Bike iPhone and desktop wallpapers

Get a charming little desktop freebie, with or without an October calendar, at Oh the Lovely Things. The designs are simple, just the way I like 'em, so finding files and folders on my desktop is easy. Plus you can't go wrong with bits of orange!

Download free, vintage-style bookplates

When you're giving a book as a gift, how about including a bookplate with the recipient's name? Or as a little bonus, add a pack of labels printed on sticker paper. Benign Objects has created a set (top row) that you can download here. They're modeled after the freebies posted by Besotted Brand Blog (bottom row), available here.

Create vampire and zombie photo effects

PicMonkey, the online image editor, has just released a variety Halloween effects you can apply to your photos. Wish you looked like a Twilight cast member? Here's your chance. Turn people into vampires, zombies, and monsters. Add moody backgrounds or dramatic lighting. Or create Halloween labels or invitations using frames, cutouts, and text. Test it right here!

Build little pigs from paper

Pigs! These wee papertoys made me smile. Download the templates from Toxic Paper Factory and assemble your own.

Triple-zip pouches you can sew

My mom (known as Grandma G in the comments around here) sent over photos of pouches she made using the Triple-Zip Pouch tutorial from A Quilter's Table. Has anyone else tried it out? Looks like fun! I asked Mum if she had any comments or notes on the tutorial.

She said:
"I don't have a lot to say about this tutorial. Simply put, these pouches were FUN to make! I loved how each layer was added on, step by step, and suddenly you turn it right side out, and it becomes the pouch! With THREE (easily installed) zippers! I think the design was brilliant, and the tutorial was clear-cut and easy to follow. You have to pay close attention to the details and follow them exactly, but once you get the hang of it, it goes together quickly!

I eliminated the fusible fleece, since the fabric was home dec weight, and it worked out just fine, except that it made the upper corners a bit more bulky and harder to turn out, but IMO that's no big deal.

I also love that the tutorial is available in a PDF file, so I could download it to my iPad and work from there!

Thanks, Debbie, for a great tutorial! I'm off to make another pouch!"

Mum used a lot of exclamation points there, so that means she liked it. I'm embarrassed to say I had to think long and hard what "IMO" might mean. She's cool. IMO.

DIY cards with copper foil

Recently I ordered some laser toner reactive foil. It's metallic foil that will adhere to the toner on laser prints when it's heated and pressed. Or maybe it's not truly foil. I showed this experiment to my packaging-engineer husband who told me it was probably "metalized film" and blah blah blah "metal vapor deposition" blah blah, but "don't quote me on that." No problem; I didn't understand a word he said anyhow.

For best results, you're supposed to print a black and white laser image, then run the print and the foil through a hot laminator. But I don't have a laminator. The Designer Co-op suggested it's possible to use a household iron— an irresistibly tantalizing thought.

So I printed some designs I made, then practiced ironing on the foil. After some dismal early results, I gradually got the hang of it. I managed to produce one absolutely perfect transfer, and several towards the end were acceptable too, with only a couple small specks where the foil didn't adhere. I'm pretending these are vintage seals with an intentionally distressed look. It's a style choice. (Designers are taught in school to rationalize everything.)

Here's part of my trash pile:

The process that worked best:

I laser printed my designs in black onto cardstock using my home printer.

I laid a piece of corrugated cardboard on my dining table, and then a smooth piece of chipboard on top of that. Don't use an ironing board; it's too squishy. You'll need a hard surface like a table or floor, especially one that you would be very sad to ruin. It adds to the excitement.

I placed the laser print on top of the chipboard, printed side up, then covered the printed area with a piece of foil cut slightly larger than the design. The shiny side faces up.

After experimenting, the best setting for my iron was #2 for nylon. A too-hot iron will cause the foil to shrivel up like a piece of peeled sunburn. See that chunk on the right in the picture above? Bad. No color will stick to the paper. I found that a lower setting worked better. Make sure the iron's steam is turned off, too.

Starting at one edge, move the iron steadily across the foil at a moderately slow speed, pressing really hard. Make just one pass.

Then peel the foil sheet off. Hopefully the metal has stuck to the print nicely.

I'd added some vertical lines as a background in the design above, but decided I liked the seal better by itself.

Here's a transfer that's not too bad. You can see just a few black specks where the foil didn't stick. Click to view images larger.

I used metallic copper foil available from Decal Pro FX— one of the individual flat packs at the bottom of the page. An 8"x15' piece of foil is $8.95.

If you don't have design software, no worries. Even simple text printed in an interesting typeface would look cool in foil. It's lots of fun!

Update: I've discovered foil sticks better to coated paper than uncoated. And even better than an iron, I found a laser printer works pretty well to adhere the foil. See this post!

Download and print vintage camera posters

Catherine at Design Editor experimented with making oversized black-and-white prints for cheap. She photographed a couple of her vintage cameras, then made 24"x36" engineering prints of them for three bucks at Staples. The best part: you can download her camera images for free and get your own printed up. Cool DIY wall art for your home or office!

Using polycrylic coating on origami

I've been wondering what kind of protective coating to use on origami, paper jewelry, or other paper projects—something that would make the finished model sturdier, more water-resistant, and maybe a little bit shiny.

I've tried applying a couple coats of Krylon Satin Finish spray, but it didn't seem to have much effect. (Good if you just want to preserve the finish and texture of your paper and protect it a bit from dust, though.) I've also tried clear nail polish, but it didn't create the coating I was looking for.

This was my latest experiment: Minwax Polycrylic, purchased at Home Depot. I got the semi-gloss after standing in the aisle paralyzed, trying to decide whether I wanted a glossy or satin finish. So I aimed for the middle.

I tested the stuff on these origami sakura blossoms I folded from 2" squares of plain computer paper. Get a tutorial for the flowers here! After glueing the petals together, I also glued the loose flaps down to make them extra secure.

Then I painted them with lots of coats of polycrylic, letting the layers dry for an hour or two between coats. I think I applied six. The first coat will cause the folds to relax a little, so be attentive and make sure you reshape the flower a bit if needed before the coating dries. It was helpful to stick them on skewers to dry.

The polycrylic built up a nice, shiny coating and dried crystal clear with no brush strokes at all. The flowers are slightly flexible, but really tough, as if they were laminated with clear plastic or packing tape. Mission accomplished!

I hot-glued magnets to the back and stuck them on my file cabinet.

For other coating and glaze ideas, see the helpful tips from readers in the comments on this post!