Colorful Spray Paint Sun Hats!

Here's a five minute craft for summer!  Something fun and creative from the brain of my husband.  A psychedelic painted sun hat!

The story: for 4 years, he has been wearing the same mesh sun hat for working outside.  Even though it went through the washing machine regularly, it was stained and unsightly and, well, take a look at what I mean...

Ew, right?

A few days ago I spotted him heading for the back yard, clutching three cans of spray paint and the hat.  I grabbed my camera and followed.

Hijinks ensued.

Isn't it awesome?  His colors: teal, purple and bright chartreuse.

I loved it so much, I made one for me.  They only take a minute, you guys!  I started with this dollar store straw hat:

I went with a slightly different color scheme - I kept the teal and chartreuse, but added touches of bronze and antique silver.

The paint dried in 10 minutes and the hats were ready to wear.

They look super cute hanging in your house, too.

Tips:

*Start with just a light spray, don't blast on heavy coverage.  (That way the hat will still breathe.)  If you want deeper color, add one or two more very light coats.  

*Don't paint the underside - you don't want to wear spray paint against you hair or skin.

*These won't go in the washing machine, but cloth hats can still be spot cleaned on the inside.  (Maybe even hand washed in the sink; I have had good luck with hand-washing spray-painted fabrics.) 

Okie dokie, I hope you liked Jeff's quickie idea.  Try it, have fun!  Give a sad old hat a whole new attitude.

Super Simple Beaded Scarf Display!

Well hi!  Today I thought I'd show you the quickest, simplest beaded home decor project evah.  It's practical, it's pretty, it's economical - heck, there's even a little element of upcycling in there for good measure.

It's a scarf hanger system, for storage and display.

The DIY takes about a minute.  You will need:

-a buncha big beads
-an old shoelace

Ready?  Go!

Thread 16-20 inches of big beads onto an old shoelace (or any bit of cord or ribbon you happen to have handy).  Tie a bow, and double-knot it.

That's it, baby!  Hang one (or three or six or ten!) on your wall, as demonstrated here...

Then just add scarves.

I hung mine on a cute 3-hook coat rack, but you could hang these up in a number of ways.  Use little nails, or individual hooks, or even those removable hooks for apartments.

I was looking for a way to use up a vast quantity of not-so-thrilling wooden beads, and this was just the ticket.  I'm a VERY scarf-y person, so it's something I actually need and use - daily!

It could also be a fun project to do with kids, tweens or teens.  Let them choose beads to suit their personal style to make hangers for their own rooms, or to give as AWESOME handmade gifts.

Hope this one catches someone's fancy.  See ya!

Quick Jewelry Makeover: Refashion An Elastic Bracelet

Hi!  Today I have a frugal and easy makeover for you.  First let me show you the end result: these pearly, coppery little necklaces.

I've been wearing them a lot lately - they are subtle, so simple and go with everything.

Here's another design, this one a bit more shmancy:

The makeover began with this (sorta, maybe, kinda) cute elastic bracelet...

...which I probably would never wear in real life.  Not that it was awful, just not my personal style.   But I do love the individual segments.  Such a pretty dark copper color and a nice silhouette.

So I turned them into necklace focals.

For the simple version, all I did was thread two headpins through the focal.  At the top, I turned two small loops.

I added chain and pearls to complete the necklaces.

The fancier, tasseled necklace went together differently. It's created with flexible beading wire (tiger tail), covered over with hollow coiled wire.  You can see this a bit better in the closeup:

The coils are a cool way to disguise the plain tiger tail underneath, don't you think?  (In case you're curious, here's where I bought the coil stuff.)

I had lots of fun raiding my stash for copper-toned treasures to tie onto the tassel.

Btw, those tiny rusty flower buds began life as mini jingle bells - click here for the how-to.

Anyway, you get the idea - you can harvest eight (or more!) focal pieces from one bracelet, and go nuts coming up with various necklace designs.

As frugal as this is, it could be a great party project or craft night challenge: how many different ways can a bunch of people use the same focal?

Before I go, one more makeover to show you - and this time, the bracelet in question is genuinely ugly.

Yuck!  No.  Just...no.  But maybe the individual segments had potential.

So here's what I did with one of them.  Step one: string a few beads on craft wire, and thread the wire up through the two holes:

Make wrapped loops on top.

Add some ribbon, a chain, or a length of cord, like so:

And what is it?  Why, this - an eyeglass holder necklace.

I definitely think it's an improvement on the dreadful original jewel!  Not to mention useful as heck.

And hey - I have nine more sparkly segments to experiment with.  Got any suggestions?

Convertible Magnetic Bookmark Necklace

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!

Sweet Earring Display Frame Made From A Recycled Tissue Box

Hey, here's something I've been meaning to show you for a while.  I have a lot of these ranged around my studio.  Penny-pinching, earth friendly, practical jewelry displays...and they do brighten everything up!

Can you picture the top of the tissue box and how I used it?  Got 5 minutes, scissors and a stapler?  Here's the ridiculously simple DIY.

Cut the top and sides from a square tissue box, like so:

Cut a piece of scrap cardboard to cover the opening.

Glue or tape the cardboard to the inside; I use packing tape because it's a strong hold.  Then poke a couple of holes near the top.  Here's how it will look when flipped right-side-up:

Now staple together the two sides - one staple at the top, one at the bottom.  And that's it!  Here's your 3-D frame seen from the back:

Hang earrings inside and stand it up.  So darn cute!  And it's fun to match the earrings to the frame.

Tissue boxes are so pretty nowadays.  Find one you like and give it a second life.

Later, gators.

The Five Minute Scrappy Fleece Flower Ring

Today's craft: a DIY ring made from scraps of fleece and felt.

A five minute craft for any age and skill level.  I like it plain...

And I like it patterned.

Aw heck, I just like it.

The How-To is particularly fun, and involves a dog biscuit.  So now you have to try it, right?  Ready?  Here goes!

You will need some floppy scrap fleece (the green stuff) and some slightly-stiffer felt. You will also need scissors and a tiny piece of string.

Cut a fleece leaf and a felt petal.  (The petal can be a simple circle or a more flowery shape if you like.)  Poke a hole in each as shown here:

Now make a dog biscuit out of fleece, like so:

Fold the biscuit in half and insert the string at the fold.

Stack the leaf and petal, then use the string to pull the folded biscuit through the holes.

Pull until the biscuit ends are bunched in the center of the flower and you can't go any further.

Done and done.

For the fancy version, I just Sharpied the heck out of both the felt petal and the fleece leaf (or leaves).  Here you can see some potential different shapes for both elements:

And that, you guys, is my Scrappy Fleece Flower Ring.  Sure hope you like it!  

Oops, gotta go, someone has been waiting patiently while I wrote this post.

Thank you for coming by!