DIY: Trim Wrap Bracelet

Hi, it's Stephanie from Henry Happened back with another DIY. I did tell you I loved bracelets, right? Well, I wasn't lying! Read on for the tutorial on how to make the easiest wrap bracelet ever. These DIY bracelets are great for teenagers!

  

 Have you ever roamed the trim section at JoAnns? No?! Well, you might be surprised at the selection of ribbon, lace, and even fur trim you can find. The bright colors of this trim called to me (yes, it even has studs!) so naturally I found a way to make it into a simple wrapped bracelet. 

 

What you'll need for your own wrap bracelet:

• About 1/2 a yard of whatever trim you like. Go with a neon studded one or try a Greek key, floral or Baroque pattern. I'm telling ya - there's a ton to choose from!
• Sticky back Velcro
• Scissors

 

First, measure your wrist with the trim. I like a 3 wrap bracelet but position it how you like it on your arm and then cut the length. 

 

Then take the Velcro and cut a piece to fit the size of your trim. 

  

Attach the sticky side to each end of the trim, and, voila!, you are done. The Velcro closure is a bit of a miracle because I can never manage to get my bracelets on with one hand. Please tell me I'm not the only one? 

 

Wear the bracelets on their own or make a couple and stack them together.

  

What kind of bracelet stack are you planning to wear this spring?

-post and images by stephanie gerber

Read More

DIY: Bead and Hardware Bracelet

Hello Made by Girl readers! It's Stephanie from Henry Happened back with another DIY project. If there's one thing I love, it's making bracelets. 

And these are so insanely easy you won't be able to make just one. Read on for the how-to! 

 

With spring soon upon us I wanted a bracelet that was light, simple and stackable. Doesn't this time of year make you want to clean out all the closets and purge everything? 

When you're spring cleaning you might just find you already have most of the materials you need for this DIY. If not, it's a good excuse for a trip to Home Depot.

DIY Bead and Hardware Bracelets

 

To make your own bracelets you will need:

• Stretch Magic (found at any craft store)
• Small wooden beads (Hobby Lobby is my favorite source for these)
• 8mm gold hex nuts
• Gold spikes are optional but make a fun addition
• Scissors

 

Start by stringing your beads and hex nuts onto the Stretch Magic. This stuff is super easy to work with. It feels kind of like fishing line but with stretch. My pattern was two beads followed by a hex nut, using about 10 beads. 

Measure your wrist to make it the length you need. Give it a bit of extra room though so it's not too tight. If it's too small the beads will stretch apart too much, exposing the cord.

  

Once you are done stringing cut the Stretch Magic and knot it. Follow the package directions on making the knots because you don't want it to come undone.

  

Clip the ends and you're done! Then you'll say, 'That was so easy, let's make more!' And before you know it, you're addicted to making bracelets. There really ought to be a hotline for that. 

 

You can make all kinds of patterns with the beads and hex nuts. And definitely add some spikes for a little edge. You can't go wrong with spikes, right?

 -images Stephanie Gerber

Read More

Contributors Wanted

This Friday we are .....

I have to say, working with contributors has been a great experience. I've made some great friends in the process & hopefully the ladies got some great traffic out of it as well.  With that said, it's that time again to switch out the current contributors & bring in new FRESH FACES & posts! I'm always super busy managing my MBG Shop, painting for my Cocoa & Hearts gallery, marketing, answering e-mail & maintaining my personal life. It's STILL a lot of work, so I'm back searching for the next contributors!
 

I'd love to recruit 5-6 contributors to blog here on Made By Girl!  It's not going to be an easy task - but I'll choose bloggers for each category below. Categories are:
 

• Decor/Interior Design
• Fashion/Beauty
• DIY
• Food

Below I've outlined more details & what I'm looking for.
 

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU POST:1-2x per month for 6 months. 

EXPERIENCE: 
Yes - Must have an active/updated blog. I'm looking for bloggers who have some knowledge of programs like Photoshop & have a 'similar aesthetic' as Made By Girl. The posts you write for MBG cannot be posted on your own blog, but you can link to it from your blog.

WILL THERE BE COMPENSATION: 
Not at this time. But it's a great chance to gain more exposure and collaborate with MBG blog.

BIO PAGES:We'll be adding a page with photos & short bios of all the current contributors - here's an example. .

 
RESOURCES: 

It's very important to credit 'all' images properly.

PRETTY POST PLS: 
I love pretty & interesting posts. So pls put some LOVE into it! 

HOW DO YOU SUBMIT:

If you you want to give this a try, email me  & let me know 'which category' you're interested in. Write 'Contributors' in the email subject pls. ALSO, pls email me your blog so I can see your style! If you submitted last yr. don't be afraid to submit again!
 

WHEN WILL WE SELECT CONTRIBUTORS:

If you don't hear from someone at Made By Girl in about 2-3 weeks from this post, it means someone else was selected.  Unfortunately, we may not be able to respond to everyone. We will post the selected contributors in an upcoming post!

Thanks & looking forward to hearing from you! 

Read More

DIY: Brushstroke Lamp

Hi All MBG Readers, Jana Bek here & I'm so excited to share my brushstroke lamp DIY. My gourd was a sad shade of pink. 

Knowing I needed another layer of pattern for my bedroom, & drawing inspiration from the fabulous Bunny Willams Brushstroke lamp & Kelly Wearstler's killer custom wall paper, I took my little lamp to the next level.

Inspiration:

Materials:

Sad lamp

Spray Primer

Trash Bags

Patience

Paint in Pop hue

Sad, Bismol Pink Lamp:

Initial Steps:

Tie a plastic bag around the cord & the top of the lamp to protect them from primer & paint. Spray first coat of primer, let dry, then sand with fine sand paper. Depending on shade of your lamp, repeat, repeat, & repeat. I had to apply 4 coats of primer, be patient!

Next:

As the primer was white, I choose to paint my pink brushstrokes on the primer as I was OK with the color.

one more look at the inspiration 

Voila! Gorgeous brushstroke lamp!

-Post by Jana Bek

-Images by Erik Melvin

Read More

DIY: Chalkboard stemware

Hi All MBG Readers, Jana here to share a chic & super simple solution for entertaining: stemware with writable chalkboard bases.  A sophisticated way to distinguish ones champagne cocktail when the event is too engaging to keep track.

Materials:

Chalkboard Paint 

Stemware

Paint Brush

Chalk

 

Paint the base. I recommend using short brushstrokes. This layer will be thin as you want just enough coverage to create texture for the second layer. This layer will not look attractive but do not worry, it will turn out!

Let dry overnight. Then paint on a second layer of paint. It will look goopy, but again, do not worry, as it dries the paint settles into the shape of the base.

 Let the second coat dry overnight. Now entertain away!

Something to note - do not get the bases wet as the paint will chip. To preserve, wash only the bowl of the stemware. An upside to the somewhat delicate nature is that you can easily wash all the paint off if you want your stemware only transitioned temporarily. 

-post by Jana Bek

-images by Erik Melvin

Read More

DIY: Herb Wreath

Hi MBG readers! Jana here today to share a DIY gift for the gourmand in your life - Jen, maybe perfect for your chef hubby?

I stumbled upon the inspiration for this herb wreath when passing through the Tribeca Greenmarket one beautiful fall weekend. I love fresh herbs & have quite a few foodies as friends. They have cooking gadgets galore but, as far as I know, herbs at the ready are a gift any chef would greatly appreciate. The genius of this gift is that when the wreath dries out the herbs are still recipe ready.

Materials:

Herbs (I used Dill, Rosemary, Oregano, & Lavender) (my friend I am gifting this to makes wicked Lavender ice cream!)

Twine

Cardboard

Cut the cardboard into a circle. I traced a 12" dinner plate then cut out the inside for a rough 1/2" edge width. 

Using the twine, tie your herbs into small bundles. The bundle should be not too small, and not too bulky. About 5" long with a 1 1/2" width at center of bundle is a safe starting place.

Tie first bundle onto the cardboard ring.

Now, add bundles by tying successive herb bunches 2" under its preceding bunch (to reduce the amount of visible twine). Alternate herbs. I tied on two bunches of an herb type before I switched onto a new herb.

Once all bundles are tied on, wrap twine over the sections where two bundles overlapped and tie off. This thicker section of twine is a decorative way to secure the herbs in place. 

I finished my wreath off with braiding the twine into a loop and securing to the wreath for ease of hanging in the kitchen. 

Voila, an herb wreath at the ready for the chef who has everything. (Or the hostess that may have forgot that final sprig of rosemary!)

Do you have someone that might relish in this wreath? We would love to know!

-post by Jana Bek

-images by Erik Melvin



 

Read More

DIY: Bridal Shower Favors

Hi All Jana here, 

With my best friend's big day a few weeks away I am enacting all of my maid of honor DIYs in a fast frenzy way. The bride & myself are designing on a dime (who isn't??) so when I thought about bridal shower favors it was a given that I would be DIYing them. 

I had a million ideas - some beautiful, but not so personal; & than others that just seemed too crafty. One Saturday, while I was transitioning my dry-cleaning (silk shirts) onto hangers I had an epiphany - for that gorgeous silk cami that you often get (or give) as a gift that always falls to the floor - you need a hanger that will keep the precious piece in place. Why not showcase the piece? Hence the glam hanger with a practical punch was created.

Materials:

• Hanger
• Dazzlers (Rhinestones, Pearls Large & Small)
• Glue
• Paint (Gold & your fav color) 

Paint Hanger Gold

Paint Monogram 

Glue on Dazzlers, alternate pearls & rhinestones to your liking

Volia - statement pieces that stay in place

-images and post by jana bek

-images by Erik melvin

Read More

DIY: Leopard Print Tray

Hi All, Happy Nov 1st! It's Jana here to share a DIY to update your trays for the new Season. With the weather turning a little more crisp & cool I look for simple ways to transition my decor accordingly!

Inspiration for this DIY came from a project I saw on Martha Stewart over the summer. Since my lacquer tray is a mainstay when I entertain, I loved that I finally had a solution to the inevitable sliding of drinks and h'orderves on the glossy surface. 

To add an autumnal twist, I decided painting leopard spots on the cork would add the perfect punch of personality.

Materials:

Sponge

Cork (cut to size of your tray base)

Brown & Black Paint

Gloss Varnish

Cut the sponge in various round and oval shapes, add in a few kidney bean shapes as well.

 Sponge brown spots on tray - vary the sizes so a larger spot is surrounded by slightly smaller spots.

Sponge black spots around the brown spots. I found pairing 1 black spot to 1 brown, 2 black to 1 brown, 4 black to one brown, and fully encircling the brown dot with black dots created the most natural patterns.

Coat the gloss varnish over entire surface. 

Make drinks & treats, add a few flowers and you are set for the perfect Indian Summer afternoon!

-Photos by Erik Melvin

-post by jana bek

 

Read More

DIY: Spruce up your Pumpkin

Hey everyone! I hope that you all are having a great day so far. It's Anna here, and today, I am sharing a little inspiration to take that pumpkin of yours to the next level. I love Fall, and I am always looking for fun ways to decorate around the house in good taste. I hope this quick fix fits the bill.

I bought a couple of small pumpkins to paint and got out my collection of acrylic and spray paints. There were no rules… I just did whatever I wanted. 

One had a touch of white paint on top. One was spray painted gold. The other was painted with black stripes (taped with painters tape first). 

You could paint a chevron pattern, polka dots, etc. Get creative! There are no rules.

-post and images by anna weaver

Read More