Recycled T shirt Necklaces

So, I now have done enough t shirt restyling to have left over scraps.  I decided to make some more necklaces.  The first one I used the purple sleeves from the t shirt I restyled into a ruffled tunic top.  I cut 6 strips and used 5 to make the necklace and one to cover the knots.  I thought it needed a bit more flair ( and I'm all about the flair) and when I saw these bright lime silk flowers I knew what I had to do.  Using ribbon and hot glue I created a flower piece and attached it to the necklace.  It now will go with a tank a friend of mine gave me in that green color.  I was going to try to embellish it, but now I don't have to!

Here are the pictures

 

I love these vibrant colors!

This morning as I cruised the DIY sites that are now my drug of choice I got inspired to make more stuff.  There is a skirt from a t shirt I may try to make on this site.  Yes I know I am probably too old to wear this, but I may make it as a casual weekend skirt for the summer.  Then I went to this blog - The Married Squirrels and saw this amazing ironing board from a piece from IKEA. 

Don't you just love this!

I can seriously see making this.  How many of us use and leave our ironing boards up way to much!???  It could hide in plain site as a buffet in my great room!

I then found this blog lower your presser foot and she had a skirt I want to make.  Lucky it is a free pattern download from Burda 

I've never tried this before, but what the heck..I'll post pics when I get it done.

Here is yet another necklace from a t shirt. I used this grey to make another shirt and had the back left over so I sliced it into strips and tied the ends together to make a necklace.  I used another strip of the shirt to cover the knots in the back.  It looked kinda plain so I want to jazz it up...and I'm all about that!  I remembered an amazonite pendant and beads I purchased at the last bead show with my friend Kristy

 She's the pretty blonde

 

 

 

 

She is one of my closest friends and bead buddy extraordinaire!  She also has her own web site and has been featured in quite a few national magazines. You can see her jewelry here http://www.kristyskreations.com

So here is a picture of my completed creation

I used vintage brass wire to add some extra texture/color to this piece.  Now I have to decide it I can stand to sell it!

Oh, and one more site I found not martha and I can't wait to make one of her felt flowers  to add to a necklace soon.  I just have too many ideas and can't get to them all fast enough on my days off from my "real" job.

Hope you keep finding fun stuff to craft.  If anyone is interested in having me post tutorials on my projects let me know and I'll start to document what I make in steps.

Thanks!

So Much to Craft....So Little Time!

 So my adventures in craftiness continue!  I have been creating up a storm so to speak...the rain we've been having makes it easy to stay in and think about how things can work together. 

I found a tutorial to make a funky cuff on CraftStylish.  The original was made using denim and t shirt fabric, but you know me by now...that just wouldn't do!  Back to my suede stash I went!  I cut, I stitched, I hammered and came up with these two cuffs

Black Suede with Violet Stiches

Electric Avenue Suede Cuff

 

 

 

I love the asymmetry of these.  A triangle!  Then I used embroidery thread to just stitch my cares away.  Totally random...totally fantastic.

I also decided to continue my quest to create stuff out of restyled t shirts.  I hunted in my closet and found one that was too short and too square to make anyone look good.  I loved the color, kind of a periwinkle blue, but had no idea what to do with it.  I decided to make a necklace!  I used my handy dandy rotating cutter and mat and my favorite metal ruler and cut 1 inch strips up the the pits (yes I said pits) of the shirt.  I then gave them a few tugs and like magic they curl into themselves and make a yarn like fabric.  I really don't know how many I cut but, I put one aside to tie them together.  The rest I twisted into a figure eight and took a long necklace into a shorter one.  I then used the last tie to wrap around to keep the length.

This is how it looked!  Pretty cool!  But then I thought about another piece I had in my stash.  A while back I purchased some filigree pieces and put them together with a rivoli.  I never quite knew what to do with it even though I liked it.  When I held it up to the necklace it was perfect!  So I added a clip to it so it could be removed and worn in my hair.  Here is how it looks:

So, now I can wear it for fancy smancy stuff or dressed down with a white shirt and jeans.  I'm already working on another one.

My final piece for today is a t shirt restyle.  I bought a deep purple shirt at Target in the mens department.  I bought an XL thinking more fabric to work with.  As it turned out, I needed every bit of it!  I used a tunic I made recently as a cutting guide and cut off the neckline, the sleeves and sliced the sides.  I also took off the hem so when it was finished it has kind of a floaty unfinished look.  I took the leftover fabric and cut it into strips and then chevron shapes. Once again a little tug and they curled.  I placed them around the neckline and arranged them down the front of the shirt.  I stitched them down and then rolled the edge of the neckline to make it look nicer.  I then washed and dried the shirt and here is the end result:

Don't you just love the squiggles that the chevrons turned into?  I can't wait to wear this with shorts and jeans this summer.  And I had some fabric left from the sleeves I am turning into another necklace.  Can't wait to show you!

Since I am obsessed with the suede cuffs right now I went to the local Goodwill for a scavenging trip.  I lucked out and found two great jackets!  Bright red and cocoa brown!  And I paid a whopping $14 total!  Can't wait to start turning them into cuffs and maybe a few other fun items.

Look around you...there is crafting everywhere!

I'm On A Roll!

So, I have been on a jewelry making roll the last 3 days.  I made necklaces, several bracelets, and some leather cuffs.  I already sold 2 of the cuffs and have a request for another one.  The hardest thing for me is when one design is so popular that everyone wants one.  Don't get me wrong, I am flattered and happy to recreate a design, I just don't want to do the same thing over and over.  So once or twice I will, but after that I try not to make another one "just like that one".  If you make jewelry, what do you do in this situation?

So here are pictures of my most recent creations

 

 

Love turquoise and copper together

This is another "Leaf" cuff - SOLD

Bright Blue, Silver and Crystals...what's not to love?

Inspired by Ornamentea

I love this pendant so much...I bought 2!

Hot off the sewing machine!

So as you can see, I have a crafting problem!  I wonder if there is a group for this?  That would probably never work because we would all start sharing our ideas and admiring everyone's projects and next thing you know it would evolve into a crafting co-op. 

If you love anything you see on my blog let me know.  Most of it is for sale!

Happy Crafting!

New Inspiration

So, I've been cruising around the web again on a variety of DIY sites.  I feel like I've landed on Mars and just learned to speak Martian.  I...the Queen of Craftiness...can't believe that I haven't come across many of these sites before.  It is amazing how one site leads to another and another and another.

I came across this leather cuff tutorial on Studio Waterstone.  She makes beautiful items out of recycled leather.  I had to make one for myself, but I didn't have any leather, I had some old stuff, but sent it to AmVets, it will be really sad if I end up buying it back!  So off to the local fabric and craft stores I went.  I ended up with a small piece of blue/green suede from Hobby Lobby.  I also found this interesting leaf embossed disk.  When I went home I had a fresh water pearl that matches perfectly and a magnetic clasp.  I made mine 9 inches long (this is important for the overlap for the clasp) and stitched lines on it like one of the bracelets that Lori made earlier with a Hope charm on it.

I really love this one!

Here are pictures of my first finished cuff...

Apparently I'm not the only one who likes this, because my friend Susan snapped it up!  So I have another one in progress (which my other friend now wants)!  Off the the craft store I go again!

I also loved this bracelet on Ornamentia.com but not being one to wait for something in the mail, I once again hit the streets of Cincinnati in search of supplies to make it.  I will honestly tell you that to get quality rhinestone trim is expensive, so I bought a little bit of 2 different ones at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  I also think I'll try using the ball chain like in another tutorial on this site.  By the way, they have fantastic beads and supplies at Ornamentia....I just get a wild hair and have to make things NOW!

Here is a picture of my first try at this bracelet...

 I used a copper colored leather tie, rhinestones in a pewter setting, silver metallic embroidery floss and some charms and a bead I had around...not bad for a first try!  I also have some other ideas up my sleeve and will post pictures soon. 

Happy Crafting!