DIY Vase Gem Jewelry

Introducing...

The Dollar Store Challenge!!! 

This is a new segment, I am introducing to my blog because of my new found OBSESSION with the dollar store (I usually shop at my local Dollar Tree). I mean what is better than walking in a store and knowing that everything costs a mere dollar??!!!

The Dollar Store is a gold-mine of DIY and crafting inspiration/supplies, and recently perusing the aisles for potential projects has become one of my favorite pass-times!

So, on every post where my lovely "Dollar Store Challenge" logo appears (above), the majority (if not all) of the materials used in that project were purchased at the dollar store!!


For my first $ Project...

Drumroll Please...

If you are not familiar with them, vase gems are just that, small glass gems that are meant to be used in vases for decorative filler! But why limit their use to filler, when they can be used for so much more, like DIY jewelry!!

In essence, the vase gems are being used as replacement glass cabochons, which usually cost about $0.50 each (I know not a lot, BUT at the dollar store you can get a bag of about 50 vase gems for $1!) Also cabochons are not readily available at craft stores and usually need to be ordered from an online supplier.


First, I made a number of cabochons:

I used a few different techniques to make these cabs, but the sky is the limit! 

Nail-Polish: 

The top gem in the pic above was made by painting the back with two kinds of nail polish! 

Decorative Paper:

The music note gem was made by adhering the gem to a piece of patterned card stock with clear jewelry glue (see below). 

Once dry, I cut out around the gem and then sealed the back with Mod Podge to protect it! 

Glitter:

These are my Favs!! They are so easy! First dip the back of the gems into regular Elmer's glue and then sprinkle on glitter to completely cover the back. After they are dry, seal over the glitter with Mod Podge! 

Next, fashion your gems into jewelry. As you can see above I made a necklace, a ring and a pair of blue glittery earrings! 

Necklace:

To make my necklace, I used lettered cardstock and glued my gem over just the upper and lower-case E (for Elizabeth!) 

 Then I glued a flat-back loop to the back (available at Michaels) and attached a chain I already had.

:)

Ring:

For my ring I used a gold glitter gem and glued it onto a broken ring I had. 

Great way to reuse broken jewelry! You can also purchase ring blanks off of etsy or an online jewelry supplier.

Earrings: 

For the earrings, I again used glitter gems (I love this glitter!) and glued on blank studs (Michaels)! Blank studs and backs are very affordable and each package comes with about 50 of each!

I love how this jewelry came out! And the possibilities really are endless! They can be totally customized with any material or design!

 More ideas:

- Print a custom design!

- Use old maps, or book pages

- Use material or even experiment with lace!

- Try painting on a design

- Use colored gems for a funkier look! 

- Personalize with family photos

ETC, ETC! 

I can't wait to make more of these!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Liz :)

Easy DIY Lampshade

Believe it or not, I made this lampshade with only a stencil and a blue marker! 

I needed a new lampshade for an Ikea floor lamp that we just moved into our living room from our screened-in patio (the old one was paper and it was filthy from being outside!) So, I went shopping! First I checked out targets website and found a number of graphic lampshades that I loved, but when I got to the store I was disappointed to see none of the shades I loved online :(. I didn't want to go through the process of ordering online, paying for shipping, etc. for a lampshade, so it was time for plan b! I grabbed a large white shade ($20) and took it home to brainstorm! 

I knew I wanted some kind of geometric pattern, so I went straight to my stencils and pulled out this star pattern. The actual stencil has 5 stars in a square shape, but instead of just stenciling the whole shade I randomly placed my stencil and only colored in parts of the stencil (3-4 stars). To color in my stencil I used this blue marker from Recollections:

This is a blue opaque marker from Recollections that I got at Michaels.

I continued moving my stencil around the shade until I was satisfied with how it looked! 

Note: I used a LINEN shade, and although the marker did bleed a little it isn't enough to be noticeable. DO NOT use a SILK shade for this it will definitely bleed. Or you could use a paint pen or sponge on paint to avoid this! 

Close-up!

This lamp stands in my entry way right next to my sewing machine-entry table and my awesome new turquoise mirror from HomeGoods! 

Looks great on too!! 

And that's it! This took me about 20 mins total! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Liz :)

Washi-Tape Meal Planner

This post is about my latest washi creation, (I know, I'm obsessed!) thats adds a little style and organization to my kitchen!

This is such a simple idea that can be customized for whatever needs organizing!! In my case I wanted something to keep track of my meal ideas for the week.

Here's how I made mine:

1) I taped out a frame using large black-lace patterned washi. Then I used smaller green and white washi to make the separators. I only made sections for 6 days because we usually eat out once a week :) To trim the edges I used an Xacto knife (but don't press too hard, you don't want to scratch your fridge).

2) Next I made labels for the days. I used adhesive magnets strips by Aleene's that I got from Michaels, covered them with a scrolled silver washi tape and wrote on the days with a sharpie.

3) Last I added a writing station. I attached a magnet strip on to the back of a post-it pad and placed that below the menu. Then to add a little vintage flair I stuck another magnet strip on the back of a bold vintage cigarette tin to hold pens!

I love the retro design on this tin!

And that's it! Now I can keep my meals straight in style!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Liz :)