Friday, July 20, 2012

DIY Scratch-Off Cards

Great technique to create save-the-date wedding invites, coupon scratch-offs for businesses or holidays, or hide a secret message!


To make your own scratch-offs, you will need:
Something you want to turn into a scratch-off
Clear packing tape or contact paper
Acrylic craft paint in any color (metallic makes it more realistic)
Scissors
Paint brush
Dish soap
Hairdryer (optional)




1. Create your card, or get your card ready if it’s already made. For this project, I am creating my own Florida Trivia scratch-offs, which I made using the GIMP photo editor. To reveal the answer of the Florida Trivia questions, someone will have to scratch it off. ;)  I created 4 different question cards and then printed them out on colored paper. Since you need the paper to be somewhat sturdy, I cut around my printed cards and pasted them onto a stiffer paper for support. To make them a bit fancy, I cut the edges with decorative scissors.




2. Use your regular scissors and cut a peice of clear packing tape or contact paper, the size you need to cover up the words you want to scratch off, and then place it on the card, sticky side down.
*Tip: If you use contact paper instead, you can paint the contact paper first, then cut out shapes and stick them over your text.




3. Then, mix 2 parts paint with one part dish soap. Using your paintbrush, paint a thin layer of this mixture over the packing tape. I used a hairdryer on a high heat setting to help dry the paint. You need to make sure the layer is completely dry before painting the next layer. It will take about 4-5 layers to hide your text, unless your text is fairly small. So you will follow this order: paint, dry, paint, dry, paint, dry, etc. until your text is covered. (I know mine looks a little messy, but it is just a demonstration for this DIY!)
*Tip: To know if it is completely dry, it should feel just like dry paint. If it has a soapy feeling, or if you can leave a fingerprint on the paint when you touch it, it is not dry enough.




4. After it’s dry, you are done! How easy was that? Now, just grab a coin and scratch away!


 

Thanks to TheBlueMorpho for sharing a great tutorial!

Check out my new DIY art project here, and also on my surfdash page:

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Attach a 50mm Lens to your iPhone?!

 
 A CONCEPT Not to be confused with the already developed skjm.com/icam/ !

My iPhone is so handy and so much better at getting good pictures than it used to be that I find myself taking out the DSLR kit less and less these days, and just doing a little more work on the editing side, something Annie Leibovitz says is the key to great shots anyway. But a new iPhone accessory concept brings the best of both worlds via a single device — albeit one that doesn’t exist, yet.

The iCam is a simple case for the iPhone 5 (yes, iPhone 5), as conceptualized by Italy’s ADR Studio. The studio used a mock-up it had created for the iPhone 5, featuring a larger edge-to-edge screen and oval home button, as the base device for the iCam add-on, but it’s not hard to imagine it working with the iPhone 4 either.
The quality of the design is indefinitely not apple. Grabbing a button layout from canon? Putting the too small virtual buttons in the middle of the layout – the furthest away location possible? The sharp edge top right to scratch the phone? The tacky and pointless front facing screen? The overall ‘no way to hold it without touching a button’ layout?

Someone should seriously introduce a camera accessory like this. If someone like Panasonic introduced a Lumix camera case for the iPhone that supported micro 4/3 lenses i’d purchase it in a heartbeat.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

'Treat time’ at Hello Kitty Beauty Spa in Dubai

Recently opened for business in Dubai!  
 
More than a spa, Hello Kitty Beauty spa is destination that defines exclusive posh pampering – we’re all about sugar, spice and everything incredibly nice! We approach pampering in a positive way that lets you have fun, boosts your inner beauty, makes you feel great and lets your inner princess or queen dazzle.
We’re all about girls – young and old – enjoying their pampering session and our array of services have been carefully considered to make your experience incomparable. All our products and treatments have unique formulas created with excellent quality and only for Hello Kitty Beauty Spa. For children, we only use organic products that have been specially created for their sensitive skins. Our friendly and dynamic team of therapists and stylists are consummate professionals who ensure you’ll have a wonderful and relaxing experience that’s extremely regal.
Our luxurious interiors, with flourishes of pink, have been designed with your comfort in mind, making it the only place you ever want to be. Inside the spa, we have a café that encourages you unwind with a selection delectable treats, organic chocolate cupcakes and reviving beverages.
Turn on ‘treat time’ at Hello Kitty Beauty Spa for a splendid experience filled with all things bright and beautiful!
Isn’t the decor super cute and so posh!???
*Sigh*

FOR ALL MY HELLO KITTY LOVERS CHECK OUT THESE CUTE HK PAGES: http://www.surfdash.com/publicsections/viewsection/2941-hello-kitty__2191