New spin on the friendship bracelet

I found these wonderful bracelet tutorials on the blog Honestly WTF. If you've never been to that blog check it out. They are some talented ladies.

Here is my version of one of their friendship bracelets that they themselves say is a knock off of a bracelet they saw in a magazine. It's not my original design, but I did tweak it a bit.




I love the look of this one and the simplicity. Start to finish it takes less than ten minutes.

Supplies:
-leather cord
-embroidery thread in two colors (your choice!)
-diamante chain
-scissors




Here is the tutorial from the Honestly WTF website. It's pretty detailed and they have great pictures.

My only changes are that I chose embroidery thread doubled up instead of the hemp thread in the picture.


I love the fun tie-dyed-esque look. Plus, you can make one to go with every outfit.





I made these for a friend's birthday. Which she will receive at her birthday party tomorrow!! :)

Just a few pics of some key points.

How to start:



Wrap the thread around the chain. I do it twice to cover and make the color pop!



I tied a knot at the end to finish it.




I'll be linking to the parties on the right.

Have a great weekend!!

Lacy cuff bracelet

I originally made this cuff bracelet months and months ago, but I'm just now getting around to make a tutorial for it. Mostly because a friend requested one and I'll show you how to make one using hers.

I don't know where the idea came from. I think I was just experimenting.


It's girly, has bling, yet is still sophisticated.

Here's what you need:

-one sheet of felt (any color you choose)
-your favorite lace trim (enough to wrap your wrist once)
-needle and thread that matches your felt
-variety of beads, small charms, old jewelry pieces, costume jewelry rings
-a button
-elastic (it would look best if it matched your felt, but I've only seen elastic in black, white and ivory)
-E6000 glue
-fabric glue





First, lay your lace trim long ways across the felt piece. I pinned it in place and then trimmed the felt with just a smidge of excess on the edges.


Take the long piece of felt and lace and wrap it around your wrist. I like to leave about an inch space between the two ends when I wrap it around. This way I can have room for the elastic and any give it may need. Trim off the excess.
Save this excess, you will use it later!




With your threaded needle, start at the back and stitch the lace onto the felt. It helps if your thread matches the felt and the lace has big holes like the one I choose. That way, your stitches will nearly be invisible.


I followed the pattern of the felt all the way across. The pin definitely helps with sliding.

Just do the same on the other edges of the lace trim.



(nearly invisible stitches)

Next arrange your bling and beads and charms how you would like them.

The big jeweled piece is from a costume jewelry store nearby and it was $1.50. I love these rings because the back comes off so easily and you can use it for tons of other projects.


One light twist with my pliers and it was off!



Since the jeweled piece has no backing now, I glued it on with E6000. This is amazing glue.



[SIDE BAR] If there is one thing I advocate in your craft stash, it's a wide variety of glues and adhesives. You can just do so much with them!
[END SIDE BAR]


I stitched on the rest of the pearls, bead and charm. Try keeping it in the center of the bracelet because that is the part that shows the most. Just a little collage of beautiful things.


You could decorate this with a cameo or a pendant or do small collage with colorful beads. The choice is yours! My friend loves art deco and the curves of the jeweled piece and the black, gold, and bronze colors really evoke that sophisticated style.

Next, pick a side and stitch on your button. Don't let too much hang over the head edge or you run the risk of snapping the button at some point in your usage. I would suggest putting the button and elastic on so it coincides with whatever hand you use to put your bracelets on. It can be kinda difficult for a lefty to fasten something that's built for a righty (is that what you call right-handed people?).

Trim some elastic to about three inches long. Fold it in half and place the two ends on the back side of the felt on the end opposite the button. I'd leave about inch long loop. You may have to play around with this to get it right for your wrist.



Glue (with your fabric glue) a big blob and take a the remaining piece of felt from the length you cut and place a piece, wide enough to cover the elastic, over the glue. Now the fabric glue will bleed through the felt, but it dries clear and unnoticeable.




I have also found that it's not the sturdiest with the felt, so I like to go back with my E6000 glue and fill in the spots where the felt sticks up. I could probably just start with the E6000 glue, but I like to use both. I'm weird.

Another option would be to stitch the elastic and extra piece of felt. If you can do it and hide your stitches, then stitch away!! This is just a bit of a faster way that I chose.

Let the glue completely dry. (And I mean, completely!) and there you have it.



A swanky, girly bracelet fit for a boutique. :)


The bracelet in the middle isn't dirty, the lace is ivory

Again, feel free to experiment with colors and beads and charms. It doesn't have to be the black and white like I chose. Felt and lace come in so many colors!



I'll be linking to the parties on the right.

Father's Day gift idea

I came up with this idea for my dad's birthday but that day came and went so now I'm making it for Father's Day! (June 19th, btw)

My dad and step mom live in the suburbs of Seattle. It's a beautiful place!! My husband and I love visiting there. The aquatic life and cool temps make it a great area.

Hubby on the water:

And my dad:




They love living there, so I made a little something that was near and dear to my dad's heart.

A picture frame of the map of the area.

This can be done with any map of your favorite places.









Frame:


I didn't take any pics of the process but it's super easy to do.
Supplies:
Wooden frame from walmart (in the craft section)
Black acrylic paint
Road map of your favorite place
Modge Podge


I purchased the map from my local Borders that was going out of business so the map cost me $3. Score!!Step 1-Paint the back and sides of the frame. I chose black because it's masculine and it's a simple color. Let it dry completely.

Step 2- Lay out your map and cut (or tear) strips that you want to use. I cut mine because I wanted specific sections of the map for the frame.

Step 3-Brush on Modge Podge on one section at a time. It dries pretty quickly so don't cover it all at once. I finished the right and left sides first and then applied the top and bottom so I could get the lines straight. I slit the corners and folded them over to give it a clean edge, too.



If you use the tearing method, you can apply all willy-nilly to your hearts content!!

Step 4-Apply another coat of Modge Podge over your pieces to seal it. This prevents any pieces from coming back up and gives it a nice polished look.

Step 5-Let it dry completely. I gave mine a full day but that's only because it is so stinking humid here right now!!!

Step 6- Wrap and give it to your dad! (or whomever)


This would make a great activity for the younger crowd. And it doesn't have to be a map, it could be tissue paper or scraps. Fabric might even look cool.
My husband thinks I should embellish it with a "You Are Here" sticker and put it on their city. I'm thinking of adding one!!


I'll be linking to these parties:

Bible cover tutorial and what else is going on

First up is this video I found on President's Day and wanted to post it, but got distracted. I guess I have a soft spot for guys named Jaden. ;)


How cute is that!

On to the tutorial! A Bible cover.


I bought some fabric the other day with the intention of making a pillow for my bed. It's a beautiful green pattern. Well, the days passed and I never got around to digging out my sewing machine. Mostly because DH has commandeered the kitchen/dining room/everything table for his paperwork. It's only fair. I usually have it piled high with my crafts. :)

Just before falling asleep an idea hit me. It hurt. :)
I decided to make a bible cover with the pretty green fabric. Partly because I love the pattern and want to carry it around and partly because hubby tends to lay his head on any pillow that is placed on the bed and I'd like to preserve it.
So as I was falling asleep I devised a plan of attack. My solution: wrap it just like I would a text book in high school.

FYI: because the table is covered in paperwork, I was relegated to the floor. Hence the ugly background in the pics. (welcome to apartment living)

I had all the supplies: fabric, interfacing (for sturdiness), scissors, and an iron. And glue--picture later.


I placed my bible on the fabric and cut it out with an inch and a half excess on all sides. Then placed the fabric on the interfacing and cut out the same size.


I then ironed the two pieces together with the rough side of the interfacing joined to the wrong side of the fabric. Instructions come with interfacing when you purchase it from any fabric store.

You need a damp rag over the interfacing when you iron the two together, other wise you will burn it.


Place your bible in the center of the fabric. Fold the long edges inward until the whole piece is the width of the bible (the pic explains it better). Iron down the sides when you have them exact.


Open up your bible cover and fold over the short edges into the cover. This will mark where to iron next.

Slide the edges of your cover into the small pockets you have just created. (forgot to take a picture!)

You will now have a cover on your bible!


BUT we're not finished. In order for the cover to stay put and to keep this project "no-sew", I glued the pocket corners to the back of the green fabric. Aleene's Tacky Glue works best for this. It doesn't bleed through like hot glue would and it's excellent for fabric.


I decided to embellish it with a amazing flower that I made earlier in the week.




I got the idea from this blog Trey and Lucy.

I just glued it on the back. You could take the fabric cover off and stitch the flower on, but we're keeping it "no-sew"!



I thoroughly enjoy the finished project! It pretty much cost me nothing because I bought the fabric for another project but scrapped that idea for the time being. I had everything else on hand.



Another thing of note: Jaden (my hubby, not the kid in the video) won Teacher of the Year for his school district!! Super happy and proud of him. :) It's such a blessing from God.

This is currently my favorites spot in our apartment. It's so pretty.



I love those flowers. They almost beckon spring even though it's still in the 30s outside.
I made them myself (with the help of Aunt Peaches!)and it's currently one of my favorite pastimes while watching movies and tv. Half were made while watching Arrested Development and the other half were made while watching one of my favorite movies: Rocky.

I'm linking with these parties!






Coming up next:
Top ten list of my favorite movies!