He Loves Me, He Loves Me Knot

It's another week of T-shirt transformations!

Yesterday, I showed you how to make "yarn" out

of on old T-shirt. Simply cut the shirt into uniform strips.

With this "yarn", I'm going to make another necklace.

Here's how:

Gather five long strands, find the middle and secure with

a safety pin. Attach the pin with a binder clip and use

this to hang on a hook or nail.

Make some knots & repeat to make several rows.

Just take a new, loose strand.

Knot once on one of the hanging strands.

Grab the strand beside it and knot again.

Keep doing this until you've finished a row.

The knots should look like they are

hugging the strands.

Once you've finished a row, end with a double knot.

Trim ends but leave a half-inch tail.

Hide the tails at the back by twisting, tucking

and hand-stitching in place.

Take a new, loose strand and repeat process.

I made 10 rows, you can make more or less.

TADA!

How do you like my handcrafted necklace?

Knot the dangling ends for a clean look.

This is meant to be worn like a medal

{so make sure there's enough room to

fit it over your head}, but you can

use a necklace closure that you can

buy at a craft store.

TADA!

I think I want to make more in other colors!

Let's Hear it for T-shirts!

I hope you had the most beautiful weekend dearies!

The weather was perfect here and I hope it was

in your town, too.

T-shirts have been a popular blah on this blog.

Well, all of us have t-shirts and we have to

get rid of them at some point.

But you know that the "getting rid" part

isn't entirely true.

After a session at the washer-dryer and when you've

said your farewells, secure the front & back of the

t-shirt with some pins. Cut the shirt in thin strips,

about one inch.

Pick up a piece, take one end with your left hand,

the other end in your right and stretch the strip.

Stretch hard until the strips are thinner and

a few inches longer.

The edges have to curl inwards.

Keep stretching the remaining strips.

Now we've got ourselves a skein of cotton

that any crafter will go gaga over.

TADA!

Add a few fat, swishy beads...

Instant necklace!

TADA!

Dangle that Bangle

Yesterday, I turned a bunch of bangles into a necklace.

Today, I'll turn them into earrings.

Yes folks it's possible!

blah: faux gold bangles

Bangles + Big, bright earrings bought in Brazil

{make your own by winding crochet thread in a

circle; seal with all purpose glue & allow to dry}

TADA!

Combining two blah elements and adding these

gold pendants produces an accessory

with lots of impact.

Go ahead, rummage through your jewelry stash

and see what wonderful combinations you can

come up with. New looks for very little money!

Have an easy-breezy weekend!

Big and Bold

The quest is on to transform these

neglected bangles from blah to TADA!

blah: bangles that need to step out

of the house more often

blah: scraps of colorful ribbon

Link the bangles together with the ribbon...

TADA!

A statement neckpiece that turns those

jeans & t-shirt days from blah to TADA!

A Crafty Spin

Many bangles means many options.

You see, I've got quite a number of these bangles.

Given that it's Wednesday, I'm still turning

the same thing from blah to TADA!

And you guessed right: there's thread involved.

But don't worry, no beads this time!

I cut a super long piece & secured it to the two bangles

with a double loop. Then I made a mock-knit stitch with

my fingers, making sure the bangles were covered.

TADA! I made something new from something old!

{And quite fashionable if you're into the color-blocking trend!}

Golden Girl

I have these faux gold bangles that are looking

a little blah:

Who says you can't accessorize your

accessories?

Gold beads + gold thread...

...Equals a whole new look.

TADA!

A fun addition to my summer wardrobe!

And I can wear them together with the bangles

I re-fashioned yesterday!

The Bangles

Happy Monday!

I've been organizing my bedside table and in one

of the drawers, I keep my everyday jewelry.

Nothing expensive or precious but each one marking an

exciting trip or an instant-smile-on-my-face memory.

These wanna-be gold bangles remind me

of a merry wedding evening in Seville.

Sheesh, I haven't put them on in a long time!

And that's a blah.

I guess this calls for a make-over.

So I pulled out some matching thread

and some beads from my sewing kit.

TADA! A new look for my bangles!

I "sewed on" a blanket stitch using my fingers and

inserted the beads in an alternating pattern.

I started and ended with multiple loops

so the thread won't unravel.

These remind me of what ladies in India might wear.

And while I've never been to India,

I can always pretend.

Have a wonderful week and to everyone

in the U.S., Happy Memorial Day!