Not because I am a materialistic person…or maybe I am..a little. But then aint we all? Though I was more upset because of all the pictures and all the data and numbers and messages I lost and I had my emails open! (Yes, I lost a Samsung! an S2…which was the latest one then…I am terribly careless sometimes)

Anyways, so this necklace was made back then and its taking me forever to get around to snapping all those things again. And this one (trust me!) is really really simple and anyone can make it. Let’s get to it!

Supplies needed:

• Ribbon
• Chain
• Scissors
• Cutters

Steps:

1. Cut off as much of the chain as you want your necklace to be.
2. Now weave the ribbon through the chain (as in the picture above). Make this step easier by using a small safety pin at the tip of the ribbon.
3. Tie off a knot when done weaving and cut off the excess ribbon.
4. Use a piece of ribbon to tie a bow at the side of the necklace.
5. You can use a lighter to burn the edges of the ribbon to stop fraying, I did not do that cuz I cut my ribbon tips fancy.

Done!

It looks like a bracelet in this picture, you could actually make a bracelet with the same tutorial too. Oh wait, I did do that! I made one for B. I am thinking of doing a series called B’s birthday box or something….I have made a bunch of things to send to her and I am so excited!! Her birthday is in a few days and no, I have not packed yet. I know, I should have but hey! I keep wanting to make more and more stuff and the last time I checked I realized there were too many accessories and so I tried to make other things to balance it out. Can you really blame me? I over obsess about what if she does not like it. Any of it! *yikes* The horror! Ok, rant over. I might do that though..B’s birthday box :D

Supplies needed:

• Embroidery thread
• Bangles
• Mod podge
• Super glue

Steps:

1. If you are using mod podge, cover your bangle in it.
2. Begin by knotting & wrapping thread onto your bangle.
3. When the bangle is completely covered, end with a knot.
4. You can secure the knot with a dot of super glue (optional)

That is it!

Suggestions:

1. Use yarn for cozy winter look
2. Mix colors in the same bangle – either color blocked (like my yellow-white-orange) or mixed (purple-blue).
3. Use ribbons or fabric scraps for a shabby chic look
4. Use twine for a rustic look.
5. Mix different medias – ribbon with chain or rhinestone chain with embroidery thread.
6. Use different types of bangles-wooden, metal, thick, thin, etc.

Supplies:

• Tassels
• Earring hooks
• Jewellery pliers

Steps:

1. Using the pliers, attach the earring hooks to the tassels.

That is it! My tassels did not require me to add jump rings or anything else, but depending on yours you might have to tweak the tutorial a bit. Here is a close up so you can see what I mean.

Suggestions:

1. Use different kinds of tassels-I went for the sleek kind, but the bulky ones are great if you want to make a statement.
2. Colorize. Be it purple or fuchsia or neon yellow or any other that fancies you.
3. You can mix two tassels together too!
4. Add some sparkle, use beads, crystals, chains, rhinestone chains.
5. Make chain tassels or leather fringe tassels
6. Color block those earrings! You can either paint r spray paint to get that look
7. You can always make your own tassels too, that would take more than 2 minutes but it will be customized.
8. Pass tassels through the back of your stud earrings and wear them. This way you could remove the tassels whenever you feel like. Brilliancy at its best, eh?

I loved these brown  heels (notice how the heels look scuffed up?). I refused to part with them without putting up a fight….I dint have to do that though because with just a little mod podge, a little glitter and a lot of waiting (one *whole* night!) I made these……

….turn into these beauties!! Yep! I even wore this to my Alumni reunion last December (yeah…that long ago). What can I say? I was completely and utterly mesmerized by them :)

PS-excuse the Photoshop skills. My shoes are *not* that uneven and bumpy.

Here is a before and after picture together…..convinced to make over your shoes yet? Aight then let’s get to it.

Supplies needed:

• Newspaper
• Glitter (1 small bottle)
• Mod podge
• Brush
• Plate or bowl

Steps:

1. Spread out the newspaper in the area you will be working in. This step is important, trust me!
2. In a bowl(or plate) mix enough mod podge to cover your entire shoes and glitter. You might think you may need a lot but surprisingly one bottle should be enough.
3. Now paint (?) this mixture onto your shoes. Don’t worry about keeping it clean, I did at first only to realize much later that it does not even show. So feel free to get messy (you can thank me here for step 1 :P).
4. I did one coat and then let it dry overnight. You can leave it like this but your shoes will look leathery and not as sparkly as mine do in the pictures. You can leave it like this if you want to.
5. I wanted it to look like Dorothy’s shoes so I put on another coat of only mod podge and sprinkled on glitter over the shoes while the mod podge was still wet.
6. You are done! Shake off the excess glitter and admire your work as they dry.

I could barely wait to wear them so I wore them to the grocery store. My excuse? I had to wear them to a place where I could shake off the excess glitter without it being too obvious. Yes, if you decide to do the second layer like I did(step 5 & 6) then you will leave (barely visible) glitter trails around for the first few wears.

Your fave shoes..from drab to fab!

Suggestions:

1. You can try brighter colors. Just make sure that the shoe color is close to the glitter you are using. (If my shoes were anywhere near red, I would have done red glitter shoes).
2. Use two kinds of glitter! Mix thicker glitter with finer kind. It will add to the look.
3. Mix different colors. Go multicolor!
4. Do it on any kind of shoes-ballet flats, sneakers, heels, boots!
5. Don’t limit yourself to shoes! Glam your phone cover! or your journal or earrings or how about your clutch? (like I did).
6. Spray the finished project with varnish to set the glitter in.

Supplies needed:

• Red bead
• Leaf charm (mine is from a broken earring)
• 1 Head pin
• 2 Jump rings
• Chain
• Jewellery cutter
• Pliers

Steps:

1. Use the head pin to attach the red bead to one of the jump rings.
2. Attach the leaf charm to the same jump ring using another jump ring
3. String this onto the chain and you are done! Ta-da!

The yellow bangle was plain white before I neoned it, the blue n’ purple was a boring silver bangle that was lacking color but yet I loved the design a bit too much to throw it out and the pink cuff was an embossed silver cuff that I had purchased with the sole intention of DIYing it. I wonder if that helped….Oh well, here is the tutorial.

Things you need:

• Bangles/cuffs
• Nail polish

Steps:

1. Paint the bangle or cuff.
2. Let dry.
3. Repeat.

You can even try patterns or different color combinations like I did with the blue and purple. The best part about painting with nail polish? It dries up so quick! And the layers come on smoother and thinner than paint. I like that, even though it means we have to do several coats sometimes. Makes your accessories so fun and vibrant in just under 10 minutes!

Supplies needed:

• 2 earring hooks
• Cutters
• Jewellery pliers
• 2 head pins
• 8 pearls
• 2 diamond circles (I really don’t know how else to describe them)

Steps:

1. String the pearls and the circles onto the head pins in the pattern shown above
2. Cut the excess head pin off and attach the earring hooks

Done! Yup, this one is pretty simple and quick as opposed to the collar. Now wait for the first opportunity to wear them or flaunt them around the house like I did ;)

Supplies needed:

• Elastic
• Big chain
• Scissor
• Needle
• Thread (matching color as your elastic)
• Jewellery pliers

Steps:

1. Measure your wrist and cut a little smaller than that length of elastic.
2. Using pliers separate four links of your chain from the rest.
3. Now stitch the chain on to either end of the elastic.

Ta-da! Pretty glam for a 5 minute project, what say?

Pretty eh? Enough staring and hoping it was yours because you can make this one too! It is super simple (duh!).

Things needed:

• Thin white satin cord
• End caps
• Clasp
• Jump rings
• Lighter
• Jewellery pliers
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Measure your wrist and cut the cord into two pieces of that length.
2. Fold both pieces into half and knot them together (like in the picture above).
3. Burn the ends to seal the cord and keep it from getting undone.
4. Attach the end caps and clasp to both ends using the pliers.

That is it! Don’t you just adore how my clasp adds to the nautical feel of the bracelet?

I initially made one with a normal lobster clasp but ended up making another. I tend to make a lot of doubles of late since I am preparing a gift box for B (shhhh! it is a secret!). Hope you are all having a good day, I am heading off to a friend’s birthday celebration in a bit and I am so excited!!!

Things needed:

• 2 Earring hooks
• 2 Lace flowers (I cut mine out from a lace strip)
• Needle
• Thread (similar color as the lace flowers)
• 2 Head-pins
• 2 Pearls
• Jewellery pliers
• Cutter

Steps:

1. Attach the pearls to the lace flowers using head-pins, cutters and pliers.You can replace the pearls with crystals, beads or different colored pearls for a different look.
2. Using the needle and thread, stitch the earring hooks right opposite the pearls. You can use jump rings, but the jump rings would not go through my lace so I stitched them on instead.

That’s it! Wear them or gift them to the special girl/woman in your life. I love how girly and pretty these turned out. =)

Tools needed:

• Your choice of beads
• Elastic
• Super glue
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Measure your wrist and cut elastic a bit longer than the desired length.
2. String on your beads in any pattern you please.
3. Tie a double knot when done and reinforce it with a dot of super glue.
4. Make as many as you like and flaunt enjoy your lovely creations ;)

Suggestions:

1. You can use spikes if you like or any other fun beads.
2. Go color crazy!
3. You do not have to follow any rules or pattern. Random is fun!
4. Add funky charms.
5. Try adding one sparkly bead or two for that hint of glamor.
6. Make it color themed.

They may look hard to make, but trust me when I say they are easy.  All you will be needing for this project is:

• Jewellery pliers
• Jewellery cutter
• 2 Earring hooks
• Chain
• Embroidery thread
• 2 Jump rings
• 2 Spikes (duh!)

Steps:

1. Using the cutter cut out two equal pieces of the chain (the length depends on how long you want your earring to be).
2. Measure the center of the chains and attach earring hooks using jump rings and pliers.
3. Pass the thread through the end loops of each chain and tie it twice around each spike.
4. Secure the knot with a dot of super glue (optional).

You are done!

Was that not simple? I spent quite a long time trying to loop wire around the spikes. But you have me to guide you, thread was much easier and the knot can’t be seen too. I was so in love with the end result that I had to make two pairs.

Let’s start with the finished product. I installed the piece in my open living/office space. The wall previously held an eclectic grouping of posters, framed photos, and prints. While that’s a great way to fill a large blank wall, it began feeling cluttered to me. My goal was to create one large piece that was both interesting and colorful.

Here’s how I created my Straw Trivet Collage.

Materials

1. scissors
2. twine (or yarn, thread, embroidery floss, etc.)
3. trivets

The most challenging part of this project was sourcing the trivets. I thrifted two of them about a year ago, simply because I loved them. In fact, I use one of them in the graphics for my vintage Etsy shop, Thrift Score.

So when I decided to attempt this project, I began searching for more trivets. I ended up using 12, but you may choose to use more or less, depending on the size of your wall space. While I often find these trivets at my local Goodwill, it’s rare that they are not food stained or faded. I’m pretty picky about quality, so I passed those by.

Etsy to the rescue! I admit, it took a few weeks of searching, but finally a listing for several trivets appeared on Etsy, and they were in great condition. I bought them from North Country Vintage Art and Antiques and they arrived just as pictured.

First, spread out your trivets on a flat surface to determine the layout of your collage. I’ve got a touch of the OCD, so I was afraid it would take ages for me to come up with a pleasing layout. Surprisingly, it came together quite quickly. Yohan was happy to help hold the trivets in place while I worked out their arrangement.

Next, tie the trivets together with your choice of material. Because the trivets are fairly stiff, I found that I only needed to tie each trivet to it’s neighboring trivets in one spot. Make sense? Here’s a close up photo to illustrate.

And here’s another shot of the entire design, half way through the tying process. (Please excuse the carpet – I rent.)

And it’s as simple as that.

I did need another pair of hands when it came time to hang. AJ held the trivets to the wall while I eyeballed the placement. When I was happy, I grabbed 5 nails and got to whacking. I realize not everyone who rents is allowed to make holes in their walls. I imagine those hooks with removable adhesive strips would work just as well. Because the trivets are made from straw, they are really very lightweight. Here’s a detail of a few of the nails. One is in the top right corner, and there is another in the top left trivet, though it’s pretty camouflaged – and that’s a good thing!

I hope you enjoyed Fur and Frond’s very first DIY tutorial! If you have any questions about the project, please leave them in the comments below. I’d love to see photos if you try it out for yourself.

I already had a nice 1 1/2 inch binder sitting around with plenty of page sleeves, so I cleared it out and started fresh. I added my main subject dividers such as stationery, photography, food, my wedding attire, bridesmaids, etc. and then sleeves between them to put in my ideas. I got out all my wedding magazines and cut out images of what I want for my wedding, gluing the pictures to blank sheets of paper and writing details on the side. I drew a few pictures for somethings, and put it in the binder. I even created a first divider that has “Wedding Tips” that I found in magazines, like how to plan on a budget and bridal shower party ideas. Lastly, I used pretty ads and the wedding magazine covers to create my own binder cover that would keep me excited throughout the wedding planning process. Overall, it took about a night to put together and it was well worth it. I have a silly image in my mind of going to set up for my wedding or finally purchase the dress I want, and just being able to quickly open up the binder to the drawings or the pictures of my dream wedding, and things being much quicker than sitting there for awhile trying to describe it. Hopefully for those planning weddings, this is an idea that will make things a bit easier!

A friend of mine who recently got married sent her wonderful wedding invites in incredible envelopes she created with her now husband. They used an older book with tons of pictures of plants. How cool is that? Because I’m all about DIY crafts and hipster wedding invites, I learned how she made the invites and I got ahold of older free books from the University Art Department. For this DIY blog post though, I picked up some colourful children’s books free from a local Friends of the Library bookstore.

For this DIY project, you’ll need:

1. Any large colourful book that you can rip pages out of
2. A glue stick or two
3. Scissors
4. White Labels
5. Possibly stamps, stickers, and of course, a letter to go inside!

First, you’ll find the page you like the most and rip it out of the book as even as you can. If it’s not completely even, you can always cut it on the edge to make it so. Personally, I like the rugged side look a little better.

Second, fold your colourful large piece of paper in mismatched thirds. By this, I mean fold two sections a little larger than the third, which will be your flap.

Third, glue sections 1 & 2 (the larger ones) together, leaving the third unglued so you can tape it or stick it with stickers together. Once it’s glued, cut the third flap just a bit on each side to create that envelope flap look.

Fourth, let it dry, put a white label on it for the address, as well as an adorable Disney stamp. Make sure you put something inside it and send that puppy off! The receiver will be glad to get such a wonderful piece of mail that’s also so incredibly creative!

1. One XL cotton shirt in any colour
2. A good pair of fabric cutting scissors
3. A cute piece of fabric or other material to cover up the bunching up top
4. Possibly a glue gun

So the steps are really easy. First, you lay out your large shirt and cut across right under the armpits of the sleeves.

Then, cut the shirt into strips, leaving about an inch at the top. Continue doing this until you’ve gone all the way across.

Once your shirt is completely strip-ed up, take the each section and pull on it so it stretches out. Don’t pull so hard that you rip the fabric! Once this is done, bunch the scarf up by slipping a hand in the middle of the scarf where you left that inch of non-cut fabric.

Take whatever you have to hide the inch of non-cut fabric and tie it around and/or hot glue it to that section. I couldn’t find my hot glue gun anywhere so I just had to tie my cool tie I found around it for now. Once you’ve done this, your awesome infinity shirt scarf is complete! You can wear them with just about anything. This one went great with today’s outfit, which was skinny jeans rolled up, cute Target sandals, and a grey v-neck. This would also be a really wonderful gift idea!

Supplies Needed

-three and a half inch jute webbing

-low temp hot glue gun

-sharp craft scissors

-large canvas (We reused one of Jonah’s slightly distressed canvases;)

-one willing little helper

To get started I laid out my canvas on a flat surface. To determine the measurement I needed for the jute webbing I simple laid it on top of the canvas making allowances for the edges that will later be glued. You could also use a tape measure but that much accuracy never seems to work into my game plan;) Using my first strip as my template I continued to cut the amount I needed to cover the front of the canvas. I did this top to bottom and side to side.

I then glued the edges of my strips top to bottom on the back of the canvas making sure to pull it tightly over the front. (Make sure to securely glue both sides to insure that they will not detach when you begin weaving.) I continued this process until the front was completely covered.

Next I glued one edge of the remaining strips on the back of the side of my canvas. (Again make sure that it is secure.) I left the other edge loose for weaving. I then allowed my son to begin weaving (over under repeat) the strips through pulling tightly as he went. Then I securely glued the loose end to the back of the canvas.  (For extra security hammer small nails into the wood on the back of canvas.)

Using clothes pins we now can hang beautiful works of art.

You could also use it to hang up to do lists, menu boards or anything else you desire. I hope you enjoy this simple project!

I’ve recently decided to create this blog for posting about all things creative.

But not the kind of creative where you need a degree in art history and sewing — the kind of creativity for now-and-then crafters, or I think I’ll try this today type people.

For me, making something out of next to nothing is the best feeling in the world. But I’m not about to break out the power saw and a welding torch to get the final results. You won’t find that here.

But you will find “how-to’s” on:

Food.

DIY.

Hair.

Fashion.

You name it.

Thanks for following!

This is the original.

This is the one I made with a photo-shopped picture to try and get an idea of what it will look like.  It definitely has a colorful feel.  The strings are crocheted to give a more personal feel and stick to the colors.

And here’s a detail of the crocheted string/rope.

I’ll post a picture when it gets full!

Please call the NCS or email us for more details.

One of our Skills Exchange members, Isabel, went along to talk to people about her experiences of Time banking with us. She has done gardening and sewing for members to earn Time Credits and has swapped them for decorating and simple DIY. Because Izzy helped out another Time Bank we have had our very first inter Time Bank swap as part of the National Exchange scheme.We hope that this will be just the start of a very fruitful collaboration with Sneinton Time Bank.

If you would like to find out more about Sneinton Time Bank e mail Rachel or David sneintontimebank@googlemail.com or have a look at their rather lovely blog http://sneintontimebank.wordpress.com