DIY Doily Collar Necklace

they're all the rage right now.

collar necklaces.

and what do you know- i came up with a way to make two necklaces with one doily. plus, you can style them 3 different ways! here's how to make 3-in-1 doily collar necklaces:

what you need:

1 doily
scissors
needle-nose pliers
necklace & bracelet chains (they come in one kit from joann's)
button
scrap fabric or felt
hot glue
glue gun

1) iron out your doily if it's a little wrinkly. this will help in lining up the pattern.

2) fold the doily in half. then trace & cut out a collar pattern onto the doily.

3) next, take the bracelet chain and separate the chain in the very middle- opposite of the hook - with the needle-nose pliers.

4) using the pliers, reattach each end of the loose chain to the ends of the collar pieces.

 5) now, fasten the front of the collar with a button. cut out a piece of fabric or felt the same size as the button. place the button on top of the doily and the fabric underneath and glue them all together.

6) pair the necklace with a cute top and enjoy!

now, you can use the rest of the doily to make yet another doily necklace!

1) use the other end of the doily and cut out a C shape. be sure to stay along the crochet lines.

2) open up the necklace chain and weave it in and out of the top part of the doily.

3) now, there are 2 ways you can wear this necklace...

like this, or like this...

have fun with your new necklaces! feel free to pin & share with friends! <3

diy: pumpkin wreath

hello!

i have quite the treat for you today on the blog...

a D.I.Y. pumpkin wreath!

here's what happened: i opened my daily anthropologie email in my inbox the other day only to find this awesome plain wreath made completely out of white pumpkins!

now of course i get this idea in my head- i'm going to make this. but how!? do i use real pumpkins? fake ones? and how do i get them to stay like that?

well after lots of thought, i was able to make this wreath for under $15!

here's what you'll need:

• 11 fake plastic mini pumpkins (took me a while to find these, but i found them at tj maxx in the vase filler section. no luck at joann's or michael's)

• off-white acrylic paint (spray paint might be good too)

• paint brush

• wooden embroidery hoop (i had one left over from another craft)

• hot glue & glue gun

• twine or string for hanging

1) if the pumpkins aren't white, start to paint them. you can also choose a different color- i thought gold could be fun, too! or keep them orange. :) also, don't forget to paint your wooden hoop the same color as your pumpkins! i did two coats... they probably could have used a third since my painting isn't that great. also- if you want to keep the stems completely paint-free, you can cover them with painting tape if you'd like.

2) once your pumpkins are dry, measure out where you plan to glue them on your hoop. make sure you leave enough room at the end of gluing for your last pumpkin to fit on, too! put a thick layer of glue on the hoop where your pumpkin will go, then hold your pumpkin down for a few seconds. keep moving on around the hoop.

3) once all of your pumpkins are glued on, go back and reinforce them by turning your wreath upside down and outlining the edges between the pumpkin and the hoop with extra glue.

4) once the glue is dry, measure your twine for hanging, tie one end to the screw on your hoop, and hang your new wreath! viola! there you have it- your new anthropologie inspired wreath for under $15!

have you made any other fall crafts this year?

diy projects

it's been about a month since i dove into a craft project. (i made some drapes for our spare bedroom!)

so i think it's about time to start another one! here are some fun ideas i found on none other than pinterest!

one // two // three // four // five 

which crafts are you ready to dive into?

craft supplies

hello there! remember how i mentioned my addiction to buying fabric and craft supplies? well, i have to admit, they're not very organized! i pull out the things i need for one project and keep it in a plastic grocery bag! horrible! it's so hard to find anything i need for a project without shuffling through every bag...

solution? here are some ideas:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight

how do you organize your crafts?

printed fabric

it's dangerous.

joann's is about a block away from my work. so where do you think i go on lunch? yeah...

there are SO many fun fabrics and prints there- i could spend the day just looking at and touching the fabrics on display. problem is- i buy fabric then never make anything with it. next step is to have an intention to make something and THEN buy fabric... it's tough. (first world problems, right?)

here are some fun prints i came across online:

one // two // three // four // five

what are some projects you've started with fabric?

bein' quirky

so, i missed the zooey deschanel snl the first time around, but caught part of the rerun this past weekend. not to mention, a coworker of mine mentioned that i needed to see this skit! i seriously cannot stop laughing and i love kristen wiig as bjork! incredible! enjoy!



here's to leaving holes in your knitting projects for dreams and ideas!

<3 aly

ps- i am in need of a craft night soon... anyone up for making a badminton racket necklace?? ;)