It's not often that good things come for free. If you temporarily overlook the cost of extra paper and printer ink that might skyrocket after a browse of creative and educational template site Mr Printables, then the fact that each of their amazingly inventive and original designs come free of price tags will bring even more of a smile to your face than the cute but ingenious blueprints themselves. From the simplest how-to of adding a bit of black paint to white paper for a brilliant take on gift wrap, to the intricate paper island diorama collaboration with Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth (also brilliant, see here), the printable possibilities are endless. There are board games, colouring pages, scrapbooking sheets, toy templates, calendars, party invites, stationery packs, and wall decorations, all immediately available as easy-download PDFs. Seasonal delights appear throughout the year, with Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas thoroughly covered. This website would have been perfect during my English tutor days in Spain - looking after or teaching younger children with these innovative models and playing cards would keep things a bit more appealing to the eye than the usual crowd of garish plastic toys and tired learning accessories.
That said, although directed at children, the conscientious design ethos of Mr Printables means that even the flashcards and alphabets are delightful enough to be pinned to a wall of any adult - or you could use the pop-up house party invitation as a decorative knick-knack on your dresser. The instructions, being child-friendly, are perfectly easy to follow, even if you are not a craft aficionado; all you need is a printer, scissors and some glue. I love everything on the site, but here are some starters below to give you a visual insight into the cutesy/cool aesthetic. Go and have a look at the website yourself for some DIY inspiration - why not start 2015 on a creative note and rekindle your childhood passion for cutting and sticking? I know mine never went away.
Take a look at their blog and shop as well if you fancy something just as charming as their other offerings but a bit sturdier than paper.
Industrial and retail-inspired furnishings. Minimalist Japanese style aesthetic. Resourceful woodworking and craftsmanship. Functional found objects recycled into refined fixtures. To add to the above, the space is flooded with more natural light than you can shake a repurposed wooden pole at. This perfect San Francisco bedroom not only masters the art of what I think of as 'neat clutter', but does so by satisfying my love of exposed storage and clean-cut asymmetric silhouettes, with reclaimed wood from commercial buildings creating ingeniously mismatched book(and shoe)shelves. It also appeals to a penchant for low platform beds - the Japanese-inspired style amplifies the airspace of the room, making it feel even more spacious, bright, and fresh. From my unattractively clunky hired hospital bed this looks even more appealing, but it will take a bit more physio for me to be able to bend down that far to the floor. With all this time currently spent on my backside I thought I would rekindle my enjoyment of DIY, so maybe some bedroom adjustments à la timber are on the cards once I can make it upstairs. My ideal bedroom boat is well and truly floated.
