How to crochet a chain silver lame bracelet

I am a BIG fan of making something that is generally made out of one material out of something completely unconventional and unexpected and that is just the project that I fell in love with from the book Crocheted and Stitched Jewelry.

In Crocheted and Stitched Jewelry there is a crocheted chain necklace. I just had to make some crocheted chain! Off to the stash and I found some Lion Brand Silver Lame Metallic Yarn and I went with a size F hook.

I followed the basic stitch pattern and construction in Crocheted and Stitched Jewelry but I made a bracelet.

Confession: I actually brought this project to a meeting and I whipped this bracelet together in 2 hours!

I love it! I will most definitely be making more of these!

If you like making crocheted and stitched jewelry too then I bet you will love:
Handmade at Home: Crocheted and Stitched Jewelry
by
Emi Iwakiri

"Crocheted and Stitched Jewellery is part of a brand new series of craft titles from CICO. Beautifully packaged as a jacketed paperback and printed on woodfree paper, this series brings you a number of popular crafts at a very affordable price. Using traditional Japanese crochet techniques, Emi Iwakiri shows you how to create these adorable designs that include ribbons, beads, bows and even scraps from your sewing box. There are stunning ideas here to suit every occasion, from a classic cream silk pearl necklace to a vintage-style crocheted flower necklace. Try making a luxurious beaded collar to add a touch of glamour to any outfit, an elegant linen flower to wear in your hair or as a corsage or a fun, multi-coloured pompom bracelet for a modern, striking look. Whether you want to create original jewellery for yourself or to give as presents, you are sure to love Emi’s gorgeous Japanese designs. And once you have mastered her simple basic techniques, you will be able to create your own bespoke pieces in no time."

How to make an origami Easter bunny paper garland

Yes, I know it's not even Valentine's Day yet but when I spotted the origami bunny tutorial in Wild and Wonderful Origami: 35 of Your Favorite Wild Animals to Fold in and Instant I just had to try it out right away! So I did. And then I did some more....and well let's just say I made origami bunnies like bunnies make bunnies!
I used some scrap pink, light blue and light green paper and got so good at these cuties I was walkin' around making them. I decided instead of drawing faces on these guys (the paper that comes with this book is pre-printed with the cute details) but since I made so many...well I thought I'd just draw but then I thought about using a tiny pom pom for the nose.

Well, when I started to play with the placement of the pom pom it looked more like the tail! So these little bunnies are bunnies from the back or front either way I think they are just too darn cute.

To turn them into a garland I threaded a piece of pastel thick thread onto a needle and stitched through each of the ears mixing up the colors of the bunnies.

If you too like to fold your fun then I bet you will love the Cico book:
Wild and Wonderful Origami: 35 of Your Favorite Wild Animals to Fold in and Instant
by
Mari Ono and Roshin Ono

"Make your own origami zoo with Mari and Roshin Ono's collection of amazing animals. Whether you love cute and cuddly animals like the baby bear and the cheeky monkeys, or are friends with the feathered variety, you are sure to go wild for any of the 35 innovative designs. There are four great chapters explaining how to really bring your paper to life. Animal Fun has classic designs like the crane and fox, while Safari takes its inspiration from the Serengeti with projects for zebras, giraffes, lions and more. Next is Sea World, home to ocean dwellers including the dolphin, sea turtle and even a blowfish, and the Forest chapter has ideas to transform your paper into a tree-dwelling owl or squirrel. Every project comes with simple step-by-step instructions and clear photographs, as well as helpful arrows showing you where to fold. Each design has also been given a skill rating, so start with a simple one and once you've mastered that move on to something a bit more challenging. 50 specially designed pieces of origami paper are included with the book, meaning you can start folding right away."

Family hand outlines commemorative aprons

I was with lots of family over the holidays and I wanted to commemorate all that togetherness. I had 2 aprons that were promo items from some trade show and I thought they would make a great surface for everyone to trace their hand on.

I painted in the logo a bit so it wasn't quite as much of an advertising piece but left some showing. I brought a couple of packs of Elmer's Paint Markers for everyone to use. I think they all got a little of their creativity going and had fun.

And here's some more crafty goodness for ya!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a bit of Valentine inspiration, tutorials on how to face paint dragon and hydrangea masks, ideas and inspiration from Manga artist Melanie Schober and a recipe for coconut veggie muffins.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows how to make a lovely flowered bolster pillow to dress up a room.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi's marbled fabric quilt is hurling towards completion!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Learn how to make a recycled sheer curtain flower fascinator.

About Family Crafts
Play along with the current craft challenge. Make a craft or two using CD cases and submit them!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen shows you how she repurposed a cardboard drink carrier into something beautiful using her new toy a Sizzix BIGKick.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess shows what she has in the works on her hooks and needles.

RockPaperInk
Class Valedictorian: Modern Dog; Seattle Washington, USA

How to make a recycled curtain flower fascinator

Light blue is one of my favorite colors and when I received a Whimsey box to find the most beautiful shade of light blue DecoArt SoSoft Fine Glitter Fabric Paint nestled in with all the other goodies I new that was what I needed to play with first. So off to the new book Handmade at Home: Button and Bead Jewelry for a bit of inspiration. This recycled curtain flower fascinator is what I came up with. I think it came out pretty darn purdy!
This pretty chiffon flower necklace featured in the book Handmade at Home was my inspiration. It just so happens to be in the same color as my DecoArt Glitter paint from the Whimsey box! All I needed was some flowers. Easy enough with an old curtain and my Sizzix die cutter.
I painted the fabric flowers rather sparsely and rather haphazardly to give them a dimensional look.
To make then actually dimensional I stitched them together as you can see starting from the back and ending on the front ready for the next layer.

When I had all the flower layers together I stitched the bead onto the top center and secured the bead and layers together with an additional stitch. All that was left to do was a few stitches to the headband.

If making pretty jewelry from buttons, beads and fabric is your style then I bet you will love:
Button and Bead Jewelry: 25 Step-By-Step Projects
by
Deborah Schneebell-Morrell

More about the book from the publisher Cico Books:

"Bring to life the undiscovered treasures of your sewing box. Handmade at Home: Button and Bead Jewelry is an essential guide to creating stunning, fashionable jewelry. Craft author Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell shows you how by using a wide variety of materials, from chiffon and lace to copper and moonstone, as well as scraps from past projects, you can make any number of contemporary, eye-catching pieces, each with your own unique twist. Whatever your standard, the 25 delightful projects and variations - from a ribbon choker with velvet flowers to linen heart brooches - will help you make the most of your sewing box. Whether you want to make practical, fun, everyday items or intricate, stylish designs, there is a range of projects to suit your tastes. Complete with step-by-step photographs, helpful explanations of techniques and a comprehensive list of materials, Button and Bead Jewelry will help you on your way to creating exquisite pieces in no time."

Happy 2012!

I hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve celebration! Mine was a trifecta of light. Fire, blue Christmas lights and the moon.

And later the Universal Studios Fireworks to make it a four-pete!

What's with all my sports terms?????

Your Grandmother's Crafts
These ARE your grandmother's crafts. Ya gotta problem with that? I didn't think so.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is fun idea for using a pretty teacup as a doll dress from the new book Creative Pilgrimage, tutorials on how to embroider a backstitch chain and a cable chain, fitting info on different types of pants and a recipe for raw ice box chocolate chip cookies.

Mixed Media Artist
The plans for Cyndi's new marbled fabric quilt are coming together!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Make some Retrofabulous Pulp Fiction Thank You Cards!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Add beautiful kaleidoscope effects to your hand made cards with iris folded designs.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess shows you how to get cozy with your favorite cup of tea.

Craft. You.
Meet the man behind TV host and mid-century modern lifestyle expert Brini Maxwell.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi starts off her year by experimenting with nylon wire mesh...a medium really new to her!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen shows you how she created a patinated copper steampunk necklace using paper!

RockPaperInk
Waste not, Want not: The science and practice of sustainable design