Double Braided Headband

While perusing Pinterest a while back, I came across this braided necklace from Cakies. I loved the rawness of it, and how it mixed colors through the weaving of fabric. Starting out to make my own, I ended up cutting the fabric too short. My headband idea then began to tape shape in order to salvage the time spent on the project already. I ended up with a really cool headband that I have been wearing for days now. Here's how you make it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)

What you need:

6 strips of fabric- 27 in long and about an inch wide.
hot glue gun
elastic hair band
3 small squares of felt (or other material)
needle/thread


1.First, cut your 6 strips.

2.Place three strips together and tie in knot.
3. Braid the strips. It made it easier for me if I placed the knotted part under something heavy, like my laptop, to weigh it down. You want the braid to be tight.

4. The 27 inches may end up being too big, so use the braid and measure against your head. When you have reached a good length (braid should reach behind and slightly lower than your ear) tie the end off as you did the beginning.

5. Repeat steps 2,3,& 4 with your second set of strips.

6. Now you need 2 of your little squares of felt.
I took the ends of my two braids and hot glued them onto the felt, then folded the felt over the top of the braid adding a little hot glue. I left the sides glue-less to make the stitching easier later.
Do this for both ends of your braids.
Sorry. I know this picture is blurry!

7. Cut third felt square in half. You will attach your hair elastic band to both felt pieces by placing the half piece over the elastic, then stitch the sides.
YAY! You're done!

One thing left to do....go show off!




Ps- I do still plan to make a necklace, and I thought this might also work as a necklace if you added a longer piece....
Pss- This is my fav way to wear my hair when I am being lazy and DONT WANT TO fix it. It takes two minutes. I do this A LOT!

Happy Sunday-
Tracy

Linking to:

Bitter+ Sweet does NOT = Bittersweet (TODAY)

Hellllllllllooooo!
Here it is...Friday. Monday I go back to work. (insert conflicted sigh.) I am really excited about the new school year because I will be teaching at a new school, and it's an awesome place to be. (AND Cash will be attending KINDERGARTEN there, too!!)
However, I am kind of sad cause it means that life is going to get crazy busy again. Days at the pool will be practically non-existent. No more pretending I am a stay at home mom, with a blog on the side.
It truly is BITTERSWEET.

However, here's something that is not bitter in ANY way! It's quite sweet, actually.
It.Made.My. Day.
Fo Realz.
Brandi over at B.Cheniful gave me the coolest shout out ever, and it's made this last Friday of my summer stand out.
Check it out here. In fact, check her blog out while you are at it. Brandi has some freak'n rock'n cool tutorials, and of course, always interesting to read about her Annual White Trash parties. Pretty entertaining stuff. :)
Isn't she just a cutie patootie? She doesn't look white trash at all, does she? :)
Thanks B. Chen!!

Big Grins-
Tracy

Photography Challenge # 1

Week 1: Self Portrait




This self portrait was kind of an accident, but when I saw it I thought it was a cool shot. Kind of dark, but interesting. :)

Didn't get a chance to participate this week? There's always next week!!! Check it out!

Another Summer Wreath!!

I finally got around to making a wreath for my own front door. I bought the yarn (at Big Lots for super cheap!) at the VERY VERY beginning of summer, but I am so very A.D.D. I ended up starting multiple projects, and this one ended up last on the list. Ahhh, like I always say...,"such is life."

It's pretty cute, and my ode to the ocean. :)
I used the same technique as I have for my other yarn wreaths to wrap it, but since it was a rectangular frame the corners were working out kind of weird. I ended up just leaving as you see, and I am ok with that.

The rosettes were made with left over fabric from all the stuff I have been making for my new classroom. (Will post that stuff later when it's ALL done.) I am totally in love with these prints and colors.
What's that? Want to know how to make the rosettes? Is that the murmur I hear from the crowd? Well, you are in luck. I posted a tutorial back in the spring, but plan on posting another one with pics later in the week. Stay tuned.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week! It's bitter sweet for me. I go back to work on Monday after being off for two months. I am trying to get every little drop out of this free time this week!


Summer lov'n ...had me a blast...-

Tracy

Linking to :

Hardware Gone Pretty

Since it's summer (no work!!), Kristy and I have tried to get together weekly (or so) to do some crafting. I say this loosely, cause it's kind of tricky trying to craft when there are 3 kids 5 yrs and under running around (or crawling) making demands of us two ladies. Awww...such is life. :)

Annnnnyyyyyway...Kristy came over with a tutorial from Tiny Sparkly Things using washers bought from Lowe's. I highly suggest you check it out. There's no way I could show you how to D.I.Y. this necklace as accurately as she did :)

You can see Kristy's version here.

I am sure you have noticed, if you have looked at the other links, that my version is slightly different....ummmm, yeah. I realized WAY too late that I didn't have any ribbon on hand that would work, so I did what any self respecting DIY girl would do.
Cut. Up. A. Skirt.
Strips of fabric. WaaaLaa!
Make it work. (Gotta love that Tim Gunn)

It turned out ok, but I think I like the original version best. Suppose I will just have to make another one.... :)


DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE PHOTO CHALLENGE!!

OH! ANNNNND....more guests will be stopping by Paper Wings soon....

ANNNNDDD....another giveaway coming soon.....


Summer Smiles-
Tracy

A Dog-Earred Inspiration: Guest Post

You folks are in for a treat today!! My second guest post! WOOT WOOT! My good friend Kristy from Pocketful of Poise is sharing a really cool tutorial. Kristy and I have taught at the same school for a about three years or so, and she has become one of my closest gal pals. She's super creative, artsy, and has a great sense of style. I know you'll love her. Her blog is pretty new (just started last week!), so please show her some LOVE and head over there after you check this out.
PLUS- I am guest posting over there today...it's a WIN/WIN!! :)
Take it away, Kristy...

Hey Paper Wing followers!! My name is Kristy and I just started blogging last week. I am so grateful to have my very good friend, Tracy to help me through this process! I would be so lost without her. So, come on over to Pocketful of Poise and check it out!

For the last couple of days I have been featuring tutorials on making some inexpensive and fun jewelry. Tracy and I have switched spots to guest post on each other blogs. Sticking with the jewelry theme you will find her awesome tutorial on a fabric and bead creation that I can't wait to try.

Typically will flip through magazines, catalogs or even look on-line to get inspired or to challenge myself on some "re-creations." The tutorial below was inspired by an on-line jewelry company that was offering a necklace very similar to mine for $162.00! (See original at Dog Earred) I decided to see if I could re-create his little piece for under ten bucks. You can decide for yourself if I was successful! Enjoy...

I started by rummaging through the old jewelry box. I found a bracelet that was a little heavy to begin with and decided it could do without a third row. I plan on re-stringing this at some point in the near future. I bought 3 yards of leather roping from a fabric store. If I were to do another one of these I would probably buy a little bit more.

Once I cut three equal strands, I used a needle and clear elastic thread to stitch the three cords together. I then did a simple tight braid, making sure the leather stayed flat. I left about ten inches and stitched the three cords again to hold them in place. Then I pulled the elastic thread through so that I could string the beads. I cut off two of the end (non braided) cords so that I only had one left. The needle of elastic thread then alternated between a bead and the leather. The leather follows the under, over pattern until the last bead is threaded.

Finally, stitch the remaining leather to the other end of the necklace where the braid started. Now, you should have a circle. Tie the elastic thread off tight. Use the extra leather cord that was cut off from the braid and tie it around where the braid meets the beads. This will reinforce the necklace and hide the elastic thread knots.

And here is the finished piece!

Thanks again to Tracy, for letting me visit Paper Wings!! I hope you all enjoyed my stay.

P.S. And here is the $162.00 version!

Photography Challenge!!

Laura Beth over at A Step in the Journey has offered up a photo challenge for those who think they are up for it. You may be asking, "Is that a dare, Tracy??" My reply would be, "Heck yeah, it is!! DO IT!!"

Erin, from A Bird and A Bean, and I are excited to jump right in and give it a go! I completed a 365 photo project for the year 2008 ( check it out here.) Although it was tough getting in a pic everyday of the ENTIRE year, it was rewarding. Now, three years ( and another baby) later, I really really don't think I would be able to do a 365, but I think I COULD do this challenge. And I need a challenge to get my booty in gear. Don't you? It is a fantastic way to get to know your camera, and stretch yourself artistically. Won't you join us?

Check out the weekly challenges below, and click on the button on the right side of my blog for more info.... Good luck and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Portrait smiles-
Tracy

Embellished Sandals here at Paper Wings

In case you missed it over at A Bird and A Bean yesterday....

I wanted to show you an easy way to take plain jane sandals and make them your new favorite "Shaaazam!" Sandals. :)

What you need:
sandals
needle, thread
beads
hot glue (optional)

I did this to another pair of sandals using bigger beads, too. You can check them out here.

I thought of this before school even got out (I am a teacher), but haven't had time to get to it until now. I have had these gold sandals for probably close to two years now, and even though they are ok....I always thought they could use a little som'em som'em to spice them up. They are from Payless, so not expensive (aka...if I screw them up, not a huge deal.)
BEFORE:

The beads were found at Hobby Lobby, and were half off, so I got all I needed for about $3. Can't beat that kind of up-grade.

First, I played around with the beads to decide the pattern I wanted them to flow in, and then took the shoe into consideration to determine the path of the beads. I decided to work in a 'T' shape, took my needle and thread, and simply threaded right through the sandal. Once I had the needle through, I just threaded the beads onto the needle . (seen below)
Since these were small beads, using hot glue to help secure wasn't really an option, so I threaded the needle back through the sandal every couple of beads. This helped to keep them secure on the sandal, so they weren't too loose.
(If you check out the link to see my black sandals, you will see that they are bigger beads. For those, I just used a little hot glue under every couple of beads to keep secure.)

When I got to where the lines meet in my 'T', I just tied the thread off as you normally would.
I continued doing the same thing for the other line in my "T" shape. When I finished up, I dabbed a wee bit of hot glue to the thread knots on the underside. This was just another added measure of security.

There you go! WaaaahhhLLLaaa! Fancy fancy.

Honestly, after I worked on my black sandals, I was a little nervous that they would break. HOWEVER...I wore them on Girls Night Out, and they held up perfectly! If they can make it through that, then they are ok in my book. :)

Go ahead, razzle dazzle those sandals up!!

It's been fun, and hope you pop in over at

Paper Wings!

- Tracy :)

Linking up with....

WE ARE THAT FAMILY

Easy Embellishment

Hey everyone! Remember those black sandals I embellished? Remember I said I would show you how I did it??? Weeeelllll....I am guest posting over at A Bird and A Bean today. Skip on over there and check out how I did it! :)


Loving this summer season-
Tracy

Flip Flop Fun~ guest post

I am super psyched to bring you Paper Wings' first guest post! To top it off, I am excited to bring you one of my besties! Meet Erin from A Bird and A Bean. Erin and I have been friends since college, and have traveled this blog journey together. We joke that she is the KY chapter of me, and I am the TN chapter of her. hee hee. Needless to say, she is an awesome mom, super artistic, fun, and an awesome blogger! It really is kind of weird how we are always thinking alike. For instance, today she is going to show you how to create some freak'n cute flip flops. (I know, she sent me a pair, and I {heart} them BIG TIME!) Tomorrow, I will be guest posting over at A Bird and A Bean, and I will be sharing how I embellished my sandals. (That's a plug for my guest post, if you didn't catch it...)
Anyhoo- point being...we didn't plan it...just worked out that we were both thinking "FEET." :)
Ok, so check her out over on her site, and check out my post over there tomorrow!

Hey everyone! I'm Erin from A Bird and A Bean.I ran across this cool idea a while back here at The Mother Huddle. I LOVE flip flops and wear them all summer (and most of spring and fall too... even though my mom constantly reminds me how terrible they are for backs, feet and posture.....I just can't help it. Sorry Mom)

Anyway, we're going on family vacation next week and I decided it would be fun to make a little gift for all the girls (myself, my mom, sister, sister-in-law and of course ....the bird). I made a few extras for some friends, too. I just couldn't stop. They are so easy. Instant gratification. I think they turned out really cute. They're super comfy....like you aren't even wearing shoes. You could even make them with old flip flops and scrap fabric. You don't have to leave your house for this project!

Here's what you need.....

fabric (1/4 of a yard off the bolt...or scraps)

flip flops

scissors

hot glue (optional)

Here's what you do.....

* Cut your fabric into four 4 1/2 X 24 inch strips. (two for each shoe) I actually made mine a little thinner because my fabric was kind of heavy and I couldn't get the knot to hide in the divot on the bottom of the shoe at 4 1/2 wide. So, you can use less fabric. Mine ended up being more like 3 X 20. They still look good, just less bunchy. I also left the edges raw, cuz I rock the funky tattered look....OK - it's because I can't sew. But, if you feel the need, go ahead and sew your little heart out, but just know that they look fine with a raw edge....maybe even better.

* Cut the original straps off of the flip flops.

* Cut your fabric strips into points.

* Thread both strips through the top hole at the same time.

* Make a good double knot on the bottom and push it into the divot under the shoe. You can use hot glue at this point if you desire. I did.

* Turn back over to the top of the shoe and tie a knot about one inch from the hole, this is the part that will go between your toes. Hold both straps together to tie it. Tie a tight second knot right behind the first knot. You can put it through your toes at this point and adjust a bit if you need to.

* Pull the two straps through the side holes and put the flip flop on. Tighten it to the top of your foot. Carefully take it off and tie knots on the bottom of each side. Tighter is probably better since fabric stretches and you don't want them to be too loose after a few wears. This is where it was a little tricky to make them for someone else, since I tightened them to my foot and not the intended wearer....but I'm sure it worked out.

* Hot glue the knots on the bottom and cut the tails.

* Be cute in your rocking new summery flip flops.