Button Bracelets

Looking for an easy craft that is fashionable as well? How about button bracelets. This is also a great way to use up all those loose buttons hanging around your house. All you need is a button and some embroidery thread.

Thread two or three pieces of embroidery thread through one of the holes in your button starting in the back, then through the front hole, and out the back again. Repeat with the other two holes. Tie the ends of the thread in knots to hold the ends in place and you have a cute new accessory. Great for doing with your kids as well.

Easy Belt Transormation

Last week I started looking at clothes to wear at the SNAP conference.  I found a few things I liked but was having difficulty finding a belt for a pretty spring dress.  I had a vision in mind but couldn't find anything while sticking to my budget.  I was so excited when I went to Ross and found a perfect belt for $3.99.  Unfortunately it was the wrong color.  Completely!  It was cheetah print.  I was looking for something bright and springy.  I picked it up and decided I would try and paint over the cheetah.  Best decision ever!

The dress I wanted to wear with the belt had so many pretty colors - turquoise, pink, yellow, blue, and coral.  I had a tough time deciding on a paint color!

I mixed red and yellow fabric paint to make a bright shade of coral.

I used painters tape to mask off the areas I didn't want the coral paint to touch.

I was careful to apply thin coats of the paint because I didn't want to see brush marks on the belt.

Two coats of paint later and I had a new belt!

The paint dried for a couple of hours and then I slowly peeled off the painters tape.

I used a small brush to touch up the edges and then tried out the new belt on my dress.  Perfect for SNAP next week!

I'm linking this post here.

Inspired by the Bubblegum Necklace

I love the bubblegum necklace shared at I Heart Naptime earlier this week!  I didn't have any gumballs at home but I had some pretty beads that I used to make something similar.

My crafty Mother In Law gave me some really pretty big round beads for a different project a couple of months ago.  I ended up not using them but always knew they would be great in a necklace for myself.  Aside from my usual love for turquoise, I've been pretty obsessed with the yellow and gray trend lately.  I planned to string the necklace on white ribbon but changed my mind after I took a picture of my supplies.

I used yellow felt to make the flower.  I cut a strip of felt into four squares then folded and layered them on top of each other.  I used yellow thread to put a few stitches in the center of the felt pile.  I spaced my stitches about a quarter of an inch apart and pulled the thread tightly to give the flower some definition.  Once the stitching was done I trimmed the sharp corners to give the embellishment a softer look.

I planned to string the beads on the white ribbon until I discovered how ridiculously difficult the task would be.  I used a skinnier black ribbon instead.  I threaded the ribbon and strung all the beads.

Then I decided where I wanted my flower on the necklace.

I stitched the back of the flower directly onto the ribbon.

 Pretty!  No head shot for me because I made this little gem well after midnight.

I'm looking forward to dressing up a plain shirt with my new necklace!  Thanks to Jamielyn for the inspiration!

I'm linking this post here.

 

February Giveaway!

Are you ready for a giveaway?? I am! Details are at the bottom of this post.

I recently purchased a dress from the Kohl's clearance rack. It's actually pretty cute but what really caught my eye was the detachable sparkly necklace that came with the dress. I ended up getting the dress and pretty necklace for less than $10!


I have been thinking of replicating the necklace since the day I brought it home. I finally made one today! I love how it turned out!

I cut my felt backing before adhering the gems. I started by laying out the larger gems to get a design idea. Then I used gem-tack to glue the gems in place on the felt before permanently stitching them. Each gem is glued and stitched.

I stitched the ribbon to the back before adding a felt backing. The backing is stitched around the edges of the entire necklace.

My necklace is almost identical in size to the original.

I had my husband take a few (approximately 20) different pictures of me wearing the necklace. The necklace looked pretty but I looked ridiculous in every single picture. I ended up with one picture that shows how the necklace dresses up a simple shirt and sweater.

The necklace would work for a more dressed up look too!

Ready for the giveaway news?? I am giving this exact necklace away to one of our lucky friends! All you have to do to enter is 1) follow this blog, and 2) leave a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn Friday, February 25. Good luck!

This post is linked to
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
My Back Yard Eden
Sew Much Ado
Tip Junkie
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Kojo Designs