Green Veil Combs

As I continue to to work on this year's Halloween costume I needed something fun for my hair and came up with this idea using a couple plastic hair combs, some green tulle I had laying around, a few seashells, and some glitter.

The whole project was super easy and went together in no time. They look perfect with the costume! (And don't we just love accessories like that?)

Supplies:
Two plastic hair combs
Tulle (I used green) - to desired length
Small Seashells
Black spray paint
(Opt.) Needle/Thread
Craft Glue (that will dry clear)
Green and silver glitter

Using my handy dandy hot glue gun (my dear friend) I placed a strip of hot glue across the top of the plastic hair comb then gently placed the crumpled green tulle and secured. It only took a bit to set the glue. Just to make sure everything was secured, I also to a needle and thread to lightly stitch around the top edge of the tulle to the plastic comb.

I then took a selections of small seashells I had in my craft stuff and painted them with black spray paint and let them dry. (I prefer to put things I am spraying with spray paint inside a box or other container to keep the overflow contained.)


I secured the black painted seashells to the tulle covered plastic comb with more hot glue. Be careful not to burn your fingers when doing this.

Once the the shells were secured to the plastic combs, I dabbed bits of craft glue on them then sprinkled with green glitter. Then dabbed a few more bits of craft glue and repeated with silver glitter. (Make sure after glittering to shake the excess off.)

Then I let everything dry before wearing.

Maze Scrapbook - FL

Start with one square for the pages.

 I've been doing all sorts of scraps books and memory books for years at home, at camps, with scouts, 4-H, and through theater things and am always looking for new ideas and non-traditional memory keeping ideas. I stumbled across this site, that had a number of things I had already seen, done, and even taught, but this Maze Book was one that inspired me. I used the ideas as a base, changing the size to make it larger and adding my own touches.

Armed with a map (that I cut down and used for the pages), pictures, and a few bits from a recent trip to my cousin's wedding I decided to try one. (I always bring back a collection of things from a trip... pictures, maps, and other little objects, bits, & pieces. In this case confetti from the wedding, shells, and sand that I used part of in a Memory Jar project from a previous post.)

Fold into 16 even squares.

 Supplies:
     1 sq. sheet for pages (map in this case)
     pictures (I printed them smaller to fit my size needs)
     cardboard (for the cover)
     assortment paper
     stickers & other decorations
     embellishments (stick on gems, shells, etc.)
     yarn, ribbon, etc.
     glue, tape, or other preferred to secure and attach

I cut the map in a square shape, folding it diagonal and cutting off the excess, making sure to include our hotel and the beach where the wedding & reception where held. Then folded it in half twice, both horizontal and vertically to create 16 even squares.

Then cut rows, leaving one square on end attached to fold out as in a one long piece.

Then folded to form a book.

Fold

Cut board (I used cardboard from a box of veggie burgers). I used one piece that was wide enough for the cover and long enough for both covers and the spine. Then cover the board with decorative paper.  (I chose something that would go with their wedding colors.)

Attach folded pages to front and back cover. Secure to covers.

Attach pictures, decorative paper, stickers, labels, to pages. (I used some butterfly and flower stickers that I had on hand that went with them theme.)


Decorate cover. (I included stick on gem flowers, a few tiny seashells, glitter paint, and a picture from the beach. On the back cover is a picture from the trip home.)

Add any attachments for pockets. I attached a piece of yarn to the spine that was linked to a picture attached to board and a small plastic bit of confetti from the reception.

Embellish, decorate, ENJOY! (And using things I brought back with items I recyled or hand on hand, I spent on nothing.)

Memory Jar - FL

Scrapbooks are great and with computers and the internet we can take and store tons of pictures and videos, even burn them them onto discs or DVDs, but there is more to keep memories close than just books.

Recently, my family headed south to my cousin's wedding, that just happened to be on the beach. Like with most trips, I came back with a selection of pictures and bits that are perfect to scrap book, but I also came back with some other special things that hold just as much memories from that special day. Instead of having them scattered around in various places I took a little inspiration from Martha Stewart and combined the bits into a Memory Jar.

I started with one clean jar with lid. (In this case it was an empty pickle jar, I cleaned and socked really well. I liked the smooth sides.) I cleaned the jar with hot soapy water, removing the label, letting it soak for awhile to remove glue left from the label and any residual vinegar smell.

I filled the bottom of the jar with about and inch or so of sand I had collected from the beach where my cousin's wedding and reception was held. (I brought it back in an empty plastic water container in my beach bag.) This gave a good bottom and base for everything else.

Then came the arranging. I used included shells, a small chunk of coral collected from the beach, bubbles from the wedding & reception, a glass votive wedding favor from the reception (it had their names and the date printed on it in their colors), and sprinkled paper flower confetti (from the reception tables). Using the sand as a base, I placed the large items first (the coral and votive), then placed the shells, confetti, and bubbles around them to create an attractive display. Without anything else added it was already a nice reminder of the wedding and that nice day on the beach with family & extended family.

I painted the lid with acrylic paint (white with a slight marbling of blue streak through it) in it and glued a layer of sand (from what I brought back) to top. Using hot glue I attached a couple of the shells to the top. The let everything dry.

I decorated the outside of the jar too, but it isn't necessary by any means. (I've done others that didn't include anything on the outside.) First, using little dots of hot glue I attached ribbon around the edge, left from a wedding program. Then, I adorned the ribbon & sides with a couple of pieces of the flower confetti and small stick of purple gems I had on hand. (While the gems were sticky on their own, I considered what they were being attached to and  decided to re-inforce them with a bit of hot glue.) I used a little clear glitter paint to add a few extra finshing touches.

With everything dry, I attached the lid, and now have a lovely jar full of memories.

Almost everything came from that trip... adding only the jar (which came from my recycling bin), a bit of paint and glue, and a couple stick on flower jewels that I already had on hand.

Seashells by the Seashore

Beached Curtain with Shells

With thoughts of summer, my thoughts have turned to sun, sand, and beaches... with the thoughts of the beach and sand I think of seashells. (Between my trips to beaches and trips of friends, I have a fairly large collection tucked away.) Bring on the sun!

The beaded curtains were made years ago from a sturdy hemp chord (which I seem to usually have on hand), medium-sized wooden beads, and various seashells with naturally occurring  holes and places to string the chord. They were first made for a bedroom I had in the attic and followed me a new house and even to a cabin doorway I had. I love the natural look of the wooden beads with shells and a few scattered gold beads. A bit of a hippy-inspired 60s flashback, but that is one of the reasons I love having them and decorating with them.

The little seashell covered boxes were made from tiny plain boxes and decorated with a sturdy glue and tiny colored shells to create a design. (I have a bunch of these little shells, some dyed different colors.) They are great to sit with my some of my mermaid stuff (which I seem to have at least a  few things).

I am so ready for summer.

Fossil Imprints

Making paperweights or just something fun can be a great way to get kids involved in exploring nature, being interested in the natural world around them, and make something they can keep. The casting pictured was from projects I did with a three-year-old I took care of one summer (I spent everyday up to 8 or more hours with her, even traveling on vacation with the family as their nanny). We collected flowers, leaves, twigs, pine cones, and other bits from nature and mixed them with seashells as a fun way to learn about nature and fossils. (We did learning projects everyday that summer.) They could be painted when dry to add another element.

We used Plaster of Paris at one of my camps to make imprints of animal tracks. Mainly we found deer and raccoon tracks near places where they went to drink.

Misc. Jewelry Creations

Double Row Hemp Choker

Some of these pieces of jewelry were camp related projects and some where not. I don't claim to be an expert on jewelry making and some skill sets are new to me.

The Double Row Hemp Choker was my own take on the macrame knots I have been doing for years. I taught basic macrame using square and half knots at camp, mostly used for bracelets, necklaces, and chokers. This was a design I played with on my own inter-knotting two rows of square knots. One week half the camp ended up using thick macrame chord (donated and probably from someone's 70's or 80s stash) to make macrame belts. Retro definitely has never gone away with hemp chord and macrame chord. Check out more on the Double Row Hemp Sq. Knot Choker

Dream Catcher Earrings

The Dream Catcher Earrings were the result of working at a camp located in an area where American Indian Culture was celebrated and Pow Wow was held annually. I was playing with making my own out of what I had on hand. (There were some necklaces and stuff made too that were given away.) These were made from a couple of key rings, brown embroidery thread, a few small wooden beads, a couple small orange feathers, and two earring hooks. Check out more on my Dream Catcher Earrings

Charm Bracelet with homemade charms

When I was younger my mom had a charm bracelet that I was fascinated with, complete with charms that all had meaning to her. This charm bracelet was made with chain and hook from the jewelry section of the craft store with re-purposed old earrings and homemade charms that all were significant to me. A heart, a mermaid (I kind of have a things for mermaids), a flower, a tree of life, a peace sign (of course), a couple small butterflies, and a few tiny bead strands. The homemade charms were created from discarded twisty ties, stripped of the plastic or paper coverings, then twisted and altered into various shapes (needle nose pliers helped here). Most of the shapes took a lot more twisties than one might have originally planned.

It didn't me long to get aggravated with stripped on the plastic or paper coverings on the twisty ties, so I resorted to using a controlled bit of flame to burn the covering off. Of course, making sure they were cool before munipulating them into shapes. The tiny bits of wire, were not the easiest things to form, but it was a challenge I was glad I took on. (Look ma, no injuries.) The end result was a new bracelet and a great learning experience. More on my Twisty Tie Charm Bracelet

The Seashell Jewelry (necklace and earrings) got easily inspired by a large collection of shiny tiny glass beads in all sorts of blues, greens, ambers, and browns with a nice assortment of seashells mixed with my thing for mermaids. (It just keeps finding a way to reappear, so you might as well get used to it.) I used a jewelry make wire, catch (for the necklace), and earring hooks that I had one hand (plus of working at a camp) to string the beads and attach the shells.

Seashell Jewelry

My original intend when starting these ocean inspired pieces was to use them as part of a mermaid costume that I have been playing with sketches and construction ideas. The costume hasn't been built yet, but I haven't given up on it. (I'm still playing with some ideas.) Have no worries though, the jewelry was used this past year when I helped a couple friend with Halloween Costumes and one of them went as the Ocean. The seashells and beads were a nice touch with the creation of flowing blues and greens with various sea creatures thrown in for fun. These have proven to be a great addition to my costume collection (and yes, I have one, one that takes up it's own closet, but that is another story for another day). Check out more on the Seashell Jewelry

Celebrate the art of being who you want to be and wearing the things that mean something to you.