DIY: Crochet Acron Cap Necklace

A Foothill Home Companion has inspired us to get back into crocheting.  We are excited to do this one and can't wait to pull out some yarn and search the yard for acorns missing their caps!



We set about gathering acorns to make more necklaces, but found that most of our acorns are loosing their caps on the way down, or on the way home in Aidan's pockets. So I reverse engineered Resurrection Fern's pattern for acorn baskets to make acorn caps.




Materials Needed:

fine gauge crochet yarn
small crochet hook
hot glue gun
acorn

Step One:



Chain desired length of necklace. Mine was close to 24 inches. Keep in mind that it will go over your head.

Step Two:



Chain five more, slip stitch to fifth chain from needle to form circle.

Step Three:



One single crochet stitch in each of the five chain stitches to make first round.
For the second round, crochet two single crochet stitches in each of the five stitches to make ten stitches.

Step Four:



Single crochet one stitch in each of the ten stitches; work two to three rounds until cap forms and reaches desired size. Slip stitch to finish cap and weave in yarn.

Step Five:



From inside cap, pull the end of the chain through the middle of the cap with the hook, slip stitch inside cap to anchor and weave in end of yarn.

Step Six:



Use a hot glue gun to attach cap to acorn.

DIY: Embellished Resin Rings

We love Mod Podge, and are actually obsessed with Mod Podge DIYs.  We think it was made just for us since it's easy to use, quick drying, and pretty fail proof (which we have put to the test).  

Thanks to Tatertots and Jello for helping to keep our addition alive with this wonderful resin ring DIY!! 

Hey Jelloheads!  That’s totally what a follower of Jen’s is called, and I am one too.  It’s Amy from Mod Podge Rocks – your guest host today.

If you don’t know me, I blog about Mod Podge and everything that you can do with it.  I also love the color blue, garden gnomes and pugs.  In my spare time I’m writing a book (that Jen is going to be in!) and I’m training for a 1/2 marathon.  Nuts?  Maybe.  Loveable?  I hope so.

Jen has been obsessed with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic lately, and I can’t blame her.  It’s completely awesome.  I made these rings, one of my favorite (and easiest) Dimensional Magic projects, and I’m going to share with you the three step tutorial. 

YES, it’s that easy.  

They are so inexpensive, you can use existing supplies that you have and they make great gifts.  Here we go.

Supply list:

Ring blanks – purchased at Michaels
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
Martha Stewart Microbeads – shown in Peridot and Blue Topaz
Embellishments – I used Making Memories Deco Brads – Shimmer and With Love Flower Brads

Keep in mind that if you don’t have the microbeads, you can use paper – just cut it to fit and stick it down in there with Mod Podge.  Okay, so here we go.

Get some ring blanks from your local craft store.  They are pretty inexpensive.

Find a place to secure your ring blank and add a thin layer of Dimensional Magic to the bottom.  Note – never shake your Dimensional Magic bottle.  It adds bubbles.

Shake some beads into the Dimensional Magic.  Let it dry and then dump off excess beads.  If you haven’t filled the ring blank, repeat (you can layer Dimensional Magic).

Add another layer of Dimensional Magic on top of your beads and then stick in the embellishment.  Let dry in a warm place (NOT under a fan) for several hours.  You’re done!  Repeat with as many rings as possible.

DIY: Chalkboard Necklace

Henry Happened blog is great for easy, quick, and inexpensive DIY tutorials!  We particularly like this one that shows how to make a chalkboard necklace.  This is a great accessory because you can change the way it looks based on your mood!

Check out their blog for more quick jewelry DIY!

What you’ll need:

• Rust-oleum specialty Chalk Board spray
• a bezel pendant (you could find one at your local bead store or even purchase one through Etsy…this or this would do nicely)
• finished chain
• a scrap of satin ribbon
• glue (I highly recommend a tube of E6000, it is inexpensive, amazingly strong and long lasting!)
• painter’s tape
• newspaper
• basic white chalk

STEP 1:  Using the painter’s tape, tape your pendant down onto your newspaper being careful to cover any areas you don’t want “chalk boarded” with the tape.
STEP 2:  In a well ventilated area (i.e. outside) apply 2-3 light coats of “Chalk Board” spray to the exposed surface of the pendant (wait approximately 3-4 minuets between coats).  Let dry.

STEP 3:  Once the “Chalk Board” finish has had time to thoroughly dry (a couple of hours or so should be suffice), carefully remove the protective painter’s tape from the pendant.

STEP 4:  Tie a bow with your ribbon.  Trim ends to desired length.

STEP 5:  Using your glue, secure bow to top of pendant.

STEP 6:  Attached pendant to chain.

STEP 7:  Using your chalk write the message of your choice onto the pendant (using the edge of a brand new piece of chalk will help you write small and clearly).

STEP 8:  If you are giving as a gift, place pendant and a piece of chalk into a gift bag (I chose an organza gift bag with a bit of a shimmer in a fun, bright color).

Voila, a sweet chalkboard necklace!

DIY: Neon Paper Bead Earrings

Plaid 130508 Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 2 Ounces (Google Affiliate Ad)

Dollar Store Crafts has done it again - another amazing and easy tutorial that we just can not wait to try!!

You must go to their blog, you'll love it.  Trust us.

I created some circular beads with the help of some neon paper, Mod Podge, and Mod Podge's cousin Dimensional Magic. I love the possibilities of turning a little piece of paper into a decorative bead you can use for lots of different kinds of jewelry! Read on to find out how to do it.

Project Materials:

• Assorted paper (I used neon), on hand
• Paper punch (I used a 3/4" round punch), on hand
• Small hole punch, on hand
• Mod Podge, on hand or about $5 and up a bottle
• Dimensional Magic, about $5 a tube
• Earring Hooks, on hand or $1 and up
• Black thread, on hand
• Foam brush, on hand
• Wax paper, on hand

Total: $5 and up

Supplies: I had all this stuff on hand. If you have the Dimensional Magic on hand, this project is basically free. If you DON'T have any DM on hand, I recommend it because it is a very fun supply! What is Dimensional Magic? It's a water-based glaze that has the look of resin, but without the mess, the mixing, or the uncertainty. 

One thing you need to know about Dimensional Magic is that it takes several hours to dry, so plan on an afternoon, or overnight, for creating these beads.

How to Make Dimensional Magic Paper Beads:

1. Mod Podge the paper you want to use, and allow it to dry. Then Mod Podge the other side.

You need to seal the paper before you coat it with Dimensional Magic, and it is easier to Mod Podge it before you punch it as well.

2. Punch the Mod Podged (and dried) paper. Make sure the paper is completely dry, or you will muck up your paper punch.

3. Lay a piece of wax paper on a sturdy surface (such as a cookie sheet), and put the punched out paper discs on top of it.

4. Put a light coat of Dimensional Magic on each disc. You might want to use the "royal icing" technique of piping around the edge of the disc, and then flooding DM inside the bead. Don't use too much DM. A light coat will do.

Allow the Dimensional Magic to dry completely - at least several hours or overnight.

5. When the DM is totally dry, turn discs over and cover with Dimensional Magic and allow to dry.

6. When completely dry, you can punch a hole in the disc with a small hole punch. You might have a little leakage of Dimensional Magic on the edges of the beads. Just trim it off with scissors.

7. String as desired.

To Make Neon Paper Bead Earrings:

1. Tie some black thread around each bead.

2. Tie thread to earring wires.

3. Rock the earrings.

4. Get kissed by boys.

5. Get made fun of for wearing earrings that look like they're made of garage sale price tags.

6. Yes, this blog is cheap, but it's not THAT CHEAP.

DIY: Upcycled Paper Beads

Mad Mim's blog by Miriam Tribe has a great tutorial on how to make homemade paper beads using recycled / upcycled magazine paper.  Magazine paper really is one of our favorite materials.  There really are so many things you can do with it once you've finished reading it.

What you’ll need:
-magazines, colored paper, tissue paper, toilet paper (ok, maybe not) but really. Just get yourself some paper.
-Elmer’s glue, Modge podge, and some kind of varnish. I used spray polyurethane. One lady said she used Future Floor Finish, and another said she used nail polish.
-scissors, or a rotary blade, quilting ruler and cutting mat (way faster)
-round toothpicks
-something to stick your toothpicks in like a styrofoam tray or packing materials, or cardboard box.
-a paintbrush


Before you start cutting, I’ll say a word about paper choice. For beads that are mostly one color, choose an image that is mostly one color. Ok, so that’s logical, but just play around with different kinds of images i.e. colorful, more solid, mostly solid, monochromatic etc), and you’ll quickly get an idea for what kind of image creates what kind of bead.
Cut your strips: Measure 3/8″ from the bottom edge and mark.
Measure 3/4″ away from top edge and mark.
Now cut from the very top corner to your bottom mark. This prepares your next cut to be centered and the right size.

Cut from your top 3/4″ mark to the bottom corner. 
Repeat until you have what you need. At first I just was going for an assortment of colors, but then for a subsequent project I was looking for very specific colors, and only cut out as many strips as I needed to complete that certain project. You don’t have to use the full-length of the page either, and you can measure or longer than I have to make shorter or longer beads. Not a science here. You can also make rectangle strips to create tube beads, which I am using for another project. 
Start rolling a strip at the wide around a ROUND toothpick. You can use anything here, just as long as it’s pretty slender. Tooth picks are nice though because they’re reusable, yet disposable. Some people have special paper bead rolling machines. 
Keep rolling until you reach the very tip, 
and then add a dab of glue (anything type of glue will work here, I just liked elmer’s because it was easy to squeeze right onto the tip), 
and then wind the last bit of paper around the bead and hold until it stays. I usually rolled two beads per toothpick, and rolled all my beads to this point before I started mod-podging/varnishing.
Coat the beads in Mod Podge,


and then stick into your styrafoam tray or box or whatever.  Recoat after a good 4-8 hours. Or don’t wait that long, I won’t judge you. 
Now varnish. I just took my tray loaded with toothpicks outside and sprayed (two coats) of my polyurethane. I had semi-gloss, and wished I had high gloss. The more shine the better I say. If you use nail polish, you’d just paint again. If you use that floor finish or something that came in a tub or can you could just dip those suckers in. Just allow lots of drying time in between coats, and let them  thoroughly dry before you use them (only judging you a little bit if you can’t wait).

Remove from the toothpicks

DIY: T-Shirt Bracelet Makeover

Here is another option for t-shirt upcycling into jewelry that we think just couldn't be easier to do.  This is from Family Chic's blog and there are plenty more tutorials on there, so be sure to pop over and check 'em out!  

These would be great bracelets to make out of the sleeves of your t-shirts that you may have used for other DIY t-shirt projects...

For this project you will need some old t-shirts and a bunch of bangle bracelets. Try using old bangles that you already own, check thrift stores or pick up some up for a few dollars at Target, Walmart – or even the sale bins at Old Navy.

Cut t-shirt in 1/2" to 1" wide strips. Depending on the thickness of the bangle – a thick bracelet will need thicker strips.

Loosely tie one end of the t-shirt strip to the bangle and start wrapping fabric around bracelet – the tighter the better.

Wrap fabric all the way around until you meet the first knot – untie the knot and tie both ends together to close. Make a double knot, pull it tight and make sure the knot is positioned on the inside of the bracelet. Trim ends with scissors.

I found this technique worked well for us – but you could also use a glue gun to secure ends.