I always find myself on the less favored end of the ‘going analog’ argument: that it’s silly. Lately I figured that it’s because I, like many others who aren’t talked about enough, strictly curate my social media FYPs. They consist of things that require interaction; trends to keep up with, things to learn about, music, news, and then personal interests (wincing at the thought of my 327 item jancy edit folder on Instagram). Because of this, I approach it the same way I do any other activity, which is NOT with a brain turned off. Obviously, if you don’t immediately assign the label Junk Food, Proceed With Caution to something, you might not be inclined to use it as such in the first place.
I’ll say this much, once the mindless scrolling starts impacting your brain performance in a significant way, you are responsible to retrain yourself with the same rigor suburban white moms that go to AA have. Prescription: one session of having fun the traditional way! This may require some serious sitting down and thinking. Make something from scratch, think of what it’s going to look like without notions of posting results - you’d be surprised at the warmth curiosity gives you, something pressure couldn’t.
Shoebox Diorama
Picture this – a dinner party hang with your friends, candles, music playing from god knows where, heaps of snacks, a chiller guarding drinks for friends who’ve scheduled a good cry, craft materials laid out on the table. A time consuming craft session has a way to keep you and your friends grounded in between conversations of geopolitical problems and family drama. With luck, you will get to see your industrial and set design friends go neck and neck on details - or offer some warmth by sharing assignment horror stories.
Tools & Materials:
Thick cardboard, foam board, or mount board (for structure)
Decorative paper or printed textures (for walls and backdrops)
Printed image cut-outs, magazine cut-outs, stickers
Decoration: lace, ribbons, wire, clay, small hinges, LED lights
PVA glue
Hot glue
Masking tape
Ruler
Cutting mat (optional)
Craft knife
Scissors
Steps:
Build the structure
Use the thick board to cut a base, two walls, and a back panel. Glue them together to create an open front room.
Skin the interior.
Cover the walls and floor with paper, or printed textures.
Start decorating however you like.
Avoid evenly spaced placements and introduce different layers! Start putting figures, furniture, and fragments all over to see what fits.
Felt Booksleeves
Every once in a while, you will go on an excruciatingly long commute – alternatively, plane ride. This naturally calls for a read, and you’ll bring the real thing when a kindle just won’t cut it.
This is no issue for the PR-savvy everyday commuters who rotate between historical epics that require a little bit of annotating, and simpler favorites. The shared seclusion in the tube will have you subtly socializing via the things you carry – a Fitzcarraldo edition in the wild goes a long way for the networked self.
Now, on the rare occasion that an anything goes person graces the tube with Blood Meridian, they’ll be blindsided to see (1) the working professional in a suit displaying scrunched eyebrows, already taking mental notes for a dinner table chat on decorum (2) the passenger with an oddly angled camera – to reassure you, it’s not the end of the world to be featured in a ‘What People are Reading on The Tube’ video.
Tools & Materials:
Outer fabric (22x33 cm)
Lining fabric (22x33 cm)
Lightweight interfacing (21x32 cm)
Fabric for inner flaps (2 pieces, 22x8 cm each)
Elastic (optional)
Decoration: lace, ribbons, applique, embroidery
Pins & clips
Chalk
Ruler
Scissors
Hot iron
Sewing machine, or needle and thread
Steps:
Cut all fabric pieces to the right size.
Fuse interfacing to the outer fabric.
Decorate the outer pieces while it’s still flat. Attach lace, ribbons, or embroidery now to avoid bulk later.
Prepare the flaps by folding one long edge inward (about 1 cm), stitch it in.
Place the lining fabric right side up.
Position two flaps on the left and right edges. Finished edges facing inward.
Add the elastic if using. Place it along the side edges with the loose ends facing inward.
Lay the outer fabric right side down over all the layers.
Pin or clip all the layers together.
Sew around the edges with a 1 cm seam allowance, leaving a small gap for turning (about 7 cm).
Turn the piece right side out. Tuck in the raw edges of the gap.
Top stitch around the entire edge to close the gap.
Cyanotype Print
That specific shirt you wish existed - and are secretly glad isn’t adopted by the brilliant minds of In Print We Trust yet - is waiting to be birthed.
Tools & Materials:
One ready made cyanotype solution set, which includes:
A bottle of Potassium Ferricyanide (A)
A bottle of Ferric Ammonium Citrate (B)
Foambrushes / soft paintbrushes
Transparent paper
A T shirt
A roll of tape
A backing board
The sun!!!
Steps:
In an editing app of choice, turn your images black and white, then invert them.
Print your images on transparent paper. They’re now negatives!
Mix equal parts of liquid A and liquid B to create a cyanotype solution (if you put in 5 mL of liquid A, add also 5 mL of liquid B).
Slip a backing board inside the shirt. This keeps the print area flat, and prevents accidental soaking to the back of the shirt.
Do this indoors with dim lighting! Mark the area your picture is going to be placed in using tape. Use your brush to coat a layer of cyanotype solution to this print area. Brush in one direction, then cross brush the other way.
Let it dry for 24 hours in the dark.
Bring your shirt outside where there’s sunlight!
Place the negatives on top of the print area of the shirt.
Optional step: put clear glass or acrylic on top to make sure everything gets pressed down.
Let it print under the sun for about 5 - 15 minutes
Rinse shirt immediately in room temperature water
Dry the shirt out in the sun
Once dry, leave for about 24 hours.
Wash it properly.
Once you get the hang of it, invest some time in making designs that are uniquely yours!
Foil Embossed Trinkets
Foil embossing has become quite the hit lately. Across social media platforms, people have turned them into picture frames, phone cases, placecards, even jewelry! I’d personally recommend a matchbox. Perfect for performative smokers, persian rug collectors, friends who are inclined to dressing as knights – friends whose most streamed song of 2025 was Fuck Me Eyes.
Tools & Materials:
Aluminium sheets (or heavy duty aluminium foil, doubled)
Printed design patterns, if needed
PVA glue
Cardstock
Scissors
Embossing stylus, or anything that resembles
Steps:
Remove the inner tray of the matchbox, leaving just the outer sleeve to work on.
Measure the area of aluminium sheet coverage needed.
Tape your pattern on top. With the stylus, start tracing your design into the aluminium foil.
Cut the embossed aluminium to size with enough excess to wrap around the edges.
Glue a piece of cardstock behind each face of the sleeves for stability.
Stick all the pieces together with glue. Fold excess foil neatly along the corners.
Let it dry completely, then reinsert the match tray!
Museum Love Letter
In this picture is the love letter sent by American cartoonist and illustrator Alfred Frueh, to his wife (then fiancée), Giuliette Fanciulli, on 10 January 1913. The letter was in the form of an art gallery guide to prep Fanciulli for gallery hopping in an upcoming Paris trip.
I’m a sucker for thoughtful gifts. I love the way they show just how much you know somebody – and are equal parts ‘I think you’d like to receive this’ and ‘I want you to have this’. True romance is really built on knowing.
Tools & Materials:
4 pieces of A4 paper
Decoration: paint, sequins, fabric, lace, ribbons
Glue
Scissors
Steps:
To two A4 papers: Fold the paper along the short edge. Cut it in half.
Now that we have four halves, two are for the long walls, 2 are for the short walls.
Leave the long wall sheets alone. Cut down the short wall sheets to the length you want.
For all 4 sheets, fold down a flap (about 0.5 cm) that will later conjoin all the walls together.
Start writing and decorating your letter.
Glue all the walls to form a room. Short wall - long wall - short wall - long wall.
Use the remaining 2 A4 papers to add new rooms.
To send in the form of a letter, simply fold the two walls flat.
Some of you may in turn, realize that craft projects are not your cup of tea. This is fine, for they will have served their purpose of having you sit with something to fuss over. What that does to your head is removing the social media binge as top-of-mind activity when free time ensues; instead, remind you of fulfilling ways to kill time. It differs from person to person: a few rounds of basketball before work, reviewing food, or researching a topic for five hours – in such cases, do linger around the Nine Muses magazine for a while, it’s peaceful inside.
If you have my penchant for overestimating a goal, overprepare, then get burnt out in the third quarter of the actual thing, your works probably look like Beautifully Crafted Artisan Products ™ that lost funding somewhere along the way. For bearers of this trait, I’d like to remind you of how beautiful things usually turn out when you have fun.
Credentials for such conviction: girl with a crowded fifth house who knows what’s up.