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.

Easter is Coming

While Easter may not be the biggest holiday such as Christmas or Halloween, I have always loved its bright colors, joyful energy, and not to mention it abundance of amazing candy. My favorites being robin eggs, and cadbury creme eggs. Back on topic, I thought that this year I wanted to be a little more festive than usual. I don't plan on going all out, but just small things to brighten my day. Then I thought, "Hey, I wonder if my readers want to be more festive too!" And so this post was born. So today (as in the day you're reading this), I'm going to share a few small ways to be festive in your everyday whereabouts.

1. The Computer

My desktop at this very moment.

So assuming that all my readers have some sort of device connecting them to the internet (kudos to those that don't and are somehow managing to read my blog. MAGIC), then that means you have a desktop, or phone background of some sort. Something you might already know about these backgrounds, is guess what! They 're customizable! In the spirit of Easter merriment, I have changed my backgrounds to things such as flowers, colorful Easter candy, and my favorite, bunnies! I can't handle it, it's too cute. Now opening up my computer to complete that Vital Vocab is as hard as I thought it would be.

2. The Room

If you are like me, then you might spend a good amount of time in your room. That also means your room is the perfect place for some Easter festivity. As you can already tell, I love Easter candy. Anyway I can convince my mom to buy more of it, I will do. So my first idea is, no surprise here, a jar full of candy. It's colorful, cute, and delicious. My only suggestion think about buying a candy you don't like, that way you aren't tempted to eat your new decor. Not a candy person? Try anything with flowers. You can put them in vases, or make paper flowers for a garland to decorate your walls.

3. The Bag

You take a bag or backpack almost everywhere you go. So why not take some Easter enthusiasm along with it. I'm not asking you to make a world class, hand sewn bag made from just scraps of cloth laying around your house. Just small things like tying colorful hair ties or ribbons to the zipper. The hair ties are perfect for controlling you hair in the ever changing weather that arrives with spring. That is, unless you like that windswept look.




You guys know the drill. Comment, follow, suggest, all that good stuff. Just make sure to share all your newly found gusto with all those around you. And while your sharing, share how amazing you think my blog is. They say there is nothing like "the word of mouth," except for maybe Easter candy. Help, I'm obsessed. I wish you all luck in these final days in the quarter, I'll see you all at the Easter candy obsession support group.

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!

Polished to Perfection

Only some of my many creations.

So, If you guys know me, then you you might know that I really like doing nail art. It might've been frustrating for me at first, but the more I got the hang of it, the more calming it became for me. Not only that, but I love the satisfaction it gives me when someone asks me where I got my nails done, and their amazement spreads through their eyes as I tell them that I did them myself. I don't pretend to be an expert, but I think I have gotten pretty good at creating fingertip masterpieces. I did not however start out that way, it took a lot of practice, and a lot of failed attempts before I was able to make creations like those to the left. Working my way from easier designs to harder ones was really good practice, so I wanted to share some of the designs that got me started. And for you male readers out their (here I am hoping you exist), don't be afraid to grab you sister's nail polish and try it out, it may not seem like it, but it is an art form, and girls will be impressed by your nail painting skills.

1. Seeing Spots

I lined my dots up in an alternating pattern, but you can also make it random.

To start, I would like to apologize for using fake nails to show these designs, I didn't feel like taking off the design I already had on my fingers. Plus,  it was easier to take pictures that way. First paint your nails a solid color of your choosing (I feel that goes without saying for all of these designs). Then, to create the dots, you can put a blob of polish on a napkin, or any piece of paper, and dip the end of a bobby pin in. You can also use a tooth pick by repeatedly dipping the end in polish and letting it dry to create a rounded tip. To make your dots look three dimensional, start by placing black dots first, then placing more dots slightly offset of the black ones to make it look like a shadow. I use white dots on top for the best results.

 2. Beautiful Burst

I have loved this design with every base coat I've tried.

 This design takes very little time, and looks beautiful after a little practice. After your base color is dry, begin your burst by making a a curved line from the corner of you nail outwards using a striping tool, thin craft brush, or even a tooth pick dipped in polish. Repeat this to make the burst. After my first color, I added to more layers in different colors (white, and gold glitter), alternating where they were placed.

3. Fancy Flowers

I made this one simple, but you can add more flowers, or even vines.

This design is almost a combination of the last two. Start by adding five dots in a circle on top of you base color. To make the lines in the center of the petals like you see in real flowers, drag a toothpick, or a pencil through the polish, starting in the middle of the petal and ending in the center of the flower. Make a dot, or add a rhinestone to the center of your flower, and add leaves on the sides with a toothpick to complete it.

I hope you try all of these, and play with these ideas to make them even better. It can be frustrating at first, but the more you try, the better you will get. If you want more beginner's nail art designs, MissJenFabulous on YouTube has an entire playlist, and adds another video every month. Make sure to vote on the new poll on my sidebar, and check out the new page filled with DIYs I made that are too easy to blog about. Thanks for reading!

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.

I Was Feeling Really Productive

I had to lie on the ground to take this picture, so I hope you appreciate it.

On Friday night, I was overtaken by the urge to create something, and not just an ordinary something, but this life changing candy corn ice cream treat (I may be exaggerating a little with the whole life changing thing). This Halloween inspired energy would not last long, but luckily, neither would this project. I knew my Halloween inspired energy wouldn't last long, so this quick, and easy project was perfect. A "do it yourself" dessert was just what I needed to get my mind off of the stress I was feeling from school.

 Before you can start, you will need supplies. Vanilla ice cream, along with red and yellow food coloring are the only mandatory supplies to make this, but special glasses, whipped cream, candles, straws, or other decorations are optional. One container of of ice cream just barely filled four of my glasses, so take that into consideration when planning to share with others.

First, leave your ice cream out to let it soften. Then take one third of your conainer, and add yellow food coloring to it until you are happy with the color. After that, add it to your glass. If the ice cream smears on the sides of the glass, be sure to wipe it off to make your layers clear. Before you add the next layer, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Repeat the process two more times using the red and yellow food coloring to create orange, and leaving the the last layer white. When you are done, you can let it thaw to a milkshake consistency, or freeze it back to ice cream. Be careful abut how long you leave it out; the layers will mix as it begins to melt.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this sweet, make sure tell me about your successes and triumphs while making it. If you want to watch the video I go the idea from, and for another candy corn inspired dessert, click here. Be sure to comment, and suggest other things you want me to try, or talk about.

I was trying to take an artsy picture. I will let you decide whether or not I accomplished that.