diy {bird nest necklace} I have been seeing a lot of bird nest jewelry around lately. They are beautiful and I love the trend so I thought I would try making my own. These turned out to be really easy to make and require just a few simple supplies. What you'll need: - Jewelry wire (I prefer using a 24 gage because it is easier to manipulate but the 20 gage can work well too with the help of some round nose pliers) - pearls or glass beads - necklace chain - jump ring and a clasp Select the beads you want, string them onto your wire and arrange them as you'd like. then simply wrap the wire around the beads wrap some wire in the space between each bead (I like the look of three loops but you could just do one or two if you prefer) this is what the back looked like. now attach a jump ring and a clasp to the end of a necklace chain and this is what you end up with :) I love how each one is so different just to show you the difference between the 20 and 24 gage... I think this one is my favorite
Reversible Coffee Cup Sleeves I’m gonna tell you right now, you can’t throw a rock and not hit a tutorial for a coffee cup sleeve out there on the web. Reversible, not reversible, buttons, Velcro, skinny, wide, you name it. For that matter, you can probably work a pattern out yourself. I’ve made a few of these for Christmas and birthday gifts. I was trying to decide which fabrics to use for a new one and my wandering eyes landed on my seasonal fabric stack. To make one, you’ll need this coffee cup sleeve pattern . Cut one from cotton batting, two from ironing board cover fabric and two from cotton fabric. I happen to have scraps of batting and ironing board fabric, but if you don’t and will be buying the supplies, another product you can use is InsulBrite. You’ll only need half of the hair tie, so zigzag stitch through the center, about 3/8” long, then clip through the center. Layer the pieces: first, a piece of ironing board fabric, face down. Next, cotton fabric, face up. Last, the batting. Pin in place. Lay flat.
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!!
Cheap, really pretty bookmarks Tea Towel Market Tote Adapted from Clare Youngs’s The Perfect Handmade Bag ($19.95; Cico), this cute carryall requires little more than a pair of small wooden spatulas and two tea towels ($15 each; motherlindas.com). Cut six strips of fabric from one towel. Two, measuring 33⁄4"W x 141⁄4"L each, will serve as the decorative horizontal bands at the top of the tote and should incorporate the towel’s graphics (as shown, left). To make a tab, topstitch one of the long sides of a 31⁄2"W x 8"L strip near the edge. Lay the second towel on a flat surface, right side up. Flip the towel right side down. Fold the towel in half, wrong sides together. How to Make Your Own Aromatherapy Oils Distilling essential oils is a long process, and it means quite a large capital outlay for a small amount of oil. Buying essential oils is also expensive, but there is a way you can get the therapeutic benefits of aromatic oils and vinegars quite cheaply at home. Instructions: To begin, you will need a collection of clean, sterilized bottles and jars. You can recycle jam jars, and glass bottles, but you need to wash them thoroughly first in hot soapy water, then boil in a large saucepan for 20 minutes. You will need at least one standard American cup of plant material. For your first attempts, use strongly aromatic plants like lavender, rose petals or rosemary. The oil you use should be related to the purpose you have in mind – you can use baby oil or almond oil for cosmetics, safflower or canola for general purposes, and olive oil for cooking. Place the plant material in your jar or bottle. Now pour the oil over the plant material, making sure the bottle or jar is full.
25 handmade gifts If your gift list is long and your budget is small here are some great Handmade Gifts that you can make. Keep in mind that handmade items are not just beautiful but special… I love to give them and I love to receive them. In my opinion they are the best! Jersey Knit Bracelet Lovely! This would make a perfect gift for any of your girlfriends. You can choose the colors and recycle t-shirts that you have around the house. Cheap and cute! tutorial Paper Clip Earrings Tutorial This is a brilliant idea… and the possibilities are endless. Love it! Printed Candles Who doesn’t love a candle? Think about how many different stamps you could use to customize this project. tutorial Hot Chocolate Art! What a great gift for neighbors and teachers… I am personally a hot chocolate lover so this would make a great gift for me tutorial Tile Coaster You can buy these plain tiles at Home Depot for under a dollar. I’ve seen them with family pictures also… Way cute! tutorial Bow Belt I was amazed how easy this tutorial was. So Pretty!
Make coasters from curling ribbon Years ago when I was a college student, I had a part time job in a card store. One day on the job, I was fiddling with the curling ribbon we used for balloons. As I twisted and curled it in my fingers, I found myself rolling it into a tight spiral. As it grew and I added more colors, I soon realized I had a really cool design forming, and without too much effort I would have a spiral of color large enough to use as a coaster. Ever since then, whenever I get balloons or gifts that are tied with curling ribbon, I save the ribbon in a special box in my craft room. Selecting the ribbon You probably haven’t been saving up used curling ribbon from balloons and packages (not yet, anyway), so you might need to buy some new ribbon to start on this project. Winding the ribbon To start your coaster, just grab a piece of ribbon and roll the end up as tightly as you can. Now for the fun part. You can see a lot of potential fun here with patterns and colors. Coat the coasters or brush-on varieties.
Make your own paper bead jewellery - Better Homes & Gardens Magazine Most of us have a little stash of leftover decorative papers from projects and parties. But before you put your scraps in the recycling bin, take a look at what you can do with them. These colourful beads can be made from any paper – junk mail, magazine pages, used giftwrap or leftover stationery papers – and they’re so easy, you and the kids can whip them up by the dozen. Paper beads Gather your supplies Paper; ruler and pencil; scissors; wooden skewers; glue stick; disposable plates or plastic container; gloss spray varnish; leather cord, for stringing; necklace findings (2 silver leather clamps, 2 jump rings and a clasp per necklace); needle-nose pliers Note: For a triple-string necklace, make sufficient beads for 3 strands of beads. Here’s how Step 1 Use Bead templates to choose the shape of your paper strips. Step 2 When you have cut a number of strips, you can start to roll your beads. Step 3 Continue to roll beads this way until you have covered most of the skewer.
DIY Découpage Floral Bag When H&M asked us to DIY a boho-inspired item for their summer issue, découpage was the first thing that came to mind. Honestly, does it get any better than customizing a simple handbag with a brilliant floral print? However you create it, it’ll be satisfying to know that you’ve designed yourself a one of a kind bag! You’ll need:a handbagcotton fabric with a large floral patternpainter’s tapeMod Podgecraft paint2 small plastic dishes2 brushesscissors Start by taping off the edges and hardware of the handbag. Squeeze a dollop of colored craft paint into a small disposable container. Allow the first layer to dry completely. While the paint dries, carefully cut out a handful of flowers from the fabric. Arrange them onto the painted section of the bag. Remove the painter’s tape when the Mod Podge has dried clear and your floral handbag is complete! (all images by HonestlyWTF)
Litha Blessing Besom - Make a Blessing Besom Litha is the time of the summer solstice, and it's a season of great solar energy. A great project to put together is a blessing besom. Sweeping is, after all, one of the best ways of making a space sacred and clean. To make a blessing besom, you'll need the following: A broom -- either make your own, or purchase one at a craft store Ivy or vines Flowers and herbs from your garden Ribbons Small bells Wrap the ribbons and ivy around the handle of the broom. If you like, you can consecrate your blessing besom as you would any other magical tool. Sweeping, sweeping, 'round the room, Blessings from this cleansing broom.
Watermark Tee Tutorial by Sweet Verbana Hello U-Create readers! I am so excited to be guest posting here today. It just so happens to be my first guest post and I'm still a little shocked that it's here at Ucreate, one of my favorite blogs! A little bit about me.. I'm from a little town called Keller, Texas. I'm a junior at Texas A&M University (whoop!). I'm working on my education degree and expect to be an elementary school teacher in just two short years. When I'm not busy studying for classes, I love to sew. I just started blogging in May and have already met all kinds of wonderful women, I hope you'll stop by and say hi too! Watermark Tee Tutorial What I love about this project is that it's completely customizable. Materials: Elmer's Blue Gel Glue (it must be the blue gel, white won't work) Fabric Dye (RIT is my tried and true brand) A white cotton Tee, Tank, Dress etc. Tutorial: If you're unfamiliar with Batiking, it's a method of dyeing fabric in which you create a design with a dye- resist. Step 1: Prepare Step 2: Design
Juicy Bits: 131: give a hoot for the holidays I haven’t made that much this Christmas. I might make a few last minute gifts, but I feel I have to get most of the shopping out of the way first... especially the online stuff that needs to be shipped. And no outfits for the kids like last year. But I did do a little felt hand sewing. Anyway, these are the little owl ornaments I made. Download Owl ornament and all you do is cut it out from felt and sew however you’d like. I love ‘em. Enjoy! *****NOTE: I forgot to mention on the pattern about ric rac.