Category Archives: Arts & Crafts

DIY Doggie Wrap (or Baby Wrap)

Click here to watch our DIY doggie wrap in action – featuring Mimi!

Mothers hailing from different cultures on every continent have been “wearing” babies upon their own bodies for centuries. Traditionally, baby-wearing is a convenient and pragmatic method to keep track of little ones, while continuing activities of daily life and maintaining the intimacy of mother and child.

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Nowadays in North America, baby-carrying cloths are trendy accessories that are marketed under brands like Moby WrapBoba Wrap, and Baby K’Tan. But why limit baby-wearing slings, wraps, and carriers to human babies? We decided to make our own wrap… for our pup Mimi! Continue reading DIY Doggie Wrap (or Baby Wrap)

Mimi’s Doggie Door

One of Mimi’s favorite pastimes is getting a breath of fresh air on our balcony. She puts her tiny head between the posts of the balcony and enjoys the spectacular view as much as we do! Recently, however, because our balcony gets quite a few gusts at this height, we have installed a wind barrier to protect our potted garden. Unfortunately, this barrier prohibits Mimi’s 20cm-high view of our 25th-story vista. Here’s our design solution: a tiny laser-cut door to give Mimi an unobstructed view!

Mimi is a happy, peppy pup and the theme we chose was equally fun and playful. For the basics of the main design Continue reading Mimi’s Doggie Door

Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals

VISIT ALL THE POSTS IN OUR “PAPER FLOWERS” HOW-TO SERIES!
Paper Flowers: Introduction
Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals
Paper Flowers: Part 2 – Coming soon….!

PAPER FLOWERS: PART 1 – MAKE THE PETALS

Years ago, my mom taught me how to make these paper flowers (click here to see some examples), and they have become one of my most favorite projects. My mom herself learned and perfected the technique so that she could make a bouquet for me and a boutonniere for Silas. Now it is my pleasure to share this paper-craft with you. Continue reading Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals

Laser-Cut Lunar New Year Rooster Cards

Happy Lunar New Year! Year 2017 is the Year of the Rooster! To welcome in the Lunar New Year (called Tết in Việt and 新年 in Chinese), we made Rooster greeting cards to fill red envelopes (called lì xì in Vietnamese, hong bao in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese). In our cultures, these red envelopes represent good luck and are distributed to children and unmarried individuals. We deviated from tradition in that Continue reading Laser-Cut Lunar New Year Rooster Cards

3D Origami: Part 2 – Create the Ring Base

VISIT ALL THE POSTS IN OUR 3D ORIGAMI HOW-TO SERIES!
3D Origami: Introduction
3D Origami: Part 1 – Fold the Component Pieces
3D Origami: Part 2 – Make a Ring Base
3D Origami: Part 3 – Coming Soon!

3D ORIGAMI: PART 2 – CREATE THE RING BASE

Now that you have made a large pile of triangular component pieces (see “Part 1: Fold the Component Pieces“), we can start to build a ring base! A ring base is a versatile foundation for any Continue reading 3D Origami: Part 2 – Create the Ring Base

Pysanky: Part 2 – Materials List for Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Click here to see “Pysanky: Part 1 – Our First Ukrainian Easter Eggs” in which we decorated our first pysanky with our friends Anjie and Lily and give an overview of the process.

In preparation of making our pysanky, we required a number of specialized equipment. Even though pysanka-making kits are Continue reading Pysanky: Part 2 – Materials List for Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Pysanky: Part 1 – Our First Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Update: Click here to see “Part 2 – Materials list for making Ukrainian Easter eggs” in which we go over the tools and materials needed for this traditional craft.

The Eastern European tradition of creating pysanky (singular pysanka) is generations old with historical and religious undertones. Amazingly, these impressively intricate and magnificently ornate pieces of folk art are created by dyeing the egg, not by painting. Obviously, pysanky takes your typical childhood Easter egg dyeing session to the next level… This Easter season, we made our own versions with Continue reading Pysanky: Part 1 – Our First Ukrainian Easter Eggs