Anchor Attire

I've been on a nautical fashion spree--a wonderfully inexpensive nautical fashion spree! I snagged the chambray anchor print shirt for $2 second hand (originally from GAP), and made the necklace and bracelet using a pair of pliers and some time. The necklace is just a piece of wire I bent into an anchor shape and then wrapped cotton string around it. I made the bracelet out of a scrap of gold chain with anchor buttons attached by gold wire jump rings.



Barbie Tea Pendant

I added jump rings to this pink-flecked Barbie teacup and teapot and slid them onto a long chain with a droplet bead to create a unique necklace. Suddenly kids' toys have fashionable potential! 

DIY Beaded Tassel

Materials:

A beading needle

A couple inches of wire

Seed beads

Scissors

A large, decorative bead

A spacer bead

Needle nose pliers

Elastic thread

Step 1: Bend a loop in the wire and slide on the spacer and decorative beads. This loop will be the top of the tassel.

Step 2: Bend a loop in the wire, snipping off any extra, on the other end of the decorative bead. This loop will be the bottom of the tassel and will hold the beaded tassel strands.

Step 3: Measure and cut a 10-inch piece of elastic thread. It is going to be folded in half to create two approximately 2-inch long beaded strings of the tassel, allowing fraying and tying room. Obviously if you want your tassel strings to be longer you will have to cut a larger piece. 

Step 4: Thread the elastic into the eye of the beading needle.

Step 5: Pull the beading needle through the bottom wire loop so you have two equal pieces of elastic sticking out each side of the loop.

Step 6: Thread seed beads onto one side of the elastic. Remove the needle and tie a knot at the end of the string.

Step 7: Repeat step 6 for the other half of the elastic.

Step 8: Now your tassel has two full beaded strands. Repeat steps 3 through 7 to add as many strands as you think suits your tassel.

It will add some sparkle to your wardrobe or décor!



Quick Tip: DIY Button Brooches

Do you have buttons that are too pretty to keep hidden in a jar? Well, with this easy idea you can now wear them as jewellery without compromising their potential as buttons!

Materials:

Several pretty shank buttons

The same number of safety pins

Step 1: Push a safety pin through the back side of your shirt so the bar sticks out the front.

Step 2: (View from the front side of the shirt) Slip the shank of a button through the bar of the safety pin so the button is on the front of the sweater.

Step 3: Poke the pin back into the sweater and secure it in place. 

Step 4: Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 to make a cluster of button brooches.

You can also turn necklace pendants into brooches by slipping the bar of the pin through the jump ring of the pendant. This technique is super useful if your shirt doesn't have a good frame for wearing a necklace but would still look good with some jewels on the side!

DIY Shell Pendant

Next time you're at the beach, keep an eye out for a shell with a hole in it to create this simple, pretty pendant.

Materials:

Shell with a natural hole in it (or carefully drill a hole in a perfect shell you found...I leave that to you!)

Needle nose pliers

Jump ring

Toothpick

Acrylic paint in the color of your choice

Paint brush

Step 1: Paint the inside of the shell, and let it dry.

Step 2: Use the toothpick to paint along the ridges of the top of the shell, and then let that dry.

Step 3: Use the pliers to secure the jump ring in the hole of the shell.

Step 4: Turn your pendant into a keychain, a bracelet, a necklace... 

Whatever you decide on, the mermaids will approve!



Spoolery

Spoolery shall be the name of this fashionable DIY. I have, in one of my boxes of random craft items and junk, a bunch of little wooden spools. They are about 1cm in length, and I knew I could make some fun jewellery out of them that would represent my love for sewing, color, and fashion. I used some nicely hued embroidery thread and clear elastic cord as well. 

I wrapped and tied the thread around the spools and then pulled the spools onto the elastic cord.

...and this is how it turned out! 

I also painted a few of the spools and twisted some wire through them to create a pendant for a necklace. My friend was amusingly thrilled by the result, and she bought this white one and a purple one at a craft sale I was in! Spools really are a great way to display a burst of color--always look for beautiful potential in unsuspected places!