Headbands~!

I simply had to show off all the headbands I've been making this past week. They're absolutely adorable, and very quick and easy to make (unless you're like me and burn all your fingers with hot glue). I think each one took me about an hour or so to make, depending on what I was doing with them. After I made the first one, I started coming up with different flower-making techniques. My favorite (and actually, the easiest) is what I did for the brown flowers. It looks more realistic, in my opinion.
Now, here they are (please excuse my inability at photography):



This is my first one...and believe me, it looks it.



And here's the second! I really love the color combo for this one. This is the one that I'll be doing the tutorial on (I'll probably be posting that tomorrow).



This is my third, and favorite. I love the vintage look it has. ^^



And I needed a brown headband, anyway. The brown lace is really cute on this one.

And there they are!
I'm linking this post at Tea Rose Home. There are so many other great ideas there as well!





~Vicki

Well...

It's been a crazy past few days - I'm busy with schoolwork, friends, getting bruised up playing volleyball, and plenty of crafting. I have a new tutorial for you, but am too lazy to put it up yet...but I promise I will before the weekend. ;D I'm completely addicted to making headbands right now, and they've turned out so well I'm considering selling them. At least making them as gifts. I love how easy they are to make, and I'm sure you will too. It's a fun and easy way to be creative, not to mention cheap.
I've also made some upcycled artwork that I'm excited to share with you! (I would have taken a picture...but it's still drying and looks it.) I'm very into silhouettes and torn phone book pages. And so are other people, apparently. It's an interesting look.

Anyway, as soon as I get the chance, I shall post pictures of my creative efforts. ;)

~Vicki

Anthro-Inspired Mirror Tutorial

You'll need:

Old phone book pages
Several colors of acrylic paint
Glue
Paintbrush
Sharpie

And of course,
A mirror

I thought I should probably have a 'before' picture, so you can see how bad it looked beforehand:


First, rip up a page or two of phone book paper. (I used up the Zs, because it's a fun letter for a last name...) Make sure you have a tidy pile, so you don't have to go back and rip more later. I used two or three pages for my small mirror.




Ok, now, take your paintbrush and start to apply glue onto the mirror. I found it easiest to start with the big places and work down to the smaller ones, so I would have the hang of it before starting the harder parts. And right now, you want to put it on in a really thin layer, otherwise it will get messy. Then lay on the first piece.



Continue gluing and laying on pieces until you've covered the whole mirror. Overlap them, making sure to put glue on the piece you're overlapping. And it's totally fine to go over the edges - you can cut that off later.
I used a small nail scissors to cut around it for more control:



Here's how it should look:



Yeah. It probably looks pretty bad at this point (if it's anything like mine), but before you fling your work in the trash, let me tell you that it really will look good in the end.

OK. Now, take your first color of paint (I used a sky blue to match my room), and using a dry brush, just slap it on kinda haphazard, and really just have fun with it. Go over the whole thing for a splatter look.



Now you can use the rubber stamp to stamp randomly across the mirror. I got it nice and inky, then stamped until it was dry. It makes for an interesting distressed look.

And I guess I don't have a picture for that step. =) Pretty self-explanatory, though. Just be creative with it.

Now, take your second color (I used a gold), and go over the blue and stampings.
Here's how that turned out -



And..I also took a black pen and drew a thick cross on the back. It's kinda silly, since no one will even see it, buuuut...I like it. =) I also wrote John 3:16 in the corners.

If there's any part that needs touched up, now's the time to do that. I used a black sharpie around the edges to disguise the peeling...sometimes adding more makes it look deliberate and adds more to the look. It kinda looks burnt, I think.

Almost done!! Now, take your paintbrush, and go over the whole thing with glue. Every thing. And this time, don't skimp. Slop the glue on. You want everything to stay in place. If anything is peeling, use your paintbrush to glue it down.

I recommend doing at least two coats.

Finally, you're finished! Clean up your mirror's surface and find a lovely place to set it.

Anthropologie Inspired Mirror

*pokes title* Oh, yes, it's awesome.

I had been seeing all these anthro-inspired projects, and when I finally went to their site to see what all the fuss was about, I completely fell in love with all of their products. They're really creative, and also...really, really expensive. Way out of my price range, anyway. I was browsing their selection the other day and found this gorgeous mirror -



- for the meager cost of $500. Ouch.
Then I thought, "Hey, I could make that!"
I had an old mirror that I got from IKEA years ago...a cute, white little thing. And it started chipping....so I decided to paint it black. I got about half-way through, and then got bored of it and stopped. And it started chipping. So I decided to collage it with things anyone should have just lying around the house: phone book pages, paint, random rubber stamps, and sharpies.

Here's the result:



And in the next post I'll show you how I made it!

Another fun find... =)

There are so many great blogs out there it's easy to spend all day browsing them...almost every day I find a new one to add to my list of favorites. Today I found a great tutorial that's not only easy to do, you can make it with something you may even have just lying around the house!



Aren't they cute?? It's a great way to show off those awesome prints they have for scrapbooking...=)

And she's also doing a giveaway!
Go here to check out the tutorial and enter the giveaway:

Finished Purse and Makeup Pouch

I decided the purse looked too plain, and so, that night, I took a sharpie to it and drew designs to echo the vines on the heart patch. I'm really pleased with how it turned out:


That same night, I started on another project, which I had originally intended for my cousin, but then I realized that my mom's birthday is next month, and that she would probably appreciate it better than my cousin, who has curtains made from the same fabric. I really love how it turned out - very professional-looking, as though I could have bought it. I got the fabric from my aunt, who was throwing out a ton of scraps (big ones, too!) from her curtain making....and of course I saved them from the garbage. Never throw out scraps, even if you're not sure what you'll do with them at the time.

And here it is:

Front:


And back:


Pretty, huh? All I did was to sew similarly colored beads around the flowers, then sew together the two panels into a pouch. You can't tell from the pictures, but the zipper didn't turn out so good...but then, it's my first project involving one.

Purse Revamp!

So today I had a bit of free time, and I've had this old pineapple bag (my sister has the same one), and I had been debating whether I should give it away...but then I saw these embellished baskets and woven bags by Sachiko over at Tea Rose Home (one of my FAVORITE blogs), and thought, 'Hey, I should do that!' I had a definite idea in my mind when I started, but then...I changed the whole thing around. But now, I absolutely love it.

Before:



After:



All I did was to sew on some patches I had never been quite sure what to use for (they're a really weird orange-red color), then some random sequins. It took awhile, but I'm pleased with the end result. I kinda want to add something more to the handle...

Necklace Number Three... =)

This one is very simple, but it looks nice paired with other necklaces and on top of a busier shirt - I wore it with an old yellow graphic tee. Unfortunately, this one was deconstructed to make another necklace...but I still love it, and its simplicity.

A Simple Chain

You Will Need:

Linked Chain with Clasp

Three or More Large Glass Beads (the same color)

Needle-nose Pliers

Step 1 - Using your pliers, undo the jump ring that would connect to the clasp on your chain and slide it out. Set it aside.

Step 2 - String your beads onto the chain. Be patient - it may take a couple of tries. If you can't do it, it may be that the holes in the beads are too small, and you need to find different beads with larger holes.

Step 3 - Once you've strung on all of your beads, find your open jump ring and insert it into the necklace's top link. Close it with your pliers.
Your necklace is finished! It's a very simple thing to make, but looks very nice, especially when paired with other necklaces. You can experiment with different chain lengths and see what you come up with.

See? Easy.

Another Necklace~!

This one is inspired by Shana Logic. I love their hand-crafted jewelry, but unfortunately can't afford it...so I made an attempt at making my own. This turned out super cute, and I ended up making another for my sister's birthday present. The only problem is that I have a hard time finding things to wear with it...

Clay in Your Hands Necklace

You Will Need:

Ball Chain (silver or gold)

Two Packages of Sculpey Clay - Different colors (I used green and blue, but you can choose your own colors)

Small Crystal (I used plastic, although it doesn't really matter...real crystals are prettier but more expensive)

Large Jump Ring

Needle-Nose Pliers

Step 1 - Take a small amount of each color of clay, and begin kneading them until they are soft and pliable. This shouldn't take long, especially if you're using Sculpey.

Step 2 - Take your blue clay and slowly begin working in the green, simply kneading it, moving it around in your hands. This should give you a marbled look. Continue working the clays until you've achieved the desired look. (I liked mine kind of muted, so that you have teal strands running through it, but so that neither color is really distinct or separate. Just an example.)

Step 3 - Now, begin working it into a heart shape like the one in the picture. This was really hard for me, personally, to do, so I suggest using a cookie cutter to get the best results. Then, tweak the point, making it curve to the side. (see picture for reference)

Step 4- On the side that the point is, well, pointing to, right in the curve, place your crystal. Push it in, but be careful not to put it in too hard, or else it'll go in too deep, and you'll have to start again.

Step 5- Using something sharp and pointy (a pencil or toothpick, depending on how large you want the hole) poke a little hole in the side of the heart adjacent to the crystal. Again, reference the picture, if the instructions confuse you.

Step 6- Bake the heart at the temperature and for the time specified on the clay package.

Step 7 - Once the heart has baked and cooled, use your pliers to open the jump ring, and insert it into the hole in the heart. Close it.

Step 8 - String the finished product on the chain, and you are left with a beautiful and unique work of art.

And the cool thing with this one is that every piece turns out different. =)

Tutorials~!

Ok, so I ran across these old tuts I had made last year when I was on a jewelry-making frenzy. This first one was inspired by a necklace on the cover of one of my Shojo Beat issues (which they sadly don't make anymore...), and is one of my favorites. I also love my gargoyle model. ;D

You will need:

Small black seed beads

Big black seed beads

Cross charm

Four miscellaneous gray/black beads

Three jump rings

Thick wire (if you don't have wire, you can substitute an unfolded paper clip)

Needle

Thread

Needlenose pliers
Wire cutter

Step 1 - Cut a piece of thread a little longer than you want your necklace to hang on your neck (i.e. 12 inches), and thread your needle with it.

Step 2 - Begin beading your necklace in this pattern: five small, one big, and continue until you've filled almost the entire thread.

Step 3 - Tie a double knot in the thread and snip off the ends. I recommend dabbing a dot of clear nail polish on the knot so that it will hold.

Step 4 - Put two jump rings on the cross charm - one at either end. You'll need your pliers to pry them open and closed.

Step 5 - Take your wire and before cutting it string on the three of your big beads. I put a small black seed bead in-between each one.

Step 6 - Cut the wire, leaving enough space on either end to make a loop with your pliers, then make the loops.

Step 7 - Take some more wire and your unused miscellaneous bead, and string it on the wire. Again, I suggest putting a small black seed bead on both sides.

Step 8 - Cut the wire, remembering to keep enough space for each loop, and then use your pliers to make the loops.

Step 9 - Now, take your cross charm and open the jump ring at the top using your pliers. Loop it over your string of black seed beads and close it.

Step 10 - Open the bottom jump ring on the cross, and add the wire with the three larger beads. Close the ring.

Step 11 - Add your third jump ring to the bottom of the wire with the three larger beads, and leave it open to insert the last bit of wire (with the single large bead). Then close it. Your necklace should look something like this:

Oh yes...I love this one. =) For the next thing I make, I'll try and photograph the steps.

It's about time...

I've been thinking about doing this for awhile now, and kept putting it off, and putting it off...as the avid procrastinator that I am...but now I'm finally going to get this started. I have about a million tutorials in the making, with all my lovely sewing, beading, and random crafts. And I also love to just show off all the things I've made. ;D

And while I'm at it, here's a great giveaway at at one of my new favorite blogs -
The Naiad Frock Grosgrain Giveaway
Be sure and take a look!