quick and easy bling

Jewelry making is one of my favorite things! I love creating simple designs that go with every outfit and can easily transition from day to night.  I thought I'd take a moment and share my favorite way to glam up any outfit. Introducing....the easy to make, always stylish, sparkle hoop.

What you need....
  
- Circular bent, silver plated (or sterling silver) hoops with loops at one end (you can bend these yourself from wire, or you can purchase them at your local craft or jewelry making store)

- Pretty beads! I like using swarovski crystal beads because they are small, dainty and perfect for small hoops.

- Jewelry making tool (basically, find something you can use to bend metal)

Create!

String your beads onto your hoop...

And bend,the non loop sided hoop, up in a 90% angle.

 Repeat, and there you go! You have a lovely pair of glamourous earrings!

How do you glam up your daily wear?

baby its cold outside - a knitting project

We've been lucky to have a mild winter so far in Virginia this year, which make my 3 block walking commute to work extremely pleasant.  However, mornings can be a bit chilly and I've been keeping my ears warm with this comfy knitted ear warmer, which keeps you comfortable, but isn't as bulky as a hat.  I discovered this knitting project on pinterist, but have started embellishing the design with little flowers, to remind me that spring is right around the corner.

Headwarmer
What you'll need:
- yarn (any kind will do, an acrylic wool mix is pretty comfy and - doesn't stretch as much as just pure wool)
- knitting needles (size 7 or 8)

What to do:

1. Cast on 23 stitches. Continue with a simple knit stitch until you've reach the desired length. I usually knit to a length of 15 or 16 inches, unstretched. Wool will stretch, so a tighter knit and length is okay. Cast off when you have reached desired length

2. Fold edges together.  Using a large eyed needle, thread yarn through and sew the sides together so that they pull together.

3. Use the left over yarn to wrap around the seam you have created. Wrap as much or as little as you'd like. Once you have wrapped yourself out, tuck the lone thread into your knot.

4. Wear! With the knot in the front.

5. Or add some simple lacy flowers and wear with the knot in the back!

Now, Add those flowers!

What you need:

- pieces of simple lace, any size cut 12 inches in length.

- needle

- left-over yarn

- scissors

What you do:

1. Lay lace flat and thread your needle and yarn through the bottom half of the lace.

2. Pull the needle out and push the lace together so it bunches up. Tie in a knot to keep the bunch together

3. Thread each string through an area in the head band and tie behind (this way the flower isn't permanent and can be removed!)

4. Wear and be warm, and fashionable!

Just learning to knit? When I was re-learning, my friend Liz recommended Stitch and Bitch for easy instructions and projects - best book ever.

- Marisa

a january craft - spare paper chevron art

When you are a paper goods nut like myself and work with paper of all shapes, sizes and colors, you tend to end up with a bunch of odd strips of excess card-stock.  I even have a smaller box within my "Colored Paper" box just labeled "scraps" that I can access for a rainy day.  Staring at it this weekend, (when it was indeed rainy) I decided I was going to put those scraps of paper to work to help fill up an empty frame I had sitting around the house.

so here's what you'll need:

• 2-11"x17" pieces of paper
• scraps of colored paper, no less than 1"x1" in size
• xacto knife or cutting utensil of some sort
• glue (elmers works just fine)
• a pencil

 1- start with 2-11"x17" pieces of paper.  Overlap, trim and tape/glue together as needed to create the size artwork you'd like.  For this project, I chose to make my art measure16"x20".


2 -Then mark about 1/2" from the corners.  This gives you an idea of a border so your frame won't overlap the squares.  Unless you want it to, then just ignore this step


3 - Cut your pieces of colored paper down to 1"x1" squares.  Then line one up with your marks and glue it down (please pardon the fuzziness of these first few pictures... crummy iPhone camera)

4- Then take your next 1"x1" piece of paper and line it up next to the first one

5 - Now its time to start the chevron - take the paper square you'd like to place next and fold it in half on a diagonal.  Then glue it next to the other squares.  This creates the void of color that will define the shape of the chevron.

6 - Keep this rhythm going until you finish the first row and start again on the next row - but this time move the folded square either forward one space or back one space to create the chevron..  This is a great art project for when you just need to let your mind rest - its so wonderfully repetitive.  

I started with about 10 colors and just kept the pattern of colors going to create at least some cohesion. It's totally up to you.

Once you're done, you can then pop it in a frame and voila - a fantastically simple, colorful, and did I mention 3Dimensional piece of wall art in one afternoon!

  - Leslie