Above the knuckle ring tutorial

Last night I couldn't get to sleep and was craving something crafty. 

I'm sure you've been seeing a lot of those mid-knuckle rings

I had some wire in one of my craft boxes for my art classes and figured I'd take a stab at making them and they are SO EASY!  

here's a mini tutorial...

What you'll need:

-soft 18 or 20 gauge wire. 

-pliers

-wire cutters

-chap stick (to make the rounded shape)

 

1) cut the wire about 3 inches long

2) wrap it around the chap stick

3) slide the wire off the chap stick

4) take the pliers and bend the ends toward the center

5) squish the wire together so it has a soft end (as seen in the picture above on the right)

6) do this to both ends

7) once the ends are bent down, use the pliers to gently turn them outward so they lay flat (as seen in the picture above on the right) 

8) slide the ring onto your finger and fit it to where you want it to stay

9) this is what it should look like from the front and back once it is finished

-E

iPod holder

I've gotten sick ... and honestly a little grossed out... of putting my iPhone into my sports bra when working out. It gets all sweaty and it's sometimes awkward pulling stuff out of my sports bra in the gym. And I always seem to get my arm tangled in the earphone cords while running, causing my iPhone to rip off the elliptical and fall to the floor... giving me a minor heart attack. I decided to make an iPhone/iPod holder for when I'm working out. Because honestly, I don't have the money to spend $30-$40 dollars on one. I got the idea from this site.

All you'll need is one tube sock and a pair of scissors.

1) cut the tube sock a little bit above where the ankle starts.

2) fold the tube inside out

3) slide the tube (inside out) onto your arm

4) pull the bottom edge of the tube up to meet the top edge.

5) VOILA! now there's a pocket to place your iPhone/iPod while working out

*If you iPod/iPhone slides around too much then measure how wide your device is and mark it on the sock. Then, sew two vertical lines so that when your device is in the pocket, it wont slide around.*

(Of course I didn't think to take pictures the process)

 this is what mine looks like with the outside pulled down to show the pocket.

Now go workout without getting sweat all over your electronics!!

Coffee Mugs!

Who doesn't love a unique coffee mug? 

I kept seeing these posts on Pinterest a few months back and finally decided to try it out. 

WARNING: this is the easiest craft... EVER!

-What you'll need-

sharpie, plain coffee mug, oven

I got my mugs for pretty cheap from target. I think it was in the dollar section and they were 2 mugs for $2.50.

Draw on the mug with your sharpie and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

DONE!

(Here are some pictures of the ones I've done)

Neck Tie Wristlet

One of the crafts I did over the summer was turning a men's neck tie into a wallet/wristlet. I first saw it on Pinterest and tried to see if there was a tutorial on how to make it. The link led me to this Etsy site, unfortunately there wasn't a tutorial, so I just tried to figure it out for myself. Of course it didn't turn out perfect the first time and I should have used black thread for the whole thing. But check it out!

(ignore the wordpress link watermark.. didn't realize that was still there)

1) Cut the tie about a foot from the end.

2) Tuck in the seams and sew for a nice edge.

3) I added a snap (you can add a button if you like). Sew the snap onto the silky point of the tie. Flip tie over and sew the other half of the snap onto the straight end. Make sure to fit your phone in the pockets that are naturally made from the tube of the tie before positioning the snap. (I had to re-sew the snaps in about 5 different times because I kept doing them backwards... FRUSTRATING!!)

4)  Sew the sides of the tie together (when folded in half).

5) Take about a foot of the skinny end of the tie and use that to make the handle. I used an extra key chain ring that I found in my purse to attach the handle.

I know these directions are a bit vague, but I made this about 2 months ago and only have the picture to go by, haha. Sorry! Feel free to email me if you have any questions!