Sparkly Southwest Jewelry DIY

Do you have belts from 10 years ago just hanging in your closet?  Belts that don't fit or have a funky buckle or that are just a little worn out?  Well don't toss them just yet, you can use them for this fun southwest-inspired-jewelry project!  A little Stylin paint from DecoArt and some flat turquoise stones and you'll have something amazing to wear that you made yourself.  The best part is that you've used something that was eventually going to get tossed.  Dig through your closet for upcoming craft adventures and always Make Your Mark!

I love the sparkly stones mixed with the earthy turquoise!

Save the rest of the belt for other projects!

Put it all together with E6000 Bead & Jewelry Glue!  This stuff is amazing!

Watch how to make them here!

Flat turquoise stones aren't expensive at all!

Sparkly on my friends!

Patchwork Boho Lampshades

Have a lampshade in need of some spicing up?  This patchwork shade just might be the ticket!  Using only fabric glue, some matching trim and scrap fabrics, you can completely revamp a dusty old lampshade in need of some love.  I used a monochromatic color scheme, but you could totally go nuts with every color in the rainbow!  The best part is that you can do this in just a few hours and totally change the look of your space.  Use what you have my friends and always Make Your Mark!

Want a quick way to get all of the amazing the products I use?  Check out my AMAZON STORE!

Just hanging around! 

Wire them to be pendant lamps or plop them in a base! 

Watch how to make them here!

 Braided yarn makes quick and inexpensive trim for this project!

You light up my life, possums!

Sparkly Mosaic Cactus DIY

Grab all of that craft STUFF you've been hoarding and glue it on a Walnut Hollow wood cactus!  Yup, that's how easy it is.  I used green and blue beads, gems and buttons for this project, but it's really about the shape of your base and using what you have.  Pour some resin over the top and you have something sparkly to add some charm to your patio.  Put a stake on it and plop it in the garden!  Why not?!  It's all about mash-up mosaics, my friends.  Oh, and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

Adding some happiness to my plant table

Hang it on the fence or plop it in the garden

Watch how to make one here!

 Love the look of shiny resin on my mosaics!

Happy summer, friends!

Beaded Rope Jewelry DIY

When I was a kid I did Peyote beadwork with seed beads on little wooden dowels and then turned them into keychains for my dad.  Props to my dad for always pretending like each new keychain was his favorite!  When I started wearing glasses I gave up using seed beads because it was just too difficult.  Recently I ran into a magnifying lamp called the Lightview Pro XL and it changed my life.  I challenged myself to learn a different way to bead around rope and this is what I found.  It's a blast and takes so much less time than traditional Peyote beadwork.  Check out the video to see how I made these jewelry pieces and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

Long and short for necklaces and bracelets

Love the mix or bright colors and metallic gold beads!

Watch how to make them here!

Try different sizes of seed beads for variation like the bracelet on the right!

Pretty sure I'm done with my Christmas list now!

Enjoy!

No Sew Boho Clutch DIY

It's almost summer and you're going to need a few little handbags to jazz up your favorite outfits! These little boho gems are PERFECT and you can make them in any color combo you want.  Grab some trim and a base fabric (I used vinyl but you could use heavy canvas) and get gluing! It's that easy.  A little velcro and you have a cute, safe place to keep your phone and some cash.  Add a strap and you're ready for a night out.  Kick up your style this summer my sweet friends and don't forget to

Make Your Mark!

Jazz trio!

Perfect for a cell phone and some cash!

Watch how to make them here!

Happy summer!

Harlequin Stained Glass DIY

I had the awesome luck of meeting the folks from Shardworx (www.Shardworx.com) a few months ago and have been obsessed with their beautiful glass ever since.  When I ran across these window panes on Craigslist, I knew exactly how to use their amazing product!  For a while I was totally stumped at how to make the harlequin separations and thought about using thin trim from the hardware store but didn't want to have to cut all the pieces.  Yup, I'm kind of lazy that way.  Instead, I used wood clothespins and I think they look amazing!  Remember possums, use what you have and always Make Your Mark!

Such beautiful colors!

Watch how to make it here!

STUFF I USED

SHARDWORX.COM glass in different colors

Famowood Glaze Coat Epoxy Resin

Wood Clothespins

E-6000 Glue

Old Window Pane

White Spray Paint

HERE'S HOW

1.  Cut paper the size of the glass

2. Fold the paper on the diagonal both ways to create an "X"

3.  Draw your harlequin pattern evenly using the "X" as your guide

4.  Tape the paper under the glass so you can see it on the side your working on

5.  Take the wood clothespins apart and spray them white

6. Glue the clothespins along the harlequin lines with E-6000

*You can trim the clothespins with heavy duty scissors if you're careful

7.  Fill each diamond with a different color of Shardworx glass

8.  Mix the Famowood Glaze Coat 2 part epoxy resin according to directions and then

drizzle it over each diamond until all of the diamonds are coated.

9. Pop any bubbles with a long-arm lighter or small torch and then

cover and cure overnight

 Gorgeous!

Love it so much!

Thrift Store Table Makeover

Have you noticed how much hotel furniture is showing up at thrift stores these days?  This glass table was a bit scratched up, but it was only $15 so I snapped it up and decided to give it a makeover worthy of Kelly Wearstler (my favorite interior designer).  This paint technique is a mix between Italian marbled paper and flow painting and I have a feeling the next table I attempt will be even better than this one.   In the mean time, I'm in LOVE!  Remember to scour thrift stores, recycle as much as you can and always Make Your Mark!

 Rhapsody in blue

I love the bold splashes of color with the intricate marbling around the edges 

Watch how I made it here!

STUFF I USED

Thrift store coffee table

Americana Decor Satin Enamels

*I used Smoke Grey, Dark Denim, Steel Blue, Seaside Blue & Grey Taupe

Famowood Glaze Coat

Americana Decor Metallics in Silver

Water

Plastic cups

Toothpicks

HERE'S HOW

1. - 3.  Fill each cup with paint, add 10% water and stir

*I used 5 matching colors for this project and I propped the glass table top on wood pieces so that it would be about 1 1/2" above the table

4.  Paint the edges with one of the colors

5. - 7.  Pour each color in a swirl pattern on the table working from the center outward

8.  Carefully angle the table to allow the paint to mix and blend together

9.  Drag a toothpick back and forth every 1" across the table to create a marbled paper look

10.  Paint the table base in Americana Decor Metallics in Silver and let dry

11.  Mix the Glaze Coat according to directions, pout on the table and spread with a sponge brush

12.  Use a small torch or long arm lighter to pop the bubbles, cover and let dry

Assemble and you're done!

So chic!

Unicorn SPiT Pillows

Did you know that you can dye fabric with Unicorn SPiT?  Well, you can!  It's easy and soooooo much less messy than traditional fabric dyes.  The colors are beautiful and vibrant, too!  There are several methods used on these pillows, but my favorite was the plastic bag method, which I'm sharing below.  Have fun!  Make summer pillows! Oh, and always Make Your Mark!

 For this pillow I painted stripes on moistened cotton fabric....Easy!

A little plastic bag and you're ready to "print" your fabric for this version!

Watch how I did it here!

STUFF I USED

Unicorn SPiT

Poly-fil

Cotton fabric

Sewing machine

Plastic bags

Minwax Clear Lacquer

Spray bottle and salt

Straight pins

HERE'S HOW

1.  Tape a plastic bag flat to a paper protected table making sure that the plastic is bigger than the fabric you're colorizing

2.  Squirt lines of Unicorn SPiT about 4" apart on the plastic

3.  Smoosh the lines together with your finger starting from light color to dark

 *I wore gloves for this

4. & 5. Moisten your cotton fabric (I used a piece that was 20" x 20") with a spray bottle and carefully place it on the plastic bag

6.  Take another piece of paper and place it on top of the fabric and press down so that the Unicorn SPiT prints on the fabric

7.  Remove the fabric and sprinkle salt on it

*When the salt dries it will give it a dotted, dappled look

8.  When the fabric is dry, seal the Unicorn SPiT with Minwax Acrylic Lacquer

LET'S MAKE THE PILLOW

9.  Pin a piece of same size fabric on top of the colorized fabric marking off a 5" area which will not be sewn

10.  Stitch around the edges using a 1/2" seam allowance

11.  Flip the pillow inside out through the 5" hole and stuff with Poly-fil

12.  Pin and hand stitch the hole closed

Summer fun