upcycled holiday sparkle earrings

Before you throw out all that holiday decor, cards and wrapping paper, take a second look- perhaps there is a unique way to recycle or upcycle all that Christmas sparkle? I decided to turn all of my metallic wrapping and decoration into some sparkly earrings- just in time for New Years Eve!

Tinsel, while messy can be used to create sparkly paper.

Use card stock, thick paper or even recycle the inside of greeting cards (like I did).

Cover the surface with a thick layer of craft glue, gel medium or modge podge.

Trim the tinsel over the paper so that it sticks to the glue.

Let dry completely.

The result is a thick piece of sparkly paper that can be used to create all kinds simple jewelry.

Cut out simple shapes

Use dimensional paint to add little details.

Paint or decorate the back- optional

Cut out small shapes and using jump rings, stack the shapes for dramatic dangle earrings.

Use leftover metallic wrapping (or any pretty wrapping for that matter) to create rolled roses. (my tutorial is here)

Fill the middle with beads.

Glue to posts for a small and pretty set of earrings.

Use wrapping paper and roll into beads.

Use those paper beads and stack them on wire with alternating beads for a set of long dangle earrings.

And there you have it a brand new collection of sparkle earrings ready for a New Years Eve Party!

embellished tank top tutorial

I've got another last minute idea for everyone out there needing a little last minute holiday sparkle- transforming a simple tank into a pretty embellished top.

The only supply that you need is metallic Scribbles 3-D paint which is dimensional paint for fabric- otherwise know as puff paint. (friends I am telling you, I love 3-D paint! It is perfect to use for some many different projects)

and a tank top- I purchased a nice dark grey tank from Old Navy for $8.99.

I started at the collar of the tank and slowly made my way around the edge with tiny little dots.

I added more designs and dots.

I even used a toothpick to add smaller details.

I covered the entire top portion of the tank trying to create the look of a necklace.

Perfect to wear alone or layer with a cardigan. Holidy party here I come!

holiday hair band tutorial

Tis the season for holiday parties and events and if you are like me that means pulling together last minute outfits and holiday accessories (that do not include yoga pants and paint stained t-shirts)! Why not make your own hair accessories to top off a festive outfit. An easy option is to take a little time to make your own holiday hair band- super simple to make and costs next to NOTHING!

Remember those rolled roses that I love to make out of scraps of fabric ? Well once again they are perfect to make for hair accessories and there are all kinds of pretty holiday ribbon at stores right now that is perfect to use.

Using ribbon, knot and roll into a flower (my is tutorial here).

I created three flowers in different sizes.

Next, I used sparkly beads and filled the inside of the flowers with my favorite glue- Liquid Fusion.

After the beads have dried, use thin stretchy elastic, measure your head and cut to size.

Sew the ends of the elastic together.

The last step is to glue the flowers to the surface of the elastic band.

You can wear the band to the side, with short hair or long hair, in a pony tail or up do.

Use different colors of ribbon and beads.

Or keep it simple with all white.

p.s. they even make a great last minute gift!

stitched gift wrap

So here is the deal- I don't think I have purchased wrapping paper in years (this is probably not a surprise)! I would never, EVER buy any kind of gift wrap when I can make my own so I am always looking for new ways to wrap holiday gifts. Since sewing has become such a big part of my creative life, I have been experimenting will all kinds of ways to create unique wrapping with stitched surfaces.

Here are some really easy ways to use stitching in your gift wrapping!

A piece of recycled paper bag makes for a great surface to stitch stripes.

Remember all those ideas for crafting with book pages that I posted a couple weeks ago? Well you can also sew on recycled book pages. Stitch a few pages together and stitch all over the surface to create texture.

Create a matching card by layering book pages and paper and sewing them together with a zig zag stitch.

Use fabric (just white muslin) and free motion stitch all over the surface- I created lots of loopy lines. I did not use any interfacing (typically used for stability under the fabric when free motion sewing) because I wanted the fabric to pucker for added texture.

Try stitching on felt- it is colorful and super affordable.

Stitching can also be incorporated into gift tags.

You can purchase a package of tags at office supply stores and transform them into something unique!

Stitch simple doodles on the surface

or even a simple image.

How about filling the surface with a stitched pattern?

You can even stitch fabric to the top of the tag

or create layers with fabric scraps.

Use scraps fabric or painted canvas and cut out simple shapes to create a unique tag.

Use felt and stitching to create leaves that can be added to the surface of a tag.

Take it a step farther and create cards full of stitching by layering scraps of fabric stitched to the surface of a paper card.

Use free motion stitching and write out a simple greeting.

Create cards with lots and LOTS of layers of stitched fabric with a stitched word.