Spring-y Summer-y Beach-y Bracelet!

Cheesy title again, I know but I couldn’t help it…since this week was quite boring and dull for me, and I wanted to shake it off through the title!

CAUTION: An extra lengthy post ahead..move at your own risk!

This week we spotted our little jungle friends in our library upstairs..’termites’! The Pest Control people were immediately intimidated, and as a result our home was turned totally upside down. We packed, unpacked and now are packing our stuff again, ‘coz the husband and I are going out on a holiday! Yay, finally! More on that later!

The house was in shambles, but I so badly wanted to make something crafty, that I came up with this cutie li’l thingy!

Those are glass gems, yes! It looked so springy, summer-y and beach-y, that I had to name it the same! I love the messy, tangled look, and thought some others might like it, too!

To stretch a short story long, I was busy packing, yet just had to make something, when I confronted some strings with glass gems stuck to them in tangled mess. Now if you have seen my older post where I made a butterfly and glass gem mobile, then you will know where those strings came from. First time readers don’t panic, I’ll ramble about it from the start!

You will need: Glass Gems, Yarn thread, Tacky Glue, and the ability to tangle the threads finally! (that comes naturally to me!)

Now follow these simple instructions to make your glass gem strings:

Cut the yarn threads in the desired length and number. If you want a fuller and heavier bracelet, use 4 strings. 2 strings should do for a simpler one. I used 4 strings, each 15 inch long.

Now, the glass gems obviously wouldn’t be fully secure onto the thread if you simply stick them to the strands. So you need to make a ‘seat’ for them so that you can safely glue them onto the threads, forever secure. The ‘seat’ is made as follows:

Easy- peasy, isn’t that? Let them dry for few hours. The pics are borrowed from a previous post, since I had my strings readily made for me from the previous project.

The next step is mighty easy, and even if I do not have the picture for this step, you will be able to do it easily! Simply hold the glass gem strings and give them a good shake. Yarn tangles easily, yours will, too! Don’t bother to keep the loops straight and let them tangle. When you’re satisfied with your ‘tangled mess’, start wrapping them around your wrist. Do it in such a way that the ends are knotted and tangled as well.

Now wear it on a sunny day to the beach, like I’m going to, soon!

I love how it sparkles in my hand!

And I love it in sepia colors as well (don’t know if I can get glass gems in these colors!)

Make yourself one, too!

Now about my vacation – I’m going to visit these fab places:

It’s a good combination of ancient heritage places, and gorgeous beaches…I’m gonna have fun!                                                     Goa ...Oh, I love beaches!

Now  I'm off to meet my dear friends now before leaving, see you next week!
Linked to these fab parties..do 'attend'!
Tutorial Tuesday @Hope Studios
Get Your Crafts On @Today's Creative Blog
Tip Me Tuesday @Tip Junkie
DIY Day @ A Soft Place To Land
Weekend Wrap Up Party @Tatertots And Jello
Creative Cats @ Poppies At Play
Show Off Your Stuff @Fireflies And Jellybeans
Whatever Goes Wednesday @Someday Crafts

Glass Gems Earrings- Modpodge Does it Again!

Here's my second attempt at jewelery making, since they said the first wasn't bad at all..Some dear blogger friends liked my crystal chain necklace enough to feature it. Thank you so much dear readers for the encouragement! That got me started on another jewelery venture..Glass Gem Earrings!

The simple yet elegant beauty of glass gems is felt by all. I had seen several projects with glass gems and they all rocked. I've used these glass gems in some projects myself, so I thought, why not make jewellery with it, too? So I made up these pretty earrings! Won't they just jazz up a simple skirt or a plain dress?

These are quite easy to make, and if you make jewelery regularly, almost cakewalk. Here is what you will need to make them

Now get started. Take a piece of fabric of your choice with a design that you would like to show in the glass gem. I chose a dark blue cloth with golden swirly designs (I love them swirls!). Now take two glass gems of roughly equal size and cover the flat area with some generous dose of Mod Podge. Now place these Modpodged glass gems on the fabric pattern that you want to show on your earrings, like this:

Remember to protect your carpet by covering it with newspapers first. Do not worry about the initial opaque appearance of the ModPodged glass gems as they will return to their transparent self once the ModPodge is dry. Here's what they look like, once dry:

One dry, cut the fabric to free the new 'patterned' glass gems, which will look like this:

Pretty already! Now for the little more trying part: the earrings! Okay, jewelery experts, do not cringe at my method of making them, as I hardly know or follow any hardbound rules! You need two small chains with small loops for this part. If you don't have one, join a few jumprings together. Now assemble some oval beads of your choice (mine were again transparent), and insert eyepins through them. Twist the free end with a jewelery plier and lock. Snip the additional part. The beads I bought already came with eyepin hoops and saved me a lot of effort. 

Insert the free end of the hooped oval beads into the rings of the chains (Have I lost you completely??), and twist. It is actually very easy to make, just follow the design you want to make. Link the beaded chain into the earring hooks. They will look like this, at this stage:

Now lay the glass gems flat side up. Snip two equal pieces of the metal wire (around 2 inch long each). Insert one end into the last ring of the chain to form a small loop and twist. Apply some tacky glue onto the back of the glass gems and place the twisted loop onto them. Cut two small round pieces of fabric to cover the loop. Place onto the back of glass gems, and press firmly. Now apply a thin coat of ModPodge for good appearance.

Let it dry amply, and wear these glitzy beauties proudly! Here they are:

Aren't these pretty? You can also opt the easier way out by wearing them simply as pendants in a chain. Apt for glam-ing up another plain look!

I'm going to make several more projects with these wonderful glass gems- be back soon!
I'm linking this to these fun parties..be sure to join me there:
Market Yourself Monday on Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Show and Tell on Blue Cricket Design

YOU'RE Into It! Linky Party! @ Hope Studios

Pebbles Vase

I always saw these glass pebbles sold on the beach, and loved them..but had no ideas regarding their use..

…until I found an empty whisky bottle!! I know some of you will say: “a bottle, again?..sigh!! But I love to decorate these bottles, somehow can’t keep my hands off them. So here I was, facing my pebbles, and an empty whisky bottle (you can use any other round or flat glass surface, really). 


So here is what I made...

My, isn’t that classy?

This particular project is more about imagination really, than a particular set of steps to be followed, but I’ll narrate my story anyway.You will need:

Sea pebbles (lots n lots) in your choice of colors and shapes

Glass bottle or any surface you want to decorate, really

Acrylic paints , black glass liner for stems

Paint brush

Hot glue gun, or any tough glue

You are ready now. Clean the surfaces of the bottle, wipe it dry. I painted the bottle with thick layers of olive green and sea blue, to remind me of sea and sands…I then let it dry as the coats were too thick.

After it had all dried, I proceeded to stick the pebbles with glue on to the bottle in decorative shapes. I did it in flower shapes..you can do it in the form of any shape you fancy. However, be careful not to overdo to make everything messy. Learnt that the harder way J

Here it is up close..



I tied a golden ribbon on to the neck of the bottle, coz it had gotten little messy there, so I had to cover it up that way! It does not look bad though.

There it is – I put in a twig and added a fabric flower I made with a white cloth. Doesn’t it look all dressed up and vintage!!

I hart my pebbles vase!!
I linked this beauty to a fun blog party