DIY Phone Tripod Mount

I take all of my photos using my iPhone's camera, even my product photos for my shop's website.  I decided that it was time to invest in a phone mount for my tripod, so I can take better photos and selfies (for when I model the clothes I sell).  Then I thought, "Hey, why should I buy one when I could probably just make one?"  So I looked online, and sure enough, I found a DIY video.

If you watch the video, he shows everything a bit more clearly.  And I didn't have the exact same tools that he did, but thanks to Dad, I was able to improvise.

Here are the things I needed:

     

• Flux (or whatever you have that attaches solder to things)
• A pencil
• Some 1/8" solder
• A 1/4" nut
• A binder clip
• Sandpaper
• Something to cut the solder with (hence the giant shears)
• A torch
• A thick rubber band.  I didn't have a thick rubber band, so I used fabric glue and some thick elastic to make a decent substitute until I can find an actual rubber band.

First, I used the sandpaper to remove the paint from the bottom of the binder clip, until it was mostly just the metal.

Next, I wrapped some solder around the pencil, to make a little spiral.

Then, I secured the binder clip using a vice (in the video, the guy uses a second larger binder clip, which I didn't have).  I put some of the Flux on the binder clip and on the nut.

Then I made a nut/solder sandwich, with the nut on top, some Flux, the solder, more Flux, and the binder clip at the bottom.

Next, I had my dad use the torch to melt the solder, so that it secured the nut onto the binder clip.

We waited for it to cool down, and we were a little skeptical that it would work at first, but it seems to be holding on pretty well!

I brought the clip inside and used it to hold the makeshift band.  If you watch the video, you can see this next part more clearly than I can explain it.  I wrapped the ends of the band around the corners of the binder clip, so that it looked like this (I know it's tough to see, since the elastic is the same color as the clip... just watch the video!):

I used it to hold a phone, and then I twisted the mount onto my tripod.  Voila!

So far, it works really well!  I can set a timer on it to take photos of myself, or I can just keep the phone in one place while I switch products out and take photos of them.  It's super useful!  And if the nut happens to break off or something, I can just make another one!

I hope you guys find this project as useful as I did!  :)

DIY Skater Skirt

I've had this plain black skirt skirt for a long time, but it just never really looked right, so I never wore it.  So I decided to turn it into a cool skater skirt with straps.  :)

First, I put the skirt on, and I measured where the straps would go.

I cut two pieces of elastic to this length.  Then, I used chalk to mark where the straps would be going.  I put the chalk marks on the inside of the skirt, so they can't be seen when I'm wearing it.  Next, I flipped the skirt inside-out so I could sew the straps onto the inside.

Next, I used fabric glue to attach the elastic straps to the chalk markings.

Once that was dry, I put the skirt back on with the straps over my shoulders.  It still looked a little bare, so I decided to add one more strap.

I measured around my waist, about two inches above the top of the skirt, and I used chalk to mark the insides of the straps where I wanted this new strap to go.

I cut another piece of elastic to this length, and I used fabric glue to attach it to the inner sides of the shoulder straps.

Here is what the finished project looks like:

       

Knick-Knack Shelf Revamp

I saw this shelf at Goodwill for $12, and I knew I could turn it into a really cool piece.  I wanted to paste a pretty card stock background onto the back of the cubbies, and paint the whole thing.

I took it home, and the first thing I did was measure the individual shelves to see how much paper I would need to cover them.  I wrote all of the measurements down, so that I could use them later to cut the paper to the proper size.

I went to Michaels, and found a few sheets of some gorgeous card stock.  I chose black and white because then it won't clash with anything that I might put on the shelf.  Next, I used a brush and acrylic paint to paint the entire shelf black.

While that was drying, I cut the card stock to the sizes that I had written down earlier.  I used a straight-edge cutting tool from Cricut.  Then I carefully pasted them into the backs of each cubby using Mod-Podge (on the front and back of the paper) and a paintbrush.

Here is what the finished project looks like:

What do you think I should display on the shelf?  I have a collection of bones and crystals... that could be a cool idea.  :)