3 Row Wrap Bracelet

Hey guys!! I'm back!!! alright, so i recently bought a bracelet from American Eagle and i loved it so much i thought i would recreate it!! it's a little more complicated but still handleable :)

Ready??

K let's go.

not a whole lot of supplies needed.

-some good string (now i got hemp, but i dot suggest getting a leatherette chord just for extra strength)

-needle and thread (preferably one with a slightly bigger eye cuz you're doubling it over)

-large beads and medium beads (my smaller beads are 6/0)

-buttons (i got mine at my local Fabricland)

-scissors

*not pictured*

-clipboard or something to hold the bracelet down while your threading. it helps A LOT

start by double threading your needle. don't worry about it not being long enough to go through the entire bracelet, there is a genius solution i figured out and we will get there when thread runs out., but for now just keep it decently long, but not so long it's unmanageable.

cut two pieces of string that are the length of your wrist 2.5 times (after being folded... so 5 times haha)

so i sort of broke this bracelet into sections to simplify the pattern i had to follow due to the beads being an uneven size. my bracelet ended up getting only two full rows before i needed to add spare small beads to even it out. but this will be further explained in pictures later.

starting your bracelet is hard, so don't get too frustrated.

now i have a trick for these sort of bracelets, that also happens to cut string usage in half. so. instead of treading over the string and then weaving back under, i thread through the string (as pictured above). this prevents the beads from wiggling around once it's done, and in my opinion makes the bracelet a lot more sturdy. (also a bonus, the string practically disappears if it's the same color as the hemp ;))

coming along!! :)

make sure as you're going along that you are paying close attention to the positioning of the smaller beads on the sides because the bigger ones in the middle will sort of make themselves look pretty as you go along (i found at least) but the smaller ones once they are sewn in are stuck for good)

so here we go back to the "sectioning" this would be a picture of the first row in the section. see how the beads line up really nicely?

(i forgot to take a picture before threading the third row, which can be undone by just pulling the thread back! i was just lazy) see how the middle bead is sticking out a whole bunch and pulling on the side beads funny? that's what we don't want. enter row three!!

now to get the thread back to the other side thread it through the bead in the middle. 

but DON'T forget to poke the needle through the second string before putting the bead on. always ALWAYS thread through the string, never lay the thread over or under it.

tadaaa row three is done. and now we're perfectly set up for row one!! 

see, the needle goes straight through and the beads are all where they should be. beauty. (notice my thread it going through every string and not under or over it)

ok so here is where my thread was getting a little short and i needed to make it longer. poke the thread back through the first string BEFORE cutting the needle off the end.

cut another double backed thread, thread it like you normally would, and tie the two loose ends as close to that first rope as possible. (see that tiny knot?? sorry for the poopy picture) 

string on and sew in your next bead aaaaand.... tadaaaaa, magic. where'd it go??

when your bracelet is the length you want it to be, weave the thread back over and under the beads and rope once each (yes this is the only exception to that NEVER EVER rule)

then tie a nice little knot and cut the thread off (to avoid tangling with the button clasp)

tie another knot down the line just so there is enough room for the button to fit through. not too much and not  too little haha.

tada!!!

not too shabby eh?? (ps, the smaller beads on the American Eagle bracelet would have given it a two row section, so you can take a look at the difference there. (basically mine has two three small for every two big and AE has two small for every big. 

*it's really just trial and error with what works best for the beads you choose*

ain't she a beaut. so proud.

well i hope you enjoyed as much as i did!! post pictures of your creations in the comments, or links to the m or whichever, i wanna see!!! later gators :)

DIY Earring Organizer

Hello all you crafty ladies!!! (and gents, dont be ashamed if you're a gent)

So if you read the post previous to this one, you were forewarned of my up and coming diy project. today i decided to take a trip to the local Michael's and buy all the supplies i needed so i could get started because i was just SO excited!!!!! i spent a little more than i would have liked but i still got a good deal and it was worth every penny anyways! so without further word vomit and story telling, here's how i made my earring organizer :)

Here's what i bought.

1. a shadow box

2. paints (multiple because they were on sale)

3. a brush

4. a small box

5. sponge foam

Ok so i lead, i'm gonna rant a little bit in between pictures, just because i find some diy posts out there just aren't quite detailed enough. and i figure if you just want to look at the pictures, they're there for ya :). 

so this box was on for 40% off and still cost me over 30 bucks. now for most that can be quite pricey, but i have looked high and low for a solution to this problem and this was by far the best so it was worth the extra couple bucks (if you wanna save a TON here's another option, it just isn't quite as clean and takes more effort on your part) (also my earring collection is a tad bit larger than most so you don't have to get one as big as mine... it'll cost you less if you downsize)

because this box was designed to showcase jewellery, there was a thick pad of styrofoam at the bottom covered in velvet. i just grabbed my butter knife and pried her out (carefully)

tada! 

then i grabbed my sponge brush and applied my first coat.

(now i don't necessarily recommend a sponge brush for this, especially if you're gonna be painting the outside of the box. it will leave streaks. but it was just the cheapest thing i could find and this was just a little touch to add to the box anyways)

Now, because i can be a little bit of a perfectionist, when the sponge led the paint astray and out of the lines i would wipe it off. even when it's dry, this stuff does scratch off of the finish on the shadow box so it's no big (so if you're gonna paint the outside, buy mod podge or some other gloss seal finish to keep the paint from chipping)

Use scrap cardboard for your paint thingy (what are those called...?)

and don't forget to CLEAN your brush between coats. or it will get all crusty. i just used water and made sure the water rang out clear.

this is coat number three... almost there!!

oops... leaned into the paint. have you guys ever done this before?? cuz it seems to happen to me every time. (so make sure you're wearing some grubby clothes if you're like me!!)

aaand 4. good!!

see the streaks i was talking about? meh, no big to me.

I also painted my little box before cleaning my brush each time, cuz it took about three coats

now for the numbers. measure your box from inside corner to inside corner, cuz you're about to cut your foam square :)

mark the right measurements, trace it out, and snip snip!!

then carefully trace out a hole for your box and cut that out

i had to go back and trim mine to make it a little bigger so i didn't have to force it in once the lid was on. oops hah, but you cant even see this once the box is in.

i also recommend you cut your square just a little too big, or you'll end up with this ugly gap....

oops.....

ok!!! now i didn't have a printer so i had to get a little creative with this one. because i wanted my backing box to be a little more than just a solid color, i looked up a damask decal that i liked on the net and brought up the picture.

i taped a piece of paper to the screen and traced it out as best i could without applying too much pressure

 i recommend using a different colored pencil than the color of the decal so you can tell which lines you've traced without lifting the paper a bajillion times :)

then grab a pencil with softer lead and trace some really dark lines over the ones you've already traced.

flip that sucker over and position it where you want the picture to be on the box and scratch the CRAP outta that sucker. make sure to keep it in place or the picture wont come out clear

and this is the result after the scratching

i went in with pen and lightly retraced over it so that my palm wouldn't rub the lead off when i filled in the decal with my handy dandy sharpie :)

coming along!!!! :)

tadaaaaa!!! <3 <3 so pleased with how this turned out!!!

that's a lot of backings. (i do suggest on your trip to Michael's that you grab yourself some rubber earring backings. they always get lost and i personally think they hold better than your standard metal backing anyways, so there ya go, win win :)

ain't she a beaut!!!

well, that's my diy for the next little while... hah, it was a blast and i love the way it turned out!! the great thing about keeping the foam in one big piece is you can stick dangly earrings in too!! (there wasn't quite enough room for all of my danglies but i am planning on making something else for those guys anyways :)

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as i loved creating!! let me know if and how you guys make your own box :) tata!!