T-Shirt Head Band

I finally had time to craft! And not only did I craft, it didn’t cost me a penny. Gotta love using things you already having and repurposing it. The project that I worked on was a strechy head band made out of T-shirt material. I got the idea from Pinterest, yet again. You use a five string braiding method to create a wide but flat head band. Here is the picture I used as inspiration:

And here is the finished product I made:

What you’ll need:

• Old T-shirt or other item of clothing
• Needle and thread
• Scissors

Instructions:

First start by cutting five pieces of fabric, roughly the same width and length. I cut my pieces about an inch and a half wide. You want to make sure that the length is longer than your head because some of the length is taken up in braiding. I meaured my fabric strips so that they wrapped around my head one and a half times. Next, stack all five pieces on top of each other and sew at the end. Separate the strips out and begin braiding! If you want to learn how to do the five string brading method, click here. Make sure you are on a flat surface whiel braiding and you may want to stick a glass or can on the end of your fabric to keep it in place. After you have reach a desired braid length, sew the ends together like you did at the beginning of the braid. Continue by sewing the two ends together so a complete circle is made. Finally, wrap a small piece of fabric around the seam where the two ends connect and using very small stiches, sew over the seam. And that’s it! While I was creating my head band I followed these instructions which really helped because there are pictures for every step. I high encourage you to follow them in addition to mine.

Tips:

• It may take a try or two before you get the braiding method down. Don’t get discouraged! I really think the brading demo in the link I attached helps because it had each string in a different color.
• If you are not a sewer you can always use fabric glue instead of stitching.
• To change the width of your band, play with the width of the the fabric strips. The smaller the strip width, the small your head band width will be.

What’s great about these is that you can pick whatever width and color you want. You just got to find an old T-shirt or something that doesn’t fit any more! I will definitely be making more of these since I love hair accessories.

Knob Necklace Display

Hello craft world! Another day, another project. I recently went to Michael’s to pick up a few things and came home with a whole bag of other supplies. I really shouldn’t be allowed to go to Michael’s alone, especially with coupons. Regardless, I have finished this jewelry display which I have been wanting to do for a while. I have a ton of long necklaces and they always get tangled up in my jewelry box. Plus they are pretty to display so I wanted to have somewhere to hang them to show them off. Using some very inexpensive items from Michael’s, this is what I came up with:

It’s very simple to make and there are so many variations you can do to make it your own. I used plastic crystal and light blue plaint to make my bedding that I will use in my apartment this fall.

What you’ll need:

• Thing but sturdy piece of wood (mine was 5 in x 12 in x 1/4 in)
• Craft paint
• Drawer knobs or hooks
• Hot glue
• Mod Podge
• Any other decorations you want to use (glitter, beads, trim)

Instructions:

Start by sanding your piece of wood to smooth any rough edges or cracks. You may not need to sand your wood depending on the condition you buy it in. After sanding, apply a layer of your chosen paint and let dry for one hour. Keeping applying coats of paint until you have reached your desired color. I painted three coats which was enough to get an opaque look that covered the wood grain. After your last coat of paint has dried, apply any glitter or glitter paint. Once you have finished painting, apply one layer of Modge Podge to give a more finished look to the paint. Once completely dry (3 or 4 hours) you can start to add your decorations and what your jewelry will hang off of. I hot glued a long string of plastic pearls along the edge of my board. You could also use buttons, glass beads or jewels to give your jewelry board some personality. I also used hot glue to attach my knobs. The hot glue dries fast so your display will be ready to use almost immediately! You can choose to attach a bracket to the back or a piece of ribbon for it to hang from. I plan on using some Command strips to stick mine to the wall.

Tips:

• Try to come up with a theme or a color palette before buying your supplies so you only buy exactly the decorations you want.
• Measure twice, glue once! I made the mistake of eye balling where I glued my knobs so they aren’t perfectly straight or lined up.
• Watch out for drips when using a glue gun. Hot glue dries quickly so if you drip or smear, clean it up ASAP.

This display board is so easy to make I think I’m going to make another one! Since I will be taking this blue board back to school with me, I need one for my room at my parents house. And the best part about that is? I get to go back to Michael’s!

Glitter Wine Glasses

I love glitter. Feeling sad? Add some glitter. Want something fun? Add glitter. So of course any craft that involves glitter is awesome. This wine glass project actually came from a wedding website but I think it’s a perfect gift for any occasion. I made the ones in this post for a girlfriends birthday. It’s always fun to have a sparkly glass to drink out of 🙂

The project can be done two different ways: with loose glitter or with glitter paint. I already had loose glitter on hand so I chose to use that. Here is the picture that I used as a guide:

 And here is my version:

What you’ll need:

• Glitter
• Painters tape
• Mod Podge or clear glue
• Clear sealant spray
• Paint brush
• Plastic shopping bag

Instructions:

First start off by making sure your glasses are dry and clean. Next, tape off the area with painters tape in which you want to apply the glitter. By using the tape, you will get a clean, straight line after the glitter has dried. I chose to tape off at the top of the stem of the glass. Cover the area you are decorating with Modge Podge or clear glue. Sprinkle the loose glitter on the glue and shake off any excess. Let the glass dry over night. Tap off any glitter that may not have stuck before applying the sealant. Cover the wine glass with the shopping bag except for the glittered area. I just a small hole in the bottom of the bag and pulled the cup portion of the glass through so only the stem was sticking out the bottom. Spray the glitter with the sealant and let dry over night. Once dry, you are ready to a glittery glass of wine!

Tips:

• When applying the glitter, make sure you are outside or somewhere that’s easy to clean up. Glitter has the tendency to get everywhere. Literally, everywhere.
• Do not put in the dish washer. Wash gently by hand and try to avoid the glittered area.

You can get pretty creative with colors and designs. These glasses are also great candle holders or can be filled with candy. After I give the two I made away, I will be making one for myself! Happy glittering!

Coming Soon!

Alright, these are the projects I’ve done so far. I will have more coming soon but unfortunately it’s time for a weekend full of work which means little free time 😦 But here are some projects I will be working on over the next week:

• Glitter covered wine glasses
• Fabric magnetic board
• Glitter magnets

Initial Art

If you are a craft enthusiast like me, then you must love Pinterest. I check this site daily for new postings on fashion, recipes and project ideas! This project that I just recently finished was inspired by a photo on Pinterest of name initials. The portraits are being sold on Etsy but of course I thought I could recreated and for much less.

This is my version of the project:

You will need:

• One canvas (any size)
• Fabric
• Buttons of different sizes
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Mod Podge
• craft glue
• foam paint brush

Instructions:

Start by cutting a piece of fabric big enough to cover your entire canvas. You want to have enough to fold over onto the back and glue down. I used fabric I had left over from another project but you can always buy fabric by the yard at JoAnn Fabrics for pretty cheap. Using the paint brush, cover the entire canvas, sides and all, with Modge Podge and smooth the piece of fabric over the front and sides. Let dry for an hour or two. Put another layer of Modge Podge over the canvas, covering all of the fabric. Let dry for a few hours. Make sure you fold over and secure the excess fabric on the back of the canvas so you have smooth edges. I used hot glue to hold the corners down but you could use more Modge Podge. For the design, you can choose to do what ever letter you like. I chose “M” because of my first name. You can even do your lucky number instead of a letter. Use the buttons to create your desired design and secure on the canvas with craft glue. I kinda free handed mine but you could trace a light outline in pencil to follow as well. Once your buttons are dry, you can choose to attach a piece of ribbon to the canvas with hot glue to be used as a hanger. Or if you don’t plan on hanging the canvas on the wall, you can place it on a dresser or self.

Tips:

• Make sure your fabric goes on flat by starting at one ending and slowly smoothing it down to the other end.
• Once you start gluing buttons, they aren’t going to come off so be sure to plan your design out! Or at least lay a few buttons on the canvas to get an idea of where you are starting and ending your design.

This craft makes a great gift for Mom or your girlfriends since it can be personalized!

Summer Lights

In both of the dorm rooms I lived in during my first two years at college, my roommate and I hung Christmas lights. Christmas lights are one of my favorite decorations and I love when they are used year round. I got to idea to re-fashion a string of white lights from Stumble Upon from two different projects:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2HM5Y4/www.iheartswitch.com/blog/moonlit-holiday

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/AfVGqb/www.unplggd.com/unplggd/diy-project/diy-awesome-xmas-lights-with-stuff-from-a-frat-house-071688

I loved the colors of the ping pong ball lights but like the flower shapes of the other lights. So my project combines both elements that I liked, colored flowers!

What you’ll need:

• One string of Christmas lights (white or colored)
• Hawaiian lei with fabric flowers
• Small glass beads
• Thread
• Hot glue gun
• Hole puncher
• Scissors

Instructions:

I bought a fabric flower lei at the dollar store and cut the necklace to unstring all the flowers and leaves. Using a hole puncher, I punched a hole in the middle of each flower and leaf bunch. Stacking two flowers, push the light through the holes. I applied hot glue to both the top and bottom of the flowers to make sure they were secure. For the center of the flower, I strung about ten glass beads onto a piece of string and glued the string of beads around the light. You can alternate colors for flowers and beads like I did. IF you want to add any leaves on, just put it on the bottom of the two flowers before sticking it on the light.

Tips:

Make sure your string of lights works before added any sort of decoration. You don’t want to put effort into dead lights! Also by stringing the beads on a piece of thread first allows you to have the beads all facing the same direction. You can just pull the string out after the glue has dried.

I have my lights hanging in my room at my parent’s house right now but they will definitely be coming with me back to school in August!

Flower and Vine Cork Board

Last summer I wanted to make something for dorm room and found myself wandering at Michael’s. For some reason, a wooden bulletin board seemed appropriate and I decided to test my painting skills. I found yellow flowers (my favorite!) in the wedding decorations section and decided to do a flower-vine-leaf cork board. I didn’t really have anything to go off of so I did my own thing.

Completed Cork Board

You’ll need:

• One plain cork board with wooden frame
• Craft paint (white and two different greens)
• Small fabric flowers
• Craft glue
• Paint brush
• Painters tape

Instructions:

I started out with a base coat of white paint to cover the wood grain. Then I sponged on a forest green to create a leaf like texture. Next I painted on curly  vines alertnating in shape and size. Last I used good ‘ole craft glue to attach the fabric flowers and it’s done!

Tips:

Just make sure to use some painters tape to tape off the border and protect the cork.

You can do almost anything with a wood cork board. Some other ideas are doing a decoupage technique or covering the boarder with buttons. Give it a try!

Hello world!

Woo! Another craft blog. Just what the Internet needs. I’m not going to go super crazy with projects, crafting is something that I do in my spare time which seems to be rare. The first few posts are things I’ve made within the past year or this summer. After that, all projects will be ones I have just completed. Many of my projects are inspired by another craft or a picture which I then do my own spin on it. I’m assuming I will be my own audience here but I am determined to have fun! I’ve always wanted a blog 🙂