Bejeweled Hair Clips

Many of you know that I have really short hair.

Like, Pixie Cut short!

So why would I be posting about hair clips?

BECAUSE THEY WERE SO COOL AND FUN TO MAKE!

(that's why)

While watching Orly Shani, the DIY Designer on YouTube, I viewed this tutorial.

Photo Cred:  Orly Shani, The DIY Designer

DIY: How to Make RAINBOW Crystal Hair Clips! - by Orly Shani

Orly is an amazing fashion crafter who appears regularly on Hallmark Channel's Home and Family television show.  I've never watched that show, but I'm an avid fan of her personal YouTube channel.

This DIY caught my eye and I knew that I'd have to make some of them for my daughter and some "long-locked" friends.

Let's get started!

The first thing I did?

Perused Amazon, based on the recommendations by Orly, for gems, large hair clips, and Gem-Tac.

It provided an insane amount of materials in one purchase.

Next, I grabbed two packs of these "fancy" bobby pins from Wal*Mart.

They can be found right in the hair care aisle there, but they're a name brand, so you can find them just about anywhere.

I opened the packs of jewels to check them out.

I purchased a single pack of black and clear crystals alond with a two multi-colored packs.

One of the multi packs also had smaller genstones as well.

I then proceeded to organize the jewels by color.

This is important because it helps we initially designing and laying out your combinations of jewels.

I started by laying out a black clip right on my work surface.

Using the clip as a guide for length from top to bottom.

As I worked on the layout, I placed the clip  FACE DOWN over the jewels to guage the length and placement.

You can manipulate the jewels as you go along, placing them in opposite directions and tweeking them a bit to make room for the total amount you want to adhere to the clip.

Once you're satisfied with you design, you start to glue them on using the Gem-Tac.

I used a small dish to steady the clip while I placed the gems using my fingers and a pair of craft tweezers.

As I worked, I placed small amounts of the glue directly to the clip and then placed the gems.

I worked in small chunks, allowing the glue to dry between placement of every 3-4 gems.

I also used a bone folder to keep the gems from "slipping" towards the middle of the clip.

I used gravity and a few well placed tools to align the jewels and steady them while the glue initially set up.

TIP:  Don't be too quick to place everything at one time.  Work in smaller chunks.  Otherwise, you're left feeling like you're wrestling a herd of oiled down pigs when these jewels start to sway and shimmy on the still too wet glue.

While the first bits of the black clip were starting the drying process, I worked to create a rainbow clip, carefully laying out those jewels.

I used some of the smaller crystals to fill in any gaps.

I also decided to create these bejeweled end clips.

They were super easy and fun, and a bit less "in your face" than the whole bejeweled clip option.

The scunci clips were super easy to complete.

I just trailed the glue along the parallel sides and placed all the gems at one time.

These pins allowed me to use some of the different shaped jewels or create opposing placements.

I cut up the cardboard sheet they were on which made for a steady hold while glueing and drying.

I ended up with 12 of these in all.

(They were actually the easiest to create!)

I worked the larger ones in increments, completing the others in between drying times.

It was simply a matter of evaluating the process as I went to see what worked best.

I left the final products to dry for 48 hours.  Time enough for the glue to really set and hold the gems to the clips and pins.

And then...

They were done!

Of course, not one works in my hair, but I did pick a few out from my daughter and my sweet friend took a few for herself and her daughter.

They make great gifts and the scunci ones could even be terrific blingy paper clips.

The jewels were originally meant to be used as sew-ons for clothing, so I might make something with those in that line.  Would you want to see that?  Drop a comment below.

I priced these clips and found them to be around $2.50 for much smaller options.

Mine?  Around $1.00 per, give or take the amount of jewels.  PLUS,  I didn't find EXACTLY what I had made here on Amazon...

Check out Orly on YouTube to see the amazing fashions she's created on a budget, but look so high-end.

I like that she "breaks rules" as well!

Organizing a Well-Used Catalogue

I am a crafter, more specifically, I love to create and give handmade greeting cards.

I also have a wonderful sister-in-law who is a Stampin' UP! demonstrator, so I can indulge in "shopping" my SU! catty each month, ordering what I "need."  (wink, wink)

Because I have several products from the catty, I like to keep it not only as a product resource, but also as an inventory...so I don't double purchase.

Here's last year's catty:

I had used some peel and stick tabs along the top so that I could quickly and easily turn to those sections.

This new catty...

I had a better and more efficient use for this one.

I gathered the catty, some Dollar Tree self-sticking tabs, and a few sheets from my Happy Planner sitcker stash.

I first went through and made a list of all the areas I wanted to tab.

There were definately more that the three from last year.

I wanted to really focus on being more thorough this time around.

I grabbed the tabs and a thin tipped Sharpie.

I labelled each tab with one of the catageories from my list.

I then started the process of placing the tabs on the first page that corresponded with that category.

TIP:  As you are placing the tab, use the previous tab to space them as equally as you can either across the top or down the side of the catty.

Once that tabs were done, I went through the stamp sets and used a heart sticker to identify the ones that I owned.

When you have a drawer full, it helps to keep track.

In my old catty, I had placed a check mark next to the stamp pads that I owned.  The checks were for the "old stamp pad versions."

I then starred the newer version of stamp pads.

As I transitioned from the old to the new, this was helpful.

In the new catty, the stamp pad ink colors were presented in a different way.

I still used a check to indicate ownership of an "old" one, but this time I used these little flower-like stickers right over the colored dot.

As I continue to transition, I will purchase the colors I don't have in either version prior to duplicating.

It makes better financial sense to do it this way first as my older stamp pads are in good shape.

In about 15 minutes, I went from this...

To this...

Now, you may not have an SU! catty to organize, but there may be another catalogue that you have that will be beneficial to you.

A Thirty-One catty comes to mind.  If you are collecting a certain pattern, it would be helpful to note which products you have, how many, and what patterns.

If you have a catalogue from Young Living, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef (especially helpful with this one!), or any company that sells products, having it organized is a great idea.

You run less of a risk of double-purchasing.

You can keep track of gifts you bought for family and friends.

It's not even remotely breaking the rules.

T-Shirt Tote Recycle

One of the things that struck me most about our time in California was their response to the environment, namely their use of plastic bags.

California still has plastic bags in their stores.

They charge around 10 cents for each bag if you don't bring your own.

But don't cringe in horror...

They're not like our bags here.

Those bags are super, and I mean super thick.

They are truly reusable bag!

But, eventually, plastic is not an eco-friendly option and being mindful of using reusable bags is the better option overall.

I decided to create my own reusable bag with a T-Shirt that's special to me.

The Inspiring Project is a global initiative started by one of my favorite students, Chase.  

Click the link to see all the amazing things he's done and continues to do to make this world a better place.

I'm not much of a T-Shirt kinda gal, so I decided to refashion this into something I can use more often.

A shopping tote!

After I laid the shirt out as flat as possible on my work surface, lining up the seams and sides, I found the center of the front and marked the length I wanted it to be from the top.

Using my quilting ruler, I drew a pencil line from side to side.

This is the bottom unfinished edge of the bag.

I used sharp scissors to cut across that line.

Next, I folded the shirt in half, again, carefully lining up the sleeve seams and the shoulder seams and the bottom.

This allowed me to make a straight line from shoulder to end.

This is where the bag will be stitched with new sides.

I carefully cut through all the layers so the bag was symmetrical from the center point out.

I kept the bag folded and used the collar trim to guide my scissors.

After cutting just outside of the collar, I had equal sides here as well.

I opened the shirt, now only attached at the short should seams.

Can you see the bag yet?

I could sew up the sides now, but you know, I like things to be just a bit...

"EXTRA!"

I took the portion I had cut off from the bottom and trimmed off one of the side seams.

I now had a long strip of fabric, seamed in the middle from the other side seam.

Measuring up about 2.5 inches from the finished bottom edge, I cut off a strip.

I attached the finished edge to the outside portion of the "neck opening."

I folded it over and folded it under so that it sandwiched the raw edge.

You can leave T-Shirt material unfinished as it won't unravel...but I'm being EXTRA!

I took that to my machine and began to sew around the neck opening.

This gave it a great and sturdy finish to that part, plus it reused the bottom of the shirt.

I laid the shirt out again and measured down from the shoulder seams on each side.

I marked off 7 inches.

This gave me an opening where the sleeves used to be.

This creates the handles.

I sewed a straight seam down each side.

In doing this, I created about a quarter-inch of material to fold twice and sew on the former arm openings.

I just "rolled" them a bit as I sewed both sides up with a straight stitch.

This finished the form sleeve areas.

Remember the leftover bit of length where I cut the finished hem from?

I folded it over and used a wide stitch to gather it into a cute ruffle.

I flipped the almost-completed bag inside out...

And began to clip the ruffle onto the right side of the bag.

I made sure to keep the ruffle straight using my sewing clips.

Here's what I had to take to my sewing machine.

I ran a straight stitch across the bottom and the ruffle, finishing it with a zig-zag stitch on the edge.

I didn't want a super raw edge inside the bag.

And...

My refashioned T-Shirt is now an eco-friendly, washable, squishable bag that I can use whenever I'm out and about shopping.

FUNNY STORY: 

 About an hour after I finished the bag, I needed to go to the pharmacy to grab a few items.

I took the bag with me.

When I used it to check out, the cashier complimented my bag.

When I told her I made it, she couldn't get over it and just went on and on about it.

I love when other Rule-breakers get me...