«

I started working on this since Sunday, when I drew and colored the flower. I finished it today, adding the titles and quotes and more color. I used washable markers for color. To get the soft look on the edges of the flower, I placed a folded damp paper towel on it for a few minutes. I went over the ‘IN THE GARDEN’ with water using a soft paint brush in the second photo. The quotes are from thinkexist.com. Keywords: flowers and garden.

Quotes:
“In the garden, my soul is sunshine.”
“I think a flower opens itself to outgrow its ‘plantedness’. That is yearns to be ‘carried away’.”
“Cultivate the garden within.” Proverb quote

This week’s inspiration is: Garden

Here’s an easy way to create a necklace using items you may already have.

I used a chain necklace (one already with a fastener is best) and a brooch, hairpin, clip on earring. Whatever else you find that will work for this is perfect.

Here’s a close up of my choice of items. I skipped out on talking about the silver earring because I realized it wouldn’t be as easy. You would need pliers for that one.

I’ll start with the brooch. I just opened the brooch, placed the chain on it’s back, and then closed it.

I did the same for my hairpin.

And pretty much the same for the clip on earring.

And there’s three easy necklaces that I’ll be able to wear anytime! Now you go try it! Maybe next time I’ll show you how I put the silver earring on the chain. ;)

This is a really simple DIY and after you’ve made one, you’ll easily be able to do it again and again. They may become addicting. Here’s one of a few that I made. It and the others will be up for sale soon!

Things you’ll need:

• blank ring
• ribbon
• scissors or rotary cutter
• E6000 glue or glue gun
• an embellishment of your choice
• possibly needle & thread

Measure and cut nine inches of ribbon. You may choose to use a larger strip if you want a bigger bow, but I wouldn’t go any smaller than this as it can be more difficult to tie depending on width of your ribbon. My ribbon is a little under an inch wide.

Make two loops with your ribbon like you’re about to tie shoe laces. Take the blank ring and slide it down one of the loops.

Now take that same loop and wrap it around the other, tying the bow directly onto the ring. Don’t go through the ring again…you only had to do that once.

Now your ring should look something like this.

If you like the ring just like this and want to keep it that way, then you’re done here! But if you want to make it fancy, you can add a nice embellishment like I did.

The first thing I did was stitch the bow to keep it from coming undone in the future. I went through only the top of the bow, catching as many layers as I could (I couldn’t get the bottom later that touches the top of the ring). Just pull the needle straight through the center of the bow a few times. Then secure the thread from coming loose.

To secure the thread (tacking I believe it’s called…I could be wrong on that), here are some step-by-step photos. First, pull the needle under all the thread like shown below (this is the top of the bow).

Then take the thread that’s just hanging around on your needle, and wrap it around the pointy end of the needle twice. I’m not sure if I explained that well, so I hope the photos helps.

Now hold that wrapped down, right with the stitching, and pull the needle through. Make sure you pull nice and tight so the knot is formed.

Because I couldn’t catch the last layer of the bow (the piece I’m holding below), to keep the tail from sliding, I applied clear nail polish where it and the center part meet. I also squeezed some between the two parts, where they touch, and held it there for a bit.

Now grab your embellishment and glue it onto the center of the bow with E6000 glue (if you have it) or a glue gun. And tada! You’ve got yourself a handmade ring! Enjoy!

You can also do this DIY for a necklace. Just exchange the ring for a chain and and cut a larger length of ribbon (maybe even use ribbon that’s about two inches wide) you’ve got a cute bow necklace.

Beverly Bracelet
Made with glass pearls and stretch cord. Features a burgundy bow and heart shaped faceted gem. This item will be available for sale soon.

For this DIY, you’ll need a blank ring, ribbon or scrap fabric, embellishment, and E6000 glue or a glue gun - possibly needle and thread and clear nail polish as well.

Also, this item will be added to the collection for June’s Cabinet.

redheaded asked: Re: cookie crayons - you can do the same thing in microwave with a glass pyrex custard cup.. My mom used to make those for us when we were little rainbow style by throwing in little bits of crayon we were done with.. :)

I’ve always wondered if you could melt crayons in the microwave. Thanks for the information! xD

She’s a little under dressed (poor thing lost her black bow collar) but she’s still got her buttons. She was just featured in my previous DIY post on crayon cookies (hand drawn on paper).

I drew her myself using an online photo editor- my favorite, Pixlr. This is the first I’ve ever drew anything digitally and I’m pleasantly surprised how well it turned out! Of course, I couldn’t do it without Pixlr’s handy tools.

Next up to meet is charming raccoon. Unfortunately, he lost his bow tie and insists he will not make an appearance until he finds it (all about presentation, that raccoon).

I think I’ll put hooks on the wall for them to hang their bows on. We can’t keep loosing them like this.

Look at these adorable little cookie crayons I melted today, and the little lamb I drew today. I’ve been busy all day and most of it was spent on these crayons.

I used a mini muffin pan and many old broken crayons (that I’ve had since 3rd grade! I’m now 20 years old…). I put crayons in each cup and then popped it in the oven at 250 F. But I forgot an important ingredient…

Because I didn’t use cupcake liners, I needed to spray the muffin cups before adding the crayons…and I forgot! I didn’t realize until a minute after I put them in the oven. I took them out and let them firm and, sure thing, I couldn’t get them out. I really kicked myself in the butt for this one. Getting them out was tricky but not impossible.

The solution: reheat, take them out, and start over. Choice of weapon: plastic spoon, wax paper, several toothpicks, and a paper towel. The mission: I sat the muffin pan on the stove and turned the heat on low (our stove is electric so it was easy to work with). As each crayon began to melt again, I poked it near the edge with a toothpick and tried to “stir” (for lack of a better word) until the crayon moved easily. Then I grabbed the spoon, took the crayon out and sat it on wax paper so I could do the same for rest of them.

It was a sad process…

Once I got them all out, I spayed pan with non-stick cooking spray and then put all the crayons (and crayon crumbs) back in.

I put them back in the oven and once melted (I didn’t time it but I’d say about 5 to 10 minutes…just keep an eye on it!) I took them out and I crossed my fingers. Once they were firm, I uncrossed my fingers and went to work. Choice of weapons: same plastic spoon, same wax paper, more toothpicks. Sure enough they came right out! I had to put a little extra effort in a few but none broke, and more importantly, none were stuck!

Look how nice and cute they came out! They’re about 1 1/2 inch in diameter and less than a quarter of an inch tall. If you want them to be taller, use more crayons, and if you want them to be wider, use a regular size muffin pan.

These two a made when I first tried melting crayons. I set the oven to 400 F and put the crayons in a regular size muffin pan and used cupcake liners. After putting them in the oven, I turned it off immediately and let them sit in there until melted. This process took much longer than today’s. These crayons are about 2 inches wide and the height varies. Instead of using one color per cup, I used three.

They look good enough to eat! My next experiment with crayons is painting with them when they’re melted. I can’t wait to give it a try! There’s a ton of things you can do with crayons. They’re not just for coloring anymore.

Have you ever tried melting crayons?