понедельник, 2 апреля 2012 г.

Чудо DIY


DIY: Heavy Metal Bracelet

APRIL 2, 2012
This was another one of those projects that came from an “inspiration trip” to the hardware store.  Sometimes I’ll stroll the aisles of Home Depot, pretending that I’m in the craft store.  When you’re looking at everything as though it could be a potential craft supply or jewelry hardware, your entire mindset changes.  Try it sometime.  Anyway, I’m having a major moment with bracelets.  As preppy / sparkly as my taste typically runs, I’ve been craving tough chic hardware pieces (like my bullet cuff, remember her?)  I’ve been piling them on, rolling up the sleeves of my striped tees, and going a bit edgier  than usual.  Maybe something’s in the air this Spring.
{the other bracelets I’m wearing are from BaubleBar and Diament Designs.}
This bracelet is very easy to make… requiring about 10-15 minutes of your time… and $10 or so dollars in material costs.
What you’ll need:
Start by threading on a jump ring, and attaching two of your hinges, through the holes – as shown below.
Once you’ve attached the upper holes together, attach the lower holes.  Your hinges should look like the below.
Keep going… and your bracelet will look like this!
To finish things off… double up two pieces of embroidery floss (about 15″ long.)  Weave through your first hole…
And then through the second…
Flip over, and tie firmly.  Repeat on both sides.
And voila – your hinge bracelet is ready to go.  I like to tie the embroidery floss in a little bow.  The contrast between the bow and the edgy hardware is fun.
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DIY: Jonathan Saunders inspired Color Block Journal

MARCH 26, 2012
I love good stationery.  And nothing brightens up a stressfuld ay of work like a great notebook or planner.  Making (and crossing items off) my to-do list just feels that much better.  When I saw this Jonathan Saunders for Smythson Diary , I was of course, smitten.  But in addition to being sold out, it’s so expensive!  I immediately set out to recreate my own.  I ended up making mine in neon pink, but the sky is truly the limit in terms of color combinations… get creative and have fun with it!
Materials
Begin by laying out a strip of painter’s tape across the length of the notebook.  This is going to be your black stripe.
Cover the entire notebook in a coat of white acrylic paint…  (this is important as it neutralizes the black and will allow your colors to shine through.)
Paint on the first color…
And then the second color…
Allow to dry completely, and then peel off your painters tape.
Voila!  Your notebook will look like this.
Fill in any white spaces with paint…
Glue on your ribbon, as shown below.
And then apply your rhinestone!  You are finished… enjoy your snazzy new notebook.
Top image via, all other images Stripes & Sequins

DIY: Holst + Lee inspired rope bracelet

MARCH 19, 2012
I am loving rope jewelry right now.  Bright, fun, tribal, and perfect for Spring.  In my opinion, Holst + Lee does it the best.  This necklace?  Wow.  Or this one?  Oh my.  My only complaint is the price tag.  People.  It’s rope.  And cord.  With a few brass accents.  The cost of materials can’t be more than $20 – and that’s for the really elaborate ones.  Some of the pieces are a bit more intricate and will require (hours) of work, but others?  So simple.  I thought today we’d start slow with this gorgeous single strand bracelet.
What you will need:
Begin by taping your embroidery floss to the rope.
Wrap your embroidery floss around the rope once, and then add the chain – wrapping in between the first two crystals.
Continue to wrap, wrapping around 3x between each crystal.
Hold it steadily, and wrap away.  A pattern will emerge!
When you are halfway through, knot on your second color, and keep wrapping.
(Go back and snip off the ends later.)
Keep on wrapping… when you get to the end, tape the end down, just as you had done in the beginning.
Apply a small drop of Gorilla Glue to each end, and slide on the end cap.
Allow to dry for 1-2 hours.  (Overnight is best, but not everyone is that patient!)
Thread your jump ring through the end of the cap and close it.
Add your clasp…
And voila, your bracelet is complete!

DIY: Nautical Red Necklace

MARCH 12, 2012
Necklaces, necklaces, necklaces…  oh how I love mine.  The bigger, the brighter, the bolder, the better.  I’m always on the hunt for new ones.  During a routine inspiration trip to the hardware store (yes, the hardware store,) I was struck by how pretty these little red valve handles were… and how they had a bit of a nautical (sterring wheel, anyone?) feel to them.  I picked up a handful of them – all I could think about was how fun they would be as a necklace.
The little knobs are just over $2.00 a piece… (and also available in stainless steel and brass finishes.)  I really adore how the final product looks!
What you will need:
Start by laying out your little wheels, and figuring out what you want your pattern to be.  To properly attach your wheels, you will need  to ensure that you can link your design together via the thinner parts of the wheel.  Get creative!  I went with a bib type of pattern, but you could string a strand of wheels (vertical or horizontal,) come up with a more circular design, and use fewer pieces for something more simple.  (I wouldn’t recommend using more than 5 wheels, as they do get heavy.)
To begin, use your pliers to open up a jump ring and thread on one of your wheels.
Thread on an additional wheel, and use your pliers to close the jump ring.
Your two wheels will now look like the below.
Continue the process, hooking your wheels together using the jump rings.  Use two jump rings each time, for extra reinforcement.
Before you know it, you’ll be done.
Use an additional jump ring to secure your chain to the top of your newly formed bib.
Finish things of by attaching a clasp…
And you are done!  The results are very Kate Spade, if I do say so, myself.
For extra credit, wear with stripes.

DIY: Lizzie Fortunato Inspired Scale Bracelet

FEBRUARY 27, 2012
I am (and always have been,) a huge fan of Lizzie Fortunato‘s work.  Remember this rope necklace DIY?  That necklace was what sparked it all… and since then, I haven’t been able to get enough of her designs.  Unique, special… they get better and better every season. If I could afford to, I’d buy every single piece from her current collection.  (This necklace, being at the top of my list.)  When I saw the Scale Bracelet, I had to try creating my own… it’s the perfect addition to any arm party… wouldn’t you say?  And when you’re done… why not make these earrings with your left over fishbone chain?
Here’s what you need to create your own LF inspired bracelet:

 - 6 inches* of fishbone chain
 - approx. 25 inches* of two different shades of embroidery floss
 - one 10mm jump ring
 - two 4mm jump rings
 - one large spring ring clasp
 - a pair of pliers
 - a pair of scissors
*Lengths vary depending on the size of your wrist and how loose you want to make the bracelet.
Full tutorial after the break.
 Begin by attaching the two small jump rings to either side of your piece of fishtail chain.
Take the two pieces of embroidery floss (I chose pink + red,) and tie them together to one side of the bracelet.
 Triple knot the floss to the bracelet, and trim the ends.
 Begin to slowly and carefully wrap your floss around the chain, weaving it between the fishtails.
 Wrap slowly and carefully, keeping the two threads together.
 As you wrap, a pattern will emerge.
When you get to the end of the fishtail, wrap it around the last tail twice… triple knot.
 Your bracelet is finished!
 My own little arm party.
Bracelets (from left – Scale Bracelet, Cartier Love Bracelet, BaubleBar, homemade using this tutorial.)
Top image from Of A Kind; all other images by Stripes & Sequins.

DIY: Leather Hair Bow

FEBRUARY 20, 2012
From the moment I lied eyes on this street style shot, I knew I needed a little leather bow for my hair.  The look is fresh, fun, and playful… but the tan leather keeps it from being over-the-top girly.  (Funny enough, I’m not much of a bow girl myself… I never thought I’d see myself rocking a bow in my hair until I saw this photo.)  It’s a fairly straightforward + simple DIY, and so much fun to wear.
Materials:
 - Sharp Scissors
 - Kitchen Twine (approx. 10″)
 - Faux Leather, cut into one large rectangle (13” by 3”) plus a smaller scrap.
 - Fabric, cut into the same shape as the leather (13” by 3”)
 - Glue (I love Beacon’s Magnatac – it’s the perfect multi-purpose glue.)
 - Needle
 - Thread
 - Fray-Check
 - One 80mm Barrette
 Full tutorial, after the break.
Start by gluing the fabric to the back of the faux leather.  The purpose here is to cover up the rather unsightly white backing.  You can feel free to skip this step, though I think it lends a nice touch.
Pat the fabric to the leather, smoothing out any creases or wrinkles.
 Trim away any excess remnants of fabric.
 Apply a thick line of glue to one of the ends.
 Fold over, forming a loop.  Press firmly, and allow to dry.
 Once dry, flip your loop over and apply a drop of glue.
 Fold like an accordion, as demonstrated below.
To secure your folds, tie your twine around the center of the bow.  Give it a firm tug, double knot, and trim the ends.
Next, take a scrap of leather (I used a piece that was 3″ long and 1/2″ wide.)  Wrap it around the bow…
 And glue… pressing firmly to secure.
Allow to dry, and then flip it over.  Take the barrette, center it on the bow, and figure out where you want it to lie.  Using a marker, make a dot where you want the holes on the barrette to go on your bow.
Using a needle and thread, carefully sew the bow to the barrette.  Note that you can glue it, but I found that glue would be difficult + messy – and result in a lower-quality end product.  If you do decide to glue it, I’d recommend using hot glue so that you can instantly attach the bow to the barrette.
 And voila… the finished result!
All images by Stripes & Sequins, except the top image, which I found on Pinterest and cannot seem to track down the source.  (If you know the origin, please let me know so that I can properly give credit!)

DIY: Bullet Cuff

FEBRUARY 6, 2012
Recently, I’ve been really drawn to punk-ish accessories.  Bullets, in particular.  There’s something so unexpected and fun about wearing my usual striped t-shirts and girly dresses with a tough piece of jewelry.  I saw this cuff bracelet and desperately wanted it… (but ahem, not so much into the $915 price tag.)  I decided to attempt to make my own and was pleased with the results. The end result is substantial- and looks entirely more time-consuming and expensive than it actually is.
Materials:
  • Two strips of bullets.  I used these because I wear more silver jewelry, but they also sell gold.
  • E6000 Glue
  • One 5/8″ Wide Blank Cuff.  (You can use a larger cuff but I had trouble sourcing one!)
 Full tutorial after the break
Measure out the amount of bullets that you’ll need to fit the cuff.  (My cuff was 13 bullets across.)  Apply a small amount of glue to the center bullets.
 Firmly press the cuff to the bullets.  Hold for a few minutes to set.  Allow to dry (1-2 hours.)
 Continue the process of slowly gluing the bullets to the cuff, allowing to dry in between.
 And voila – your cuff is complete!

DIY: Rose Gold + Leather Link Bracelet

DECEMBER 19, 2011
You know you’re in too deep with the DIY projects when you start dreaming about it  These days, all I dream about is jewelry – whether it’s work-related or on the DIY front, my life is just jewelry, jewelry, jewelry.  I had the idea to try linking layers of chain together with leather cord and the results were even better than I could have imagined.
This DIY is a relatively simple and straightforward one… each took me about 20 minutes to complete.  Originally I thought I’d give them to friends for Christmas.  Now, I’m thinking I’ll keep them.
Supplies:
 Full tutorial after the page break.
Start by cutting your chain into three even pieces.  Hook all three pieces to a jump ring.
Thread your leather cord through the first link of each piece of chain.  The links should be in the middle, with 15″ of leather left on each side.
 Thread each end through the next link.  The leather will intersect.  Pull tightly.
 Continue to thread the leather through all three chain links.
 You’ll develop a nice uniform pattern.
 When you get to the end, hook another jump ring, plus your lobster clasp, through the last three links of chain.
 Double (even triple knot) your leather cord tightly, and trim the ends.
 Voila!

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