Marni for H&M inspired necklace with recycled plastic DIY

 

If I had to pick something from Marni collaboration with H&M definitely would be an accessory. I really like the bold necklaces and bracelets that will be available in selected H&M stores in two days. I expecially like how plastic has been used. Today I get back to you with another tutorial on how to recycle plastic packages and use them to make a necklace. If you want to make the necklace like mine have a look around the house and search for white plastic packages. I used empty orbit gum bottles (nothing is safe from my crafty mania).

Nella collezione disegnata da Marni per H&M gli accessori sono i pezzi che preferisco e in particolare i gioielli realizzati in plastica lucida e opaca che spiccano sulle stampe geometriche. Marni arriverà in negozi H&M selezionati l'8 Marzo. Nel frattempo vorrei mostrarvi come riciclare dei contenitori di plastica bianca che avete in casa e utilizzarli per realizzare una collana.

I cut petals shapes from the plastic
Ho ritagliato dei petali dalla plastica

I heated the plastic just enough to make it moldable
Ho scaldato la plastica giusto il necessario per renderla malleabile

I pressed the petal with two fingers to curve it
Ho schiacciato tra due dita i petali per curvarli

I put together the flower sewing it with invisible thread
Ho composto il fiore cucendo i petali con il filo invisibile

I made ten flowers
Ho realizzato dieci fiori

I sewed a small piece of leather on the back of the flower and then I inserted all the flowers into a leather thread
Ho cucito un pezzetto di pelle sul retro dei fiori e li ho infilati in un laccetto di pelle 

See another Marni for H&M inspired necklace DIY here

What Are the Strongest Toys Available for my Dog?

Many dog toys state in their very name that they are "tough", "strong" and "indestructible", but given half an hour with a much focused dog, most of these durable toys can be reduced to tatters. So which ones really live up to their names?

The most popular rubber tough toys are the Extreme Kong range, which include an extreme Goodie Bone, which can be stuffed with treats and paste, and also, the famous classic Kong, with improved durability. These are made from unique natural rubber, and have unpredictable bounce and remarkable elasticity which withstands the most tenacious power chewers. Most dogs would have trouble chewing their way through these, but it is still recommended that the toughest chewers are supervised during play.

A new toy to the market is the Boomer Ball. Recommended by leading pet psychologists, this toy is simply a large plastic ball, available in a variety of sizes. The idea is that a ball is purchased, which is slightly larger than your dogs jaw, so that they can gnaw at the ball, but they are unable to actually close their mouth around it. They can chase and pounce on the ball, encouraging natural predator instincts, and it is perfect therapy for bored pets. The Boomer Ball is described as the only indestructible dog toy, and the creators are so sure, that if you dog does manage to puncture the ball, they will replace it, free of charge.

Other tough toys include rope toys, which can withstand a large amount of tugging and chewing, and rarely show wear and tear. These are perfect toys for fetch games and will outlast many other rubber and latex chew toys, but won't give your dog the same satisfaction and probably won't keep their attention for too long if left alone with a rope toy.

For tenacious chewers, the worst possible toys would have to be soft, plush toys. Things such as cuddly representations of puppies, cats, and even meerkats, are an economical disaster, and are unlikely to have a life expectancy of more than 10 minutes with a chewy terrier or bouncy spaniel.

Overall, the top contender does appear to be the Boomer Ball, as recommended for exotic animals such as tigers and wolves, it should be perfectly adequate for your domesticated pooch.

To purchase the Boomer Ball, and other tough dog toys, visit http://www.netpetshop.co.uk, where you'll also find many other products, suited for your pet.

Neon glowing rope necklace DIY

on night light

On day light

I made this necklace putting the neon and the rope trend together. I wanted to make a fun statement necklace so I added a little something: the glowing effect so my necklace lights up at night. The rope I bought for this project is very beautiful: shiny and silky. In order to keep this effect I painted only one side of the rope with glowing paint so the necklace is the double faced. I can wear the white side during the day, turn it and wear the yellow side at an happy hour with friends and see it glowing during the evening, basically it's 3 necklaces in one.

Ho realizzato questa collana ispirandomi al trend neon e aggiungendoci un elemento in più: una vernice fosforescente che illumina la collana di notte. Siccome la corda con la quale l'ho realizzata è lucida e setosa ho deciso di dipingere la collana solo da un lato ottendo un accessorio double-face. Potrei indossare la collana bianca durante il giorno, girarla dal lato giallo per l'aperitivo e vederla accendersi man mano che la giornata volge alla sera. Che ne dite? Vi piace?

2 metres of  rope - glow in the dark paint
2 metri di corda - vernice fosforescente

I tied the rope: this is a flower celtic knot, see the tutorial below
Ho annodato la corda realizzando un nodo a fiore, guardate il tutorial qui in basso

and then painted it
e poi l'ho dipinta

Dr. Seuss and Speculative Fiction

Dr. Seuss and Speculative Fiction

by Dianna L. Gunn

For some reason when I think of kids books, I rarely define them by genre. In my head, they're all just kids books. Of course, books for kids are sort of their own genre, but as with YA, all the usual genres exist in these books.

I came to all of these realizations when I was asked to write about Dr. Seuss and speculative fiction. At first I was confused. How is Dr. Seuss a speculative fiction writer? The question bounced around in my head for a few hours, and then I realized the answer was right in front of me.

Dr. Seuss uses lots of speculative fiction elements. His stories are so far out there that it's hard to define them within genre, but definite elements of speculative fiction can be found within his work. Think about the Cat in the Hat. Talking animals don't happen in mainstream fiction, but they do happen in speculative fiction.

Then I started talking to my grandmother about The Lorax, a movie released yesterday based on one of Dr. Seuss's books. For some reason the book escaped me in my childhood, but after my grandmother's explanation, the concept fascinates me. It's the story of the last tree in a world where everything has fallen apart. It might be a kids book and it might end on a happy note, but it's sort of post-apocalyptic fiction.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Dr. Seuss has to do with speculative fiction. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas we encounter the fantastical Grinch and Christmas magic. In Horton Hears a Who, we discover an entire world on a four leaf clover. What's more speculative than that?

Dr. Seuss was one of my favourite authors as a child. The more I think about the speculative elements in his fiction, the more I want to revisit his works. Now, with maturity and distance, is a good time to return to Dr. Seuss and to really examine him as a writer. His stories are fascinating and hard to classify but easy to read.

I think we all have something to learn from Dr. Seuss, especially those of us writing speculative fiction or trying to write work that defies genre. It's time to dive back into our childhood favourites.

A Wild WORD DOC Appears! by Rachael Acks

A Wild WORD DOC Appears!

Rachael Acks

I wasn't actually aware of the steampunk theme issue for Penumbra until about two weeks before the due date. Despite the fact that I had a midterm looming and a large project due, I knew that I had to write something for it. The same way you know that the person who just threw his or her drink in your face is the one, or the way you know that as god is your witness, you will eat that entire pizza and damn the unending hell of heartburn that is to follow.

This is really to say that I have to write. I can't not do it. And steampunk? Sign me up. It's an unholy love triangle of speculative fiction, frock coats, and physics.

One of the most valuable pieces of writing advice that you will ever hear - and hear it you shall, over and over until you're forced to believe it or scream loudly enough to drown us all out - is that if you want to write, just do it. Sit down and write.

That was exactly what I did. Only that glosses over the details of my writing process. In all honesty, it went something like this:

A wild WORD DOCUMENT appears! What do you do?

> stare blankly

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 34 damage. What do you do?

> spin in office chair (whilst staring at ceiling as if that will reveal some universal truth about steam engines and pistols)

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 19 damage. What do you do?

> cry out to the sky and angrily ask an uncaring, distant god why he has forsaken me

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 20 damage. What do you do?

> consume a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food, liberally salted with my tears

FAILURE! The WORD DOCUMENT hits you for 23 damage and now you have LOVE HANDLES. What do you do?

> clench my teeth and raise my shaking hands to the keyboard

> write

You WRITE. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE! You hit WORD DOCUMENT for 4500 words! Victory!

> celebrate

> wait a second, the word limit for Penumbra is 3000 isn't it?

> shit

 

The second most valuable piece of writing advice I've ever seen comes from Stephen King, by way of his fantastic book, On Writing. Kill your darlings, he says. Not just great advice for horror (where it might be more literal), but for anyone that wants to write. Sometimes you have to look at 4500 words you have sweated and sustained multiple brain cramps for, and know that at least 1500 of those words are about to go to the big recycle bin the sky. Try to think of yourself as the sculptor, and that block of words is marble from which a glorious work of art will emerge. I also recommend not imagining that you can hear the words let out tiny, pathetic shrieks every time you hit the delete key. It's probably healthier that way.

Then you send what's left of your darling - or hopefully your new and improved darling - out into the world. It's a scary experience, though somewhat easier when you're a hair away from panic with a deadline staring you down like a mountain lion looks at a toy poodle. Don't sweat it. It's not hard to keep busy while you wait.

A wild WORD DOCUMENT appears! What do you do?

Homemade coconut body butter recipe

Today I would like to share with you a quick beauty recipe to make a very good body butter. I discovered it a while ago and I've been a fan ever since. It's cheap, organic and biological because it's made just with water and dry coconut, it's quick because it takes only 5 minutes to make it and it's coconut scented (I love the scent of coconut). I use it everyday as hand cream and lip balm. It makes hands really soft. I suggest you to try it, you're gonna love it!

Oggi vorrei condividere con voi una veloce ricetta di bellezza per realizzare in casa un ottimo burro per il corpo. Il burro che otterrete è economico e biologico perchè costituito da farina di cocco ed acqua, è veloce perchè si realizza in 5 minuti, in più profuma di cocco. Io lo uso principalmente come crema per le mani e balsamo per le labbra. Rende le mani molto morbide. Provare per credere.

Buy dry coconut  at the grocery store, a bag is $1.5 and you'll make a ton of butter out of it.
Acquistate un sacchetto di farina di cocco al supermercato, con meno di un euro potrete realizzare una quantità incredibile di burro.

Versate 3 cucchiai di farina di cocco in un pentolino

Put enough water to cover it but not too much and blend it well
Aggiungete acqua fino a coprire il burro, mescolate bene e lasciate sul fuoco per 5 minuti

Filtrate il cocco con un colino

Aiutatevi con un cucchiaio (o uno schiaccia patate) per spremerlo bene

Oppure avvolgetelo in un tovagliolo e strizzatelo

Once the cocounut is completely drained you can toss it, the coconut butter is all into the liquid.
Una volta terminata questa operazione potete buttare via la farina di cocco che avete spremuto perchè ormai è esausta. Tenete il liquido però e mettetelo in frigo.

Use a spoon to pick up the butter and put it into a jar. Put the coconut water into a spray bottle and spray it over the body onto damp skin after bath.
In frigo il burro si solidificherà e potrete asportarlo con un cucchiaio. L'acqua di cocco rimasta liquida si può invece mettere in uno spruzzino ed usarla come acqua idratante per il corpo vaporizzandola sulla pelle ancora bagnata dopo la doccia. 

The coconut body butter will last 2 weeks if you keep it into the fridge, 1 week otherwise. The coconut water will last 1 week into the fridge. That is why this recipe is for a small quantity of butter but you can adjust the quantities according to your needs.
I found this recipe here.

To read more beauty tips click here: How to fix a broken eyeshadow

Il burro ha una data di scadenza: durerà 2 settimane tenendolo in frigo altrimenti una settimana. L'acqua di cocco durerà una settimana. Essendo un cosmetico organico deperisce più rapidamente di quelli con i conservanti, ecco perchè le quantità suggerite nella ricetta sono piccole. Potrete comunque aumentarle secondo la vostra necessità. 

Ho trovato questa ricetta su sai cosa ti spalmi?

Per leggere altri pratici consigli beauty cliccate qui: Come riparare un ombretto rotto

Collars: Get Safer Ones For Your Cats

If you warmly welcome cats to be part of your life then it's time to offer them something that they can use throughout their existence. These special items appear so important because it adds to the unique look of your kitties while you take care of controlling their moves and behaviors. Buy or make cute collar for your dear kitty and make sure that it is safe. This is a type of accessories that any kitty can be proud of.

Today, there are different types of collars available in the market yet not all are equal in terms of quality and usefulness. Others are more specialized that they are only use for special cases like training kitties. There are those useful everyday for they are just simple and cute. Despite the variety of choices and more improved collar options, think only of your dear pets' safety whenever they need to use this thing. They won't tell you that they don't like that so it is up to you to determine what they really need. Will it be the breakaway type that opens quickly or the traditional type commonly use?

Give your cats' considerable amount of freedom when they are home or outside but never forget to have their collars attached in case they can't find a way home. With a collar attached, you get to easily identify your cat. You would hear a sound that if the collar has a sounding bell or you can be more confident that somebody will have it returned to you if the collar tells the name of the cat and where to return it in case he is lost. Truly, these items worn around their necks are the return tickets for lost kittens.

When getting good collars from a particular shop, you should think always of how safe they are? Do they have some unfamiliar features? Will they open quickly in case the cat pass was snagged in the fence, he can still get out and continuously go after the running mouse. Safe collar options are what cat owners should have on their lists. If they can't determine which is safer then they can always pause and look for help. Reviews are always readable. They might have things to say. A friend of yours who is a cat lover too can help you decide what to get. But, never fails to determine the size, breed, nature, and common activities of your kitties to make sure that you give right supplies.