Friday, February 10, 2012

Breakfast at Tiffany's Inspired Eye Mask
I once made these for a party and they were a big hit so I thought I'd share

You will need:
Light blue felt (Tiffany Blue)
White ribbon
Black felt
Gold braided ribbon
Small jewels
Hot glue gun
Other embellishments if you choose 

1. Cut out the shape you want the mask to be using fabric scissors.
2. Glue a strand of the ribbon around the outside and in the place of the eye brows.

3. Cut eyelashes out of the black felt and glue on as "sleeping eyes".
4. Cut 2 long pieces of ribbon, make sure they are long enough to tie in the back of your head.
5. Attach them to the back of the mask and cover the glue by placing a small piece of felt over the top. Now you can sleep like Holly Golightly!  


Thursday, February 9, 2012

DIY Fabric Large Bead Necklace
You will need:
-wooden beads (the size of your choice but the bigger the bead the easier and make sure it has a large hole, you can find these at any crafting or fabric store)
-ribbon, this is the color of the "chain"
-large sewing needle
-clear drying glue (I used tacky glue and some is still visible on the necklace though not much)
-fabric of your choice, you can use several different colors or all one color but make sure it is cotton and not too thick
-one sheet of printer paper
-fabric scissors
-metal or wooden BBQ skewer (I used metal for the heavier part and wood for the smaller parts)
-metal spacers (optional)

1. Start by cutting the fabric into squares, about 2" by 2", just make sure it can completely cover the bead. I made 11 squares for my 11 beads, you want to do an uneven number of beads that way one will always lay in the center when you have the necklace on.
2. Lay out the printer paper so you don't get glue everywhere. Take one piece of fabric and completely cover it in glue. Lay a bead in the center and wrap it up.
3. Now this is the tricky part, I cut some off the long edges to make it a bit easier but don't cut too much then it won't cover the bead completely. Now you attempt to shove the ends of the fabric into the holes of the bead with the BBQ skewer, this definitely takes some skill and practice! If you don't do it on the first try just take the fabric off and try again. It took me about 3 times and there was glue everywhere. Don't worry though, once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty fast.

4. Once you have all the beads covered make sure you haven't obstructed any holes then let them dry! Of course I didn't because I'm very impatient and ended up ruining one when I was threading the ribbon.
5. Once they are all dry thread the ribbon into the giant needle and very carefully thread the beads onto the ribbon, putting either a spacer or a knot between each bead. Leave the ribbon long at the ends.
6. Tie several knots at the top end of the beads so they stay in place. Cut the ribbon the length you want your necklace and tie at the top. Now you have a beautiful necklace!

Monday, February 6, 2012

DIY Chalkboard Valentine's Picture Frame
You will need...
 Unfinished wood frame  
 Valentine's colored paper (this will be the heart, I used red)
 One sheet of white printer paper or scrapbook paper if you want a colored background
 Black chalkboard paint
 Chalk
 Tacky glue
Tiny binder clip or paper clip

1. Start by painting your picture frame with two coats of chalkboard paint.
2. Next cut three thin strips that are close to the same width (about 1/4th in) from the colored paper.
3. Fold them all into a V and glue them together at the point. Let dry.  
4. Next curl the inside strips of paper by wrapping them tightly around a pen, the end of a paintbrush, something smooth so it doesn't make marks. This is what you will have:

5. Gather the long ends into the shape of a heart starting first with the inside one then the outside one. Bring the inside pieces down to the point of the V and bring the outside one about 1/2 inch up from the V. This way they will have more space between them when you're done.

The Inside Piece, bring all the way down to the V

Outside Piece, not quite as far down
 This is when I clipped them just to make things easier.
6.Now you'll want to cut a little off the ends so the heart isn't too fat.
7. Glue the loose ends into the V.
8. Un-clip the strands and add some glue then re-clip them.
9. When this is dry un-clip the heart and add a small drop of glue on the inside of the swirls.
10. Re-clip this time with the swirls inside the clip but make sure you don't flatten them out too much.
11. You're almost done! Now trace the cardboard thing that came in the frame on the white printer paper or the scrapbook paper, whichever you're using.

Run glue along the thick center line of the heart and glue it onto the white paper. Put it in the frame, write a note in chalk and you're done!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

DIY Headband and Hair Flower

You will need...
~ribbon (this will be the color of your headband
~2 hair ties for each headband
~hot glue gun
~fabric (for the flower)
~felt
~small hair clip (optional)
~embellishments (optional)

Headband:

1. Tie the 2 hair ties together and measure the ribbon using your head. (Make it slightly smaller than your head so it will be tight)
2. Glue the ribbon onto the hair ties and your done!

Flower: (better flower tutorial coming soon)

1. Cut out about 6 or 7 circles depending on how thick you want your flower, the size of the circle will be the size of the finished flower. Cut out a piece of felt a little smaller than the size of the flower circles.
2. Fold each piece of the flower in half once then in half again so its the shape of an ice cream cone then glue it onto the felt with the tip in the center.
3. Keep adding the petals until the flower is filled out. To make a smaller flower in the center do the same thing just a bit smaller.
4. On my flower I've added a jewel in the center of my flower. I also glued a clip onto the back of the flower so it can be clipped onto the headband or worn alone.

DIY Picture Frame Jewelry Holder

You will need...
*old picture frame
*screw-in hooks
*screw driver and drill bit
*white paint
*ribbon/string
*screen/net
*sandpaper
*industrial stapler
*tiny screw-in loops

1. Paint the frame white, let dry and sand off some edges for a shabby-chic, antiqued look or leave it pure white for a more sleek look.
2. Measure the bottom distance of the frame and mark evenly the spaces where you want to put the hooks.
3. Screw holes on the marks using the screw driver and drill bit (I chose to skip this step and had a hook break off because the wood was so hard, not good!)
4. Now staple the screen onto the back making sure its taut.
5. Screw the tiny loops into the back and tie on the ribbon. 
6. Hang your jewelry from it and hang it on the wall for easy and beautiful jewelry storage!