Black & Gold Wrap Bracelet

This definitely isn't the first wrap bracelet that I've made but I loved the combination of black and gold.  It was a gift for a friend's birthday and I lucked out and it fit perfectly.

If you're looking for a tutorial on how to make your own you can find a good one here.

Blue Jewelery Holder

Probably 6 months ago my Mother-in-law asked if I would make her a Jewellery Holder.  It's recently come to my attention that if a project isn't my idea I have very little motivation and it takes me far too long to complete it.  When her birthday rolled around this was the perfect time and the perfect kick to get me to finish.

Now here's where I admit I didn't take a before picture.  I had such a clear picture in my mind of what I wanted it to end up looking like that the transformation seemed like no big deal to me.  It was only when my sister-in-law saw it and was impressed with the change that I realized it really did change a lot.  I'll show you the after and then we can talk about the before.

Before the small section at the top was a cork board and the bigger area was a mirror. It was the classic orangey wood tone that we've all got used to covering up.   I punched out the cork and mirror and sanded down the finish on the wood.  I spray painted it blue but the blue was a little brighter that I though my Mother-in-law would like.  I'd planned on glazing the frame but it seemed more my style than hers so instead I glazed it (white washed it?) instead.  I took some white paint and watered it down and then using a rag I gently brushed that over the frame.  It toned down the blue nicely and gave it just the look I was going for.  The hooks I included are for curtains, they hook in really easily and securely and they're super cheap at the fabric store.

I love the way it turned out and my Mother-in-law was very happy with it.

3 Different Bracelets

I love making homemade gifts for Christmas but I hate that I can't post them until after they've been given.

These particular gifts I made for my friend Michelle.  Her birthday falls shortly after Christmas so I made her the three different bracelets.

They were all easy and I used three different tutorials to make them.  The first bracelet on the left is a knock off Chan Luu bracelet.  I didn't actually follow this tutorial but it's a good one.  There are a couple loops on the end so you can choose which size works best. 

I love the amber beads with the tan leather.

 I used a vintage button from my Grandma to make the clasp.

The middle is a combination of metal washers from the hardware store and satin ribbon.

This bracelet involves threading the ribbon through the washers in a really simple way.  I love the combination of the soft ribbon and the hard washers.  Since the washers really do come from the hardware store they're inexpensive to make.

The tutorial I followed is for a necklace but I think the amount of washers is a bit much so I made a smaller version, great instructions though.

Lastly I made a twine and hex nut bracelet.

Again, the nuts are from the hardware store.  This bracelet requires some braiding and threading and that's it.  Easy.  And this tutorial worked really well.  I used another vintage button to finish off the back of this one.

So there you have it, three easy and unique bracelets that made a great gift.

Simple Serendipity {Giveaway}

I have discovered this amazing Etsy Shop and it's not fair to keep it from you.  

 Sara from SimpleSerendipity couldn't be any nicer and you won't believe it but nothing in her shop is over $5.  I was so impressed that I sent a message telling her so and she responded with the following, 

"When I started this shop, I did so because my husband took a paycut at work and I wanted to do something to help out. We had just finished 5 years in graduate school and I know what it's like to feel like you can't spend any money on yourself. I wanted to start a shop where EVERYONE could afford something. Yes, I know there are people selling similar things on Etsy for much more, but I felt strongly that I wanted to appeal to people who are in the boat that I have been in (still in-- we are slowly digging our way out of our student debt)." 


I placed on order and received such a fun package.

She even included this cute personal note.

And here's a really crummy picture of what I ordered (I would have taken a new one had I seen how bad it was).

 I'm going to include some of Sara's picture's since they're so much better.

First is the Robin's Egg Nest pendant and chain

these are super popular right now and Sara makes such a cute one

  Simple Wavy Blue earrings 

pictures don't do them justice, they're kind of shimmery in the light

These are the Simple Darling Diva earrings and I have them in white and black.

The other items I couldn't find listed anymore but this is only a small sampling of the cute things she has to offer.  You should check her out and order something lovely for yourself.


I thought since I have such a fun package of goodies that I'd offer one of them as a giveaway, one lucky winner will get the Simple Darling Diva earrings in white.  They're big but delicate and not heavy at all.


I'll give two ways to enter,
1. Leave a comment on my blog telling me you love and want the earrings (if you don't love them I'm keeping them for myself).
2. Visit SimpleSerendipity and 'like' her Etsy shop, come back and leave a second comment.


Next week I'll pick a winner and ship off the earrings.

Good luck

Little Girl's Pearl Necklace

To accompany yesterday's gift for Jack I wanted to give something to big sister Gwen so she didn't feel left out.  She's 2 1/2 and loves wearing necklaces these days.  Her Mom was given pearls for Christmas so now Gwen can wear her own set.

Both the bracelet and necklace have some pretty bling to make her extra sparkly and feel like the little lady she is.

Necklace Update

Recently I've really been trying to make more of an effort when it comes to my appearance.  That includes taking more time on my makeup and wearing more accessories.  I picked up this necklace at Payless shoes, I love the combination of the beads and chains and at $12 the price was right.

I really felt like I wanted it to be just a little bit longer though.  This length was a little uncomfortable to wear so I added some satin ribbon to the back to give myself some extra inches.  Now it hangs like this

I know it looks like hardly any change at all but it feels much more comfortable now.

The necklace looks like this now (sorry, no before of it on it's own but it was just a standard chain and lobster clasp).

I realize the ends of the ribbon are unnecessarily long but I'm too nervous to cut them shorter.

Beaded Wrap Bracelet

I've mentioned before that I read a lot of different blogs, with those blogs comes some really great idea.  This idea on C.R.A.F.T was one of them.  I loved it immediately and loved that she linked to such an awesome tutorial.  I'm not going to tell you how to make one of these because she does so well but if you want your own you can make one, really.  C.R.A.F.T. tells you everything you need to know.

The back clasp has this pretty bling.

Surprisingly I had just about everything on hand.  I really wanted one that wrapped around my wrist a couple of times but I didn't have enough beads so I went to Walmart and made this beauty.

I love the champagne beads with the black leather.

Also with the pretty clasp.

I think it would be really pretty wrapped 4 times with smaller beads.

I'm really trying to make to make an effort to wear more accessories but I just can't ever bear the price tag of new jewellery, making it myself is the perfect solution.

Beaded Necklaces

Here are two more additions to my line of Little Girl's Jewelery.  

This necklace is designed to fit a 2-7 yr old but it looks great on Catie.

They're both glass beads, not plastic so they have a nice weight to them.  I love the way both flowers turned out.  These will join my for sale items so if you like them they can be yours for $12 each.

Little Girls Jewlery

It's been a while since I mentioned the Little Girl's Ribbon Necklace but there are a few different pieces.  If you read my comments then you'll see that a friend offered me a corner of her table at a craft show in the fall and I've taken her up on the offer.  It's mostly given me an excuse to make more fun necklaces and it's was a great way to spend my time while watching 6 seasons of Lost in 6 weeks.

Most of the necklaces are really similar to the first one I made but with different ribbon styles.  There are a few different ones and I'm working on some new beaded styles but they're not finished yet.  Here's a peek at what I've been working on.

I loved the little dragon fly charms rather than the flower.  This one looks a little simpler than the original since there is no bow.  I love the polka dots, I do have a thing for polka dots.

I just can't get over how pretty this ribbon is.  Sadly I've run out and I can't find anymore.  The bow and the necklace are different styles, I wish they were the same but I had to make do.  The ribbon on the necklace works so well for this that I'll keep my eyes peeled in hopes I'll be able to make more of these.

I love this ribbon, it's pink but a more muted pink, nothing princess about it. The polka dots make it so girly without being your everyday colour of pink.  The beads are also two different sizes, it makes it a little more unique.

 I don't really enjoy making bracelets as much so I'm a little slower on those but this one will probably have a matching bracelet.

This necklace has a cute heart charm on the side.  I'm loving the sheer-ness of the ribbon.  There will eventually be a matching bracelet for this one too.

This necklace was inspired by one I saw online made by J Crew.  I'm not thrilled with my bows so they'll probably get an update but I love the general idea.  This necklace is definitely less durable than some of the others so it should probably be worn by a 4 year old or older.  Hard to tell in the photo but the little beads have some pretty texturizing on them.

I love the simple wrapped look of this bracelet. (I hadn't clipped my thread yet so you can see it in the photo, that'll be gone eventually).  I slipped this on Catie to try on for size and she immediately pulled it off, so maybe an older girl as well though it looked so cute on Catie.

This last one is my favorite that I've made so far.  Catie has one and she's worn it.  Sadly it was the most difficult to photograph.

The ribbon is blue and sheer with little dark brown polka dots.  The beads are a little larger than I normally use and the combination of the two is just so cute.  I have lots of this ribbon so I imagine I'll be making a bunch of these.

Hopefully I'll have a good stock ready for the craft show and I hope they sell well. I'll probably price the ribbon necklaces and bracelets as $8 for a bracelet, $10 for a necklace and $15 as a set.  The others will need to be priced on an individual basis.  As it gets closer I'll include details to the craft fair and maybe some of you will come see me.

Necklaces For Sale?

Since I made the ribbon necklace I've been thinking more and more about little girl necklaces. I think they look so cute on Catie and I've created a couple more. 

I had an idea I thought I'd throw out there... wondering if anyone is interested in purchasing some of these necklaces for their little girls.  They're made to fit a 3-7 yr old but I think they're all cute on Catie too.  If no one is interested I won't feel bad, just thought I'd throw the idea out there.


So far I've made two of the ribbon necklaces with matching bracelets.  I also made a turquise and coral string of glass beads.  It's hard to tell in the photo but they each have one different coloured bead, I thought it was a nice touch.

Let me know if you're interested or even if you think it's a dumb idea and here's one more shot of Catie as my model.  I really should have taken this photo in the morning when she was still clean :)