V and Co how to: jersey knit bracelet 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!
How To Make Barista-Worthy Coffee At Home Make coffee at home instead of buying fancy lattes at the local cafe (or, OK, Starbucks outpost), and you’ll save boatloads of cash each year. Shocking, right? If only it were that simple. Although financial gurus repeatedly trot out the so-called latte factor as a prime example of how we’re all busting our budgets, the tired tip fails to account for one major hurdle: taste. If we all boasted barista skills and our home kitchens had $1,000-plus espresso machines, the venti whatevers wouldn’t stand a chance. The good news is, even cooks with little skill and a basic drip coffeemaker can improve the flavor of their home brew. Use these tricks and recipes to make your homemade coffee more palatable straight up, or mixed into a fancier drink. 1. It extracts more flavor and releases the essential oils, says Jill Houk, a chef with Centered Chef Food Studios in Chicago. 2. Don’t keep beans or grounds in the refrigerator, advises former Starbucks barista Will Kruisbrink. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Bow Belt We're always looking for fun ways to add embellishments and touches of color to our outfits especially in the winter when we tend to get bored with everything and anything. With bows being fiercely back in style, what better way than with a bright bow belt! You can pick any color for this but we'd recommend something solid and cotton. You'll need a simple snap as well to hand stitch on. The measurements for the three pieces you'll need to make are in the directions below. Measure your waist (over a thin shirt) and add 2 inches to that length. Making the belt: Fold in half the long way and sew along the long side. Fold over one open end and hand stitch one side of the snap into the inside. Flip right side out now. Once it's right side out, measure it around your waist. Now sew the second snap on through both pieces. Making the bow: For the bow cut a piece of fabric 6'' x 10''. Turn it inside out and move the seam to the middle. Sew the ends together as shown. Straighten and fluff your bow!
Top 40 Useful Sites To Learn New Skills The web is a powerful resource that can easily help you learn new skills. You just have to know where to look. Sure, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for sites where you can learn new skills , but I figured I’d save you some time. Here are the top 40 sites I have personally used over the last few years when I want to learn something new. Hack a Day - Hack a Day serves up fresh hacks (short tutorials) every day from around the web and one in-depth ‘How-To hack’ guide each week.eHow - eHow is an online community dedicated to providing visitors the ability to research, share, and discuss solutions and tips for completing day-to-day tasks and projects.Wired How-To Wiki - Collaborate with Wired editors and help them build their extensive library of projects, hacks, tricks and tips.
DIY: Wine Bottle Art If any of you winos out there are anything like me, you’ve probably got a few, er, *cough* many empty wine bottles clogging up the recycling bin. Well, no more! Dig those puppies out and wash ‘em off, because it’s time for a little DIY! Here’s What You Do: Step 1: Cut your bottle. Step 2: Gather tea lights, holiday lights, candles, wicks, flowers, spray paint – whatever you want to accessorize your bottles. Here are some ideas: Tumblers Centerpieces Tiki Torches Chandeliers Garden Decorations Vases Candle Holders
Whatimade.com part 4 Mummy: “Hey! Watch where you put those!” Frankenstein: “Hey, that’s my best jacket!” Here’s two seasonally spooky Halloween cutouts to end my short break from blogging. Oh, and while you are in the kitchen, how about decorating the fruit bowl with some yucky bugs made from recycled materials? How to make your own spooky Halloween cutouts for your kitchen knife block These spooky Halloween cutouts are very easy to make, but if you’d like to use my artwork you can download it below. Download printables and instructions› Includes: 1) Colour versions of the Mummy and Frankenstein artwork488 downloads so far, thanks everyone! [display_adsense ad_type="300x250"] The ‘craft’ blogging community is a very generous one. So, with that in mind I’d like to give Mini-eco a big shout out.
Rookie & RIT Dye Tutorial It happens to me every year. The second spring hits, I’m standing in front of my closet going, I am so sick of all my clothes, if I see that shirt again I’ll throw up, but I don’t have any money for new stuff, I’M SO TIRED OF EVERYTHING I OWN. You know that feeling? Let’s kill it with instant-wardrobe-transformer (aka RIT dye). to these! And it’s not even hard. Now, there are other kinds of clothing dye out there, but I chose RIT because it’s got simple instructions on the back of the package, it costs about $3 per box, and you can find it almost everywhere in the U.S. I’m gonna show you how to do a basic stovetop dye job. But! OK! You will need: Something to dye: choose a white, off-white, or beige item of clothing made of natural fiber (cotton, wool, silk, linen), a blend of natural fibers (like a cotton/linen blend), nylon, or rayon. So now that we have our materials, let’s dye this elegant-yet-boring purse I found at a garage sale for a dollar! Step One: Fill your pot ¾ full with water.
Present wrapping ideas: a week of Christmas on Pinterest Who knew becoming a mom would make me want to be so crafty? I didn’t. But here I am. And I decided to search Pinterest for cute and creative present wrapping ideas! Love these. As always, click the photo to get to the pin for more info and the original source. Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Source Recommended for you babies, babies, babies! {Valentines day} pixel-y popup card I‘ve been scratching my head trying to come up with a card for my hubby {AKA the non-romantic type}. I finally decided to make this pixely popup heart card! They are really minimal (which I love) and take about 20 minutes to make (that includes the card, insert and envelope). You can even make some pixely confetti to put inside the card (if you are a big kid like me!). Full instructions and printable templates below! (BTW I remember seeing something similar in a popup book years ago. How to 1. (If you have a cutting machine then see note at end of post!) Cut along the black lines and score the grey lines. 3. 5. 7. Edited to add: The lovely Kayla from saynotsweetanne has send me a .dfx file of the card which you can use if you have a cutting machine.
DIY Macrame Bracelet - Honestly WTF 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.
20 Awesome Do It Yourself Projects Thursday, June 14, 2012 4:30 am, Posted by Chris Groves | Internet 20 Awesome Do It Yourself Projects Topics: At Home Project Ideas , Creative DIY Home Projects , Do It Yourself Projects for 2012 , Fun How To Projects , What to Do with Extra Stuff Are you bored and have a bunch of extra little items hanging around here and there? Well we were in the same boat so we decided to round up 20 different awesome at home projects you can do. You honestly don’t know some of the creative things you can do with what could possible be junk. If you know of any great at home Do It Yourself Projects please leave a comment to include your own and maybe we will add it to our list. And for the upcoming holiday season we want to give all you do-it-yourselfers a head start with these incredible Christmas DIY for 2012 1. More info: here | Buy: here 2. More info: here 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Incoming search terms:
How To Style a Fishtail Braid We love the look of fishtail braids! This trend is incredibly easy to style, even on your own hair. Kinsey and I photographed the steps so you can try it out for yourself... Here's how to style a fishtail braid... 1. Part your hair into two even sections. 2. Next, we had a crazy idea... weave pieces of yarn into the braid? 1. We thought it was pretty cute!
Features - This Into That "Take your favorite pair of denim cut-offs that are in need of a makeover before summer officially hits. Flip your shorts over and prepare to seam rip the back pocket off. Put some muscle into it! Lay your pocket facedown on the backside of some leather skin and trace its outline with chalk. Place your leather pocket where the denim once was and sew it in place. Cardigan "This cardigan was a little too boxy and boyish for me so I added the frillier elements from the dress onto it. Dress "I was really into the peplum shape of this dress so I didn't want to do too much to it. Oxford "I trimmed the top and sleeves off, converting the sleeves into straps for this tank top. Sweatshirt "I wanted to make this into something appropriate for summer so it got the crop-tank treatment. "Start with a plain white tee, and lay your favorite tank top on top of it. "This was really fun.