A Braided Bracelet using Cotton Cords

This bracelet is braided using two different colours of cotton cord. A decorative novelty button is used as a fastener.

1. Cut a 150cm long piece of yellow cotton cord, double it over, having threaded on the novelty button so it is in the middle.

2. Cut a 580cm long piece of blue cotton cord. Double it over to find the middle and then roll each end onto a piece of card to keep it in order and out of the way.

3. Place the blue cord underneath the yellow cord, making sure that there are two equal length ends on either side of the yellow doubled over cord in the middle.

4. Pass the outer blue cord (on the right) over the first yellow middle cord (on the right) and then under the other yellow middle cord (on the left).

5. Pass the outer blue left cord over the first yellow middle cord (on the left) and then under the other yellow middle cord (on the right).

6. Tighten by pulling both long cords and continue the procedure explained in paragraphs 4 and 5 until the desired length of the bracelet is reached.

7. Finish with a knot, a space for the decorative novelty button (fastener) and then another knot.

Another variant

Nail Art by Marcus Levine

The sculptural works of british artist Marcus Levine enact a physical pointillism, each composed of thousands of nails hammered into wood panels. All works are completed freehand without any sketches or tracing onto the boards.

The number of nails used will vary from 15,000 to his largest sculpture with 52,000.

A Japanese Lantern made from Lolly Stick Slats

This Japanese inspired square lantern for tealights is made  with staggered slats made from lolly sticks which are glued together. The inside of the lantern is lines with transparent paper which creates a soft light when the lantern is lit.

1. Arrange two long lolly sticks  parallel 8cm apart. Apply a blob of glue at each end of both lolly sticks.

2. Attach a standard size lolly sticks across the top of the two long lolly sticks.

3. Place another standard size lolly stick next to the glued-on lolly stick. This is used for measuring the distance to the next standard size lolly stick. There should be the width of a lolly stick between each glued-on lolly stick. Continue this process and attach every other lolly stick with glue all the way along the long lolly sticks.

4. Remove all the lolly sticks that have not been glued on and a slatted pattern appears. NB: make four sides for the lantern by following the procedure described in paragraph 1-3, making two sides with nine lolly sticks across and two sides with ten lolly sticks across. The slats can then be connected into a square when assembling the lantern.

5. NB: Gluing the two sides with ten lolly sticks will start one lolly stick width further down than the sides with nine lolly sticks.

6. Measure the four sides of the lantern and draw the measurements onto a piece of transparent paper. Cut out. Apply a blob of glue in each of the four corners on the four sides.

7. Attach the transparent paper onto all four sides.

8. Assemble the four sides of the lantern with glue by connecting the slats of each of the four sides into a square.