DECORISTA CHRONICLES// DIY RING HOLDER

So this quick beauty was so easy to dish out and the outcome was so fabulous that I simply couldn't resist snapping away pictures! And you probably do have an Eiffel Tower souvenir or something right, right? No? Okay, well you can use a miniature souvenir from some random famous tower of your own country or tiny lil toys stolen from your kid/sibling/unknown child across the street. I was about to use stray chess pieces spray painted gold on a faux lil chessboard first, but that idea went whoosh when I remembered this darling key chain, just hibernating in one of my drawers.

Who can resist an Eiffel Tower ring dish? Plus, it's such a good daily catch-all if you're a ring, or even an ear-rings-ish kinda person. And of course, the dish has to be overdressed, because nothing can ever be over-dressed for me when done right. In short, here's a nice way to organize your rings!

It's also literally the simplest, glamorous way to make a squeal-worthy gift for you mum/sister/daughter/friend/lalala.

Did I mention this is Part 1 of my new series called : Vanity Rehab?

Just sayin' but in case your vanity needs an update, love, you can keep coming back for some more ideas. I've done so much more jewelry organizing posts here and realized I'm good at that sort of thing + I hoard a tiny bit more every few months so I'll be posting on more ideas especially dedicated to that.

Onto the diy,

You'll need:

-Decorative beads. gems etc. Even ones from a broken bracelet.
-A tall-ish small souvenir/miniature keepsake etc. (read above if you were lazy and skipped everythin')
-A lid, circular cardboard/glass/plastic base(or maybe even a coaster. And no, it doesn't HAVE to be circular. It can be octagonal, your choice.)

Just for trivia, I used one of those small golden cardboard *things* that come underneath store-bought pastries here. Don't ask me why I kept that. (I'm a diy blogger.)
-Glue gun/super-glue
-A small mirror (smaller than than the base). Just for some added glam-factor.

How-to:

Even tho' this is pretty self explanatory, here we go.

1. I started by using a gold marker to paint around the black rim of my round mirror (which I prized out from my used compact case.)

2. Eyeball the center of the cardboard base and hot glue the mirror over.

3. Start from the diametric middle of the mirror and hot-glue your gems around going alternatively.
Meaning you stick one gem to the right of the first one.

And one gem to the left of the first one.

Just so that it gives each one good enough time to dry and they don't budge later.

4 Clean the mirror.I removed the tower from the key chain and hot-glued its legs in the center of the mirror.
If your keepsake comes in atrocious colors, just paint/spray paint it gold, silver, neon, pastel because all those things are in. Or just do whatever you like.

Ta-done. Done. Stack up the rings and stare at it everyday while you dress up!

Have fun!

Don't forget to pin this cuz' pinning is superlatively hot and subscribe to Craft A Doodle Doo to hook up with the rest of the DIYs in these series.

If you happen to feel extra-friendly right now, you can even follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!

To check out past jewelry organizing hacks, feel free to pass by my DIY gallery!

Hugs and smiles,
Nash

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INSPIRATION NATION// ARCHITECTURE PROJECT REVEAL

Second year of Architecture came to such a dizzying end and the cherry on top was what you see right here. Like my last Architecture project: (the complete process of which is photologged here) French Consulate General in an Arab Country, this year's final project was to create a science and discovery museum on category of choice.

I chose an Islamic Art & Culture Museum of course since I'm always so smitten by the complex geometric and botanically intricate mashrabiyyas. 

The concept was multi-faceted especially because the Islamic Arab heritage is so rich. While primarily based on the Arabian desert aspects of undulating sand dunes and oasis, the concept was also supposed to represent the up and down graph of the Arab era, of scientific discoveries and inventions which marked its peak, of the birth of Islam, of the depression of the period before literacy in ancient pagan times. The synergy of these ideas led to an edgy, modern form of the building jutting out from the roof, interspersed by skylights to break what would have been an otherwise "heavy" shape and lots of green outdoor areas for lounging in terrace cafes.

Let's start from the entrance,shall we?

The main entrance is dominated by two mashrabiyya canopies (the webbed geometric design is what you call a mashrabiyya, It has plenty of intricate net-like detailing and was used in traditional Arab houses as windows to control humidity, air current and provide privacy).

There are all in all four floors to the museum:

Floor 0 : Reception, ticket booths, gift shops, stores, outdoor cafe, office administration A separate staff entrance lies on the right lateral side of the entrance.
Floor 1: Exhibition Floor. Main exhibition. An outdoor exhibition area and two secondary exhibitions.
Floor 2: A theater, an "indoor" amphitheater space. A couple of multipurpose halls
Floor 3: Learning resource center: Library, digital and interactive areas for learning, etc.

The lengthy trapezoidal terrace you see covered in lush grass is the outdoor exhibition on the first floor. I hope things are slightly starting to make sense now. (lol)

And oh, this is the seaside elevation (below). The whole outdoor exhibition and cafe lounge (which is the green area on the ground level) faces the Red Sea.

The continuity of the triangular mass is seen on the landscaping. The function of the mashrabiyyas here is to serve as shade as well as aesthetic. The perforation allows the visitors to enjoy the sea side view as well.

A closer look at the voids and skylights in the roof. The texture was done using parchment paper (Hah!). The mashrabiyyas were done using Autocad of course in a laser-cutting lab especially for students. :D

The front elevation of the buildings and the two lateral sides all have the mashrabiyyas but the back side looks a bit different. Like below.

Here's the side opposite to the seaward side.(along with the main elevation you see on the left)

 And that pretty much sums up the facade of my second year's project!

Oh, and tiny little details like this made me feel happier about it!
The pavement work leading to the outdoor exhibition!

How did you like it? Lemme know!


Are you a design oriented fellow? Pin this onto your board to bookmark some inspiration!

Check out my DIY gallery for other wholesome DIYs and fun eye candy!

Love,
Nash

THE FREEBIE JUBILEE//EUPHORIC DIGITAL PAPER PACK!

Since my floral papers with a vintage twist are the most popular digital paper packs at Craft A Doodle Doo and I've been having lots of requests for commercial use, hence the on the spur decision to actually create a similar paper pack as the earlier ones with a vintage flair!

Go buy the full collection in my shop ....or if you're looking for some instant free gratification, you can test out the mini sample kit from the same collection!

The kit includes 4 delicious papers and 5 adorable gift tags for you to add that final polished touch to all your presents!

And of course, use them as digital graphic to brighten up your web design or as printables to dress up millions of projects, frame them or scrapbook with them, however you use them they'll always make your creations a notch more fab!

Download the entire Euphoric Vintage Digital Paper Pack here!

And right after the creation of my DIY Notepads, numerous friends asked me if I could whip up some more for them. So here are more, made with the full collection!

The printer ran out of cyan, so it kept printing everything with a pinky tinge. My bad.

Have fun, stay marvelous and don't forget to check out the rest of my Freebies (or if you're a designer, my online Boutique!)

Here's a look at the entire collection. :)

And for the DIY of the notepads, check out my DIY Gallery!

Love,
Nash