Upcycling DIY home decor, woodworking and Crafts
Need an idea for all those paper beads you have lying around? I have loads of them from a paper bead rolling fiasco a couple of months back. If you don’t have paper beads, here is a how to make paper beads video I shared awhile back. For these bracelets, I just wove the beads with black elastic cord, surrounding each paper bead with a glass E bead. Pretty simple, and makes for a great look. I get compliments every time I wear one of these.
Creating resin jewelry has never been easier with Lisa Pavelka’s Magic Gloss resin that has been out for a couple of years now. Pieces that use to take a couple of days can be finished and cured in less than an hour! Today I am showing you my ransom letter “serenity” bracelet.
What I love about Magic Gloss is that it is one part, so no messy mixing to deal with. Not only that, but it cures in UV light and doesn’t harden until exposed to UV. That means you have all the time in the world to work with it. No more hurrying to finish in the 25 minutes or so that you have before 2 part epoxy resins start to harden.
What I don’t like about it is that it is way more expensive than Envirotex Lite and ICE resin, both 2 part epoxy resins used in jewelry making. At Hobby Lobby, a tiny 1 oz bottle costs $10.99. I found it on Amazon linked above for $5.88. I can’t say exactly how many pieces of jewelry you can get from a bottle, as that obviously depends on how much resin per piece, but it is definitely pricey in my book. Also, unless you buy a UV light you are at the mercy of the weather. On a sunny day, or under a UV lamp of sufficient wattage, pieces cure in minutes! This makes layering so fun and instant.
In this piece, I cut scrapbook paper to fit the circle bezel and adhered them inside the bezel with glossy accents. Then I cut out letters from random papers to spell “Serenity”. I adhered them with Glossy accents and let dry for 30 min. This is important because the resin will not cure if it mixes with wet glue.
I added a thin layer of resin at a time with various sprinkled glitter, glass micro beads, metal leaf and fibers, curing between each layer using Lisa Pavelka’s UV lamp ($40 at Hobby Lobby). It looks super cool. I wish you could see the layer effect better in my photos. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I can’t stop looking at it.
Stay tuned for more fun with resin!
I am crushing on this cute hat with flower embellishment, big time. It is so fun to wear and simple to knit. I knitted the hat last year, then crocheted the flower recently to jazz things up a bit. It is the perfect addition and I am excited to share how I did it with you. If you make your own, come share pictures with me, please!
Worsted or aran weight yarns may be used, but please check gauge.
Gauge 17sts x 26 rows in stockinette stitch = 4 inches or 10cm
Gauge does not have to be exact, as the hat is stretchy. This pattern makes a hat to fit most teens and adult females.
5.5mm (US #9) dpns or circular needles
If using circular needles, a length of 40 inches is recommended for magic looping throughout.
Cast on 72 sts. Join in the round, place marker for end of round.
BRIM:
Rows 1-8: Begin working in stockinette stitch; knit one row, purl one row – for the brim of the hat.
BODY:
Rows 9-40: Change to stockinette stitch (knit every row) and continue until the hat measures 6.5 inches from the cast-on edge (about 40 rows).
CROWN:
Run yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight to secure. Weave in ends.
FLOWER (CROCHET)
Using Crochet hook size H, and the same yarn used for the hat:
ch 5. Join ch with a sl st
forming a ring.
Round 1 (right side) Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), work 21
dc in ring, join round with a sl st in 3rd ch of begin-
ning ch-3—22 dc.
Round 2 Ch 6 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), skip next
st, *dc in next dc, ch 3, skip next dc; repeat from * 9
times more, join round with a sl st in 3rd ch of
beginning ch-6—11 ch-3 lps.
Back row of petals
Round 3 *Work (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) in next ch-3
lp; repeat from * around, join round with a sl st in
first sc. Fasten off.
Front row of petals
Round 4 With right side facing, join CC with a sl st
in any skipped dc of round 2, ch 3, *sl st in next
skipped dc, ch 3; repeat from * 9 times more, join
round with a sl st in first sl st—11 ch-3 lps.
Round 5 *Work (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) in next ch-3
lp; repeat from * around, join round with a sl st in
first sc. Fasten off.
Front row of petals
Round 6 With right side facing, join CC with a sl st
around post of any dc of round 1, ch 2, sk next 3 dc,
*sl st around post of next dc, ch 2, sk next 3 dc, sl st
around post of next dc, ch 2, skip next 4 dc; repeat
from * once more, join round with a sl st in last
dc—5 ch-2 lps.
Round 7 *Work (sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc) in next ch-2
lp; repeat from * around, join round with a sl st in
first sc. Fasten off
FINISHING
Weave in all loose ends and sew to hat.
I can’t get enough of upcycled jewelry projects. This one is as old as oxygen, but new to me, and a great way to use up some of those members of my bead soup stash. Also, it couldn’t be much easier to make, and looks great with casual and dressy attire. This would be a great girls night craft!
To make, I strung 12 beads on each safety pin and ran elastic cord through the top and bottom of each safety pin, kotting the end of each cord. I alternated beaded safety pins with empty safety pins, flipped vertically. That simple! Careful not to stick yourself.
A butterfly from magazine pages? That is right. For this creation, I used a cookie cutter I found at Hobby Lobby to shape the butterfly outline, then coiled pages to fill in the shape. Super easy. Just wrap a folded strip around the cookie cutter’s outer edge. Depending on the size of your cutter, and the lengths of your strip, you may need more than one strip, like I did here. Just overlap the new strip’s beginning with the previous strip’s end. Reinforce with a dab of glue. Let that dry, remove the outline from the cookie cutter (just slide it off) carefully so that you maintain the shape, and create your filler coils.
For tips on making strips from magazine pages, see my earlier post.
Here is the most recent addition to the coiled magazine page family here at SBLC. This cross is about 5 inches tall, made from coiled magazine page circles, outlined with folded magazine page strips to for the cross shape. I used a cross cookie cutter to create the outline, then filled it in with the circles, just eyeballing the sizes I would need. Very simple project.
Get those needles flying and have a warm, cozy, beautiful handmade hat in no time, using this pattern with super bulky yarn. I whipped up several of these for gift giving this Christmas. Who doesn’t love a brimmed hat with tassels in the winter?
Supplies:
GAUGE:
9 sts x 12 r = 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch on US 13.
PATTERN: Fits most adults (stretchy)
CO 36 stitches onto your size 11 circular needles and join for working in the round; place marker at beginning of rounds
Row 1-3: K2P2 around for ribbing then switch to size 13 needles
Row 4-12: Knit around
Begin decrease rounds:
Row 13: *Knit 7, K2tog* around (32 stitches at end)
Row 14: Knit around
Row 15: *Knit 6, K2tog* around (28 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 16: knit around
Row 17: *Knit 5, K2tog* around (24 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 18: knit around
Row 19: *Knit 4, K2tog* around (20stitches remaining on needles)
Row 20: knit around
Row 21: *Knit 3, K2tog* around (16 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 22: knit around
Row 23: *Knit 2, K2tog* around (12 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 24: knit around
Row 25: *Knit, K2tog* around (8 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 26: knit around
Row 27: K2tog around (4 stitches remaining on needles)
Row 28: knit around
Leaving a 5-inch tail, break yarn. With crochet hook, pull tail through the loops.
Pull tightly.
Pom Pom:
Wrap yarn around a 3 x 3 piece of cardboard around 100 times. Run a 20” piece of yarn through one folded edge of the pom pom. Tie the yarn tightly into a bundle. Cut the other folded edge, remove the cardboard, and stitch the pom pom to the top of the hat.
Need a handmade gift, stat? Procrastination happens, it is o.k.. Here are some great ideas that work up fast and won’t break the bank.
Acrylic facet jewelry from Tammie Tutterow
DIY wood votives from Tatertots and Jello
Lemon sugar scrub with printables at Printable decor
Holiday bath tea from The Mother Huddle
Tissue paper candles from The Ivy Cottage Blog
Hex nut wrap bracelet from Henry Happened
Tic tac toe board from Flowers and Ink.
Rice filled heat packs from Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles
Vintage inspired jewelry from Aussie Scrap Source
This year, I wanted to keep the gift wrap simple and elegant. I decided on Dollar Tree craft paper, and white boxes with embellishments in red, white, silver and black. I spent the majority of the time on the tags, combining digital printables with stamping, embossing and other scrapbooking techniques. It had been awhile since I embossed, cut, punched, glued with all of my digital design, so I got really into being with my supplies!
For this tag, I stamped the M and boarder with white pigment ink onto a red circle, then embossed with white embossing powder and a heat gun. It is tied with a piece of white yarn, and the package is finished with adhesive pears and wide, shear white ribbon.
The red tag below is an alteration of Martha Stewart’s free printable monogram gift tags I shared at Printable Decor. I downloaded the file, then made some changes in Photoshop. The Joy embellishment is a Tim Holtz fragment i glued over the word on scrapbook paper. I finished it will a thin black and white checked ribbon.
This tags is a black scalloped circle under a white circle with a chipboard letter and Tim Holtz “adore” tag. It is finished with black and white baker’s twine.
It might be a little painful when the kids tear into their gifts. I will try to remain calm and let them open as they wish. The fun was in the making!
What are you doing for gift wrap. Are you finished?
This pattern is for small women’s size
Size 8 Circular Needles or DPNs
Worsted Weight Yarn and fun yarn (optional)
Instructions:
Cast on 24 sts and distribute on circular needles (or DPNs)
Rows 1-8: k2p2 ribbing
**Pick up fun yarn at this point if you are using it**
Row 9-27: st st around (21 rounds)
Row 28: k5, pm, m1, k1, m1, pm, k18 (26st)
Row 29: Knit
Row 30: knit to marker, sm, m1, knit to marker, m1, sm, k18.
Row 31-34: Repeat rows 29 & 30 twice more
Row 35: k5, remove marker, K1 BO 8, remove marker, k18 (24st on needles)
Row 36-43: Knit around
Bind off in pattern.
Sew in all ends.
