You know those magnetic bookmarks, right? The kind with two flat magnets that stick to the edge of your page. Like these woodland cuties.
They are always embellished with some type of nicely laminated art; you can find them in thousands of adorable designs.
I have a funny little hack for turning them into necklaces. As an added bonus, they are interchangeable - switch out the bookmarks to a different design in seconds. Wanna see? Sure you do!
Begin by making a simple wire piece with a loop on each end. The straight section of wire should be the same width as your bookmark. (Optional: add two small decorative spacers.) Here's how it should look:
Now add the wire piece to a necklace or a chain.
Open a bookmark, slip it over the wire, and let it fall closed. That is it!
Switch it to another bookmark in the blink of an eye.
It's a great beginner's wirework project. Couldn't be any easier - two loops and you're done. Try it with a teen or a tween, or a jewelry-making newbie!
This would be a fun gift for a book lover: give a set of bookmarks and a convertible necklace to go with it.
I'm sure you can find an elegant bookmark out there to match anyone's taste. Something sophisticated, or whimsical, or literary...
Or you could go in a different direction.
!!!Omg puppies!!!
Bye for now.
p.s. thanks for the puppy ones, mom!
p.p.s. fellow blogger Divya suggested making them for your book club - great idea!
Once, long ago, I made some teeny little silver house ornaments, using recycled cardboard. These new ones are a bit bigger, with a fresh technique and several different uses. And...antiqued!
They can still be used as ornaments, but they are also fun turned into fridge magnets...
...or greeting cards...
...or standing up anywhere: your mantel, a side table, even the kids' room, hee hee.
They are eco friendly and so fun to make. For tools, all you need are scissors, a pencil and wire cutters. Materials:
-cardboard scraps
-aluminum duct tape
-double-stick tape
-shoe polish
-craft wire
Ready? Here comes the DIY!
Cut a little house from scrap cardboard.
Roughly cut out a tiny a cardboard door and some windows. They don't need to be straight or the same size! Lay down short strips of double stick tape, then stick down the doors and windows.
Cover the front with duct tape.
Trim away most of the extra tape. Cut slits at the corners so you can fold down the excess in back. It will probably look something like this:
You can cover the exposed cardboard with more tape - but only if you plan on seeing the back.
Lightly burnish down the tape around the cardboard cutouts, using something rounded like a pen cap (or just your finger.)
Now to etch in the details. Use a blunt pencil or a ball-point pen - very sophisticated tools, eh? Outline the raised door and windows first. Then add cross-hatched windowpanes, a doorknob and roof tiles. Maybe a few bricks on the chimney.
Remember, you are going for cute and rustic, not precision architectural drafting. Mistakes are okay.
Make a wire smoke plume, to look something like this:
(For the detailed smoke plume tutorial, go here.)
Bend some curves in the wire stem, and tape it to the back of your chimney like so:
And that, my dears, is a super cool shiny silver house! Adorable.
If you like, you can stop right there. I actually love the shiny silver version as-is.
But wait, there's more. The antiquing step is next, and it's so simple. Just rub on some solid shoe polish, then buff it out until you have the amount of antique finish you like. See the difference:
To make an attached stand, cover a scrap of cardboard with silver tape, then attach it to the house with more tape forming a hinge. Here you can see the stand in the mirror:
Here's one more thought I just have to share: a wonderful gift idea. Make a replica of a real house, and present it to the owner! Wouldn't it be awesome for someone moving into a new home? Or a senior who is moving to a smaller place? Yes, it would.
To make a replica house, refer to a photo of the house front, and approximate the main features with your cardboard cut outs. Then proceed as above for a custom mini house!
Well, that's the dealio! Hope you like it.
Thanks for coming by, friends; see you another day.
P.S. If you made one, what would you do with your mini house?
Mich
Hello hello! I have something small and fun to show you today. First take a peek at these sweet necklaces - the pendants are made from sewing bobbins and vintage buttons.
If you want to make a bobbin bauble - an oldie but goodie, from way back in the history of this blog - here's the original tutorial.
To create a necklace, all I did was add two beads up the center of the bobbin, with loops on both ends. One loop got a tassel, the other got a beaded necklace. Done!
The thing I wanted to mention is the two colors of beaded necklaces. Both are mother-of-pearl...one is pure white, the other's a darker version. Both started out white - and I tea-dyed one to match the sepia-tone pendant.
Most crafters have heard of tea-dyeing fabric, but did you know you can tea-dye beads? So simple. Just soak them in a small amount of water, along with several used tea bags.
Works a treat!
The length of time you need to soak them will vary. With these ultra smooth and hard MOP beads, it took overnight. A more porous material (like bone beads) would be a much shorter soak. Just keep checking every hour or two until you reach the color you like.
I happen to have a long drawn out cold (going on three weeks now) and have been drinking lots of tea. Next time you or a loved one is sniffling sick, save the tea bags and try a little tea dying magic.
See you next time...and take care of yourself! (cough cough)
Something cool to show you today (tho not my typical repurposed project). I have been making beaded vines by the yard, they are growing everywhere and taking over my life. Look!
What are they for? For making vine-y, va-va-voom-y bracelets.
This fun wirework technique can be played so many ways. And I do so love a full, intricate-looking bracelet that doesn't take a lot of work.
These 'enchanted vine' bracelets are featured in the Spring 2016 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.
I did a full tutorial for them with step-by-step pics; it's available March 1st. I'm rather excited, having been a huge fan of Belle Armoire Jewelry forevah!
A fancy vine jewel makes an impressive gift, and hey, nobody has to know how easy it was to create. How about for Mother's Day - you know it's coming up, you guys!
Or make one in bridal tones - white, taupe, oyster, cream - lovely for a wedding.
Hope you have a chance to check it out! Now please excuse me, I have to untangle myself from a few creepers.
This is my new favorite project. A flower vase completely upcycled from trash, featuring a built-in collar of springy tendrils. Please to check it out!
The tendrils are not only decorative - they also serve as a kind of flower frog. They cluster together to help your flower stems stay where you put 'em. Here they are in closeup:
What's it made of, you ask? An empty plastic milk bottle. That's right, it went from this:
To this!
Here, my dears, is the very interesting DIY.
Find a bottle and cut away the neck. You can use most any opaque plastic bottle; doesn't have to be milk.
Make a diagonal cut, from the top opening to about 1/3 of the way down (or whichever spot makes sense for the silhouette of your bottle). Because of the bottle's round shape, the diagonal cut will actually be more of a spiral.
Parallel to the first cut, make a whole bunch more, going all the way around. The more cuts you make, the skinnier your tendrils will be.
Grab one of the cut strips and wind it tightly around a skewer. Then release and - lookee there! The plastic will hold the curl!
Now, this doesn't seem to work on clear water bottles, at least not the ones I've tried, so stick with opaque plastics and you should be good. (Side note: this is the same method I used on one of my most popular posts, the uber statement jewel Ring On Fire.)
Okay, back to the vase. Keep going until all the strips are curled. This takes a little patience, because all those corkscrewy little things tend to get in each others' way. If you have to say a bad word, go right ahead.
The final result: wowsers!
At this point, your vase is essentially done. Use as-is, or decorate in whatever way might float your boat.
To make my color-blocked tendrils, I masked off the bottom section and simply spray painted the curlicues. It took a hot minute, and the effect just delighted the heck out of me.
Other ideas: gold tendrils above a matte black base? Polkadots or stripes on the white section? Hand paint the tendrils in multiple colors? I can imagine all kinds of fabulous versions.
So who thinks they might give this a whirl? And how would you paint yours?
Oh, wait! Before I go - let's not forget the rest of the bottle. Trying to be eco-conscious here, ya know. So what can be done with the neck and the lid?
Well! In case you missed it, I made something totally and utterly adorable with those - I think you'll be surprised. CLICK HERE to pop over and see.
Thanks for coming by, you guys.
Oh, look, you guys! I found the prettiest, teensiest, vintage copper molds!
They were absolutely meant to be pendants, don't you agree? And the DIY is as simple as pie. (Not the kind you make from scratch. The kind you snatch outta the freezer, pop in the oven and eat standing around the kitchen counter, with one fork per person and no plates or even napkins. That kind of simple pie.)
Just use pliers to lift the little tab holding the ring. Be gentle so as not to dent the copper.
Remove the ring. In its place, insert a cord, or a chain, or even (as shown here) a skinny strung necklace strand. Then gently squish the tab back into place.
Bing, you're done! I love my cute copper pendant on its long, long strand of copper-colored crystals.
Instead of adding a clasp, I finished the strand by tying a knot; the two tails are meant to dangle down the back of the wearer's neck. This design looks so pretty on a plain, no-collar neckline, like a basic black tee. My friend Judy suggested wearing it with a backless dress - I can totally see that, too.
Here's a different version - this time, keeping the original ring that came with the mold. Some coppery-pink pearls and little spears of picture jasper compliment the pendant's tone.
Sure hope you enjoyed this quickie repurpose! I think one of these would make a cool gift for someone who loves to cook. Now I am on the hunt for some more tiny molds. Where are you, cuties? Come to me, please!
