DIY Spring Necklaces

I'm really enjoying making these hand painted bead necklaces.  I've taken repurposed beads and painted them in a mix of colors using Q-tips to apply the paint.  I love this green and yellow necklace that I made last week to wear with a new blouse.

I put a step-by-step tutorial up on my Hubpages.

This is my latest creation.  I painted some wooden beads to look like silver, and added some turquoise accents.  I've been wearing this with a lot of outfits and loving it :)  Check out the tutorial here.

April is National Public Library Month - Celebrate by Making Some Watercolor Bookmarks!!

I love visiting my local library.  And in celebration of National Public Library month, Spring, and all good things - I decided to make some colorful watercolor bookmarks to use in my favorite books!

These bookmarks are surprisingly easy to make and decorate using a few fun watercolor techniques.  I used a mixture of crayons, sequin, salt, and yarn to make the lovelies you see above.  For the full details and directions, visit my tutorial on Hubpages!

Paper, Beads, & Clay: New Craft Tutorials

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've kept busy with some new craft projects:

I rearranged our mantle display for Spring and needed to add some height and some color.  I came up with this blooming branch with paper flowers and leaves.  It's just the right pop of color for the space.  I've added the tutorial on my Hubpages!

Of course, my Spring wardrobe also needs a pop of color :)  This hand painted bead necklace is easy to do using Q-tips as a paint tool, and some wooden beads, memory wire, and chain.  You can find the directions here.

And I pulled out my polymer clay and some stamps to make this sweet "love letter" charm.  This charm can be used as a pendant for a necklace, an accessory for a bracelet, or as a key chain.  This charm would make a great gift for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, an anniversary, or for a special friend.  Using stamps, you can personalize your "letter" with any saying you want.  Instructions for both the charm and the key chain are on my blog.

Hope you are having a crafty Spring!

Favorites: New Handpainted Beads Statement Necklace Tutorial

This time of year, I'm always itching for new jewelry, and Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect occasion to make myself a new necklace.

Taking a bunch of old beads I had, a couple of acrylic paint colors, and some jewelry wire and a chain, I made this cute and colorful beaded necklace.  This project is easier than you might think, and there are many ways to design a fun necklace using these multi-colored beads.

All the directions and more photos are on my Hubpages.  Check it out and tell me what you think :)

Winter into Spring Double Grapevine Wreath Tutorial

I've found that I have a decorative lull on my front door just after the Christmas holiday.  It no longer seems appropriate to display my Noel sign, but it seems too early to put up my Spring wreath.

So I decided to display a double wreath that can be decorated for two seasons and extend the time that my wreath is on my door.  I decorated the smaller wreath with Winter berries, and the larger wreath with Spring blooms, and tied the two with white and burlap ribbons.  I think it really is a clever way to span the seasons and display my wreath for a longer time.

I really love it!  You can find the directions on how to make a similar wreath on my Hubpages!

Seashells Birdhouse Welcome Wreath

I'm slow getting back into the blogging routine, but I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!!  I did and will be sharing a couple of crafts that I made and received as Christmas gifts this year.

First up - this seashell birdhouse wreath I made for my mother.  They have a beach cottage and I thought that a seashell wreath would be a perfect addition to their place.  I forgot to take any photos before I sent it to my Mom and only got this kind of crappy photo while we were visiting with my parents, but you get the idea.

My Mom's seashell wreath is based on this Spring wreath I made for myself, using a birdhouse, artificial flowers, and a garden trellis.  I just replaced the flowers with seashells.  You can see more photos and get the directions on my Hubpages.  Let's all start thinking of Spring!

Handmade Holiday Mantle Display

Ta-da!  The holiday mantle is complete... for now.  The wreath you've seen before, but this is the first time I've put everything together on the mantle - including this new project (which I just love):

I've listed the links to all of these items on my Hometalk page.  I hope you check it out and enjoy!