How to ~ Crochet a Hand Towel Ring Holder

Materials List:

~  Wool {I used left over scraps - I think it was 4 ply}

~  4.5mm/5mm hook

~  Needle for sewing in ends

Gauge:  N/A   Hook & yarn chart if you are not sure what to use, or if you wish to make a smaller/large holder.

Abbreviations:  

ch – chain
st - stitch
sk - skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
mc - magic circle
* – repeat

The Pattern:

Using two strands of wool at once to make your sts thicker, create a large magic circle loop.

Ch 2, dc 38 sts around mc.  Sl st to join and start the 'top' of the holder.

The aim is to create a triangle shape:  Sc 7 sts across the top of your dc.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 5 across the top.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 3 across the top.

Chain 8, and sl st to the other side of the triangle to form the hanging loop.   To re-enforce the loop you can sc across it.  Sl st to join back into the main piece.

{Optional} Picot Edging:

To do a picot edging ~

Ch 3 and sl st into the same st.  Sc 1, ch3 and sl st into same st* all the way around until you reach the other side of the hanging loop.

Sew in ends and hang your towel up!    (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ

Ta Da!

xox,
bonita

Quick Share ~ DIY Hat Stands

Mandi from Here's Looking At Me Kid has come up with a great tutorial that I thought was too cute not to share; so here you go! : D 

DIY: Easy and Colorful Hat Stands

 
   Ever since my 2010 New Year's resolution to wear more hats, my home has become a veritable dumping ground for colorful hats of all shapes and sizes. I do hang some on the wall, and others are kept in hatboxes, but I really thought it was high time some of my pretty hats received proper stands all their own. After checking online and in local antique stores to see what sort of hat stands were available, I was struck with the thrifty idea of making my own…

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ DIY Lace Earrings

I found this post on Fashion Hacker by Em, and I love it!  A fantastic and easy DIY that will make something special to add to your jewellery collection.  I cannot wait to try it myself. 

DIY Lace Earrings

Those earrings! So pretty. I had to try to make my own!

…..I have had so much fun wearing these, and I can't wait to make more. Have fun with your own DIY!

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Crochet a flower hair accessory

This is a simple tutorial on how to crochet a flower hair clip like the one above.  You might have noticed me wearing it in my hair in this outfit post:  Happy Feet ~ Outfit Thirty Eight.  Actually, it was pretty hard to miss being the subject of one whole photo all by itself!!!  *side eye*  Anyway, now you can make one just like it for yourself.  ^ w ^

I do not have my usual step by step photos as it mostly about following the pattern, so if you have any questions; please do not hesitate to ask .  : )

Materials List:

~  Wool  in two different colours {I used 2 ply cotton yarn in ivory & pink}
~  Crochet hook in the appropriate size for the ply of your wool 
~  Hair clip finding {I used a mini millinery barrette as the clip}
~  Needle for sewing the flower to the finding

Gauge:

I used a 1.75mm hook with my yarn.  For your standard 3-4 ply wool, a 2.00 - 3.25mm hook is recommended.  Hook & yarn chart.

Abbreviations:

ch – chain
sk – skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
* – repeat

The Pattern: 

~  Flower Centre  ~

Ch 21.
Row 1: *Dc, ch1, dc* in fifth ch from hook. *Ch1, sk1. Dc, ch 1, dc in next stitch* till the end (repeat 8 times).  You should end up with 9 double crochet V’s.  Ch 3 and turn.
Row 2: In first ch1 space between the double crochet V’s, dc 4 times. *Sl st in next ch1 space between the double crochet V’s. Dc 5 times* till the end (repeat 9 times).  Sl st in last stitch in row.

Step 1:  Fasten off and leave long tail for sewing. With the tail on the right side, roll the flower inwards (clockwise motion), placing the petals how you would like and sewing to hold it in place.

~  Flower Petals  ~

Ch 48
Row 1:  Sk 1 ch, sc in next ch and across, ch 3, turn
Row 2: *Sk 1 sc, 2 dc in next sc, sk next sc, 1 dc in next sc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 3: *2 dc, ch1, 2 dc in space between 2 dc, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 4: *3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 5: *8 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across – finish off with sl st leaving a long tail to sew the clip on.

Step 2:  Take flower centre and roll the outside petals around it, sewing the petals in place with the rest of the flower centre’s tail.

Step 3:  Using the flower petals’ long tail sew the hair clip finding onto the back of the flower. 

Step 4:   Wear and enjoy your crochet flower hair clip.  ^ U ^

xox,

bonita

Made it!!

So I managed to create something every day for the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge.  I am soooo surprised and happy that I did it!   I seriously had my doubts, because as you already know, Theodore arrived on Day 3 of the 30 Days.  

Having a new baby sure made it even more challenging than it already was, but I did do it!  Okay, I will admit I posted a lot of the stuff the day after I made it, and some times I had to do a catch up and do two or three things in one day, but I still did it and that’s what counts in the end. 
^  U  ^    Here are some more of my projects ~

~* ♥ * ~  Resin daisies glued onto disc earring findings  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~  Nail Art using Konad plates m59 & m71  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~  Pearl beads threaded onto jewellery wire, finished with an ivory bow  ~* ♥ * ~

And last but not least ~ the Day 30 project….

I made it!  Yay!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  If you want to see all of my 30 Days of Creativity projects I have pictures up on Pinterest.  You can find them here.

How to ~ Create a pin cushion out of a teacup

All the credit for this fantastic DIY goes to Sophie of Sophie Makes Things.   She had a wonderful idea that worked so beautifully that I had to try it myself!  I am not going to do a proper tutorial because you should go and check Sophie’s tutorial out here:

D.I.Y - Teacup Pin Cushion!

This was my Day One project for the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge  and I thought I would show you some pictures of what I did and, of course, the end results!   ^ ω ^  ~ ♥

Recipe for one cute pin cushion!

Step 1:  Beg, borrow or steal one pretty teacup and saucer.

 

 

 

 

Step 2:  Have fun with a glue gun!

Cup stuck to saucer?  Good, now you can move on…

 

Step 3:  Stuffing explosion!  A teacup volcano has erupted.

Step 4:  ‘Measure’ your material to fit your stuffing ~ this was rather an estimation on my part.

 

 

 

Step 5:  Put stuffing in material square and make it round.

 

 

 

 

Step 6:  Finish your fabric dumpling  *nomnom*

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7:  Apply more glue ~ you can never have enough….  > < 

 

 

 

 

And……

Tada!!!

You now have a pin cushion teacup to keep your needle mouse company.   > ω <    Is it not lovely?  I have it sitting on my desk next to my computer; just in case, you know, I need to ever sew a key back on my keyboard or some such thing…. 

Let me know if you make one of these too ~ we can have a teacup pin cushion party!  : D

xox,

bonita

Day 22 of 30… It’s a long road.

I thought I would do an update on how I am going with the 30 Days of Creativity challenge. 

So far it’s been pretty fun. I have gotten some projects done that I have been wanting to do for a while and I have also done a few things that I haven’t been planning/that were not on my list.

Yes, being the chronic list maker that I am, I made a list of thirty {Well, really twenty~nine, as the last one sort of does not count.  You’ll see what I mean in a moment.} things that I could do for the 30 Days. 

I think that there are a lot of fun things to do and I have only written down a few ideas.  I do not think that I will actually get to do everything as I have only crossed off a few things and I have repeated a few others, but that’s okay.  So far it has been really cool to participate in this challenge ~ it is my first time to be involved in anything like it, and I am really enjoying it!

Here are some pictures of finished projects:

~* ♥ * ~  Amigurumi Bunny Broach  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~  Crocheted rainbow baby mittens for Theodore  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~   Weekly manicure and nail deco: Mode Cosmetics Polish in Runway  ~* ♥ * ~

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  If you want to see all of my 30 Days of Creativity projects I have pictures up on Pinterest.  You can find them here.

30 Days of Creativity ~ My Challenge!!

I saw the 30 Days of Creativity meme on Tiffany’s A Reason to be Fabulous and while my first thought was “Ooo ~ goody!  This looks like fun!” my logical side kicked in pretty quickly and put the brakes on the whole idea. 

Galloping on the heels of the initial “Yeh, I could do this ~ it looks like something I would like to try” was a very big “Are you crazy?!!? You have a BABY coming ~ as in newborn, never-had-one-of-these-before BABY and you want to start a challenge to be creative for 30 days in a row???”   ………

*sigh*

So here’s my dilemma.  Do I give this challenge a go and hope for the best or do I not bother?  See, I am the kind of person that likes to do things right or just not do them at all.  And I do not have any idea if I will be able to start this project on June 1st, let alone keep it up for a whole month!  

But I do really want to try!  I love crafting and being creative and really ~ it’s such a huge genre.  You could origami your toilet paper.  That’s creative.   Or you could ice a cake.  Or decorate your nails.  Or crochet amigurumi.  Or make a card.  Or draw a picture ~ anything goes really!

I think the only “rule” is that you have to start and finish the project in the day.  So for example, I am knitting a blanket for my baby, and although I could work on that and be creative, I am no where close to finished, so it sort of doesn’t count.  At least, I do not know if it does or it doesn’t but I think that it shouldn’t!

So I guess the long and the short of it is that I will take up this challenge to the best of my abilities.

I pledge to start and finish one creative project a day starting on June the 1st, 2011.

If I can manage to do it, then hooray!  If it gets too much to handle then so be it.  I suppose that even if I get one creative thing done out of the thirty days then it will be worth it.  

Wish me luck!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ Let me know if any of you take up the challenge; I’ll follow your board on Pinterest!  Oh, and if you want an invite to Pinterest, just let me know and I’ll send you one. 

^ ω ^  ~ ♥ 

Quick Share ~ DIY Vintage Style Beaded Collars

A cute accessory is the quickest way to perk up a vintage wardrobe that can often times be limited {thanks to rising demand for vintage clothing which as we all know creates high prices & less available items}.   No one knows this better than Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage and Brittany of Va~Voom Vintage. 

If you can make the vintage styled accessory yourself, even better, so they have collaborated with this fantastic post!  Now you can have a truly unique piece to wear with your outfit.  And on that note I am DYING to try this DIY craft out for myself.   Click through for details and free patterns!  

{Jewellery Week}  Beaded Collar Tutorial

…Since the beginning of fashion history, ladies have used removable accessories to create different looks in their wardrobe. Depression era and wartime fashions demonstrate the importance of using a few lovely frills to make the most of what you have. A vintage beaded collar is a perfect accessory for dressing up a simple frock or cardigan. A decadent collar may also be worn as a necklace….

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A Beginner’s DecoDen Tutorial

Disclaimer:  This is the first decoden project I have ever done myself ~ so I am not an expert, but I did learn a few things doing it so I thought I would share them. 

For the first ever decoden project I have ever done I must say I really quite enjoyed it!  It is a great way to make something boring look pretty and unusual at the same time.  Plus, it is a totally personal thing.  You can do whatever you want and you will be guaranteed to end up with a unique piece, which is something I really like about anything ~ not just deco.  

I think next time though I will make sure I am in a room with better ventilation as I got dizzy from all the epoxy glue fumes!   > O <

Maybe a higher table too, so I do not have to bend over so far?  Anyways, I loved it and I can not wait to do more deco when I get the chance!  However, on the tutorial we go.   As it is another long post I will highlight things that I think are important in pink.

These are the supplies I got for my project:

I did not end up using everything I bought, but it was helpful to have the different cabochons to choose from when deciding on my design.

Basic supplies:

• One clear Gen 3 iPhone case
• Two parts Epoxy glue ~ Araldite for Australians. 
           {My epoxy had a five minute drying time which was ok, but meant that I wasted a lot of the glue.  I have heard that the longer setting time is recommended; but I kind of liked being able to pick my project up without bumping and ruining the work I had already done.  Try both to figure out what works for you.  I think I am going to use both types next time to test which one is better for me.}
• A picker ~ mine was homemade; just a skewer cut down to size with a blob of Blutack (the stuff you use to stick posters up for non~Australian readers ~ I am sorry I do not know what it is called overseas….  T ^ T } on the end. 
• Pointy nosed tweezers ~ I bought these half way through the project and they certainly helped to save my sanity when it came to the smaller gems.  Get some ~ you’ll use them.
• A plate/piece of cardboard for the epoxy to go on.
• Toothpicks to apply the epoxy with.
• Shallow dishes to put your deco pieces/rhinestones in.
• Something to lay underneath your project so you do not get glue everywhere.  I used paper towel. 

Deco parts {sorry, I do not have the size details of the cabochons or pearls}:

• One white glitter rose cabochon   ~  from a local bargain shop
• Two large glitter pink rose cabochons  ~  ordered from modes4u; unfortunately they do not seem to stock them any more
• Four small pink rose cabochons {there were advertised as nail art pieces, but they work perfectly with my design}  ~ also ordered from modes4u; but not in stock
• Three small heart shaped flat back pearls   ~  from a local bargain shop
• One large heart shaped flat back pearl   ~  from a local bargain shop
• Five assorted size round flat back pearls    ~  from a local bargain shop
• Approximately 500 round flat back rhinestones   ~  from a local bargain shop:

~ 6 mm stones:   37 {I would round that up to 40~50 gems so you have spares if you need them}

~ 4 mm stones: Approximately 250 {Round to 300~350}

~ 3 mm stones: Approximately 200 {Round to 250~300}

Note:  I did a price check on how much the Swarovski crystals would have cost me and I was looking at about $40.00 USD for the lot rounded up; not including postage.  

However, my plastic crystals were $6.00 AUD in total….   So yeah.  Huge price difference; but at the same time, I can see how the Swarovski crystals would be totally worth it. 

One, you can clean the excess glue off them {more on that later!}.  Two, they would last longer as well as being more sparkly.    Three, you wouldn’t have to worry about the gems falling off their bases which has already happened to one of mine.  : /   And four, which I like the most ~ you would have left overs, plus, if you do a smaller project it would not cost as much.

But between you and me, I think this is why sweets deco is so popular now ~ silicon for whipped cream costs around $15.00 ~ $35.00 USD {depending on the size of the tube} if you buy the Japanese craft silicon and cabochons can be found relatively cheap. 

I think it ends up heaps cheaper to do sweets deco; especially if you make your own cabochons, but I guess it depends in the end what you are willing to spend. 

Step 1:  Set up your deco area.  Make sure you have plenty of room on your table and desk so you can find everything when you want it.

Top Tip:  It is a good idea to make sure you are in a well ventilated area as epoxy glue has quite a strong smell and the fumes can make you dizzy. 

 

 

Step 2:  Clean the surface you are about deco with a damp cloth and then lay out your design.

I only had ideas about the cabochons because I basically wanted to pave the empty space around them with rhinestones; so this is what I laid out before I started gluing.

 

 

Step 3:  Lift up your cabochons and glue in place.  I also made a quick decision to add some pearls so I glued them down next.

Then start gluing your rhinestones on around them.  I started up the top and did a straight row across.   I left the sides for later as I put larger stones around the edge.

Top Tip:  Only do a small area of glue at a time ~ no bigger than 1 1/2 cm square.   This is particularly applicable when using the fast drying glue.  You do not want your glue to dry out on your project before you get your stones stuck on.

Step 4:  Put a small patch of glue on your project.  Stick rhinestones on, making sure to choose the best sizes so there are as few gaps as physically possible.  You want the stones to sit next to each other as closely as they can ~ sort of like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle.  

Step 5:  Lather, rinse, repeat until the project is entirely paved with rhinestones!   Bear in mind that this process will probably take a few hours depending on the size of the area you are decoing.

Step 6:  Allow your project to dry for the recommended drying time.

Top Tip:  If you are using glass, crystal or Swarovski gems {possibly resin; but I am not sure about this so do a tester first!!} you can clean off any excess glue using am acetone nail polish remover.  Clean the excess off BEFORE it sets.  DO NOT use nail polish remover on plastic rhinestones because it will melt the plastic and turn it cloudy; i.e. ~ your gems will stop sparkling and you probably do not want that!

Step 7:  Enjoy your pretty new sparkly!!    > U <  ~  ♥

Top Tip:  My iPhone case did not have a place to hang mobile phone charms off, so I super glued a a loop of ribbon to the inside of the case and hung my pony off that.  It works great and the case still fits like, well, a charm!   > __ <

Well, that’s it for my first decoden project but I hope to be back soon with more deco bling!   If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment and I will do my very best to answer them. 

xox,

bonita

Review ~ Sassy’n’Punk + Cute Magnet Craft!

Remember a while ago when I did a post about Sassy’n’Punk’s online shop and all the cute things they had for sale?

Well, they sent me a little thank you gift for writing the post and I got in the mail just the other week.  When I opened my package this is what I found all safely nestled in bubble wrap!

~ * ♥ * ~  Sassy’n’Punk Item Review  ~ * ♥ * ~

     Review:

It’s a pretty heart pendant as far as I can tell…  > . >   I don’t actually know what it is because it’s actually quite large ~ about 2 inches high and about the same across, so is it a large pendant or a keychain charm?   I am not really sure…. 

It is really well made and I can tell that Leyla {she’s the owner, but I am not sure if it’s just her making the items or if she has help} takes care with making sure the Sassy’n’Punk products look really good.

 

I love the colours of the little hearts too ~ they are really cute.   But there are a couple of things that I do have to mention because I do feel that they affect the my overall review.

The major thing was that it took a very long time for the item to arrive from the UK ~ I did expect that because Leyla warned me that it took a long time to ship to Australia.  I was surprised that it took over a month though; that was really unexpected.

The other point is more personal; I was under the impression that Sassy'n'Punk were offering to send me an item from their store in exchange for the post I did about their products.  However,  I searched their website and they are not selling this item.  I really wanted to be able to review an actual Sassy’n’Punk product, so that was really quite disappointing to me. 

Still I was able to see the quality of the handmade items that they do produce and I think that it is good quality.  

Conclusion:

I think Sassy’n’Punk craft really cute, well made, handmade items.  The shipping is slow though, at least for Australians, so be prepared to wait if you order. 

Would I buy it?

I would buy from Sassy’n’Punk ~ but I’d order the things I want all at once I don’t have to wait forever for the shipping.

Rating:

7/10  ~  over a month for shipping is a little bit much, but other than that the service and product is really good. 

I am not counting my personal disappointment, because I don’t feel that it’s a reflection of a customer’s over all experience of Sassy’n’Punk.  : )

Cute Magnets inspired by Melanie of Beauty meets Kawaii

Melanie wrote a tutorial on Pretty~fying Your Ugly Fridge Magnets ~ it was such a simple, easy idea that I thought I’d give it a go myself.

It was also a great way to use the cute Sanrio packaging {the Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Hamster pictures} that I carted all the way from Switzerland back to Australia…  >  <

The other two magnets are from the puffy sticker sheets I bought from Modes4u ~ I LOVE the bunny and veggies in box; it’s soooo cute!  > w <

So I don’t have a fridge yet, but I do have cute magnets to start my collection of cute kitchenware!   I can not wait to set up house ~ it’s going to be some much fun.   ^ U ^

xox,

bonita

Only six days and seven sleeps until my darling comes home and all the fun begins!   ♥ ♥ ♥

How to ~ Tea Paper Tutorial

Remember I showed you how I dyed some cloth for my Vintage Styled Hair Bow Holder Tutorial using tea bags to get an ‘antique’ look?   Well, I thought I’d also do a tutorial on using similar techniques to antiquitize paper as well!

This tutorial is super easy and simple, but has a lot of potential if you do any sort of paper craft {ie, scrapbooking, card making,  origami, etc.}.  And even if you do not do any of those crafts, you still might find the principles of the technique useful as it can be adopted to dying natural cloths and other organic materials as seen in my previous tutorial.

Materials you will need:

~  Something to weigh the paper down ~ I used four glass cups

~  Paper to dye (the thicker the better, but this will work with ordinary printer paper}

~  Absorbent paper to go underneath so you don’t make a mess everywhere

~  A Tea Bag {black ~ I used English Breakfast}

~  Bowel {sorry, forgot to put this in the picture..  = __=’ }

 

Step One:  Lay out your absorbent paper, place the paper you are dying on top of it and weigh it all down with your glasses.

 

Step Two:   Wet your tea bag in a bowl of water.

 

Step Three:  Rub your wet tea bag over both sides of the paper and leave to dry.    This might take a while so be prepared to wait.  The thicker the paper is, the longer it will take to dry out.

Note:  An extra step to finish the paper quickly is to set your iron on low and iron the paper until it is dry.   Just remember to place the paper between two pieces of old cloth to keep it from dirtying your ironing board and your iron.

 

Step four:   Take your dry paper and use it to make something pretty!    As you can see, the colouration of the paper is very subtle, but this is because I only used one tea bag to turn it a light creamy colour.  If you wish to make it darker, use more tea bags the first time around and repeat the dying process after letting it dry. 

You can also use the iron trick noted above.  But if you are trying to make the paper darker, set the iron to high so you ‘burn’ the paper as well as dye it with the tea.  If you iron to ‘burn’ the paper, leave the top piece of cloth off so that the iron base has direct contact with the paper.  It will be more effective this way. 

Note:  With this technique of tea dying, it is not about getting a vibrant colour ~ you would be better off buying paper from the store if that is your desired outcome.  Tea bag dying is more about achieving a natural brownish hue/tone with whatever item you dyed to make it look older than what it is.  The darker you dye it, the older it will look, but as a reverse, the more you dye it the more fake it can look!  Experiment to find the right balance for the look you want.  

 

~ * ♥   I used the paper to make some labels for a customer who purchased an amigurumi charm from my Etsy shop  ♥  * ~

 

I hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial, and if you make anything cool {or anything at all!} using these techniques, please send me photos ~ I’d love to see what you make.

xox,

bonita

 

P.S.  ~  How exciting!!  Only two more days {a day and a half??} until Christmas!  Yay!!    

P.S. II  ~  Oh golly, I better get on with wrapping all the presents….  > o < !

P.S.  III  ~  I did get my Christmas cards sent out incidentally!  I am so stoked that I managed to get that far this year.   Now I just have to keep it up for next year!  ^ w ^