I saw this Martha Stewart enamel paint in the jewelry aisle at Michael's the other day and wondered what it was. Then I saw they are featuring it in the January/February 2014 issue of Martha Stewart Living, which you can find on newsstands now. These are a few examples of brass jewelry painted with Martha's new paints. Check out the full article online for more ideas, links to buy the jewelry blanks, and full instructions. These would make fun Valentine's gifts!

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My new year's resolutions to get more sleep and enjoy more time with my family are going splendidly I'm happy to report. It leaves less time for blogging, but hopefully you won't hold it against me.

As a little peace offering, we have a fabulous giveaway for you! I recently purchased some handmade jewelry from a fabulous new Etsy shop called Mimi Lou Jewelry. I loved this dyed turquoise initial charm bracelet and this fun anchor bracelet and had to have them for an upcoming cruise. They'll be perfect for the warm shores of the Caribbean. Miriam, the cute shop owner who has been creating jewelry since kindergarten, is offering our readers a giveaway and a generous coupon code!

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Today we are featuring another lovely tutorial from my sweet friend, Erin. Visit her at Lovesome!

Okay, this tutorial sounds a lot fancier than it is. This is the easiest little project and takes just minutes, but in the end you have a unique and fun statement necklace. Does it get better than that?

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I'm living in the jungle. At least that's what it feels like at night here in beautiful Iowa City. The hot, steamy air sings, alive with insects and birds. I look around and think yes, this looks like a quiet, tree-lined street somewhere in America's heartland, but it feels like the Amazon. Even so, each night I go sit on the patio and soak in the warmth and watch my boys catch and release fireflies. Although the move was a pain in the you-know-what, I am so happy to be here!

My cute friend Vanessa from V and Co. is on her way here right now. That's right--she's moving to Iowa, too, just 20 minutes up the road! She'll be here this week to experience the Amazon along with me, and hopefully we'll have a few field trips to quilt shops and antique stores in the area (yeah!). She also volunteered (in the middle of her move!) to guest post for our birthday bash. I just love this girl! If you don't know her already, go check out her blog and her shop. Everything she makes is just gorgeous--I love her style. Until then, enjoy this awesome spray painting tutorial for making this darling wooden bead necklace!

tutorial: that lime green necklace

i kept getting comments and emails over this necklace and weather or not i was going to show you how i did it. okay well it's not that complicated i think you can figure out that i strung wooden beads. so this tutorial will be for how i got an even coat over my beads with spray paint.
*i used a styrofoam half sphere (in the flower section in the craft store, or walmart.)
*i then got tooth picks.
*because the holes in the beads were wider than the tooth picks i put a little piece of tin foil at the tips of the toothpicks.
*i also used my left over spraypaint "ivy leaf" by krylon. (IN.LOVE.WITH.THAT.COLOR)

*i placed the styrofoam inside a box ( it's too cold to do it out in the back yard, and now i either have to do it indoors or in the garage).
*i then LIGHTLY sprayed the beads. let them sit for a little (like 5 minutes) and then repeated.
*let them dry completely
then i flipped them over and did the same step as i did on the other side.
let them dry, flip them over AGAIN, repeat steps till you get it completely covered with paint and you are happy with it.
i did 3 "flips" because i wanted the paint to be really solid. no wood showing through.

i love the combo of brown and lime green so i chose brown ribbon for the necklace.
i made sure i had enough ribbon at my "ends" that it would be easy to tie my necklace around my neck.
* then i made a knot.
i then stranded my beads. i wanted a few off centered big beads so i placed them accordingly.
tie off your other end and make sure you put Fray Check on your ends of your ribbon so the ribbon stays intact.
and there you have it.
;)

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I have the cutest friend named Kalli. This is us when she was visiting us in Seattle a while back (maybe that's why I'm holding the Starbucks cup like it's a prop? I don't know.). Anyway. . .

I love this girl. She is funny, sweet, smart, and creative. She is inspirational, hard working, gracious. She's an amazing mother, a loyal friend, a fabulous crafter, and a fighter--the definition of strength. And she is a breast cancer survivor.

Few people can handle that kind of pressure with grace and humor, but she has. That's why I'm so excited to share her gorgeous "Pink Kalli" Crystal Necklace. You might recognize Stacy's design from this post. But this one is even more dear to my heart. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this necklace will go to the Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Wouldn't it make a beautiful Mother's Day gift? Yes it would. But I'll let Kalli tell you more:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31. The news came as a complete shock, I felt as if I had so much life to live, and I wanted to raise my two young children, so I searched for a way I could join in the fight against cancer. Annually my family and I participate in Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure. The race is held all over the country every Mother’s Day weekend to honor all the women and families affected by breast cancer and to raise money for breast cancer research. It is inspiring. I wanted to give more, so this year, I have designed the Pink Kalli Crystal. 100% of the proceeds from sale of the crystal necklace will be given to the Komen Foundation in honor of Megan Lloyd, a dear friend fighting breast cancer for the second time. If I am not able to see a cure for breast cancer in my lifetime, I am proud to say that I have given to the cause and research in finding that cure through the sale of these handmade necklaces. Please support the many women and men who have been affected by breast cancer and purchase the Pink Kalli Crystal Necklace.

To order the necklace, send an e-mail to info@shopsistersecrets.com and she will send you a PayPal link to pay for it. It's perfect for Mother's Day! Kalli also has a team for the Salt Lake City Race for the Cure coming up in May. If you would like to join her team or donate, go here. And while you're at it, check out her crafting kit shop, Sister Secrets. It's a great place to get complete kits for some of the very tutorials you've seen here!

Thank you so much for helping me support Kalli and her amazing efforts to fight breast cancer!

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I've been sneaking out of the house every couple of Saturdays to do some antique shopping with a cute group of girls I know. Girlfriend time + antique shopping = therapy, I tell ya! Recently I saw some gorgeous yet simple necklaces at a flea market made from an antique key and a piece of seam binding ribbon. For $12. I mean $12 isn't bad for a necklace, but you know me--I knew I could make it for waaaay less. So I did. Here's how.


Vintage Key To My Heart Necklace Tutorial

Supplies:
*Key
*Length of ribbon and some scissors, or a chain

1. Find some cool keys. I checked a few antique stores, and they each had a basket full of old keys for about $1 a key. It took some digging--most of them are not as cute as the ones I saw for $12. But I found two that were pretty darn cute. I loved this one because it looks like it's shaped like a heart.


And I fell in love with the beaded edge on this one.


2. Choose some matching ribbon or a jewelry chain.


3. Cut the ends of the ribbon at an angle.


4. Thread the ends of the ribbon from back to front through the hole in the key.


5. Pull the ends through the loop on the other end of the ribbon and pull tight.



I know, that really didn't need a tutorial, but I just wanted to show how easy these are to make, and for only $1! This would be a sweet Valentine's, Mother's Day, or birthday gift.


Then I started experimenting and adding my key to other necklaces that I have. Here's my key with the charm necklace I made at the Tim Holtz booth at CHA (my favorite make and take of the show--wait 'til you see his cool new metal-drilling tool we used!).


It looked pretty cute with this charm necklace my friend made for me, too!


And I liked it layered with a couple of chunkier necklaces. I've been layering necklaces a lot lately.


But finally I decided it was cute just on a chain with this mini bottlecap charm I also made at CHA. They're made by Bottle Cap Inc. and they're adorable with an image or monogram in the middle, or a sparkly rhinestone like I chose. This was the winner because it is so pretty, yet simple enough to wear with my Target sweatshirt!


And here's the other one layered with pearls for a little more sophistication. I'm thinking Valentine's date!

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Crafting with friends is one of my favorite things in the world. Stacy may not be a regular contributor to this blog anymore, but she's still our dear friend, the crafting queen, and a major inspiration to us! We got together with her for some crafting this week and made these gorgeous crystal pendants. I couldn't believe how easy they were!


Crystal or Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

You will need:
-a crystal pendant (this one is from Connie Crystal-Stacy bought it at our local Ben Franklin) or glass tile
-a pair of scissors
-patterned paper
-a pinch bale (Stacy bought ours at Ben Franklin)
-A clear crafting glue like Diamond Glaze, Crystal Effects, or Glossy Accents
-a chain (any length you like, we chose 24")
-a pencil

First, pick out a patterned paper that you love. The possibilities are endless; you should have seen us trying to choose one! Once, you have chosen, trace the pendant on the paper and cut it out with scissors.


Add some Diamond Glaze / Crystal Effects / Glossy Accents glue to the back of your pendant. Use sparingly, if you add too much it will bleed out the edges after you press the paper on.


Now press your paper face down on the back of the pendant so it can be seen through the other side. Press firmly to release any air bubbles.


Once it it firmly in place, you can trim any excess paper from the sides with a pair of scissors or Exacto knife, and then file with a nail file to make sure there is no paper sticking out. Be careful not to file the crystal--it will scuff easily. To protect the paper, we suggest applying a thin layer of Diamond Glaze to the back of the pendant as well.


Once, the glue has dried you can pinch your bail through the hole in the pendant. If you're using a square glass tile (you'll find these from tons of sellers on Etsy), use some Diamond Glaze glue to attach a glue-on jewelry bail like these.


Hang your pendant on a chain and you're done!


You can also make an adorable necklace with square or oval glass pieces, which can be found online at Etsy. I made a bunch of these on a girls weekend last year and they are wonderful! I love that I can pick one to match many outfits and they also make fabulous gifts! You can make these following the same steps above and gluing a glue-on bail on the back.

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I'm back from vacation and we're back to the rosette flower tutorial extravaganza! Camping on the Washington coast was fabulous, but my husband wasn't crazy about me bringing fabric to work on rosettes in the car (he has a thing about stinky glue), so I'm super excited to get back to them!



One thing that has frustrated me about using these rosettes as accessories is the attaching part. The clips are great for some things, but they don't work as well on a sweater or purse. Pins are out--I don't want holes in my stuff! So I did some research and found the perfect solution. Then I found a supplier so I could get my hands on a whole bunch of them (yes, I'll share).


Meet the pinless accessory back. Yep--it's a magnet. Brilliant, right? One piece goes on the rosette, the other goes on the other side of what you want to "pin" it to. Here's a quick tutorial.


These magnets are made of strong neodymium magnets and a piece of steel. The steel side has a self-adhesive foam strip, which makes things even easier!


First, peel off the adhesive's backing and attach it to the felt on the back of your rosette.


Next, cut another piece of felt or fabric (it doesn't have to be perfect--who's gonna see it?) the shape of the back of your rosette. Apply fabric glue (I like Fabri-Tac) around the edge of your circle.


Place your circle glue-side down on the back of your rosette, over the steel plate.


Now the magnet piece will stick to it and you can attach it just about anywhere!




I said I would share, so here you go. Because I bought in bulk, I can offer them at a great price. I really, seriously don't think you'll find them this cheap anywhere on the Internet once you include shipping. I have them in sets of 5 magnets to reduce shipping costs for you, but you can always contact me via Etsy for a smaller order if you want. Or just share a pack with a friend if you don't think you'll use them all. But you will. They're that amazing. Get 'em before they're gone!

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