Bead-Dazzled!

Thanks for visiting my blog on this lovely Tuesday! I'm still using up the little treasures in my bag of scrap. If you've ever made jewelry, I think you'll agree that some materials happen to dictate what they want to be. Like these beads for instance:

Together they seemed to unite, share one voice and say, "Turn us into a necklace!"

So I played fairy godmother and granted them their wish!

By stringing the bag of scrap beads and more beads from my collection together, I now have this unique, bohemian necklace!

See you tomorrow for another blah to Tada! project.

The Bag of Scrap Part 2

Happy Monday Lovelies! If you tuned in last week, my blah to Tada! transformations came from this bag of scrap:

It was an inexpensive purchase from a New York Flea Market but boy, it was a bottomless bag of odds & ends waiting for a make-over! Let's see, I already made a funky belt, several statement necklaces and even a dressy hair clip, and still I'm left with a lot of baubles and beads:

Today, I picked these out from the lot:

They can work as belt buckles or brooches because of the metal slots & pin functions at the back. But this is how I decided their fate:

I turned them into shoe clips!

I used some beads that I already had in my crafting box and with some wire, wound the beads around the gold fixture. It had a metal clip at the back that can easily be attached to a plain pair of shoes.

Here's another version using teardrop-shaped pearls and crystal beads.

Definitely a blah to Tada! if I should say so myself!

Heirloom Hairpiece

We made it to the end of the week! Woohoo! Before I bid you a happy weekend, let me show you another accessory I created from the bag of scrap:

I used these shiny faux pearls:

And remnants from yesterday's bib necklace:

And with some folding & hand stitching...

Tada! I made this little hair clip!

I bought the clip mechanism at a craft store.

Don't you love this precious hair piece without
the precious price tag?

Have a super Tada! weekend everyone!

Beautiful Bibs

Today I'm going to tell you about my latest obsession.
They're these fashionable bib necklaces:

Found at Anthropologie

Found at Anthropologie

Found at Anthropologie

Found at Urban Outfitters

I'm falling head over heels in love with these babies! They can really dress up a plain shirt & jeans or a simple cocktail dress. Then I thought, "Why not make one myself?".

Using a bunch of beads from my bag of scrap...

And some fancy buttons I got on sale...

And some felt & a yard of ribbon...

I think it's slowly taking shape!

I sewed on the ribbon to serve as the strap.

Tada! A homemade bib necklace!

Made from simple materials & scrap.

Hope it makes you as happy as it is making me!

Locket Love

I bought this bag of scrap at a flea market:

It contains the ingredients for a number of Tada! accessories!

All you need is a little imagination.

From the many choices, I picked out the lovely gold
locket (lower right) with a tiny cameo.
Isn't it pretty?

Then I added this to the other lockets I collected

over the years and attached them on a chain.

It's a wonderful way to keep photos of people (or pets) that you hold dear and you can take it with you wherever you go, like a little brag book on a chain.

It also makes for a nice milestone gift for a daughter
or best friend, with LOVE written all over it!

See you again tomorrow so I can show you what else
I made from my bag of scrap.

The Bold & the Beautiful

This week on my blog, I'll be showing you the Tadas! I made
from the blahs found in this bag of scrap.

Here's a peek at what's inside.

Today I'll be working with the gold brooch & faux pearls
and I added a chain to the mix (purchased at a craft store).

Glue the pearls on the brooch &
attach the brooch to the chain...

Tada! a beautiful necklace delivering a bold statement!

The Bag of Scrap

Happy Monday Everyone!

Let me tell you about what I found at a one of my favorite New York City flea markets. I found a vendor selling bags upon bags of scrap! Yes, that's excitement in my voice alright! Only you fellow crafters can truly understand what the value of a bag of scrap means to me.

Here it is, my two dollar flea market find!
I quickly opened it and segregated my treasures.

A brooch, pendants, buckles, faux pearls,
beads, buttons, loose chandelier parts,
a bunch of findings & earrings without a pair...

...and even more beads in fun colors & sizes.

I picked this little mouse for my first blah to Tada! project
from this bag of scrap. Some rubbing with a soft cloth
made him shiny & new.

A hook below its mouth tells me that this is a buckle.

And a belt buckle it will be!
I bought myself some stretchy
velvet ribbon and a gold connector.

I cut the ribbon to the ideal size,
attached the mouse buckle on one end &
the connector on the opposite end by hand stitching.

Tada! I have a quirky, cute belt
to liven up a simple outfit!