One photo bracelet DIY

 

 Let's ignore the quality, shall we? 

I've never embroidered anything in my life before a few moments ago. Really. haha!!

I may try this again, only with a bit more 'planning'.

What you need:

-Denim scraps (have you made jeans into shorts recently?)

-Embroidery floss (friendship bracelet style)

-Sewing needle (large enough eye for the thread)

-Clasp (hobbylobby or ANY craft store)

-Jump rings or split rings, and chain in case you make it too small (oops)

-Ribbon Crimps. I got mine here on etsy.

-Scissors and jewelry pliers.

Start by taking your piece of denim and cutting a long thin strip. Wrap this around your wrist and mark with a pen where you need it cut. Mine has a chain because I cut it too small for my wrist, so make sure you cut it long first, then take off little pieces until it's perfect. Thread up your needle with the thick embroidery floss.

I would recommend drawing out whatever design you want with a pen to be sure you have an even guide to follow, and that it will all fit (so it doesn't need to look like mine. Another oops lol!!)

Start threading through the back so that your knot and edge of the thread aren't visible. Stick with straight lines. The back won't be visible so focus only on the front and your clean lines.

Once you have your writing done, grab your ribbon clamps and your pliers and close one on each end.

 Add your jump rings and clasp, and DONE!

Optional: Before adding the end clamps, cut another piece of denim to the same size, and use fabric glue to glue it to the back of your designed piece. This will make it a little more sturdy, and will hide any thread on the back side. The clamps will still easily fit over top of both pieces after they're glued together.

Optional: Buy a product called "no fray" (i think that's what it called?) 

to spray on the edges of your denim to stop any fraying of pieces off the edge.

Someone keep me mooootivated please!!! haha

I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog. 

Working 50 hours a week and trying to upkeep two etsy shops takes a lot out of you! 

Blogging is a little bit of a relaxing break though, so I know I need to keep up with it better.

 I'll try harder, promise ;-)

Vest: thrifted at Buffalo Exchange
Shirt: lace sleeve boatneck from Rue 21.

Capris: Rue 21.
All three pieces cost about $25 combined. Paired with studded sandals (paprika brand), lots of bracelets, and my brand new necklace from Etsy. (more on that later!!)

Most of last nights outfit. I didn't think about taking a photo until after I got home, at 2am.  Contacts were already out, and shoes were already off. Oh well! This is the first tiny vest I've worn in awhile. I have one or two others, but they aren't as 'tight'. I thrifted this down in Dallas at Buffalo Exchange last week. This is the smallest I've been since about my Junior year in high school.  I'm just now starting to feel comfortable in more body hugging clothes. Maybe more of them to come. I have about 2 sizes left to lose.

 

Above mentioned necklace. I have a love for anything Stephen Gammell. He's the guy who did all the art in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. You may recognize this from the cover of the first book. I found an Etsy shop who had it in her shop. I'm not quite sure if that's copy write infrindgement or not, but, I wanted it. Not too happy with the illegal use of a priority mailer turned inside out to ship it 1st class.... but.. yeah.

Nakia. I saw he was coming to Iron Horse and had no idea who he was, but someone said he was famous so I googled. He was on The Voice. He sounded awesome, so since it's a normal weekend place for us, we decided to go check it out. Very glad we went! Since all I heard on youtube were covers he played on The Voice, I really didn't know what to expect. It was blues. GOOD blues. Sadly, I really do not like music that makes me want to fall asleep while I'm drinking a beer, so about half of what they played I was fairly bored while watching. The more upbeat songs had my attention though. You can't tell from the photo, but Nakia is wearing sunglasses here. Wearing sunglasses while playing in a bar at night is kind of like wearing an Ed Hardy shirt to me... you don't do it unless you want to look like a Dbag. Thankfully, he ditched them a few songs in. Their guitar player is where it's at though. That guy was fantastic. Very fantastic. 

They didn't play too much that I recognized. A good amount was original. 

I did manage to snag a 1 minute video of a cover of Sex is on Fire though. (kings of leon)

I like it better than the original!

Instagram: 4th of July, mountain views, and a deer head

*Fourth of July nails and necklace.

 *Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights in front of a sunset.  

 *A few shots of the fireworks, that were REALLY lame by the way. 

*Jewelry that I should probably put away...

*My grandmother shipped us a pizza! She overnighted it from our FAVORITE place back home. 1500 miles away, in a tiny town called Waverly, is the best garlic pizza I've ever had in my life!

*Me and one of my besties, Tayler having an amazing time during a Radio Republic show. Rockabilly music makes a good night better.
*Two pairs of pants. Both I've had since Jr High. Which makes them about 10+years old. haha!

*After paying retail on my favorite bars, I decided to buy them online. The package arrived!!!
Spirulina, Lemon dew, and Raspberry Chocolate. Mmmm
*Chuck went out and bought this metal deer head while I was at work one day. I came home to a note on the door that said "don't feed the cage animals". Cute...

*Two shots of the sunset from the Wichita Mountains.

Geometric Painted Bags

 

Etro, on Vogue.

Gorgeous isn't it? 

The perfect mix of the red pattern underneath, with a spunky geometric print on top.

Can I say spunky? Oh well. I just did.

via pinterest

You can take these same concepts and design your own clutch. 

Find something that isn't too tough to paint. Meaning, pick a sturdy leather or vinyl. I'm sure you can do this on softer leathers as well, but it might be easier on something a bit stiff. Nab some acrylic paints in whatever color you want, and go crazy. To get long straight lines, painters tape might be the way to go. For other patterns, look for fun stencils to use. With stencils, you may even be able to use spray paint.

 

Head over to Mr. Kate to find a few other ideas.

 They've painted up quite a few bags!

Fashion and Beauty uses for Dawn

 

Who would have thought there would be so many amazing uses for Dawn dishsoap?

 Here is a short list of things this stuff is supposed to do:

Remove red wine from a carpet. Mix one part Dawn dishwashing liquid with two parts hydrogen peroxide (available at any drug store), pour it directly on the stain.

Takes stains our of clothes. Use the same mixture as above for the carpet, and add it to hot water. Dunk whatever clothes you have right in there for a few minutes.

Give yourself a manicure. Stick some Dawn in a dish (don't dilute it) and let your nails soak. It softens your cuticles and removes any oils from your nails so polish will stick easier.

Hair degreaser. Supposedly, this can work just like a deep cleansing shampoo.

Face wash. Great for oily skin, and mild enough to use every day. 

Also on the list of things this bottle can do:
Kills ticks and fleas on pets. Can be mixed with a bit of water in ziplock bags for freezable ice packs. Use as a weed killer (mixed with salt and vinegar). 

Try doing a search on Pinterest for Dawn Soap and see what you come up with. 

Interesting!

What have you used dishsoap for that is out of the norm?