Bobbin Pendants and How To Tea-Dye Beads

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)

Ornamental Bead Sticks! Part Seven: Zip Tie Place Cards

Today, a new entry in my DIY series featuring Stuff On Sticks.  Check these out: little button-topped place cards!

They're repurposed from the type of zip tie with a big flat pad for writing labels.  Cool, eh?

Where to find the zip ties?  Most hardware stores and home improvement stores have them in various shapes and sizes.  Or try an online search for "marker cable ties."

Stick them into small pots or tiny flower arrangements for party place cards.  They also make great labels for a potluck or buffet.

Not to mention weddings - being so conveniently white and all.

Ready to DIY?  Gather string, a button and pointy little scissors.

Poke the scissors into the ziphole and wiggle them around to widen the opening.

Thread the button onto the string, and pass both ends through the ziphole. 

Tie a knot in back (make sure the knot is chunky enough not to slip back through the hole).  Then trim the ends.

That's it, you're done!

Write on them with any color Sharpie.  Who's on your guest list?

There are lots of variations to the basic idea.  F'r instance, layer buttons for extra buttony goodness.

Add tiny faux flower petals for a garden party vibe.

Qué más?  How about fancy crystal beads?  Handmade shrinky dinks?  Great big sequins with several layered colors?  I'm sure you guys can come up with some other suggestions.  Let us hear your brilliant ideas in the comments!

Hope you liked the special guest appearance by our newest family member, Matilda the Bagel Hound.  She's a five year old rescue and we loff her!

Thanks for the visit, peeps!  See you again soon for more upcycled crafts and silliness.


To see the rest of the Stuff On Sticks:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six 
Part Seven 

Delicious Little Gift Boxes

Look: tiny little gift or presentation boxes!

Aren't they the sweetest?  Made from those powdered drink mix containers from the grocery store:

I already 'splained a way to use the body of the container to make these cuff bracelets...

Now how about turning the rest of the container into a teeny, embellishable gift box?

For the super simple DIY, read on...

Eco-Friendly, Drink Mix Container Cuff Bracelet

Do you save those great new powdered drink containers?  You know, the kind Crystal Light and other brands come in, with the flattened oval shape?

Try a super simple, eco-conscientious cuff bracelet, made by cutting slices from that uniquely-contoured box.

Here comes the easy, fun, kid-friendly DIY...

Crazy Cute Buttons From Plastic Dollar Store Jacks

I made these buttons and dangles:

From a set of soft plastic jacks from the dollar store.

I love them so much, I could marry them.

Want to DIY?  Here's how.

Unique Jewelry Links - Make Your Own!

Hey, pop quiz!

Who knows what all three of these upcycled jewels have in common?

Not sure?  Well, I'll tell ya.  All those fun little links (the tiny buttons, silver-rimmed dots and sparkly black spirals) are actually scrapbooking brads!  See?

You will love how these are made, and how fun they are to incorporate into jewelry!  Read on for the cool DIY.

Caution: White Lady Wrapping.

Today, I show you how to make and wear this strappy, button-embellished wrap bracelet...

Made from tennis racquet grip tape.

Ready to DIY?  Here we go!

The Mystery Thing Revealed: Wrapping It Up.

Hello!  To catch you up, my readers and I have been playing a gripping round of Guess The Mystery Thing (my crafty giveaway game), and it's time to reveal the answer!  The challenge: identify the pink material in these upcycled bracelets:

Did anyone guess?  Think you know the answer?  Read on...

From 1928.

I have two things to share today.  A crazy-easy tutorial!  And a mini safety lecture for crafters.  Let's start with the crazy easy tutorial, shall we?

So I found some beautiful vintage faucet handles, salvaged from a Miracle Mile boarding house built in 1928....

And I made some necklaces.

They look big and bold, but these handles are aluminum, so they're actually surprisingly light to wear.  After properly preparing the vintage handles, here's how I created the pendants, using no jewelry-making tools, and nothing but two buttons and a piece of string:

That's it!  Crazy easy, right?  Add some cord to hang it, and you've made a cool, pretty vintage faucet handle necklace.

Here's a slightly different style, with a mother-of-pearl flower instead of a button. 

The fleur had one center hole, so I tied a french knot in the middle of a piece of string, and fed both ends down through the hole, ending with a 2-hole button in back as before.  The knot holds the flower in place, and it's kind of decorative, too.

Now who wants to hear a mini safety lecture?  Whee!  Fun!  Okay, just read it, it's good for you.  Like broccoli with no butter or cheese sauce.

You guys, I am always reading this kind of thing on craft blogs: "Check out the old chippy/painted/weathered/distressed/shabby chic treasure I found at my local yard sale/flea market/street corner/salvage yard/dumpster.  It looks perfect in my kids' room/kitchen/bathroom/front porch/living room/nursery!"

No, no, no.  (Picture me with librarian glasses at the end of my nose, frowning like a disapproving rabbit, swatting those people's hands with a ruler.)  We all know that any painted thing, dating from 1978 or earlier, is likely to have lead paint.  It's important to handle these chippy painted treasures with care.

What to do.  First, wash them carefully with soapy water.  Let them dry completely.  Don't use sandpaper on them.  If you want a freshly painted look, great!  A primer and two coats minimum, and you have sealed in the old paint and made your treasures safe for use.

But if you want to retain the chippy look, as I did with my faucet handles, do seal them with at least three coats of a clear sealer! 

Acrylic or polyurethane sealers live in the paint department of any craft, art supply or hardware store.  I like to use a matte finish, so they still look rusty and weathered and old.   Since I am making jewelry which may directly touch the skin, I always treat vintage painted objects with TEN coats of clearcoat, front and back.

Okay, lecture over!  (Picture me pushing my glasses back to their normal position, smiling kindly, while using my ruler to measure something strange, that will probably become my next Mystery Thing jewel.)

C'mon, that wasn't too bad, was it?  Love you guys.  See ya next time!