Turquoise & Leather Bracelet

Stella & Dot's

Stylish resort style bracelet...

This is my imitation knock off version of the super cute bracelet.

Turquoise and Leather Beaded Bracelet

With Stylish Silver Button Loop Closure

Set against my 34 week Baby Bump!

I haven't made any kind of jewelery since I was in elementary school and made knotted friendship bracelets for my friends! So when I saw all the super stylish jewelery on Stella & Dot, I wanted to have it all...but I can't afford to pay $54 for one turquoise beaded bracelet. So I decided to take a jab at it and make one for myself.

To start off, I picked up the beads at Hobby Lobby, 50% off so it was only a couple bucks. Then The leather cording and other stringing supplies were on sale and cheap as well. I picked up the silver buttons at JoAnns and got to work! Everything was less than $10 and I have leftover supplies to make more bracelets.

I decided to take pictures along the way for a free tutorial so you can try making one of these stylish bracelets too! I was able to finish this during one of my daughter's naps. It only took my a few days to fully complete it because I had to get to the store to buy the buttons.

Turquoise and Leather Bracelet Tutorial

(Disclaimer: I don't know anything about Jewelry making or any special types of knots or lingo for explaining. If you have techniques or know certain types of knots that should be used, please feel free to add your input in the comment section!)

I started with 11 inches of leather cord but I would recommend using more because I could barely get it to be long enough and tie those buttons on at the end. So, give yourself plenty to work with because you can always trim off the ends when you are finished. I would start with at least 13 inches of cord if you have small to normal wrists, more if they are wider.

I used 10mm and 8mm round beads, you can use whatever size, just make sure you have 15 larger beads and 30 smaller beads.

Supplies
Turquoise Beads - 10mm round (15)
Turquoise Beads- 8mm round (30)
Leather Cord (Leatherette Cord) 1MM Black
Beadstring
2 silver buttons

Cut yourself 4 equal lengths of the leather cord (at least 13 inches).

Taking 2 of the strands of leather, line them up evenly and tie at one end, leaving enough excess leather cord off the end to tie a button to.

Tightly tie and knot the end of a long strand of beadstring around your starting knot. Place your first 8mm bead between the two leather cords next to your knot. Thread the beadstring through the left side of the bead.


when you pull the string through the bead, loop the beadstring around the right leather cord and then thread back through the bead, so it comes out on the left side as pictured below. When you pull the string all the way through the bead, thread it on the underside of the leather cord.

Pull tight.
Repeat this process to creat a strand using five 8mm beads, five 10mm beads then five 8mm beads. Tie off when you get to the end.

Take the 2 remaining strands of leather cord and repeat the process, so you have 2 complete beaded strands of bracelet.

Then, using the same technique, Tie a length of beadstring to the end of one beaded strand, add a bead and then connect it to the other strand, so you have a length of beads that attaches the to bracelets together, creating the 3 rows.


At one end of your bracelet, thread one strand of leather cord through the button and then tie a knot underneath. Repeat on other strand so you have two buttons parallel with eachother.

On the opposite end of the bracelet, take the remaining leather cord...create a space large enough to accomodate your button and then make a loop knot. If you have enough remaining cord, you can create a second botton loop hole for variety in length. Make sure you repeat the process so it's even on the other strand.


Try it on! If everything is fitting and in the right place, make sure those knots are tight and then trim off any remaining excess cording/stringing.

Only 6 weeks left!
CAN'T WAIT to meet this little guy!

Ribbon Pinboards - Pottery barn Kids

Pottery Barn Kids
Jillian Ribbon Pinboards $59-$99

My Covered Pinboard

I recently saw these adorable ribbon pinboards in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and thought they were very cute (and of course pricey!). It reminded me of the pinboard in my daughter's room. I had this really big bulletin board from my college days. When I was trying to make some decor for her nursery when she was a baby, I had no money, so I picked up some cheap fabric, and using my trusty staple gun, covered the bulletin board with the girly fabric. (I stapled it on the back). I cut little slits in the back where the fabric covered the hanging hardware, then attached this big pink ribbon to hang it on the wall with. That was almost 3 years ago now, after seeing the pottery barn ones, I'm tempted to recover it with new fabric and add the criss-crossing ribbon. With a yard or less of some fabric and some grossgrain ribbon, I can easily have a replica of the Pottery Barn Pinboard for only a couple bucks! Either way, with some spare bulletin boards and fabric, you can create a similar effect and save yourself up to almost $100!!!

Kids Art Display - PB Knock Off

Potter Barn Kids - Star Art Cable $39

Kids Art Display - FREE!

One of my favorite things to do is get a new Pottery Barn Kids catalog in the mail and go through, looking at what can be easily and cheaply replicated. This one was just too easy to pass up on! Just use what you have on hand, some ribbon, cording, yarn, wire, etc. I inserted a clear tac in the wall on either side and tied the ends of my ribbon/cord around the tacs. Then I just used paper clips to hang the art, since that is what I had in the junk drawer! This is about a 1 minute project and your child will be so proud to see their creations on display like this. My almost 3 yr old daughter loves going into her room now, looking at her art display and beaming with pride says "oh look, it's SO CUTE!" And now she's even more excited to create more works of art for her wall.

Rose Petal Tutu Tutorial - Land of Nod Knock Off

Rose Petal Tutu knock off from Land of Nod

The Tutorial in 10 Easy Steps!

Supplies
Elastic band for waist
2 1/2 yards Tulle/Netting
Matching thread
Floral Rose Petals (I bought the box of rose petals located in the wedding isle at Hobby Lobby or Joanns)
Matching Ribbon 1.5-2 inches (I recycled the ribbon from a bouquet of lilies my hubby brought me 2 weeks ago for our 3 year wedding anniversary!)
Big Flower for embellishment

1. Measure your child's waist and write it down, then measure from your child's waist to their knee, write it down. Now take the measurement from the waist to knee and double it and add a inch. My daughter's measurement was 10 inches from waist to knee so I needed my netting 21 inches wide. (10+10+1=21)

2. Cut the netting so that it's the correct width, (mine being 21 inches wide) by 2 1/2 yards long.

3. Fold the netting in half lengthwise, and sew a seam all along the open edge.

4. You now have a very long tube of netting. Flip it right-side out.

5. Sew a second seam parallel to the first seam, wide enough to fit your elastic band through.

6. Now match up the open ends of your tube, and sew a seam starting from the bottom of the skirt. Stop your seam 2-3 inches from the top, leaving an opening for inserting the rose petals and the elastic.

7. Insert the desired amount of Rose Petals into the skirt through the opening. I used about half a box of rose petals.

8. Insert elastic band into casing. I put a safety pin on one end to help pull it through, and I also used a safety pin on the opposite end and pinned it to the end of the casing so the whole elastic wouldn't pull through. Sew the ends of the elastic together.

9. Finish up the seam to close the skirt. Trim away any excess netting if you need to. Flip tutu right side out so seams are inside.

10. Place the ribbon and the flower in the desired position, mine is off centered, and pin in place.

ALL DONE!!!

This project only takes about 40 minutes to complete. The Rose Petal Tutu on Land of Nod is $30 but this cost me $6.55 to make (and the big flower was 2.99). I spent a total of $11.66 on supplies and have enough left over to make at least one more. I used a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby for the box of rose petals, and used ribbon I already had. You don't necessarily have to use rose petals, if you have floral stems lying around the house, you could pull the petals off and put those in the tutu.

ENJOY!

Rose Petal Tutu

Rose Petal Tutu Knock Off

I LOVE going through those expensive catalogs such as Pottery Barn and Land of Nod, they are full of great ideas and many of them are so cheap and easy to replicate. This is my most current knock off, a best seller on the Land of Nod website, it's the Rose Petal Tutu. I thought this would make for a great Valentines Day gift for my little sweet pea who is obsessed with wearing princess dresses and tutus.

Land of Nod's Rose Petal Tutu

Just in time for Valentines Day!!!

A tutorial on this one is coming soon...

My Version...

And on the topic of Knock Offs, There was a really fun and interesting post by Holly on her Homebody blog that I quite enjoyed entitled "Who's Copying Who?" She showcases some of Pottery Barns new items that seem to look just a little too familiar to those in the crafty blog world. A lot of people make knock off versions of Pottery Barn items, but it this case, it seems Pottery Barn may be knocking off the blogs...only charging an arm and a leg for their versions! lol.
This inspired Holly to host a Pottery Barn Knock Off Party! it's scheduled for Tuesday, February 16 GO HERE to link up your PB knock-off. It can be something new, or something you did a while ago.



Meanwhile, my sweetpea and I made some YUMMY Chocolate Chip Cookies today with a recipe out of my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook....Soft...Chewy...and Really Good!

INSPIRATION!!!!

Kitchen Island from Williams Sonoma Tutorial (Videos included!)


I just found the coolest blog today called Knock Off Wood, this gal has amazing project tutorials that she shares and I just had to spread the word!

Here are some of the projects I fell in love with....I'm sure I'll find more...I just found her blog today and have only seen some of what she has to offer.

Here are some of the tutorials she shares that are going on my ever growing future projects list:

Pottery Barn Bed Frame

Playhouse Loft Bed

Books & Toy Storage

Displaying pictures and artwork

12 Days of Christmas Gift - Pottery Barn Knock Off

Pottery Barns $70 set

My Version:

I came across this great ornamental set on Pottery Barn for about $70 and thought it was a great idea. I decided to make a set of glass ornaments featuring the 12 days of Christmas for my Mother-in-Law this year. I found some artwork on the internet featuring illustrations of the 12 days of Christmas on Plates which was perfect since they were painted in the "round". I used the largest flat bottom glass rocks I could find (which I found in the wedding isle at Hobby Lobby, a bag of about 40 for under $3). Modge podged the pictures to the back and then hot glued ribbon for hanging. My mom suggested I put them on their own little tree which I thought was a great idea.

Unfortunately, I could not get my camera to focus on the glass ornaments to get a good picture, but they turned out great!
After making these, I got an email forward about the true meaning of the carol which I then printed off on Christmas paper and presented along with the gift.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young
Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
& John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five
books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy
Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution,
Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love,
Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness,
and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief
in the Apostles' Creed.

Make your own Monster!

A year or two ago, I came across this Make Your Own Monster Kit at the famous FAO Schwarz toy store in New York. The kit retails for $249 and allows a child to design their very own monster, then send in the drawing and have it made into a custom plush toy. I thought "what a fun idea!" I wanted to do it for my nephew ever since but didn't get around to it until this Christmas. When he visited my mom for Thanksgiving, I told her to have him draw a picture of a monster (without telling him about what I wanted to do with it). She then emailed me a copy of it and I used felt and buttons to make this toy. I wrapped the toy up with his drawing included, when he opened it he was so surprised and excited, and then told me he wanted to be a toy designer when he grew up!
This monster toy makes a great gift or just a fun project to do. It didn't take long and it was really fun to make because I wasn't stressed about making it perfect and having perfect seems...actually, any mistakes or uneven areas just added character to the creature!

Update: I just came across a great tutorial for doing this same project! And since I didn't create my own tutorial as I made mine, you can use this great on over HERE at Little Birdie Secrets. ENJOY!

Pottery Barn Wreath - knock off

I found a fun and simple project to add to my Christmas decor (which was next to nill!) I came across this easy tutorial on Rachel Berry's Blog.
This wreath is a Pottery Barn Knock Off. The original Pottery Barn Wreath is about $80 and I made mine for a little over $10!
Here is the finished product! My husband was also please when he pointed out that it was Cougar colors! We can celebrate Christmas and our Alumni status at the same time! My picture doesn't really do it justice, but I have nowhere to hang it outside our apartment that gets good lighting since our front door is in a covered hallway. I also realized after the fact that I bought too big of a wreath, it would have been more like the pottery barn had I gotten the size smaller that was less bushy. Either way, I'm still enjoying it very much...and the price even more! This took me maybe 1-2 hours, but I was listening to music and taking my time.
See Rachel Berry's Tutorial Here!