Colored Pencil Jewelry Note from Design Mom: I asked Kate of Mini Eco to create a Back to School themed project for us to try. I think making beads out of colored pencils is brilliant! Wouldn’t these beads be fun for your elementary school-ers to string for a class project? It would also be a fun activity at an art-themed birthday party. Here’s Kate: Lately I have become a little addicted to making (and wearing) colored pencil jewelry. I think the results look great and you, or your child, will definitely stand out from the crowd wearing them! You will need Colored PencilsJunior hacksawFine sandpaperDrill and small drill bitThread (for the necklace)Superglue (for the brooch and earrings)Brooch back (for the brooch) How to: Basic Bead Necklace 1. 2 & 3. 4. Once you have cut a number of beads simply string them onto a length of thread…job done! Tip: These little beads are also make lovely bracelets. How to: Pointy Necklace 1. 2. 3. How to: Brooch 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Hand Embroidered Cards Look what I found in my desk drawer! I made these embroidered cards so long ago and then just tucked them away in a drawer to be forgotten about. What a shame! I thought these cards would make a great DIY for the blog because they're easy and fun to make, and you probably have all the supplies on hand already. If you're anything like me you have waaaaay too many colors of embroidery floss tucked away somewhere. What you'll need: Pencil for drawing your designPiece of thick cardboardEmbroidery flossSheets of blank paperEmbroidery needle and a pin with a headBlank Card Start by drawing out your design on a piece of thin blank paper. When I made my fruit cards, I actually used an iron-on transfer from Sublime Stitching, which is a really great book that you should all run out and buy right this very second. Now you can start poking holes along the lines using the pin with a head. Now comes the fun part! Once you're done, admire your work!
Geek romance: How to make a Storm Glass pendant : SciencePunk Toward the end of last year, being in possession of two novelties – a girlfriend and a steady job – I decided to spend my free evenings crafting a very special piece of jewellery. I was inspired by a visit to Barometer World in the late summer, where I discovered the curious material known as storm glass (tragic backstory recounted here). In short, a storm glass is a weather divination tool so old that nobody really knows where they came from. Nobody knows what exactly makes storm glasses act this way. It was around then that an idea hatched in my head: if it was really heat that caused a storm glass to sigh and sway from one condition to another, then why couldn’t it be turned into a pendant? The recipe for storm glass can be found almost anywhere, although a slightly different version exists for warmer climes, hinting at where I would need to go. Camphor is quite soluble in alcohol, but not at all in water. Put the mixture in a small vial – I bought mine here.
DIY Ring Base A lot of you have been asking where to get ring bases for the projects here and here. When I can't find them in local craft stores, I make my own adjustable ring bases. Wanna make some, too? Materials: Wire (between 18 and 20 gauge) – I bought this wire from JoAnn's in the jewelry making section. It comes in several colors. Cut a piece of wire 6 inches long. Once the base is made, use E3000 glue or a brad to attach a fabric flower, button, or other fanciful item to the top of the spiral. The Real Deal: It costs less than $0.25 to make one ring base.
Crafting: Fabric Rosettes I've been doing a lot of cooking and not as much Crafting here lately, but I'm back on track and have a fun little project for you that satisfies my love of both accessories and fabric. It's also perfect for making Valentine's Day gifts for your friends and family or just for yourself! Today's tutorial shows you how to make fabric rosettes which can be used on brooches, hair clips, necklaces, home decor projects and more. What you'll need: fabric felt cardstock pins scissors iron craft glue (I use E9000) pin backs, hair clips, bobby pins etc buttons, beads, misc embellishments (optional) Start with a strip of fabric 1" by about 20" - 25". Fold the strip in half and press with an iron. Cut a piece of cardstock (or cardboard) 1/2" x 11" (or the height of your stock). Once completely cooled, slide the cardstock out, keeping the wrapping as is. To form the rosette, roll the strip around a pencil starting at one end.
DIY Paper Beads One time I was seriously considering buying a pair of sandals because they were offering a free bonus paper bead necklace. I really liked the sandals, but I loved the paper bead necklace. Fast forward to my present phase of jewelry-making. I’ve been haunting Anthropologie’s jewelry page to get ideas for jewelry to make. What you’ll need: -magazines, colored paper, tissue paper, toilet paper (ok, maybe not) but really. -Elmer’s glue, Modge podge, and some kind of varnish. -scissors, or a rotary blade, quilting ruler and cutting mat (way faster) -round toothpicks -something to stick your toothpicks in like a styrofoam tray or packing materials, or cardboard box. -a paintbrush Before you start cutting, I’ll say a word about paper choice. Cut your strips: Measure 3/8″ from the bottom edge and mark. Measure 3/4″ away from top edge and mark. Now cut from the very top corner to your bottom mark. Cut from your top 3/4″ mark to the bottom corner. Repeat until you have what you need. Now varnish.
how to make a wrapped leather bracelet | Rings and Things - StumbleUpon Triple-wrap leather bracelet with blue tigereye beads Let me begin by stating the obvious – this style of wrapped leather bracelet is EVERYWHERE this season. Everywhere! Even my athletic clothing catalogs – which only have maybe three pieces of jewelry – are featuring this style. Five different leather wrapped gemstone bracelets designs: green opal, mookaite, African turquoise, hematite and rhodonite The supply list is pretty short: 4-6mm round beads We used gemstone beads, but glass, crystal beads or pearls would also be lovely. Wrapped bracelet made with green opal gemstone beads and natural Greek leather. The technique: Choose your bracelet length and cut your leather. If your button has a small loop, you might need to miter (angle) the leather end and pull it through with pliers. Other design options: Have fun creating your own wrapped bracelets! Need supplies? Other how-to’s: Q: “How do you start a new thread in the middle of the bracelet?” (answers selected from replies to blog comments)
DIY Macrame Bracelet Growing up by the beach in Southern California, the ability to knot a macrame bracelet was practically a right of passage. Although those days are long behind us, we’ve never forgotten the ever-so-simple square knot technique. This time, however, we’re replacing hemp and wooden beads for more updated elements like colorful nylon cord and glossy metal charms. Happy knotting! You’ll need: Start by cutting the knotting cord into two 30 inch, two 20 inch and one 10 inch lengths. Center the 30 inch cord under the two middle strands. Pull tightly and slide the knot up to the top. Finish the 2nd half of the square knot by folding the left cord over the middle strands and under the right cord. Pull tightly and repeat the steps – left, right, left, right . . . To finish the knots, thread one of the cords onto a needle and sew up the center of 3-4 knots along the backside. Repeat the same step on the other cord. After sewing up both knotting cords, trim away any excess.
DIY Woven Chain Bracelet Chain link bracelets, with colorful threads woven through them, have been popping up here and there. We adore Aurèlie Bidermann‘s Do Brazil bracelets and thought it was about time we graduate to the ultimate “grown-up” friendship bracelet. With a curb chain bracelet and some embroidery thread, we’ll teach you how to make your own woven chain bracelet. And one for your bestie too, of course. You’ll need:a curb link braceletembroidery threadtwo bobby pinsa pair of scissors Cut 2 sets of 15 strands of embroidery thread, with each strand measuring four times the length of the bracelet. Lay the second color (blue) over the first color (coral). Repeat the steps until you reach the end of the bracelet. (top images from here and here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF) DIY Earrings Because I'm not dans le (in the) townhouse right now, I have been forced to abandon home-related projects temporarily. But idle hands make me fidgety, so I whipped up some jewellery this weekend. What can I say? I am DIY obsessed. I even attended a wedding and still found time to craft (and yard sale!) Throwing any shred of modesty to the wind, I am now going to brag and tell you that I am often complimented on my DIY'd baubles but no one believes how easy it can be to make jewellery. Supplies:2 straight pins (a straight pin has a flat end)2 eye pins (an eye pin has a loop at one end)4 swarovski beads2 flat shell beads (coin pearls would also work)6 donut shaped beads2 earrings hooksPair of needle nose pliers (some people use round nose pliers) Thread the beads for the top section onto the eye pin. Using wire cutters (or needle-nose pliers), trim the excess wire. Using needle nose pliers, bend the wire 90 degrees right above the beads. And that is it! Already in a gift box and everything.
DIY Rope Bracelet Climbing rope? Bracelets? Count us in. Inspired by Miansai‘s colorful, stackable and adjustable rope bracelets, we were determined to add another do-it-yourself bracelet to our growing collection. With some colorful rope and an S hook from the hardware store, making this bracelet is as simple as mastering the versatile sliding knot. We must warn you though, this project is extremely easy and addicting! Before you begin, seal the tips of the cord by burning them with a lighter. Coil the cord twice around towards the left loop. Repeat the same steps on the other side. Trim and re-burn the tips if necessary. Try making the bracelets with leather cord too. (top image from here; rest of images from Honestly…WTF)
Googely Eye Bracelet I saw this on Martha and knew it would be perfect for our Monster's Inc themed costumes (assuming we actually wore them this year). It's just google eyes glued on a bracelet. I bought the plastic bracelet at Wal-Mart for $4 then raided the kid's craft cupboard for their dollar store google eyes. DIY Friendship Bracelet - Honestly WTF - StumbleUpon For several months now, we’ve been receiving emails requesting a friendship bracelet DIY. Well, friends, ask and you shall receive! Today, we’ll give you a step by step tutorial on the classic chevron pattern. If you used to whip up friendship bracelets like a champ in grade school and have since forgotten how, consider this a refresher course. You’ll need:embroidery threada safety pin or tapea pair of scissors Start by cutting several strands of embroidery thread at about 24 inches each. Start on the left side with the outermost color (shown here in red) and make a forward knot by creating a 4-shape over the 2nd color, loop it under and back through the opening. Pull up and to the right to tighten. Now pick up the outermost color on the right side (show here in red) and make a backward knot, creating a reverse 4-shape over the 2nd color, loop it under and back through the opening. Continue knotting towards the left until the outermost strand reaches the middle.