It’s in my nature to craft things with my hands and dream up clever custom creations.
Here are a few personal projects that I’ve turned to for creative relief...
My kitchen storage needed upgrading and I had a specific solution in mind. With the rest of the world also redecorating their homes in 2020, however, case goods were in short supply and I had to get creative.
I found a local source for a bookshelf nearly the exact width of my existing Ikea dresser and devised a stacking mechanism to connect the two pieces together. I refinished the drawer faces with fabric; sealed, primed, and painted all other surfaces; and added custom brass drawer pulls for the finishing touch.
Now I have my ideal kitchen storage unit, as well as the flexibility for them to live as separate pieces in the future.
When the time finally came to replace some Ikea wall lamps I’d been toting around since college, I was underwhelmed with the online offerings for wall lamps and decided to make my own.
Using wood, frosted clear acrylic, a laser cutter, and a lot of math, I created a system for translucent slats to snap into a supporting framework. I used Grasshopper software to design a grille that would allow even more light to shine through the top.
I purchased bulb mounts that would secure the bulbs within the lamps and wired them to custom fabric-wrapped cords I’d ordered with the inline switches pre-installed.
Have you ever seen a cuter mitten?
I got the idea for cactus mittens after learning how to Tunisian crochet in the round, which naturally creates vertical stripes. Hand-made pompom “flowers” and meticulously hand-beaded “spines” take these to the next level—dare I say into haute couture territory??
The next obvious development, of course, is mini-cactus baby mitts. I made a pair for a friend with a little one on the way, and once you've seen that level of cuteness it cannot be unseen.
My ultimate crafting dream is to make jewelry through metalworking, but until I can commit the time and resources to that hobby, I keep myself inspired with simple materials and cold connections.
I laser-cut acrylic and wood pieces and assemble them into colorful, lightweight jewelry. The geometric configurations and color combinations are endless —these keep my hands busy and creative gears turning.
Based in Brooklyn, NY © 2023 Lily Feinberg