Pretty Little Thing

I was in Forever 21 this Summer, and I saw these necklaces that were so adorable, but the kind where you immediately say "I could make that". I have since seen them literally everywhere, and have been dying to make one. So I thought the perfect opportunity to make one would be for Christmas, as a gift for my sister! I was so in the zone of making it, that I decided just to keep on going and make myself one too! They're really simple, and I'm sure just by looking at it, that you could figure it out too, but just to be nice, I decided to post a tutorial.

You'll Need:

Pearl Beads (These can be as cheap as you like, you can't tell once it's all finished)

A Spool (you won't use it all) Satin Ribbon

(In a width that's fairly close to the width of the pearls)

Needle and Thread

Step one:

Thread your thread into the needle

Step two:

Leaving about 6-8 inches for a tail, place needle through the middle of the ribbon from bottom to top, not pulling the needle out.

Step three:

Put a pearl on your needle, then feed the needle and thread through. Then tie a knot with the ribbon and the thread, to keep the necklace secure.

Step four:

You may need to look at the picture to do this step, as it may be hard to fully explain. But you then fold the top of the ribbon back over the pearl (making a "c" with the ribbon), and push needle through in the middle of the ribbon where it hits the top of the pearl.

(Sorry, this was really hard to photograph one-handed, so it's not exactly how I explained, but hopefully you can look at it, and follow the thread to see what I'm talking about.)

Repeat these steps over and over and over until your necklace is the length you want.

Step five:

Tie off both ends of the necklace in a knot for safe keeping. Tie the two ends together in a bow, and your necklace is officially done!

P.S. I like to burn the ends of the ribbon to seal them so they don't fray, but you don't absolutely have to.

Painting Scalloped Trim in Sienna's Room

For awhile now, I've wanted to paint a scalloped trim on Sienna's walls. But when I'm painting at least, I don't have the most steady or consistent hand, so I often would get scared, thinking it would look horrible, even if I tried to draw on the wall first as a guide. And since painters tape wouldn't exactly work for the small curves of scallops, I came up with a new idea for creating scallops on a wall using a homemade stencil!

What you need:

Paint in desired color

Paint Brush

Freezer Paper

Something circular to trace (plate, bowl, large can, etc.)

Pencil

Scissors

Iron

Directions:

Step 1:

Measure the length of each wall you are painting.

Step 2:

Cut a sheet of freezer paper the length of each wall you are painting. You should have a seperate piece of freezer paper for your two biggest walls. One sheet makes two stencils, so if you need to, then cut it down for a shorter wall.

Step 3:

Measure and draw a straight line (use some sort of straight edge, or make a fold down the middle instead) down the middle of each sheet of freezer paper.

Step 4:

Trace circular object onto freezer paper side-by-side until it reaches the end of the sheet. Make sure that your line or fold cuts each circle exactly in half. Do this for all

sheets of freezer paper that you have.

Step 5:

Now with your scissors, cut along the middle line so you have 2 separate pieces per sheet. Then cut out around the circles halves, all the way down the sheet. This will give you your even scalloped edge. Repeat until finished with all sheets.

Step 6:

Now, bring each sheet of freezer paper to it's corresponding wall, meanwhile, heating your iron up. It's easiest if you have someone help you with this part, though it's not totally necessary.

If someone is helping you, have the oth

er person grab one end of the sheet, and hold it at the corner of the wall, while you hold yours at the other end. (Making sure the side that is shiny is facing toward the wall)

If you don't have someone helping you, just tape it in place temporarily at both ends, making sure it's straight and taut.

Step 7:

Now with your heated iron (you may need an extension cord depending on how high up you want your scallops) iron the freezer paper to the wall. Make sure you pay close attention to the scalloped edges, that they're sticking well to the wall, as these are your stencil. (You may need to hold the iron down awhile to get a good stick)

Step 8:

With your stencil in place, you are free to paint, and reveal those beautiful scallops! Once the paint is dry, remove the stencil (it will come right off), and admire your work!

Good luck!

$2 Dollar Book Wreath

I found this fabulous idea over at "Living With Lindsay" and just had to make it. Many of you have probably already seen this done, because it's gotten pretty famous on the web. Not only is it a super-cute idea, but it's 2 dollars to make!!!! Well, here is my version of it. You can click here to get the full tutorial on it.

By the way, With this post I'm taking a poll. I decided to try this wreath with a ribbon, but I'm not sure if I like it. I think the ribbon might be a little dressy, while the wreath is a bit industrial, but my husband likes it with the ribbon. So let me know what you think,

with the ribbon, or without?

Josten's Christmas Gift #2

Here's the 2nd of Josten's handmade Christmas gifts. I made him a camo scripture case to take with him when he goes to trainings. I kept it simple so it's "approved" to take with him, and so it blends with the rest of his gear.

Sienna's Christmas Present #2

Here's the 2nd of Sienna's homemade gifts... her very own purse! It's even reversible!