Easy DIY dream catcher!!

 

 

Hiya guys!  Hope you are all having a great day! 

Sorry for not managing to get my post done for publishing last Monday…however it is up now and hopefully you will enjoy it!

 

So this week, I thought that I would add to a previous DIY post: ‘What you can do with leftover bits ‘n’ bobs’.  I had been meaning to make this at the time, but I ran out of material.  #craftyproblems!

 

Well, I managed to get my supplies and make this wee project!  So what I made was…a dream catcher!

 

 

It’s such an easy and fun DIY, as it you can design it any way you like and decorate it with bits and bobs you have lying around, like old jewellery/ribbons or string…and the usual feathers and beads associated with dream catchers.

  

So, other than that, all that was needed was: 

·        A round frame – can be anything, depending on the size of dream catcher you want to make.

·        Yarn – in any colour you want

·        Bits ‘n’bobs – feathers, beads, chains, string etc.

·        Glue

·        Scissors
 

 

Steps:

 

1.      For the round frame for my dream catcher I used a 25cm embroidery hoop, which I got from a haberdashery store for under a fiver (£5). 

 

 

 

 

I split the embroidery hoop into the two separate parts (basically loosening the outer hoop and taking the two hoops apart).  I decided to only use the inside of the hoop for my DIY, so I would end up with two hoops…and could make two dream catchers!! 

 

 

2.     I then chose the yarn I wanted for the inside of the dream catcher, the netting webby part, and cut a length to use. 
 

 

 

I didn’t measure the length I needed as I wasn’t sure.  But, if you end up with too short a piece then you can always attach extra to the end of the material by tying a square knot so the two pieces won’t come apart!
 

 

 

 

3.     The next step was to attach the yarn to the frame.  I did this with a square knot. 

 

 

 

Once attached to the frame, I wound the yarn around the frame and created several loops by single knotting the yarn on the frame (see picture below)
 

 

 

You can put as many or as little around the frame as you like.  What to remember is that the more you put around the frame, the smaller the loops are going to be when you get to the centre (which I found out the hard way!).    

So, the key is to make the loops loose and not to put a lot around the frame! 

 

 

4.     When that’s all completed, the next step is to put the yarn though all these loops and just go round and round until you get to the centre!

 

 

Make sure to tighten slightly as you go around.  That way you can see how the netting will look when completed.
 

 

 

5.     After the inside of the frame was finished, I went on to do the extra details of the dream catcher.
 

 

I started off by covering the wooden frame with white yarn, and I did this by winding it tightly, leaving no gaps, and using glue to keep the yarn in place. 

 

 

6.     Once that was done, it was onto the dream catcher details.  I decided to use green yarn, along with the pink and white, to create the strings. 
 

 

 

I wanted to do something extra with the yarn (as it would get all tangly since it is very thin yarn) so I made a crochet chain to create a thicker string of detail.
 

 

Another way to create the plaited look is just to do a regular plait! 

But, you can always just use thicker material, and just leave it as is, if you don’t want to worry about the strings getting tangled.   

 

 

7.     Lastly, to finish off the details I decided to add some old earrings to some of the strings and to the frame. 

 

 

  

 

And that was it!  Pretty easy!   

This was how my dream catcher turned out.
 

 

 

 

 

It’s quite a cool creative wee DIY as you can make it to suit your own style and décor of your bedroom! 

 

Anyway guys, I hope you enjoyed this post!  Thank you SO SO much for reading!! 

Have a fabulous day and as always, take care!! 
 

Lin xxx

DIY Macramé Bracelets!!

 

 

Hiya guys!  Happy Sunday!  Hope you’ve all had a great week!

 

I thought that this week I would do a wee post on making macramé bracelets or friendship bracelets!  These little gems are easy and fun to make, and make funky and quirky arm decorations!

 

This easy technique of cord/string knotting can also be used for things other than bracelets!  You can see what I made using the macramé square knot in my ‘What you can do with leftover bits ‘n’ bobs!’ post, where I made wall hangings and wind chimes using this technique.

 

 

 

 

These are a few bracelets I made last year, before I started up my blog.  And, since I have come up with a few other ideas recently, I thought I’d do a post and show you all.  I did have to refresh my memory on how to do macramé and, as usual, I will show the link to the video at the end of the post.

 

I'm not going to go through all the steps in detail, as the video is pretty explanatory, but I will show you photos of the material I used and the end results of this DIY!

 

 

 

What I used:

 

·       A variety of bits ‘n’ bobs: beads, rings and studs.

 

 

 

·       Cord, or 100% cotton yarn in my case.  Jewellery cord is probably better for these kinds of bracelets though, but the yarn worked quite well.

 

 

 

·       A sewing needle, glue and a glue spreader.  The needle is needed to sew the ends of the yarn into the strap - PVA glue would probably be better for this just to keep the yarn from coming out of the strap then you wouldn’t really need a glue spreader. 

 

 

 

·       A ruler for measuring the yarn and masking tape to keep the bracelet secure while knotting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Finished Bracelets!!

 

 

 

 

I more-or-less just followed the steps from the tutorial to make the bracelets.

 

 

 

 

The only thing I did differently was to make just one long strap for two of the bracelets and use some fabric studs to hook the stud onto the bead/ring, therefore creating a fastening.

 

 

 

  

 

 

Below, are two of the most common types of fastening for friendship bracelets - the adjustable strap with the charm/bead/design in the centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like I said at the start of the post, these are the wee gems of the bracelet world!  Like the name says, you can make them for your fabulous pals!  For yourself too…you can all have matchy matchy ones!  Or, just make them for yourself if you want some quirky arm decorations!

 

I really love macramé!  I actually have this old watch with a broken strap and I think I might make a macramé strap for it…that’s an idea!!

 

Anyway guys, thank you SO SO much for reading!  I hope you enjoyed this post J and I will catch you all next Sunday!

 

Have a fab week and take care! Xxx

YouTube source:

 

DIY ♥ Adjustable Macrame Arm Party Bracelets! ♥ by Katrinaosity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJo4k7Tp1XQ

Cute little DIY's using beads and jewels!!

 

 

Hiya guys!  Happy Sunday!  Hope you all have had a fab week!

 

This week I thought I would make use of the hundreds of beads and jewels I have in my craft box…so I made some cute little DIY’s!

 

So, just from rooting around my supplies, I managed to make bracelets and two little and totally different storage items.  These are super easy to do, quick little DIY’s that transform something a bit blah into something quirky with a bit of character!

 

Okay, I won’t blab on any more about how easy it is to do…I’ll just show you through my pictures so you can see for yourself!

  

 

 

 

Cute little DIY #1:  Beaded bracelets with quirky charms!

 

 

 

 

All I used:

·         Beads

·         Funky little charms

·         Jewellery string (I got mine from broken bracelets, but you can buy jewellery string from  arts and craft stores)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These bracelets are really easy to make!  

 

 

 

 

And you can use anything you like for the charm (within reason, obviously)…from key rings to other jewellery charms and pendants to shells or coins…like I did below. 

 

 

 

 

These little five centavo coins from the Philippines are fab wee coins to use for jewellery because of the hole in the middle.

 

 

 

 

Cute little DIY #2:  A little storage box!

 

 

 

 

All I used:

·         A transparent plastic box (with lid)

·         Beads

·         Superglue

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

I used my dinky little storage box for a place to store the memory cards for my camera.  It’s just the perfect size!

  

 

 

 

 

 

Cute little DIY #3:  Embellished storage jar!

 

 

 

All I used:

·         A little mason jar (I use these to store stationary items e.g. staples, rubber bands)

·         Jewels (flat bottomed)

·         Glitter nail polish

·         Superglue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Note: You don’t have to used glitter nail polish, you can use any that works with your DIY.  I picked this one because I thought it went nicely with the jar lid.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s basically it!

 

So, what do you think?  Pretty easy, eh?

 

I mean you can make these cute little DIY’s to give away as unique little presents for friends and family -  it shows you’ve put the time into making something for them!  Or, you can even make them for yourselves!

 

There are so many uses for these little crafty beads and jewels… you can use your imagination and be crafty!

 

Anyway guys, I hope you enjoyed this post, and as always thank you SO much for reading!

I’ll catch you all next Sunday!

 

Have a fab week and take care! Xxx