DIY Gypsy-Esque Statement Ring

So, I found myself browsing the jewelry section at Joann's the other day (surprise, surprise...) but only because they were offering a coupon over the weekend that was just too good to pass up (60% off a single regularly priced item!) and came across this beautiful set of beads I just had to have:

                can you believe these are the SAME beads, how pretty is that?!

I already made a tutorial on how to make DIY Stud Earrings out of beads, but did you know you can also easily make rings using the same method?! I thought that the middle bead was the perfect size/shape to make a beautiful bohemian, gypsy-esque statement ring - so that's exactly what I did!

Here's how I did it:

Supplies:

• E6000 glue
• A bead of your choice (must have a flat back)
•  An adjustable ring blank
• * all items can be found at most craft stores: Joann, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.

Step 1: Put a small dab of glue on the top of the ring blank, like this:

Step 2: Press the ring post firmly against the center of the back of your bead 

(I used a little too much glue and it seeped out the sides a little, so I used a q-tip to gently wipe away any excess.) 

If you have some extra beads that happen to match (like I did), feel free to make yourself a matching pair of earrings while you're at it!

Step 3: Now, just let these beauties dry for about 24 hours....

And then show them off! :)

P.S. - Stay tuned to find out how I made the glitter coasters shown in the last photo! ;)

-xquitecreativex

DIY Customizable Wreath Tutorial

Here are the instructions for how I made this customizable wreath for only about $15!!!

Step 1: Gather Supplies

• Scissors
• Wire wreath frame 
• I got mine in-store from Walmart for $2.00, but can also be found at Michaels & Hobby Lobby
• 2 rolls of burlap garland (color: natural)
• I also got these in-store from Walmart for $3.49 each, but can also be found at Michaels & Hobby Lobby
• 1 roll of burlap garland (color: chocolate)
• I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby for about $3.00, but can also be found at Michaels
• 3 artificial sunflowers (or artificial flowers of your choice)
• I bought these from the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each, but I'm sure you could find something similar at most craft stores
• Chenille stems/pipe-cleaners (color: light brown)
• (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for $.87)

Step 2: Start by tying the end of the light-colored burlap onto the inside of the wire wreath frame, like this:

Step 3: This step is going to be a little confusing, even though the process is super simple once you get the hang of it! I'm hoping the pictures will make it easier to understand.

 Heading towards the outer-most ring on the wreath frame, begin to weave the burlap over the middle two wires of the frame, and push about a 1 inch section of the burlap under the outer-most wire of the wreath frame. 

Now, head the other direction (towards the inside-most ring of the frame), weave over the middle two wires again (leave some slack so you don't pull out the 1 inch section you just pushed under), and push about a 1 inch section under the inner-most wire of the wreath frame.

Twist the burlap randomly as you move along, like this:

Continue to repeat this process, making sure to pack the burlap tightly as you make your way around the wreath frame.

I ran out of my first roll of burlap about halfway around the frame, and at this point it should look similar to this:

When you get to this point, tuck in/tie off the end of this roll of burlap, and start on your second roll, completing the same process until you make it all around the wreath frame, and then tuck in/tie off the ends.

Step 4: Flip the wreath frame over and begin "fluffing" the burlap by "opening up" and pieces of burlap that are folded in half, like this:

Continue to "fluff" the burlap all the way around the frame, making sure to "open them up" so that the pieces of burlap begin to cover the green wire frame from sight. For example - in this picture, the bottom half of the wreath has been "fluffed", while the top half has not:

(This picture is just for reference. At this point, the entire wreath frame should be covered in burlap.)

After you're done "fluffing" it should look like this:

Step 5: At this point, I watched this simple tutorial on youtube which walked me through the steps on how to make a beautiful burlap bow (out of the chocolate colored burlap garland)

Step 6: After making my bow, I played around a little bit with how I wanted to position the items on my wreath, and ended up liking this the best:

 Then I attached my pipe-cleaners to my items (super easy, since the sunflowers already had clips attached to them!)

And I just slipped a pipe-cleaner through the back of my ribbon, like this:

Then I just attached my items by wrapping the pipe-cleaners around the wreath to hold them in place, like this:

Now, just flip the wreath over - and there you have it - your very own customizable wreath! :)

Sit back and take a minute to admire your creation. Isn't it beautiful?! :)

And remember, you can easily just untwist the pipe-cleaners to mix and match, or add entirely different items to create a "new" wreath!

Enjoy!

-xquitecreativex

Turning Over A New "Wreath"

A while back, my sister and I made this adorable wreath for my grandma to hang on the door to her apartment:

The best part about this wreath (other than it being super cute ;)) is the fact that it is completely customizable! What I mean is that none of the items on the wreath are permanently attached, so they can easily be taken off and replaced with other things as we see fit. So, Instead of owning multiple wreaths for different seasons, etc. we can easily just customize this one wreath however she wants! And, *BONUS* it cost us less to make this than it would cost to buy one in a store!

I'll be honest, I was never a fan of store-bought wreaths to begin with (they are typically overpriced, and frankly not very cute - in my opinion). However, after seeing how well our homemade one turned out, I've started to change my mind about wreaths. It's scary to admit, but I think I'm actually starting to like them! And ever since Jim (my fiancee') and I bought a house last summer, I've been wanting to make one for our front door. 

Initially, the plan was to make one similar to the one we made my grandma. However, after thinking about it I decided to go a different route (she lives in an assisted living facility where she knows many of the staff/residents, so the pictures on her wreath are cute and make sense for where she lives. If I hung a similar wreath on the front door of my house, on the other hand, I think it would just be weird...all I can think is,"Hey criminals, this is who you'd be robbing if you broke into this house" kind of thoughts. I know, I'm weird!)

Anyway, after spending way too much time on Pinterest (per usual!) and looking at tons of pictures of wreaths for ideas, I came across one, in particular, that caught my eye - it was made of burlap (like the one we made my grandma) and had three big sunflowers on it. It was love at first sight. 

Stay tuned for a tutorial on how I made this customizable version of it ((for about $15!!))

-xquitecreativex

Easy DIY Stud Earrings

Today, I'm going to show you how to make a quick and easy pair of DIY earrings. I was inspired to create this tutorial because I have a serious obsession with stud earrings (I mean honestly, it's a problem - if you saw my collection, you would understand!). They are just so versatile and there are so many different kinds, I feel you can never have too many. The only issue with stud earrings is that they are typically small, and can be easily broken/misplaced/lost, and if you're anything like my sister, this can happen quite frequently! In fact, she liked a pair of earrings that I owned so much, that I bought her the same pair as a gift:

They were a favorite of both of ours, but unfortunately she lost one of hers :( & ever since, I have been trying to find a similar replacement pair for her, but to no avail (Forever 21 no longer sells them!). Luckily, the other day, I was browsing the bead section at Michael's when I came across these:

Although they aren't exactly the same (unfortunately, they didn't come in "silver", and they are more rectangle-shaped than square), they are equally as sparkly and I figured they would be a good substitute to the real thing :).
Fortunately, the backs of these beads were fairly flat, so I knew I would have no problem converting them into a new pair of stud earrings. Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Gather supplies

• Your choice of (2) buttons or beads  (I got mine from Michaels)
• **Many kinds will work, as long as they have a flat back to them and are large enough to cover the post we will be gluing to them

• Flat earring posts (I believe I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but they can also be found at Michaels)
• E-6000 Glue (can be found at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels)
• Needle nose jewelry pliers (optional)

Step 2: Pick up one of your flat earring posts with either your fingers or jewelry pliers, and put a small dot of your E-6000 glue on the back of it (be careful not to put too much, or it will seep out of the sides during the next step!)

Step 3: Press the earring post firmly against the back of your bead - towards the top, where it would typically sit on a normal earring, like so:

(If some glue happens to seep out of the sides, just use a q-tip to gently wipe it away)

Step 4: Do the exact same thing to your second bead and they should look something like this:

Now here comes the hard part - you wait. It's best to let the glue dry for at least 12 hours, however, I usually give it about 24 hours just to be safe.

After the glue is dry, all you need is a pair of earring backs - I just borrowed them from a pair of studs I already own, or you can purchase some from Michaels or WalMart.

and THAT'S. LITERALLY. IT. Your'e done. Go enjoy your new earrings, or make another pair - you can thank me later ;)

P.S. - If you go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby for supplies, don't forget to check the website for a coupon! (Both stores typically have coupons offering 40% off a regularly priced item!)

-xquitecreativex

How To Fix Broken Earrings DIY Tutorial

For my first tutorial, I thought I would start off with something simple that will help solve a common jewelry problem: How to fix "broken" earrings.

You know the drill, you're wearing your favorite pair of earrings, when all of a sudden, the unthinkable happens - and one of them breaks! If you're like me, and you own a lot of cheap costume jewelry - you knew this would happen sooner or later, but it doesn't make the situation any less depressing :(. Typically, a common reaction (after sadness & exclamations of "Oh, No!" ) is to throw the earrings away.

Well, here's a tip - DON'T THROW THEM AWAY! Many times, all it takes is a quick and easy fix!

For instance, one of the most common ways that an earring breaks, happens when the closure (the part of the earring that you put through your earlobe) separates from the actual earring.

(Here are some of the most common types of earring closures.)

If this happens, you're in luck (well, sort of :)) because it's typically an easy fix! Actually, I recently had a coworker bring me a pair of earrings, in which this exact thing happened. So, naturally,  I'm going to be using her earrings as an example in my tutorial.

Her earrings had a hook wire closure, so if your earrings have a similar closure (wires & hooks) this tutorial should work for you. If your earrings have a post closure, on the other hand, it will not. But no worries, post earrings are even easier to fix - all you typically need is a dab of glue (I like to use the E-6000 brand) on the back of the post closure to connect it back to the actual earring, and with a little drying time (preferably at least 12 hours) they should be good as new!

Before we begin this tutorial, you will need just a few supplies:

• The broken earring(s)
• A pair of needle nose jewelry pliers (I got mine from Walmart)
• Jump ring(s) in a matching metal color - For this project I used a 4mm  gunmetal color jump ring (can be purchased at Michael's in a variety pack, or at most craft stores)
• Matching earring closure -  for this project I used a gunmetal-colored hook wire closure (can also be found in the same variety pack from Michael's, or at most craft stores)]

Step 1: To begin, you will need to pick up the jump ring with your needle-nosed pliers, like so:

Step 2: Next, you'll want to "open' the jump ring by holding onto it with the pliers in one hand, and using your thumb and index finger of your other hand to pull it "open", like this:

Step 3: Then, you need to hook the opened jump ring through the back of the broken earring, such as this:

Step 4: Now "add' the earring closure to the opened jump ring, like this:

Step 5: Finally, carefully "close" the jump ring, by holding it with the pliers in one hand and using your thumb and index finger of your free hand (similar to how you "opened" it). Make sure to close the jump ring so that the two sides of the ring meet up flush, and that there are no gaps that the earring closure could slip through. It should look something like this:

And Viola', there you have it - Your earrings are good as new! :)

 (I told you it was easy!)

-xquitecreativex

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