::TUTORIAL:: Fabric Bangle

I've decided that I need to accessorize more.  Most days, I just wear my wedding/engagement rings, a pair of stud earrings, & a charm bracelet given to me by my husband.  Classic, but nothing too exciting.  I always admire the girls who wear scarves, cocktail rings, fun necklaces & stacked bangles.  

And speaking of stacked bangles...

Aren't they pretty?!  Here's how to make your own...

Materials:

Fabric

Bangle

Glue gun

Scissors or rotary cutter

Cut a thin strip of fabric.  I cut mine to be about 1/4-1/2 inch wide.  But, feel free to play around with the thickness of the strips.  It doesn't matter how long the strips are, but the longer, the better!

Before you start, run your fingers along the edges of the fabric to give it the frayed look.  It's supposed to look a little imperfect! ;)

Start by putting a small, thin strip of glue on the inside of the bangle.  Press your fabric end onto the glue. 

Next, start wrapping the fabric strip around the bangle.  Make sure you overlap the fabric so you can't see any of the bangle!  I put a small, thin strip of glue on the bangle every other time I wrapped it around.  

Keep wrapping until the bangle is covered.  When you are done, glue the fabric end on the inside of the bangle, so you don't see it.  If you need multiple strips, just start each strip by gluing the end on the inside (like we did with the first strip) - make sense?!


And then you're done!

And, if you're like me and you need a little assistance wearing stacked bangles, 

check out these rules.  :)

Cabochon Earrings + Silhouette Machine=Happy

UPDATE: We've had a few requests so we're selling them on our FB page (via PayPal).  Hop on over if you want a pair (or two or three...)!

Take a look at these little pretties.

I've seen these cabochon earrings on Etsy and thought I'd try my hand at them.  

And, well, per the usual.  I. can't. stop.

I also decided they needed a little home.

So I whipped out my Silhouette machine.

And when I say "whipped out" I mean I spent a few hours designing and cutting these bad boys out.

And look at 'em all!  Would you believe me if I told you I have a WHOLE NOTHER batch of cabochons coming?!

Want some?  Let me know. They are really, really cute.

::TUTORIAL::Bib Necklace with Vintage Jewelry

I'm going to be absolutely shameless in bragging about this one.

Look at what we made from vintage jewelry:

Want to make one? It's so easy. Here goes.

Supplies:

-vintage jewelry

-jewelry cutter

-felt

-glue gun

-chain

Start by laying out all of your vintage jewelry. I had some yellow and white metal flower pins that I picked up at garage sales but never wore. I wanted to go with a monochrome yellow theme so I did some searching on Etsy for a "lot" of vintage jewelry. I was so psyched to find ClassicStyleSupplies. Love, LOVE, lOvE this shop!! They sell lots of vintage jewelry by color. So perfect for this project!

Hmmm....an off-white OR black background?!

We chose off-white. We felt (excuse the pun!) that it showed off the vibrant yellow color better.

Next, use your jewelry cutter tp cut off any unnecessary backings, pins, etc. from the jewelry. Basically you want to give all of your pieces a flat back that will make gluing onto the felt easier.

Put your pieces on the felt and move things around until you like the placement. (This is where a glass of wine would be nice--you could spend a LOT of TIME playing around with this part.) We played around with the pieces for a bit & settled on an off-center, asymmetrical design.

Here goes 'nothin! Glue your pieces into place (admiring your work as you go and giggling because you can't wait to wear your new baubles).

Doesn't this look sweet?

Hold up your jewelry-glued-on-felt and see where you want it to lay on your chest.

(It was super helpful to have 2 people working on this; one to hold the necklace where she wanted it to lay & then one to measure and cut the chain to the appropriate length.)

Cut around the edge of the necklace...as closely as you can get to the jewelry. A small pair of scissors would be excellent here.

(a word of advice...do this before drinking your wine!)

Now glue the chain to the back of the felt and.....

Voila!

I'm addicted.

Here is Flannery's vintage inspired aqua & red necklace!  I'm so proud.  I hope you like it Flann!

I found a local beading store this morning (Joy of Beading in Arlington) and the owner gave me lots of tips & suggestions!  I'm definitely going back for more materials and advice!

Here are the supplies I used:

beading wire (she recommended the 18 inch)

approximately 16 inches of both the red and aqua beads

4 crimping beads (2 for each end)

1 two stranded slide clasp

2 wire protectors (1 for each end)

wire cutters

flat edge pliers