Crafts – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS

by Rock Paper Scissors - April 10, 2020April 10, 2020

All-Natural Egg Decorating

Hello, I hope you are having a wonderful day! Today, I wanted to share how I decorated all-natural eggs with my kids (an eight-year-old plus a three-year-old) – the old fashioned way. I remember when I was a child, I painted hard-boiled eggs with my mom (or it may have been at school.) It was fun and cool, and it was easy!

That is how I remembered it, but the reality is…every part was challenging. First, I tried emptying the eggs. I wanted hollow eggs since I wanted to make easter eggs that we can keep. So, I tried poking a hole on the round side (not the pointed side), but my needles were too weak. (A pin would have been the best, but sadly I did not have one on hand.) I tried several different needles and used the thickest needle I had. And I finally poked a hole, however, the egg yolk and whites did not cooperate with me. I made a larger hole and shook the egg hard as I can – but no luck. After trial and error, I found that blowing into the egg with a straw worked the best. There is also a way to make two holes, one on the top and bottom, and blow all the egg yolk and whites. I preferred only to have one hole since I wanted to paint the top of the egg.

Before painting, clean the egg and let it dry very well. Spray on some alcohol to sanitize the egg. When painting the egg, use gouache or acrylic paint if you plan to paint something. Watercolors are great if you want abstract art. And make sure to keep the eggs dry while painting. If you make a mistake, use a wet cotton swab to correct your mistake, and wipe the excess moisture. Any moisture or water will ruin your art right away!

I had to re-paint several times, and my eldest daughter was going crazy since she had to re-do her eggs so many times. She decided to paint her egg all pink. My younger daughter seemed to have a lot of fun, considering that she wanted a purple egg.

During this project, my daughter accidentally dropped my brown egg and my egg has a dent at the bottom. The best part of the project is that we got to eat french toast, which was rewarding for our whole family! And follow me on my Instagram account @byasamihasegawa for more tips.

by Rock Paper Scissors - November 7, 2019April 7, 2020

DIY Hand-painted Wood Crafts

Hello! I hope you are having a great week. Wood is one of my favorite mediums, but it is also by far the most challenging DIY project that I tend to avoid. I am terribly clumsy and accident-prone, so I make sure to be extra careful. In my previous post, I hand-painted on an old wooden chair – that was an experiment! This time, I decided to use some of my precious wood craft supplies that I bought from Japan. (If you have an opportunity to go to Japan, you will need to visit this store! The store is so adorable and ridiculously affordable. )

When working with wood, I sand the surface lightly and apply primer with a brush. I usually let it sit for at least three hours. Some primers will ask you to wait for 24 hours; however, I apply a thin layer for it to dry quickly. This method works for me, mainly because I don’t take on big projects. If you plan to do a big home project, I really suggest waiting for 24 hours. For these projects, I freehanded and let my creativity flow, but I sometimes sketch a draft with a pencil (very very lightly) when hand-painting intricate designs. I personally don’t like erasing the pencil marks after painting, and pencil marks can eventually show through. If you aren’t confident, use a transfer paper and trace your design!

Paint pens and sharpie oil pens are also great if you prefer a firm brush tip. I personally use brushes to give it a soft and uneven look. I would definitely use a paint pen for calligraphy on wood. And follow me on my Instagram account @byasamihasegawa for more tips and more. Happy crafting!

Materials Used
Wooden Blocks
Sand Paper
Primer
Acrylic Paint
Painter’s Tape

by Rock Paper Scissors - July 16, 2016August 13, 2016

Unicorn Tote Bag

Hand Painted Unicorn Tote Bag

As most girls do, my daughter loves unicorns. She reminds me everyday that a unicorn is special and magical – so unicorns are always magically flying around in my head. I had this project in mind for awhile and wanted to create just the right tote bag for her. I’ve seen unicorn tote bags in the past, but I wanted a subtle unicorn pattern that wasn’t too flamboyant. The unicorns are hand painted with acrylic paint and metallic paint. I waited 24 hours for it to dry, and first turned the tote bag inside out and then ironed the fabric on low setting.

To add some fun, I made a unicorn keychain made with perler beads. Playing around with perler beads on the pegboards are really fun, but this time I used this app, Perler, to create my unicorn. It lets me create a better pattern and I loved the outcome of the project. If you plan to create something with perler beads, it is definitely worth a try!

Materials Used
Unicorn Tote Bag –
Acrylic Paint
Metallic Paint
Plain Tote Bag
Iron

Unicorn Keychain –
Perler Beads
Pegboard
Keychain
Perler App

by Rock Paper Scissors - July 14, 2016April 5, 2020

Beaded Hair Comb

diy beaded hair comb

The other day, I was cleaning out my closet and found some beautiful beads that I bought from La droguerie and a flea market in Paris several years ago. This adorable shop carries beads, buttons, ribbons and everything that a crafter would want. The beads are very well crafted and they are very hard to come by here.

During the Paris trip, I remember just wandering the streets and taking pictures of apartment doors and graffiti with a very confused husband. The beads remind me of the elegant color palettes and brings back great memories of my trip to Paris. It was definitely one of the best trips I ever had – which I hope to do with my daughter some day.

After reminiscing and sharing my Paris trip memories with my daughter, we decided to spend some time making jewelry together. She insisted on making a hair comb and bracelet, so we used beads, hair combs, copper wires, elastic cords and some E6000 glue to reinforce and strengthen the knots. My daughter enjoyed choosing the beads and is very excited to wear it to preschool tomorrow!

Materials Used
Beads
Hair Combs
Copper Wire
Elastic Cord
E6000 glue
Pliers