DIY Friendship Necklace As soon as Lauren and I saw this editorial in Flare Magazine, we knew we had to recreate these awesome, friendship bracelet-like necklaces. We promise they are super easy to make and the perfect way to pass the time during those long summer roadtrips. To make a 2-tone necklace, cut a long piece of rope and wrap two different colors of embroidery thread around its own bobbin. Tie a starter knot along with the two colored threads you are using, leaving at least 3 inches of slack, Tape down the slack to a flat surface or safety pin it something that will help keep it in place (feeling nostalgic yet?). To alternate colors, simply put the inactive color (red) in your left hand and the new active color (purple) in your right. Once you’re done knotting, add a few nuts and/or washers to the necklace.
V and Co how to: jersey knit bracelet - StumbleUpon i don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me just want to have my bare feet in the sand, be watching the sun setting into the ocean, and breathing in the warm salty air of the beach...as i get older, more and more i find myself missing that place i used to go to almost every.single.day. as a teen. (my skin doesn't miss it. as a matter of fact, i now wish i listened more and DID put SPF on my face...hindsight is 20/20). my mom calls me from her walk on the beach almost every morning...*sigh*yeah, i get a little homesick around this time of the year. heck on my pinterest my "dreaming of summer" has the most pictures in it. ah yes. i miss my ocean. case in point. this bracelet, brought a flood of memories, not because i used to have one like it but because i can totally see me wearing it by the beach, not caring that it's gotten salty and wet, because i can totally make another one in like less than 5 minutes flat when i get home. *sigh* okay... *cut off excess tails!
DIY Wrap Bracelet You should all know by now that we are all about stacking bracelets on our wrists. The more, the better. In fact . . . the most, the best! With that being said, we’ll show you how to master a version of the ever so popular wrap bracelet. It’s so simple and addicting, you’ll soon be churning out these wristlets with your eyes closed. Clearly this arm party train isn’t stopping and it’s about time you get on board! You’ll need (for a double wrapped bracelet) :* Lengths will vary depending on the size of your wrist (see comments for suggestions). Fold the length of leather cording in half to form a loop. Place the ball chain along the leather cording with the end of the chain meeting the end of the wrap. Continue wrapping while checking it for fit around the wrist. When you have reached the end of the ball chain wrap the linen cording around the leather strands 2-3 more times. Thread the hex nut through the strands and tie a second knot. Trim with scissors and your wrap bracelet is finished!!
page corner bookmarks | I Could Make That - StumbleUpon This project comes to you at the request of Twitterer @GCcapitalM. I used to believe that a person could never have too many books, or too many bookmarks. Then I moved into an apartment slightly larger than some people’s closets (and much smaller than many people’s garages) and all these beliefs got turned on their naïeve little heads. But what a person can always look for more of is really cool unique bookmarks. Placeholders special enough for the books that are special enough to remain in your culled-out-of-spacial-necessity collection. Page corner bookmarks are cute, practical and deeply under-represented in the world.* They’re easy to make, easy to customize, and will set you apart from all those same-same flat rectangular bookmarks. If you like this tutorial, here are a couple others that might be up your alley. For the monster-loving adults in the room, try some googly-eyed paper monster wine charms. What you’ll need: Putting it all together: 1) Follow steps 2 and 3 from above.
∆DIY∆ Ear Wrap This post is having technically difficulties. See a similar post here. Things you need for this DIY: *17 inches of wire *some chain *cruelty-free feathers (if you can't find cruelty-free, skip the feathers) *pliers *a needle Total time: 30 mins Total cost: $4 (excluding pliers) These ear wraps have been popping up all over the place and I love how they look. I took the 17 inch long piece of wire and bent the end over about three inches (enough length to wrap around my ear). I bent it to the right shape. Then I bent the rest of the wire back towards the hook and wrapped it around itself making little loops. Finished. Then I poked a hole through the stem of the feather with my needle. I threaded the wire through... ...and wrapped it around. I added a bunch of chain and that was it! Super easy. Don't have the time to DIY? Enjoy!
{every}nothing wonderful: Tutorial: Repurposed Envelopes (From Magazines to... Note: If you like this idea, be sure to check out how to make paper ruffles to add to your envelopes! Super quick and easy tutorial for you today. I have a drawer full of these and use them for everything - bills, letters, you name it...my mom does too, actually! I recently received an oversized catalog for baby strollers (why? I have more than one that I barely use). The pages were huge and mostly images - perfect for envelope making. To start just pull pages out of your catalog or magazine with images you love. Other supplies you'll need: Pencil Glue - glue stick or craft glue - whichever you prefer Old envelope or envelope template. If this is a project you see yourself recreating in the future or with other papers you could invest in an envelope template kit, or you can print templates (you'll need to print at 100% on a larger format printer) from Designer's Toolbox on a heavy stock (mount to board for a longer lasting template). Next, cut out along the lines. Happy re-purposing!
Build/Make/Craft/Bake: How-to: Hammered flower and leaf prints Get out the hammer, it's how-to Tuesday and we have some botanical prints to make! I learned this technique, which makes an image using the natural dyes in plants, from my college roommate Sarah. It's great for making cards or simple botanical prints. Actually, you'll need a little more than just a hammer. Here's a supply list: flowers or leaves to printwatercolor or other rough, acid-free paperselection of hammers (including ball-peen or cross-peen, if possible)hard work surface (cutting board, slab of wood, etc.)paper towelsscissorspentweezers or toothpicksacrylic finishing spray (optional) Start by going on a walk or visiting your garden to find leaves and flowers to work with. Then set up your work surface. Next, trim any chunky or squishy bits off of the plants and arrange them on your watercolor paper. Cover the plant with 2-3 layers of paper towels. On the paper towels, sketch the borders of the area you'll need to hammer. Peel back the paper towel to check your progress.
DIY Solar Lamp: Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Sun Jars | Designs &Ideas on... - StumbleUpon The principle is simple and seductively clever: solar lights that store energy during the day and release light at night. These can be purchased ready-made in a variety of colors (yellow, blue and red) but they can also be built at home. A simple, less-technical approach involves buying a conventional solar-powered yard lamp and then essentially harvesting it for key pieces to put in a jar. This is simply a way of taking an existing solar lamp design and appropriating its parts to make something more attractive for display around a house or home. A more electronically-savvy individual can take the more complex route and built a solar lamp from the ground up using small solar panels – though the aesthetic result may not be as impressive. Whatever route you choose to go, these are fun and sustainable gadgets that make it easy to go green, automate the process of turning on lights at night and can add some color to your porch, patio, garden or windowsill.
The Boxy Cosmetic Bag Tutorial | Skip To My Lou - StumbleUpon Jaime from Prudent Baby has the perfect gift for a man —the boxy man bag! It would make a perfect dopp kit! Shhhh….but I am going to make these for my boys! There are tons more projects over at Prudent Baby, so many ideas that would make wonderful handmade gifts. Jaime writes… How To Make a Boxy Cosmetic Bag Tutorial Look! OK, so this one is for my friend Felice. I used Echino by Etsuko Furuya, Quiet Ground, Oil Cloth in Natural and the matching canvas, both available at Fabricworm. 1. 2. Sew in place with your zipper foot: Now fold your pieces wrong sides facing. Lay your other piece of oil cloth (lining) right side down on top with the edges aligned. Sew in place with your zipper foot. 3. 4. Flatten it out and sew up each side, across the zipper. 4. Sew that line with a straight stitch: Cut off the triangle: Repeat pn al four corners. Turn it right side out. Pretty quick and simple right? Stuff with sunscreen and the like.
How to Make Paper Mache Tear lots of strips of newspaper. These are the "clay" of your sculpture, to be applied to the form you choose for your project. Tear rather than cut your paper. This helps you to feather the edges of the paper, giving you a smoother finished project. Design a form. Use balloons, cardboard, chicken wire, a group of boxes, toilet paper or paper towel tubes--or anything else you like. Make your paper-mache paste using a mixture of flour and water. Dip one strip of newspaper at a time into your paste. Place the newspaper strip onto your form and press it to lie smoothly. Continue placing your strips of newspaper onto your form, overlapping each as you go, until you have completely covered it. Repeat steps 4-6 to create more layers on your form. Paint your masterpiece and decorate it with ribbons, beads or any other decorative touch you can dream up.