Adventures in Weaving

I've been eyeing the often charmingly eccentric woolly wall art popping up everywhere recently with a "I rather like it!" continually on my lips.  Thus, I decided to try my hand at it using an old paint-chipped metal loom unearthed from a this-&-that drawer in my mother's house - designed to create pot holders, originally {the loom, not the drawer =)}.  I did not know what I was doing at the start, really, {or throughout the whole back breaking/neck aching process, truthfully} but I kept it up anyway... over & under & over & under... & ended up with something I rather like!

*It's easy to create your own weaving loom out of cardboard.  Try the tutorial here!

A Bit of Inspiration...

My "stitches" started out well, but got rather wonky in the middle working around the triangle design, but that just adds to the charm, don't ya think?

I didn't have a dowel, so I used what I had: a chopstick!

I want to try one with more fringe next time!  I'll keep you posted!  Have you ever tried your hand at weaving?  What do you think of the woven wall art craze?

Weaving Love,

-Bess-

DIY Jelly Inspired Barrettes

I rocked jelly sandals back in the day & am glad to see them back in full force {though I remember them being sticky in the summer heat like real jelly, maybe they've improved upon them now, those jelly scientists {chemists?} {oompa loompas?} (or maybe it was just me)}.  

True story: I remember begging my mom to get me these platform clear jelly sandals cause my best friend Julie had em & I, of course, wanted to be a cool grown-up-extra-tall 5th grader, too.  I did get them & nearly sprained my ankle - I remember my class was walking in straight-line-school-style & I turned my ankle & ended up on the floor.  Ah, those were the days!  Really, they were.

Here's a DIY hair barrette inspired by that nostalgic jelly plastic!

Inspiration...

I recently found these plastic sparkly bows on an end-cap in the stationary/party department of my local Target.  They had been marked down to $0.45 each!  Yes, I did pile a few into my cart, cause I knew I could do something with them - even if it was just to top off a gift {which is what they are actually intended for}, but I thought they had more potential then that... & once I got to thinking about my jelly clad feet of childhood I knew what I wanted to do.

All you do is hot glue your plastic gift bows to metal hair barrettes {found at most any craft store}.  Make sure you are careful with the hot glue, as you don't want to melt the plastic {either use your regular hot glue gun as soon as it warms up or use a low heat one}.  I decided to snip the ends off the greenish bow for a little different look.  If you can't find the gift bows at your Target, I suggest trying another party store for similar plastic package toppers.

Remembering the Jelly Days of Summers Past,

-Bess-

Tree Slice Mini Chalkboard DIY {Inspired by "Smashed Peas & Carrots"}

I was perusing Pinterest the other day when I saw a sweet/easy craft that seemed perfect for spring {& it involved chalkboard paint (which I love)}.  So, I clicked through & stumbled onto a new-to-me blog charmingly called "Smashed Peas & Carrots" - yes, it's a momma's blog, but this single girl can still appreciate the creative craftiness!  Click here to visit & to find Maggie's tutorial! 

Here's the supplies I used... {+ I also used some mint colored twine from Target's dollar section & a power drill to make the holes - oh, & the chalkboard paint is Martha Stewart in "green" from Michael's}.

Hello, spring!  Won't you stay awhile?

Love,

-Bess-

P.S.: I think spring is paying me no mind, because we've got a week in the 40s coming up again.  I feel like I'm in Narnia {before the battles/victory}, here.

Sweet Little Owls {Inspired by "A Beautiful Mess"}

The other day I spied the most adorable owl DIY over at "A Beautiful Mess" {click the underlined link to visit & see Elsie's owl babies for yourself + her tutorial}!

It's hard to believe these owls started out as junk mail wadded up & covered in duct tape! =) This is definitely a green project!

I covered mine in felt I had lying around.  For the time being, I decided to not add the stick/twig feet to my flock - maybe later. 

Love these owls scattered about for fall! 

Hoot Hoot {Owl Love},

-Bess-

Lyric Art {Inspired by "A Beautiful Mess"}

This is the 2nd DIY inspired by A Beautiful Mess I've completed this summer!  As a blogger, I always hope that people not only see my DIYs, but try them out, too!  That's what they're there for after all!  I, myself {as a blog reader}, love to try out others' tutorials, too - especially when that other is someone as crafty as Elsie of A Beautiful Mess.  You can find instructions on this simple DIY over here on her fabulous blog!    

I chose the song "You Are For Me" by Kari Jobe.  As you can see, if your handwriting {paintwriting?} is anything like mine {larger than you expect}, you won't fit too much of the lyrics on your canvas.  That adds to the uniqueness, but you could also take another canvas & add more of the lyrics.  I'm thinking about this... maybe a slightly smaller canvas & with colored paint... hmmm...

But for now, I'm simply enjoying this!  Thanks for the inspiration, Elsie!

Handmade Love,

-Bess-

P.S.: Listen to the song here:

Floral Crown DIY {Inspired by "Sincerely Kinsey"}

Browsing around "Sincerely Kinsey" - a sweet photography/DIY blog I read - I came across Kinsey's tutorial to make a "practical" floral crown.  There's something almost dress-up/fairy-pretend about a halo of flowers that has always made me want one, cause this girl would wear a princess dress to Disney World if I could get away with it!  

Even though floral crowns are really in at the moment, it's still hard for me to think I could pull one off most days.  However, the pretty practicality of Kinsey's crown is perfect!  Click here to view her tutorial!

I was able to find the same flowers Kinsey used in her tutorial!  {They're from Hobby Lobby.}  I used a thin wire headband {camouflaged, but pictured above, also from Hobby Lobby}.

I cut the flowers, leaving a few inches of stem, & wrapped each wire stem around the wire headband.  With a couple remaining blossoms I made an additional hair clip, for those days when something smaller than a headband is wanted.

Thanks, Kinsey for the fantastic inspiration!  You no longer have to wait for a music festival to be a princess of the flora!

Handmade Love,

-Bess-

Faux-Leather Hair Clips DIY {Inspired by "A Beautiful Mess"}

The other day, the uber-talented Elsie of "A Beautiful Mess" blog created a set of adorable leather hair clips {click here to see}.  I was especially taken with the dachshund one {see below}!  Then, I remembered my thrifted pleather-y, leather-like purse squares from back in this post & this post.  I still had extras! And with them... I created these!  {I couldn't resist adding the cute striped hair bow {above} I made from extra ribbon from my hat project!}

I free handed a dachshund shape to create my own template {using Elsie's hair clip as a reference}, & then cut mine out of my faux-leather stuff.  I actually cut out several {& messed up several}, before deciding that the very first one I cut out was best!  I used star & arrow images from the computer to create templates for my other two hair clips.  Alligator clips hot glued to the back of each design creates instant barrettes.

Here's my own beautiful mess from creating these!

Elsie & her sis, Emma, are two of the craftiest gals ever & I'm so glad they share their talents on "A Beautiful Mess"!

What kind of hair clip(s) would you make & who inspires you to craft?

Handmade Love,

-Bess-