DIY embellished hair combs

I have a little stash of old earrings, discarded rhinestones, beads and buttons that I knew someday I would find a use for. On the weekend, I put my crafting hat on and Voila! Inspiration struck and I set off to make these embellished hair combs. Here's how you can make your own too.

You'll need:
Beads, rhinestones, buttons, earrings, brooches, pearls etc
Plastic hair combs
Fabric ibbon
Thread and needle
Hot glue gun
Scissors

For the rhinestone hair comb:

1. Tie a knot with ribbon at one end of the hair comb.
2. Weave the ribbon in and out of the teeth of the hair comb. When you have reached the end of the hair comb, weave back in opposite direction and tie a knot at the end to secure.
3. If using old earrings, twist off the spikes using a pair of pliers
4. Add your rhinestone, beads, buttons or other pieces to the hair comb using a hot glue gun. Make sure to overlap so the ribbon doesn't show.

For the beaded hair comb:

1. Tie a knot with ribbon at one end of the hair comb, making sure to leave enough ribbon to tie into a bow.
2. Weave the ribbon in and out of the teeth of the hair comb. When you have reached the end of the hair comb, weave back in opposite direction and tie a bow at the end to secure.
3. Thread pearls through and weave in and out of the comb. When you have reached the end, make 3 or 4 back stitches to secure the thread and cut off the excess.

Diy botanical prints

DIY botanical prints, anyone? You don't even need to be artistic, I promise.

I love botanical prints but I'm not at all talented when it comes to art. So when I first saw this lovely diy over here, I got really excited and rushed out to buy myself some watercolours so I can create my own easy botanical prints at home. I was feeling rather chuffed with my efforts so I've decided to share this tutorial so you too can be an "artist".

First you need to collect leaves and press them until they're flat. For my prints, I used a fern leaf and a couple of mint leaves.

To create the print of the roses, I used the stem of a bok choy.

Secondly, paint one side of leaves/stem with watercolour. Make sure to do a few test prints to make sure you're really happy. Be creative, experiment!

Once you have worked out the desired print and colour, you're ready to print on clean sheet of paper sized to fit in your chosen frames.

Place leaves/stem gently on paper in position, paint side down. Use another clean sheet of paper and press down over the top of the leaves/stem, then rub your fingers over them to transfer the print and create an impression. Leave to dry completely before placing in frames.

And that is it. Looks pretty good, if I dare say so myself.

Test tube vase

I was given a box of test tubes some time ago after they were discarded as part of a lab move. I have been meaning to do something special with them but had no idea what. Then one day I got given a piece of driftwood lying about on a beach and voila! Inspiration struck.

I had to enlist Stu's help for this little project. Using a speed bore drill bit, he drilled 5 equally spaced holes into the wood. I entertained the idea of painting it but decided to just leave it and tell everyone I was going for the rustic look instead.

And then it was ready.

Flowers are horribly expensive at the moment. I saw some beautiful roses at the florist (all imported of course) but just couldn't bring myself to buy any. So I picked camelias from the garden and stuck them in. I put them on the bedside table and think they look rather lovely.

Pressed flowers project

When I started on this project a couple of months ago, I was totally winging it. It has been such a long time since I pressed flowers as a little girl, but I can still remember using the flowers to make a set of bookmarks so hideous only my mom could love.

Now that a couple of decades has passed, I'm finally ready put it all behind me and press flowers again.

If you've never pressed flowers before, here's a handy little tutorial to get you acquainted.

I think the trickiest part of this project wasn't so much the pressing of the flowers but rather what to do with them. A flower journal? A handmade card? Or more hideous bookmarks? I decided to arrange them in between 2  slabs of clear glass in a photo frame to make wall art.

Not too shabby, I hope? When was the last time you pressed flowers?