The Key to Craftastic Chords

We all remember my snazzy friendship bracelet style headphones I shared with you guys right? Well, I thought you might want something similar to that. Especially now that summer is coming along, its time to break out the hot pink nail polish, and open toed shoes (boys included). And by that, I mean it time to let the light and bright things back into your life. How we are going to do this today is decorate some charger chords. Some of its pros are: makes you a positive and optimistic person by just looking at it, protects your chords, works on headphones too, and it makes the chord undeniably yours (in cases of sibling theft). Another added bonus, this DIY is even easier than the aforementioned headphones project! With a little time, and a very small supply list, no one will be able to deny your arts and crafts swag (it's a real thing, I promise)!

No Charlie, these are not your chargers. Yours are not nearly as fabulous.

The things you will need are very few: a chord of any kind, perler beads (bringing back those childhood memories), and small scissors (I used my mom's sewing scissors). Now that you have all you supplies it's time to start designing! Pick the colors you want, and decide on a pattern (like alternating, or just random). Remember, the more colors you pick, the less sorting out you will have to do to get enough of them. Speaking of sorting the beads out, I got efficient by using the self designed technique I like to call "insert creative name here." It just consists of grabbing a handful of beads out of the bucket, take the ones I want out of my palm and into the bucket lid, and placing the unwanted colors into a separate bowl.

A picture showing many of the techniques
described. Ten points to me for that photography
 skill! And five points to Gryffindor.

Now that you have the beads you want, it's time to put them on you chord. Use your small scissors to cut an opening in the bead, and then use the same scissors to hold the opening wide enough to push your chord into it the bead. Repeat these steps until your chord is covered. It may seem slow at first, but as you work out a process, you will soon get to a speed worthy of the Flash. I was able to finish mine in, give or take, an hour and twenty minutes. Try to beat that! Despite the blisters, it was a fun thing to do with my free time. Added bonus, binging on some Netflix is a perfect way too multitask while doing this DIY.

I hope you enjoyed what will probably be my last DIY as this year comes to a close. Just a reminder, there is still time to stalk, I mean follow, me and this blog. I still have at least one more post coming, and I would love to see your comments and suggestions. I hope you all live through the stress of the coming weeks, and let's be honest, the coming lifetime. Don't stop being incredible, and yes, that is an order.

The Only Good Reason To Destroy a Book

As the title of this post may tell you, at this point in time I believe there is only one good reason to destroy a book. Give me some time, and I could probably think of more, but for now the only reason is for it to be in the name of arts and crafts. You might be thinking, "That's nice Allison, but what does that have to do with us?" Well, today I'm showing you what I think is the book DIY to end all other book DIYs, the jewelry box book! This project is a little bit challenging and time consuming, but worth the effort.

Also a great for hiding that stash of junk food your parents don't know about.

First, you're going to need some supplies. The most obvious of course, is hardcover book you are willing to cut apart. Mine was a discard from the school library with about 300 pages. Keep details like these in mind when picking your book, it needs to be deep enough to hold your jewelry, but it can be hard to make if the book is extremely long. Next, you're going to need an x-acto knife to cut out the center of your book. You can find them at Michaels, but if you have never used one before, watch this safety video (you can skip the first part about the parts of the knife), and use this practice sheet first. I'm not going to get into the graphic details, but x-acto knives are dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Last on our mandatory list is mod podge. As always, there are infinite possibilities for other supplies to decorate your book including: patterned paper, stickers, and ribbon.

Next, measure an inch border around your pages as an outline for where to cut. I was able to cut through at least five pages each time, and more if I went over my cuts multiple times. Try to keep all the pages lined up as you cut to keep an even border. Use a binder clip to keep the pages you already cut out connected to your cover, and out of the way. Also, once I got about half way I decided to start working from the back so I didn't have to worry about the pages I already cut getting in my way. This is the most time consuming part of the project so stay patient. Your inside may not be perfect, but that's okay.

I don't even think I need a jewelry box, but I guess it's never really about what I need.

Now, if you wanted to put patterned paper over the cover, this is the time to do it. I like to cut mine about an inch longer than what I need around each edge so I can fold them down and glue them to the other side to prevent the paper from peeling up. Next, glue all your pages together with mod podge by coating all the sides including the newly created inside. Make sure that while your back cover is glued down to create your bottom, the front cover remains unstuck. I coated everything twice just to be sure. Wait for it to dry, and your done!

I hope you enjoy your jewelry box, and if you want to see the original video click here. Check out my new page filled with other things I have made, and watch out for the occasional poll. Feel free to comment, and leave suggestions. See you wonderful freaks later!

Three Magnificent Mason Jar Christmas Crafts

Hey, guess what time of year it is? That's right, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Now, before we break out into the real life musical that I have always dreamed would happen, we need a few things. On this list are some Christmas DIYs that that can appeal to everyone! Not only are they Christmas themed, but they all use mason jars! My love for mason jars grows exponentially each time I use one in a craft, and now I am not afraid to admit that I am obsessed. Moving past that, here they are:

1. Snowman Lid Ornament

I have no idea why I decided to make this. My family already can't fit all our ornaments on the tree. Will this masterpiece make the cut? Probably not. Because I already know this post is going to be super long, I'm going to skip the supplies, and jump right in. First glue white paper to the inside part of the mason jar lid, and glue that to the outer part. Cover the paper in hot glue, and sprinkle glitter into it to create a snowy background. Now make the snowman and tree. Get creative, I used makeup sponges for the tree and snowman, but you can use anything from cotton balls, and stuffed animal fluff to marshmallows. Don't have paint, or are too lazy to walk up the stairs where a never-before -used paint kit is waiting? I used nail polish and glitter glue. Glue together your winter scene, slap a ribbon on the back, and voila! Your dream of a white Christmas has come to life!

2. Brownie in a Jar

I love brownies. If you don't, you are are either lying or are insane. Sorry, but it's the truth. This project was ridiculously easy, it literally took twenty minutes to get the supplies, find a recipe, and create it. Speaking of a recipe, I found one here that was perfect, but if want to use your own, make sure it calls for the dry ingredients to be mixed up together. Once you layer the dry ingredients to your artistic desiring, list the rest of the ingredients and instructions on a card to complete the brownies. I had to halve my recipe in order to fit all into this smaller jar, so keep that in mind when listing the rest of your ingredients. If you have room at the top, add marshmallows, chocolate chips, or walnuts for an extra touch. Perfect as gifts, and visually pleasing, I can't think of a reason not to make this!

3. Mason Jar Snow Globe

This is probably my favorite project out of the three. It's super easy, quick to make, and very customizable. The first thing I would suggest doing is finding or making a figurine to glue onto your lid. I got mine at Michaels 50% off the original price. There are so many adorable scenes to choose from: a family making a snowman, a boy playing with his dog, a snowy Christmas tree. Naturally, I chose the raccoons hanging out by an outhouse. It just screamed Christmas (I'm being sarcastic)! Now choose a mason jar that will fit your figurine, and glue it onto your lid. I needed a short and squat one. I added quilt batting on the bottom to look like snow. Now fill it with water and glitter. Make sure to take water displacement into account, and leave some air in to shake it. Now you have a your very own snow globe!

Sorry for the super long post. Comment which is your favorite, and what else you would like to see. Thanks for reading!

Frendship Bracelet Style Headphones

These are coolest headphones ever to be created.

You my dear readers, are fabulous. The fact that you are reading this blog proves it. As a fabulous person everything in you life is just naturally amazing! So why shouldn't your headphones be the same? Lucky for you, decorating your headphones is really easy. With cheap supplies, and some free time, your headphones can be as cool as mine.

First, as always, is to gather your supplies. You will need a pair of headphones (like that wasn't obvious), and some kind of string or thread. I used embroidery floss, but I have seen people use baker's twine, or even yarn. Keep in mind, the thicker the string, the less time it takes to finish. That being said, I have no clue how much string you will need.

To start, measure out five times the length of your headphones in your string of choice. This may not cover the entire area you need, but it's a good length to start with. Tape the end of your headphones to a desk and double knot your string onto the chord so that there is an equal length on either side. Coil your extra string so that it is easier to work with, and doesn't get tangled.

Image courtesy of Friendship-Bracelet.net

Now it is time to begin the knotting pattern known as "Chinese laddering". Take the string on your right hand side and create a backwards four shape by placing the string under the chord and over the other string. Now take the left hand string and place it over the chord, and through the loop created by the other string. Pull tight, and repeat. At one point as the spiral pattern begins to appear, your two strings will start to look like they need to flip to the other side. When this happens, just switch what sides they're on to continue the spiral.

When you run out of string, or want to change colors, leave at least half and inch of extra string left after your last stitch. Repeat the beginning steps of measuring and double knotting, and creating the pattern. Do all of this while adding your extra length of string to your chord, and including it in your stitches. After about three repetitions of your pattern, cut off the rest of the extra string, and continue you pattern. When you reach the end of your headphones, cut off  as much of the extra as you can, and secure the end of your pattern with clear nail polish.

Now, not only do your headphones look super swaggy (I am so sorry for using that word), but they also don't get tangled as easily. Add an iTunes gift card and you have the perfect combination of gifts for a friend family member, or even a celebrity crush that you stalk. After making multiple pairs for myself, and my friends. I have become an expert, so if you have any questions make sure to comment, ask me in person, or watch this video. Thanks for being fabulous!

A Dumb Blonde's DIY

You may not like it, but I'm really proud of this.

Sometimes I overestimate my abilities, and making this spooky "diy" was one of those times. Honestly, for anyone else, this would probably be ridiculously easy. I however, spent about three hours on it.

Keeping with the Halloween theme I seem to have this month, I decided to make this spooky craft. I'm no fan of spiders, but I couldn't resist the chance to use those beautiful wooden frames found at Michaels. Not to mention, I had a coupon, and most of the supplies already at home. This is right around where I would tell you how long it takes to make this craft, but I seem to be incompetent with spray paint, and many other things, so my estimate would be inaccurate.

Anyways, the first thing you need is supplies. You will need, some sort of frame, spray paint (or paint), white yarn, and whatever other decorations you want (I used spider stickers). One thing I failed to remember is that a hot glue gun is extremely useful for this project. I managed without one, but you would be better off just buying one (they're pretty cheap anyways). I had most of the supplies at my house, but I couldn't pass up a chance to go to Michaels. If you also plan on going to Michaels, use the link for coupons.

To begin, paint or spray paint your frame. If you spray paint it like I did, here are some tips that I learned while being dumb blonde. This was my first time using spray paint on my own, so try not to judge me. Things I didn't do, but you should: shake the can before use, make sure you know which way to point the nozzle each time you pick it up, spray at an angle, and let it dry before flipping it to the other side. I'm glad my mistakes can not only prevent your own, but also entertain you.

This is how a professional works.

When it's dry, glue a total of four pieces of yarn from the middle of each side, and each corner like you were drawing a snowflake or star. Next, create a spider web pattern (I made a spiral) with another
piece of yarn, gluing it where it needs to be strengthened. As you might remember, I don't own a hot glue gun, so after many failures, I was able to secure the yarn with a mixture of staples and mod podge (I don't recommend it).

Now you are free to decorate it however you want! Comment how making this turned out for you, and vote on the new poll. Tell me whether my next "do it yourself" project (when I decide to make it) should be with food, or another craft.