DIY decoupage bangle

Mod Podge may be one of the better inventions of man. I am mostly joking about that, but I do love its many possibilities. When I was a kid I generally used it to cover trunks and picture frames in creepy Victorian cherubs from cards. Creepy Victorian anything really! It was kind of a scary phase.

But I digress. Mod Podge is wonderful for reinvention, and a bangle is a great example. Plain wooden ones are easy to find at thrift stores and yard sales, and you can cover it in anything! I used an old fashioned (okay, slightly Victorian) paper bag, but maps, magazines and even old love notes work well.

Simply apply cut a strip wide enough to encase your bangle, or patches numerous enough to cover it, and apply Mod Podge to it and the bangle, then combine. Smooth the paper, and apply several coats (drying in between) to the outside. You can cover with varnish at this point for durability. And your done!

Hope you enjoy this project, and have a nice day!

DIY Beachy Mirror

 Lately I've been working on decorating my bedroom. I am hoping to give it a bright but natural feel, and spend as little as possible. I decided to spruce up some picture frames and this mirror, with shells from beach adventures.

 I love how it came out! Its nice being able to see each shell in greater detail than when they were crowded in a jar.

If you would like to make your own you will need- 

sand paper

painters tape

acrylic paint

polyurethane 

epoxy or other glue

a mirror or other wooden surface

shells, agates and sea glass

(River stones and other sturdy natural objects would work too.)

First, run painters tape neatly along the inside edge of mirror to protect surface. Then sand down any rough spots, and give the whole thing a light sanding. Dust off the frame and give it a thin coat of your paint. If you are using a light color you may want to use a primer first. Letting the paint dry between layers, keep going until you are happy with the opacity.

While this is drying, you can choose to give all of your stones and shells a coat of polyurethane. You can skip this step and the stones will have softer colors, but I like the way the varnish brings them out.

Once the paint drys add a coat of polyurethane to the frame, and allow to dry. Experiment with where you would like the stones until you are happy with the results. I had enough similar pairs to match the sides over the whole mirror, but this is definitely not necessary.

Glue your decorations to the mirror and allow to dry. Add one more coat of varnish if you would like, and you are finished! Hope you enjoy this tutorial! 

DIY fabric Yo Yo's!

Yo yos are sweet little pinwheels of fabric, wonderful for decorating all kinds of things! Its a great way to use up scrap fabric, and to spruce up clothes in need of an update. People even make quilts from them!

The instructions are very simple. First use a glass, bowl or other round object to make circles on your fabric. Small patterns, stripes or polka dots show up well when finished. Then cut out your circles, making sure to remove all markings, unless you are using a washable fabric pen.

Next thread a needle with three strands of a hank of embroidery floss, and leave the end unknotted. Tuck about an eighth of an inch of fabric in around the outside of the circle and make small stitches as you go. When you reach your starting point, draw the circle together using the strings. It will look like a tiny pouch. Tie the strings together tightly, cut off and tuck excess inside the pouch. Flatten from the top, and you have a yo yo! They can then be sewn unto your skirt or other item of your choice. When applying them I recommend stitching up through the bottom and catching some of the drawn in portion so the yo yo remains flat.

Hope you enjoy this project! Tomorrow I with show an outfit featuring my yo yo-ed dress.

Made Lately

Its been a pretty gloomy fall here in Washington! The bright side of which is a lot of time in the evenings for creating. This little pumpkin garland in a variation of this- with a crochet vine and leaves added. The color ended up a bit more tomato than pumpkin, but that means I could hang it in my kitchen year round! 

This dress is one of my favorites, but I like it better now with the addition of some shell buttons stolen from a garage sale skirt. Project cost? Fifty Cents! Which is just about right for me.

Lastly this skirt has been in the works for oh...two years. The fabric and pattern came long before the guts to try it out! But after exhausting my store of curse words on the machine, my iron, and anything else in the vicinity its more than an idea. And it was really quite fun in the end! Isn't it funny how much more intimidating things grow in your mind? But I'll be enjoying this skirt and a little increased skill for a long time to come. The under layer, by the way, is an old curtain (which I din't have to hem, ha!) What do you like to do on those long winter nights?

Fall DIYs

Its getting cold out! And other than long walks though leafy lanes, all I want to do is create. To that effect, here are some wonderful projects for when you'd like to celebrate nature in a more abstract (i.e. warm) capacity. Don't people come up with fantastic things? 

Literary Leaf Wreath

                                                           Adorable Pumpkin Garland

Lacy Skeleton Leaves