Golden Roses Luxury Inspired DIY

I love to create! Especially when I can make something chic for cheap. This necklace is inspired by Oscar De La Renta. This necklace is quick and easy to make and you will love the results.

I always have so much fun when I start to work with Sculpey Clay. The possibilities are literally endless and so are the colors, it's a cheap staple from Amazon and it's so easy to work with. This  pack of Sculpey is great because there are so many different color options for future products.

To make the gold pieces:

1. Roll your clay into a cylinder and cut out notches

2. Smoosh and use a toothpick to smooth out the edges. 

3. Once baked you can take a piece of sandpaper and smooth it out further.

A quick google search on "how to make clay roses" will fix you up if you have never made them before.

Personally I think they tend to look a little bit more vintage if you make the clay thinner on the edges of the petals. Once your rose is formed cut the base off so it will lay flat. Bake all clay per the directions on the package.

To enhance the gold pieces I painted them in an antique gold acrylic, this also helped them to look more uniformed.

Take a piece of felt or faux leather and hot glue your clay pieces to the felt. Add a chain and you are done!

I love this design because despite the delicate nature it is quite versatile and can be worn with almost any outfit.

What other food techniques have you used to enhance your jewelry? Fondant roses anyone?

Etsy Shop Favorites

These are a couple of my current favorites from my etsy shop.  I'm really excited to say that my shop is open. Etsy was always something I fantasized about and I finally did it!!

Quartz and Bronze Bird Necklace

Punk and Roll Necklace

Pink Aventurine Necklace

Gemstones and Birds Necklace

Crafters Necklace

Before I go! Have you been trying to achieve financial independence? 

Proofread Anywhere might be the solution you are looking for.

Proofread Anywhere was created by the extraordinary Caitlin Pyle

Proofreaders consistently make up to $65 an hour and are able to work anywhere in the world. I’ve been following Caitlin’s money earning journey for years and she is the creator of Proofread Anywhere. Four years ago when she bought her first house with her earnings, I was enthralled with how she did it. It was all through proofreading, and she teaches us her exact ways.

This gig is obviously for a very specific type of person who LOVES to correct grammar, hates when authors use a comma splice, or makes note of spelling mistakes on a restaurant menu… it takes a certain “eagle eye” ability to be good at proofreading!

Now, how much can you make as a proofreader? Well, since I’ve been a Caitlin fan for a long time I happen to have a couple friends who are in that industry, and it turns out — quite a lot! There are some proofreaders earning over $40,000 working for themselves and loving their jobs. Completely free of office walls.

Leverage skills that you already have by starting a proofreading business! The handy webinar will quickly let you know if Proofreading is the right direction for you.

Ready to start your journey? Get free access to the Master Class Proofread Anywhere Webinar run by Caitlin by registering now. It’s a free way to see if proofreading is right for you.

My Go-To Resources

Trim – Bill Negotiator Will negotiate bills with credit card companies and potentially get them lowered. Trim will also ensure that your subscriptions are cancelled across all your accounts. This is a full money-saving system for free. Tryout the Trim Bill Negotiator today and see how much you could be saving! 8 Million dollars was saved for users last year alone.

Ebates Coupons deals and cash back. When you’re shopping online if you aren’t stacking your savings, you’re losing serious money. Get rebates from 1%-20%+ on thousands of stores and get $10.00 for signing up. I won’t shop without Ebates.

Ibotta! I save on all my staples from eggs, to paper towels, to coffee and even uber rides! With Ibotta you just snap a picture of your shopping receipt and match it with current deals available online. Get $10 just for signing up through The Rising Damsel. Redeem your first $10 by verifying a purchase from any of their stores. It’s an obsession. 

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing to earn money blogging. There are tons of ways to make money on your blog. If you want to make money by promoting an affiliate, you need Michelle’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. It was an invaluable resource to me despite 1,000+ hours of research on how to earn. The money didn’t actually start coming in till I took this course. Save yourself from frustration, Michelle has it figured out for us!

She Sells Seashells DIY

This is quick and simple! All you need is a shell, some black paint, a chain and a bale.

Dip your shell in the black paint and add definition with a brush. Let it dry and glue on your bale and add your chain.

Perfect accessory for any season or outfit!

Create a Button Tree - Earring Storage and Decor

 
So many earrings in my life !  Lets get them all rounded up. For this you will need a block of wood, hot glue, crafting wire, wire cutters, paint and buttons you can grab a big bag from Amazon here.

1. Start cutting your crafting wire. My tree is about 1 foot 5 inches tall. Cut crafting wire approximately 2 feet long. Due to the amount of buttons I wanted on my tree I cut 39 of these.
2. Twist bundles of wire for your branches.  As you can see bundles of 3 provided good support for the earring weight. Spread bundle out on end.
3. Attach button to each "tree branch".
4. Grab all the branches and bundle them together. Take more craft wire and wrap the bottom till it appears trunk like.
5. I painted the wood green and hot glued the "trunk" to the base.

Vintage buttons would add an entirely different feel to the design and you could add anything to the base to match your home decor ... seashells for the bathroom with nautical buttons?

Hope you enjoyed this !! Super fun and easy.  I would suggest using gloves while wrapping the wire as it can get a little pokey.  One day I may make a mini version of this wire tree for a brooch or even a necklace charm.

Check out these JK Rowling Quotes That Will Inspire Your Life

My Go-To Resources

Credit Sesame I used Credit Sesame to lower my credit card debt and start saving money. I would have never been able to afford my car for cash, or pay off my debt without learning about my credit score first. Credit Sesame provides free service and a free credit score. Check them out to see how they can help dig you out of debt today. You won’t be sorry, I can’t believe how much they helped me.

Rakuten Coupons deals and cash back. When you’re shopping online if you aren’t stacking your savings, you’re losing serious money. Get rebates from 1%-20%+ on thousands of stores and get $10.00 for signing up. I won’t shop without Rakuten.

A Little Heart Brooch Chanel Inspired DIY

This might actually take longer than you would expect, but I am loving the results!

All you need is plastic canvas, yarn, a hook, and a needle.

You can get your plastic canvas here.  I went a really long time not knowing what that magical stuff was called.

Stick and shove as much yarn into each hole as you can, weaving in and out of each space till you can't possibly shove any more yarn in.  Put your favorite movie in this is gonna take a while!  I would recommend Amélie.

String and Pearl Wrap Bracelet DIY

Stash buster! You will need roughly 5 spools of embroidery floss or crochet string for this, an old plastic bracelet, beads and a drop of glue. String, beads and glue are always available at your local craft store or hit up Amazon's Craft Section

Start with a knot and wrap, wrap, wrap around the bracelet. When threading the bead center the bead, wrap string around the bead once, wrap around bracelet once. Center bead again and then wrap the string around the bead twice. Continue to wrap around bracelet till you are ready for your next bead. A dab of glue and you are done.

There are infinite color possibilities and I know none of us are missing for beads.

Vintage Appeal Necklace DIY

For this all you need is some simple jewelry hardware.  String your beads and attach them to your chain using jump rings. I got my beads on sales at Michaels for 90% off.  Rummaging through the bargain bins is worth it ! Determine how much you want the beads to separate from the chain by where you attach the jump rings. The slight vintage feel of these 90% discounted beads has me singing.

Making an Easy Jacket Brooch

You can pick up these amazing metal pieces for $2.00 at Michaels.  Hot glue a pin back to create a brooch! I have been looking at objects much differently lately. If something weighs less than 3ozs you can probably turn it into some wearable art to spice up your wardrobe.

Have you adorned your clothes with anything weird lately?  I am thinking branches next. 

Rockin It Embroidered Patch

How do you like those polka dot tights? Tip for you tight wearers out there, go to Nordstrom's Rack!

The exact same tights they sell at Nordstrom's (3 pairs for $27.00) are $3.97 at the Rack!  As far as I know Nordstrom's does not sell defective merchandise or lesser quality at the Rack, nor have I ever bought a defective pair of tights there.  It's definitely worth checking into foooor sure !

That little brooch is handmade and a pretty good example of the diy I posted a bit back about embroidering your own patches link!  I was inspired by crystals and gems. Does anyone know where you can actually buy those things?  I remember seeing them at museums when I was younger, but have never seen them at the craft store.

Who has a good tip for thrifty buying that doesn't include shopping at a thrift store?

DIY Anthro Inspired Glitter Earrings

For this simple diy all you need is some gold glitter, glaze, stiff paper and basic earring hardware.

Just Glaze and glitter !

Original version from anthropologie $35

I love them !! Took a total of about 10 minutes if you don't count the dry time. I simply used a needle to make a small hole for the earring hardware. Voila! Total cost was maybe a $1.00.  I usually stick to silver tones, so this is the perfect diy to try if you want something cheap and different.

A Different Sort of Pearl Earring

blouse: Sammydress

Whip this up with some wire, 2 sizes of the same bead, hook earrings and crimp beads.  All my supplies are from Michaels for this little project. 

The wire will add some stability to the tear drop shape of your earring, but you can absolutely use anything from mono-filament to string to thread as well.  Really the options are just about endless with this quick and easy design (stash buster!).  Enjoy your new earrings!

Seed Bead Ombre Necklace

Grab some seed beads, some plastic string, and some clasps to create this lovely little creation.

I did 6 strands total, 3 sets of 2.

Seed beads are little bit time consuming, but so worth it in the end.  I found that the easiest way to use seed beads is to put 20 or so in your hand and stab at it with your string.  Does anyone else know an easier way?  The pretty seed beads from Michaels are not the ones I used but the color variation would be perfect for an ombre effect if you desire.

I was really pleased with how this turned out.  The beads were about $4 total, so I probably used 75 cents worth.  This definitely brought memories back of my first attempts at daisy chains. 

 

Rock Wear Necklace DIY

Here's a little DIY necklace for all you lovelies to create in a few minutes flat!

All you need is some sculpey, head pins, chain, clasp and an oven.

Quite honestly I bought some Sculpey because it was super on sale. I had all these grandiose ideas of creating a cute fox, and plenty of hand crafted roses. Well....... apparently just because you know what a fox looks like in your mind, my hand/eye/brain coordination was just not letting that happen.  After a lot of failure and frustration, I mushed up all the clay together ha.  Mix less for a marble look.

The directions say to preheat oven to 275 degree Fahrenheit and bake for 15 minutes.  Honestly I think I set it to around 325 and forgot about them for about 35 minutes.  It seems this stuff is pretty forgiving.  I would recommend the instructions just in case.

Add as many rocks per head pin as you would like, and then connect all.  Add chain and clasp and you are done !! 

I really love how this turned out. Some how the length is perfect and the necklace seriously matches 85% of my wardrobe. I am not even sad about my lack of fox and flowers! What craft blunders of yours have turned out your favorite results?

Before I go! Have you been trying to achieve financial independence? 

Proofread Anywhere might be the solution you are looking for.

Proofread Anywhere was created by the extraordinary Caitlin Pyle

Proofreaders consistently make up to $65 an hour and are able to work anywhere in the world. I’ve been following Caitlin’s money earning journey for years and she is the creator of Proofread Anywhere. Four years ago when she bought her first house with her earnings, I was enthralled with how she did it. It was all through proofreading, and she teaches us her exact ways.

This gig is obviously for a very specific type of person who LOVES to correct grammar, hates when authors use a comma splice, or makes note of spelling mistakes on a restaurant menu… it takes a certain “eagle eye” ability to be good at proofreading!

Now, how much can you make as a proofreader? Well, since I’ve been a Caitlin fan for a long time I happen to have a couple friends who are in that industry, and it turns out — quite a lot! There are some proofreaders earning over $40,000 working for themselves and loving their jobs. Completely free of office walls.

Leverage skills that you already have by starting a proofreading business! The handy webinar will quickly let you know if Proofreading is the right direction for you.

Ready to start your journey? Get free access to the Master Class Proofread Anywhere Webinar run by Caitlin by registering now. It’s a free way to see if proofreading is right for you.

My Go-To Resources

Trim – Bill Negotiator Will negotiate bills with credit card companies and potentially get them lowered. Trim will also ensure that your subscriptions are cancelled across all your accounts. This is a full money-saving system for free. Tryout the Trim Bill Negotiator today and see how much you could be saving! 8 Million dollars was saved for users last year alone.

Ebates Coupons deals and cash back. When you’re shopping online if you aren’t stacking your savings, you’re losing serious money. Get rebates from 1%-20%+ on thousands of stores and get $10.00 for signing up. I won’t shop without Ebates.

Ibotta! I save on all my staples from eggs, to paper towels, to coffee and even uber rides! With Ibotta you just snap a picture of your shopping receipt and match it with current deals available online. Get $10 just for signing up through The Rising Damsel. Redeem your first $10 by verifying a purchase from any of their stores. It’s an obsession. 

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing to earn money blogging. There are tons of ways to make money on your blog. If you want to make money by promoting an affiliate, you need Michelle’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. It was an invaluable resource to me despite 1,000+ hours of research on how to earn. The money didn’t actually start coming in till I took this course. Save yourself from frustration, Michelle has it figured out for us!

How to Make DIY Earrings

Do any of you feel like its imperative to hot glue everything within your reach when you plug in your hot glue gun? Well I do. For some reason the thought of waiting that whole 2 seconds the next time around is just too much. Therefore I grab everything. For the earrings I just painted some mini wooden squares, glued them together, and added posts. For the buttons all you have to do is add a post.  If they are the types that have no "button holes" snip that back piece of plastic off and add the post. So super simple. For some reason I have been having trouble finding just plain-ish earrings... problem solved!

Bird on a Wire - Necklace DIY

Tweet tweet.

If you can’t always see a bird in the sky, put one close to your heart.

For this diy you will need: wire, chain, jump rings, a faux bird or other embellishment and pliers.

This little birdie friend is just too cute, and I might have to swap the yellow one out.  Your local Michael's will have tons of different options for you to choose from.  The more I go online the more I am convinced their online prices are cheaper, plus there is always a readily accessible coupon.

Write out the word in cursive before you start twisting.  The more you bend the more pliable it gets until it breaks...so don't break :)  Attach some jump rings.  In the case of the bird, he's just foam, so a dab of glue and a birdie violation makes us all set.

Wrap your word in yarn or lace instead for a completely different look.

Enjoy your new handmade bird on a wire necklace.

Anthro Inspired Bracelet using Clipon Earrings DIY

What do you do when you score a huge amount of clip-on earrings from a garage sale? You turn them into bracelets is what. Whenever I see jewelry that looks like it should be expensive I add an extra $20.00 and think of anthropologie. I love that store, but the prices can be a little shocking. You can make bracelets out of absolutely any material you want. I choose gold chain because I am seriously lacking all things gold.

1. Bend the earring clasps backwards. This creates the perfect canvas for your creation.

2. Use a very small amount of hot glue to glue the earrings together.

3. Hot glue a small amount of felt to the back of the earrings.  This will keep the clasps from scratching at your wrist.

4. Attach chain.  You can add wire as well and then wrap floss around the wires for a different look.

This is so easy.  I am not sure about newer clip on earrings, but the old school ones generally have little holes punched into the back.  This is the perfect place to tie a knot, add a chain, crochet the ends together, or even leave free for brooch flare.    

After finishing this diy, I decided that more is always better. Since I had some additional clip-ons, they got glued on too. Use the same technique as above, just glue on in opposing directions.

A Color Mix-Up Outfit

Dorothy Perkins short sleeve dress / Cushioned shoes / Mar y Sol blue handbag / Amethyst jewelry / Natures Jewelry jewelry / Hug a Porcupine enamel jewelry, $21 / Band jewelry

What do you think about these colors ? I have never paired them together before but I think that I love how the aqua and rich purpley hue mix.  Sometimes a new color combination can completely reopen up your wardrobe.  I am open to all suggestions :) 

Metal Feather Brooch DIY

For this Anthropologie inspired brooch all you need is a broken bracelet, a chain, some felt, glue, feathers and whatever clasp you choose. I personally like the versatility of necklace and what I have deemed as the "fly canary fly" badge.
1. Arrange feathers and glue to a piece of felt.
2. Cut your metal bracelet to the same size of the felt.
3. Glue felt to the back of the brooch to cover the feathers, this will also provide a back to your pin.
4. Add chain to turn it into a necklace.

 I love this !! I was inspired by what looked like a chained dove wing in an Anthropologie catalog a few months ago. Perfect to keep all those loose feathers wrangled up. On a separate note my apologizes for the dilated eyes, I had my year after lasik check up today and I am happy to report 20/20. Have you gone through this process? I swear it was one of the best things I have done for myself in the last two years.  What decisions have you made lately that you are still happy about ? Love you !! Hope this inspired.

Brooch making

For this diy you can use absolutely anything that is in your craft drawer.  Rocks, glass, beads, buttons, ribbon, broken earrings, chains, feathers.  Whatever your little heart desires, grab.  This is more about assembly and design rather than actual craft labor (bahaha there is only love, no labor; pish).  So pick up your random objects, get a hot glue gun and a piece of felt... it's time to go to town and make a brooch !  My craft supplies are from Michaels and my sweater is from Forever21.  Forever21 always has cute cheap sweater options ... some goofy ones during the holidays too.

The felt will be your base.  Personally I like to free form the brooch first.  Arrange, wiggle and move all pieces till you are sure you love them the way they are.  Start gluing the individual pieces together.  Once everything is cooled squirt some hot glue on a piece of felt and smack it on the back.  You then need to glue your pin-back to the felt.  All done !!! Easy.  Wear proudly and enjoy.... it seems I am feeling a bit feisty.  GLUE GUNS LOCKED AND LOADED.

Vintage Baubles Necklace

Sometimes a new necklace is just as simple as using the tons of beads you have in your craft arsenal.  I completely forgot to smile, but I love how simple this necklace turned out.  Get to beading !  I know you have 5 pounds of beads from Michaels waiting for use.