Chain Crafting Part 4: Double Chain Necklace

Guess what? It's Friday. Put on your booty shakin' pants and grab a cocktail. 

It's the freaking weekend baby, I'm about to have me some fun.

My plans for the weekend are to play drunk board games with my ladies while watching Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. LIVIN' LARGE.
(This is why I'm single.)

Fun fact: I woke up at 6 am this morning due to sunlight and also dehydration from all of the vodka I drank last night. After chugging two galsses of water, I did some early morning crafting. 

Yeah. I crafted at 6 am. I think I crossed the line that separated the crafting from hobby to addiction. Everyone has their vice. I'll take crafts over crack any day. Know why? Crack is whack.

Due to my general lack of motor skills before 8 am, I made a simple lil' ditty. (Simple, yet awesome.) I would be lying if I told you that my besty didn't make a similar version of this a few weeks back. Whatever. They were MY supplies...

(Thanks for the idea, Keighty!)

Glitter Pig

A few months back I bought a plastic toy pig figure thing at Michael's. (My best quality is my spot-on articulation. Lol, not.) I have absolutely no idea what posessed me to buy it or what my intentions were with the pig. I just picked it up and put it in my cart. And that was that. 

Fast forward to now. I subscribe to the Blowup Blog where they have made super cute DIY home decor out of toy animals. Check this. Upon seeing this post, my reaction was obviously, "Man, I wish I thought of that first! Crafty bitches." 

Instead of repeating their project, I decided to craft-attack my pig in a very Melissa manner: with glitter... duh.

Tralalala. 

Now this glittery rein deer that I bought at Urban Outfitters 4 years ago has a friend!

Yes, the rein deer was supposed to be a Christmas ornament. But I'm Hannukah and it's not fair that I don't get to buy pretty ornaments! So I bought it for my bookshelf. If you don't like it, then you can go fly a kite!

On the other hand, you might want to postpone this craft for December, replace the green glitter with red or gold, and stick it on your Christmas tree. Boom! Ornament. That's a thing people do... right? I don't know about it because no one ever invites me to their tree decorating parties. That's a hint to some of my friends. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

(Also, does this count as festive/seasonal/holiday crafting? Cause I totally suck in that deptartment. I know I'm a few months early, but still... I gave you a *pretty* good idea.) 

Crafting Fail: "Up-Cycled" Bracelet

Hey! Remember that time I 'Up-Cycled' an old bracelet?! Well, in the words of my girl Birtney, "Oops, I did it again." 

And I use the word 'oops' purposefully, because I sort of butchered a boring, yet OK, bracelet. Truth is I probably won't wear the new version (ever), which isn't such a loss because I never wore the old version. I mean maybe I did, like 5 years ago. But not anymore. 

Ladies and uh, feminine gentlemen (and to my three guy friends who read this. Hey, dude!) I am presenting to you my first crafting fail. 

I know, your jaw has dropped and you're all like, "Whaaaaaa!! FAIL?! Bitch, you is perfect." But alas, I am not. Even I, the great crafting genius of 2012 (and beyond) occasionally makes something wack. (Maybe one day I'll show you pictures of all of my crafting fails. If you behave...) 

This brings up some questions: "Why are you showing us a fail? What can we learn from this?" 

The answer is three fold.

1. What not to do. Learning when to stop crating is an art form that I have clearly not mastered. But with every fail, this instinct becomes stronger. Some day, I will be craft-fail-free. 

2. Admitting to failure is OK. A lot of my imaginary friends have told me how they enjoy reading le blog, but would never make anything in fear of becoming frustrated if things didn't go right. In response, I let my imaginary friends know that I fuck up ALL THE TIME. But I learn from my mistakes. Chin up, lady friend. Chin up. 

3. The idea is good. Just because this bracelet looks a little clownish doesn't mean the idea to up-cylce with pops of color is a bad one. It was just executed poorly on this bracelet and now it looks like it belongs on the wrist of a jester. 

See what I mean:

Gross.

I know the link below says "See how I made this!" but today it should probably read "See how I fucked this one up!" Unfortunately, I can't customize that per post, so use your imagination. 

It's a ring.. It's a bracelet.. It's a.. Hand-piece!!

YO. It's Friday. It's sunny. It's warm.

Why on earth am I at work and not drinking on a boat. 

It would be cool if I were rich. 

I made this hand-piece a few weeks back and I have been wearing it non-stop:

I like it because it's delicate enough for everyday, but still a unique item. Ya digg? 

Vintage crafting: Heart Bracelet

We need to talk about Grandma. 

I know you think I am the craftiest lady ever. And while I wish that was true, my grandma (Grandma Natty, as I call her) happens to be the original craft prodigy. 

Grandma Natty is a very skilled lady. She made my mom tons of clothing growing up. Obviously my mom wanted store bought clothing like all the cool kids, but my Grandma made some really sweet threads. She also is quite the talented knitter (a skill she has yet to teach me, so rude) and has made multiple exquisite afghans for me and my family over the years. She has also been our favorite seamstress, despite the geographic challenges (us in NY, Grandma in Fla.) We would schlep our torn clothing to Florida once a year and put Grandma Natty to work!

Now you know where my talents come from. 

My grandma has been less crafty the past couple of years because of arthritis and a move from Florida to NY. Also, at 88, she aint no spring chicken, and hand-eye-coordination has been less than perfect. But don't be sad! My grandma lives in an awesome community and she does lots o' fun crafting with her freinds - just less detail oriented than before. 

The benefit of my Grandma retiring from crafting: I inhereted a boatload of vintage craft supplies!!

I have used ribbons and rhinestones here and there, but today I made a bracelet based on a vintage craft supply. 

I found some little studs in heart shapes and thought they were just darling. So I made a bracelet:

If I'm going to be honest (and I am) I should tell you that I 100% made this before Valentines Day as a holiday special. But then I remembered that I hate that shit and decided to save it for later. You know, staying true to myself and stuff like that. 

I also want to share some of my favorite items found in my grandma's craft box.

These vintage star sequins:

This collection of heart notions:

These vintage crochet doilies:

And finally, my favorite, personalized tags <3

And here are two super-cute pictures of me and Grandma Natty. She is the most adorable person on the planet. Like, for real. If you disagree, well, you are just wrong. So... shut up. 

Pebbles Necklace. Flintstone Style.

Hey! I made a Pebbles necklace!

I could tell you I was inspired by a necklace that I found on Pinterest, or I could be honest and let you know that Pebbles of the Flintstones was the real muse. 

 

Sometimes cartoons inspire crafts. It's a thing. (No it's not.) 

Up-Cycle: Nail Polish Shelf

Oh, hey y'all! I'm back from my one-week sabbatical! 

Boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Did I miss you! I bet you missed me too. Didn't ya? DIDN'T YA!?

Enough of that. Let's get to the good stuff. 

Here's the deal: I hoard nail polish. It's not a big deal - it's just a thing that I do. Previously my nail polish collection sat in my end table drawer, unorganized and messy. This weekend, I transformed my Birchbox boxes into pretty display shelves for my collection:

It's pretty AND organized. 

I felt so productive this weekend for having made one minor home improvement. I like my bedroom even more than I did before. I just want to sit at my vanity all day. 

I get it, Home Depot. Home improvement is the tits!

Shop me on Etsy!

Things I do whilst neglecting you:

This animation would imply magic and/or holding the universe in my hand. [via]

That is not what I have been doing. 

This is:

• Drinking. My usual "I can't hang tonight, I have to craft." excuse doesn't fly this week. 
• Running. I fucking love to run. Especially when it's 75 degrees and sunny in New York. Go global warming! Also, I'm feeling a little fluffy around the edges. Got to whip this booty into shape! 
• Kicking ass at my desk job. 
• Posting shit on Etsy. YEA-YUH. I have done something remotely productive for you. 
• BUY STUFF HERE!!!!!

Buy things from me so that one day I can become a full time craft guru/goddess/genius/blogger/maker.

Hey! Have you seen things on this bloggy-blog that you would like me to sell on Etsy? Tell me and I will make sure it makes it to my shop

...eventually.
[you can comment below OR e-me]

Missing you! Can't wait to post my latest and greatest - coming sooooooooon. I'll give you a little hint: word.

BRB

It has come to my attention that I am spreading myself too thin. Gurl needs a break, and some sleep. 

I am taking a few days off of blogging to catch up on the important things in life like bills and laundry. I will be back, full force, in the very near future. 

In the meantime, you can entertain yourself with some other awesome blogs, which I have listed in my blog roll to the right. (scroll down!) 

If you miss me so much that you can't stand it anymore (in which case, I wouldn't blame you) feel free to hit me up via email, twitter, or the faceplace. You know what to do. 

Miss you already! 

Smooches ^.^

DIY Dannijo Bib

Happy Friday my crafty creatures!

In blog news:

I am so excited to have completed my first giveaway today! (Congrats to Hanna Lorraine!)

I also set up a fun new feature: a form to sign up for emails! Check it out to your right! 

Some people (mostly family) have been asking if I could send email updates on occasion to let them know when I post to le blog. Initially my reaction was like, "You're my uncle, fool. If you loved me you would check my site on a daily basis." But then I remembered that the universe doesn't revolve around me so I changed my attitude to, "Dude. Get on bloglovin'. Or Google reader. Or Blogger. It does all that work for me." But then I remembered my least favorite lesson learned when I worked in reatil: The customer is always right. 

Alas, I have decided send out a weekly email to any persons interested in knowing what I have posted in the previous seven days. 

Cheers, Uncle Guy. This is all for you. 

(I can't wait to see how long it is, if ever, that said uncle sees this.) 

In crafty news:

I made a Dannijo inspired bib!

The real shits:

Buy it here for a cool $745.00. Or...

Make my version for $12.95. 

Think about that. 

And the winner is...

Congratulations to: Hannah Lorraine who follows my page on the face place! 

Her favorite crafting supply is spray paint because, "You can make anything old look new again with it."

So true, Hannah. So true. 

Yay, Hannah: The soon to be proud owner of the studded headband! 

Yeah, girl!

If you entered but did not win, fear not! There are more giveaways where that one came from! You wouldn't imagine the trix I got up my sleeve. (Silly rabbit, trix are for kids!) 

2 More Hours to Win!

Yo, you have two more hours to enter to win this rad headband hand made my me. Duh. 

Details and instructions here.

Do it before it's too late!!

DIY Pixie Market Sweater

The internets are a dangerous place for a me to roam free.

I'm one of those shoppers where I see something and my reaction is, "Holy shit. I NEED that. I have no idea how I lived without this item until now. This is essential. A staple. Totally worth it despite my skinny wallet. I'll be happy I bought this later." And then I compulsively buy.

I found one such item on pixie market the other day and had the inner monologue summarized above. Then, an epiphany. I can make this! 

Boom: 

Mine was free-ish because I already owned all the materials.

The real shits:

172 dolares, por favor. 

That's a lot of shekels.

MAYBE this one is an angora wool blend, and mine is cheap cotton. So what? Who the hell wants wool this time of year anyways.

Crafting always wins. 

Studded Headband Giveaway: Still More Time

Get yourself some free shits!

Just a friendly reminder that you still have TWO MORE DAYS to enter to win this shnazzy piece of headgear:

You know you want it. I know you want it. Here's how to get it:

1. Either follow me on twitter or like me on Facebook.

2. Tweet at me your favorite craft supply and with the hash-tag #StuddedGiveaway OR tell me your favorite craft supply on my Facebook wall. 

I will chose the winner at random. Y'all have until FRIDAY at NOON to enter. I will announce the winner then!


Giveaway is closed! The winner is Hannah Lorraine! Go gurl! 

Zoologic Crafting: Insect Rings

Stand back! I'm unleashing my inner nerd!

I know what you're thinking: "Lol, wut?! Your inner nerd? Gurl, you wear your nerd on yo' sleeve."

And I see why you might think that, what with all my talk about glitter, cats, and Martha Stewart. But, you have no idea just how nerdy I really am. You know, underneath this punk rock exterior. 

Here are some fun facts about me that I have withheld until this point:

1. My favorite class in high school was chemistry. 

2. My second favorite class in high school was calculus. I liked it so much, that I decided to take a calculus class at NYU. You know, for funsies. But then I dropped out, because it is really hard to learn complicated math from a person who doesn't speak English. 

3. I play the flute. And I fucking love it. I was also in band (both regular and marching) in high school. Yeah...

4. I am simultaneously fascinated and terrified of cockroaches. The fear isn't nerdy, the fascination is. 

Holy mother of nerd, it feels good to get that out. 

I bet you thought I was a one-note-Nelly. Au contraire, my friend. Au contraire. There are so many dynamic levels of nerd under this crafty facade. 

The good news is, nerds are IN. That's right. People currently view nerds as quirky and interesting. Think The Big Bang Theory. I'd like to consider myself similar to the adorably quirky Zooey Deschanel. Except blonde, not musical, and with a little extra padding. (Bitch is skinnnnyyyy.) Zooey even has a crafty blog so I am not too far off. Plus I just got bangs. So there's that.

Man, I love talking about myself. Another fun fact: I love being the center of attention. But I bet you guessed that already, didn't ya.
The point of this rant: I made insect rings. Yeahsies!

Craft Redemption: A Better Earring Tree

Hello, chickens.

Back when this lil' bloggy here was just a babe and I was building up a boatload of content, I made a pretty lackluster earring tree. Lackluster is probably a bad word choice, because it is oh-so-sprakley, but *maybe* not my best work. 

As part of my efforts to always show you awesome shit, I decided to redeem myself with this here earring tree. (i.e. the title, "Craft Redemption." In case you live under a rock, this is a Tosh.0 reference.)

Redeemed. This is just tops. 

Elegant? Check. 

Trendy? Check. (Hallo-oh lace and mint green.)

Practical? Check.

Easy to make? Fuck, yeaaaah!

Friday Giveaway: Studded Headband!

Holy mother of all things glitter, I am hosting my first Giveaway! 

Super exciting stuff happening over here. 

Who wants a studded headband?! YOU want a studded headband!

(In my head, that was delivered in the Oprah voice, but you can read it however you wish. Just thought I would make my intentions clear.) 

Look at this beaut: 

Studs in your hair. Nothing could be better. It's gold, it's violent, it's awesome. 

To win the studded headband, please take the following steps:

1. Either follow me on twitter or like me on Facebook.

2. Tweet at me your favorite craft supply and with the hash-tag #StuddedGiveaway OR tell me your favorite craft supply on my Facebook wall. 

My giveaways are easy.

I will chose the winner at random. Y'all have ONE WEEK to enter. I will announce the winner next Friday! 

This giveaway is closed. The winner is Hannah Lorraine who follows my page on Facebook! Whoop!

It's almost the weekend! Go dance!

Geometric Diamond Necklace

I have long longed to be cool enough to rock a tattoo. (And by "cool enough" I mean not fear being dis-owned by my parents. I'm a completely independent 20 something who is fully in my mother's control. Go Jewish guilt!) 

I know exactly what I would get: A geometric diamond on my forearm. Since a geometric diamond will never exist on my forearm, I have developed an obsession with the shape itself. I doodle it. A lot. Sometimes on my forearm. And then I have to remind myself that I'm not 15 years old anymore and drawing on myself is not appropriate in an office. Oops. 

I decided to make myself a necklace with said geometric diamond so I can rock it when the mood strikes:

Bad-ass. Not nearly as bad-ass as a tattoo would be, but bad-ass none-the-less.