and numbers you can print and string to make banners. Nothing says "I love you" like using up an entire ink cartridge on someone you care about.

(Or use the smart tip Krysalia left in the comments on this post: get the letters printed by a photo service. Twenty 4x6 prints might only cost you $2-$3.)

Draped wall art

I found something wonderful at Jeannie Jeannie. Art installations by Sakir Gokcebag made of... toilet paper rolls. I really, really want someone to attempt this at home.

Conduct your own beatbox group

Wasting time on a Friday afternoon? Play with Incredibox online and conduct your own a capella beatbox vocal group. Add dudes to your band and assign them effects, beats, and vocals. Take guys away, bring in more, and craft a killer composition.

A collection of modern desktop wallpapers

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the day, you might like to show your desktop or iPad some love. While Googling, I came across the wallpaper stash at Design Love Fest. There are a couple Valentine options, plus a pile of other pretty designs created by various artists. Find the whole collection here. The wallpaper above is called "The Floating" by Asia Pietrzyk. Grab it here.

If I had an iPhone, I'd put dots on it. My iPad probably needs cameras. No, shoes. No, cameras.

Print your own Post-it notes

Surprise somebody with messages left in drawers, stuck on mirrors, or hidden in suitcases with this printable template. You can print the page on colored paper and cut out the notes, or get fancy and turn these into custom Post-it notes.

Click to download the free template.

If you plan to print your own sticky notes, here's how:
1. Print the PDF on regular paper at 100% size.
2. Place a sticky note in each square and press it down firmly. Make sure corners are lying flat.
3. Put the paper back into your printer* and print the file one more time.

*ONLY TRY THIS if you understand how paper is fed through your printer. The top edge of the notes should be pulled through the printer first or you're asking for a paper jam.

Fill in the blanks and leave notes throughout your house.

DIY cut-paper Valentine banner

Hi, Friend sent me a link to their free template to make this Valentine's Day fiesta banner. So nice! And so time-consuming. You'd better get out your X-acto knife immediately. Do it. Tell your boss you've got better things to do, go home, and start cutting right this instant.

P.S. This would be a great DIY garland for wedding receptions, too.

Oscar party decorating

If you need a quick DIY decorating idea for an Academy Awards party, you might like Ty's film-wrapped candles. This project uses old negatives wrapped around flameless LED candles. (Get them 3 for $1 at Dollar Tree.) Me, I'd be tempted to wrap film around the outside of glass candle holders and use real tea lights inside. I know you oughtn't, since film is flammable (as folks aggressively pointed out in the comments on Ty's project) but I like to live dangerously. I've got a million tea lights and zero LED candles.

Update: I wrapped some photo negatives around a glass votive holder and put a real candle inside to test it (see image). Burned it for over two hours. The glass got lukewarm to the touch, but nowhere near hot enough to melt anything. The glass was pretty thick, so that helps. I'm not telling you to do this. Don't sue me if you start your house on fire. I'm just reporting my experience; do with it what you will! And never leave a burning candle unattended.

Printable 2013 Oscar ballot and bingo game

The Oscars are on February 24th. Whether you're hosting an Academy Awards party or planning to lounge on the couch in your PJs, it's fun to mark predictions on a ballot and try your luck at Oscar bingo.

Folks at your party will be counting the number of winners on stage, hoping the presenters will botch their lines, and cheering for the orchestra when it cuts off a speech. Movie theater gift cards, boxes of popcorn, or little Oscar statuettes from a party store make good prizes.

A bingo refresher: The first person to mark off five squares in a line wins. It could be a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, and the center square counts as a freebie.

There are 20 different game cards in the downloadable file. Save the PDF to your computer, open it in Adobe Reader, and print the number of pages you need at 100% size. (Then select the best sheet for yourself, of course.)

Download the Oscar bingo game
Download the Oscar ballot

Like every year, my standard disclaimer applies. It might be possible to get a bingo ten minutes into the telecast, or maybe your group won't have a winner at all because my psychic powers have failed this time.
Good luck!

To join the bingo mailing list for next year, sign up here.

Treat yo self to orange

Therapeutic benefits can be obtained from admiring pretty orange things. In case you need to treat yo self, to quote Tom Haverford, here are some orange ideas.

Treat Yo Self print, $24. (That episode of Parks and Rec cracked me up. Alex and I still enjoy saying this to each other.)
Dress, $74.99
Jute and leather wallet, $54
Striped sweater, $34.99
Personalized pencils, $7.50
Scalloped pencil case, $22
Paper clips, $4.50
Vintage mug, $5
Purse, $19.99
Cocktail shaker, $29.99

DIY geometric felt heart garland

I had some stiffened felt left over from this box project, so I cut out some quick, freehand hearts with an X-acto knife.

Geometric shapes are trendy right now. So are ubiquitous chevron patterns, but polka dots are going to overtake those zig zags soon, mark my words.

But back to the felt. E-Z Felt is stiff and sturdy, and about $2 a sheet at my local craft store. It's very forgiving to cut, since any slices that accidentally overshoot the corners of a cutout won't show.

Stringing these hearts on twine is easy since they're full of holes. Really big hearts could be used as trivets or coasters, too.

Wallpaper déjà vu

People who like black wallpapers with white scripty lettering: have another! I found a twin to yesterday's free download. Grab your complimentary tribute to java here at Dear Coffee I Love You, and adorn your desktop, iPad, or iPhone with lettering by Simon Ålander.

Hand-lettered wallpaper for devices

My current desktop wallpaper is this lovely creation by Dave Foster. Download your own copy for desktops, tablets, and phones right here from The Fox is Black.