Saturday, February 18, 2012

Weekend DIY Jewelry Project - Braided Beaded Bracelet (Triple B Threat)

As I mentioned in a previous post one of my latest addictions - yes, I suppose it is about time that I admit that I am truly an addict - is Pinterest!  My new morning routine is (1) wake up (2) make my morning elixer of lemon juice, cayenne, and water (3) work-out (4) force down the tonic (5) reward myself with a coffee that is too sweet for most tastes WHILE sitting in front of my computer for 15 minutes browsing Pinterest...ahhh morning perfection!  Alas when 6:30 rolls around the quite bliss that surrounds me, my coffee, and Pinterest is shattered as my 3 and 5 year olds come stumbling / tumbling down the stairs demanding food.  Today however is Saturday and my body has been begging for a day off of working out to recoup...so this morning I woke up at a lazy 6:15 - went to number (2), skipped (3) and then found these bracelets while doing (5)!  Check 'em out!



They are these totally awesome, and appearingly totally doable DIY beaded bracelets by WTF (follow the link :).  They have a great step-by-step tutorial on how to do!  I think I found myself a little project for the weekend!!  Now I just have to eek out some time between Costco shopping, hosting a birthday dinner, heading into the T dot (Toronto) to do some skating with my boys (all 3) and my dad, and going for a scheduled run in the forest with my hubby (scheduled due to need of babysitter...kids really take out spontanaiety)!  Can I do it!!??  Yes I can!!  OK, now I sound like Bob - you know Bob the Builder! 

Email me at ThePrettyPaperFactory@gmail.com for more information.

Friday, February 17, 2012

DIY Wire Wrapped Birds Nest Necklace Tutorial

I love searching the net for fun DIY jewelry projects, it is a wonderful procrastination pastime when I have a billion other things that are silently calling to me...dishes, laundry, kids...the list goes on...and on.  Recently I have seen a number of these adorable wire wrapped birds nest necklaces and fell in crafty love!  They looked easy enough ... and totally wearable too!  Here are a few that caught my eye...
So I decided to give it a go!  (I also had in the back of my mind that this would be a perfect addition to my little line of Etsy Kraft Kits) I picked up the wire and the beads at the dollar store, the jump ring I had on hand but originally purchased from Michaels, and the necklace was already mine as well (sourced from Etsy).  Here goes...

1. First I took about a metre (give or take) of thin silver metallic wire and twisted a loop into one end.  I also set aside the 3 faux pearl beads that I was going to use.

 2. Next, I threaded the 3 beads onto my wire.
 3. I bent my wire so that my beads were sitting in a triangular shape.
 4. I then threaded the wire through the loop that I had originally created.
 5. I pulled it through nice and tight.
 6. And I started wrapping, keeping the wire fairly close to the perimeter of the beads.
 7. I kept on wrapping until I had about 10 cm remaining in my wire (remember the wire wrapping does not need to look perfect, in fact, imperfections will give your birds nest a more realistic and charming look).
 8. Next I threaded my jump ring through the remaining length of wire.
 9. Then I found a space in between 2 beads and started to loop my remaining wire around the  wire wrappings, securing it in this one spot.  When you feel that it is nice and secure, cut off any additional wire if necessary and/or tuck in the edge of the wire.

 10. Here you can see one of my three knots completed.
 11.  I prepared 2 smaller (10 cm each) lengths of wire in advance which I now got ready to use to create my final 2 knots in between the other 2 beads.
 12.  Here I go with the next one...
 13.  I like to knot it through itself at the end, so I know it won't go anywhere!
 14.  (Drum roll please.....) Tada - So cute!!
 15.  A little re-arranging of the beads to center them and here is my necklace threaded through my silver chain. 


Hopefully this will inspire a little DIY project for you!  Why not give this one a try!  Fun, and best of all EASY!!! 

Email me at ThePrettyPaperFactory@gmail.com for more information.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Pinterest and Other Ramblings

I just have one question, what did people do before the Internet?  It is so hard to remember a time when you couldn't just pull up 'google' to solve an argument!  My latest and greatest Internet driven obsession - Pinterest!  I am completely and totally obsessed!  Whoever came up with Pinterest is pure genious!  I think that I have made a Pinterest sourced recipe for dinner every night for the past 3 weeks!  And what a place to find anything craft and / or DIY related!  If only someone would pay me to browse Pinterest...oh well dreaming is healthy right!!  Back to reality...a couple of weeks after Christmas my computer crashed...and went to computer heaven, unfortunately it insisted on bringing every last file of mine (cough, ahem, that wasn't backed up) with it.  Erghhhh.  Needless to say I have been working my little heart out trying to make something out of nothing to get my little Etsy shop back up and running again.  This not so small task would be infinitely easier if there were either (a) more hours in the day, or (b) a nanny by my side or (b) a personal assistant at my beck and call.  Again, a mere dream.  I am getting close...close.  Tomorrow I will be posting a tutorial for a bottle cap necklace...and hopefully that will be succeeded by many more tutorials!!  I now must run...literally - I have become a cold weather runner...one of my proudest accomplishments of late!! 

Email me at ThePrettyPaperFactory@gmail.com for more information.
 
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