The Fireworks Bracelet Tutorial

I LOVE the 4th of July! It is probably my favorite holiday. I am a history teacher so I love to celebrate the Founding Fathers, independence, and freedom. I go all out for the holiday. I decorate my yard and myself. I always go crazy with red, white, and blue. This bracelet is the perfect addition to my holiday- and can be for yours too!


Materials:
Plain chain bracelet (or make your own with chain and a clasp)
Headpins and/or eye pins
Red, white, blue, clear, and/or silver beads (gold would be pretty too)
Round nose and regular jewelry pliers
Wire cutters



Begin by arranging your beads on the headpins. The more random, the better.
Here are three examples of my headpins

Use the round-nose pliers to curve the end of the headpin.

Hook it on the chain of the bracelet.

Clip the end of the wire if necessary and close the loop with your jewelry pliers.

Now, add the rest of your headpins to the bracelet. The number of pins will depend on the size of your bracelet, the size of the links, and desired thickness. I used 1 or 2 pins per link depending on the size of the beads.

I call this the "Fireworks" bracelet because (obviously) it looks like a fireworks burst with the long skinny beads that stick out.

Here is a close-up view so you can see some of my other headpins.

Doesn't it look great? So fun for the 4th of July or any other patriotic holiday. It really can be worn all summer if you want.

If you make one, I would love to see it!


In addition to my fav linky parties listed on the sidebar, this project will be linked up to:

http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/
http://mybackyardeden.blogspot.com/

Refashion #2 (Simple t-shirt makeover)

I have finally got around to trying another refashion project! I have had this shirt for years. I think it's cute, but boring. I needed to add something to make it a little more fashionable and fun.

First, I cut out three circles of some polyester lining fabric. They are about 2 inches, but I ended up cutting them down later so just experiment and see what size works for you.

Gather each circle by pinching the center of the circle to form petals.


Pinch the center of the othe two circles and add them to the bunch.


If you want a larger or smaller bloom just add or subtract the number of circles.
Stitch the circles together at the bottom several times and several directions until it forms a nice bloom.

Cut off the bottom of the bloom to create a flat edge (instead of a pointed one).

Stitch it to your shirt. (You could probably also glue it if you wanted.)

Doesn't the shirt look better already?

I added different numbers of circles to make clusters and stiched them on the shirt until I was satisfied with the amount of ruffle.

Ta da!!

It is very simple, but I think it adds a lot to the shirt! : )

Check out my first refashion here.

I have a fun 4th of July jewelry project coming up later this week so stay tuned!

My brother's wedding is this week too, so this weekend or beginning of next week I should have pictures of the bridesmaid belts with the dresses and another paper flower project we are using at the wedding dinner.

Thanks for reading!!

In addition to my favorite linky parites listed in the right sidebar, this post will be linked up to the following sites:

Making the World Cuter

It's So Very Creative Mondays

Altered Picture Frames (and of course a monogram letter)

As I have mentioned several times already, my brother is getting married soon. I already showed his fiancee's bridal shower and gift, but my mom and I were invited to another shower for her. I wanted to make something for the first gift but didn't have time. I was glad to have a chance to make some home decor and give to her.

I purchased 3 plain wood frames at Dollar Tree. I painted each frame black. For this frame I created the very popular singed flower and added a metal "happily ever after" charm.

I decoupaged patterned paper on to the next frame. I added the ribbon over the part that wasn't perfect. : ) I cut the back off a button and glued it on.

I added red stickers to this frame and then put a coat of Mod Podge over it.

Of course I also have to throw in a matching monogram wood letter!

I think they will look great all in a group or individually.

I sure hope she liked them! : )

Bridesmaid Belts

I made these belts for my brother's upcoming wedding. They are for the bridesmaids dresses which are a really pretty shade of orange. The wedding colors are orange and hot pink.

I am so pleased with how they turned out! I think they are so pretty! And I am one of the bridesmaids so I get to wear one!

I used about 2 yards of ribbon to allow for a bow, but we didn't want the ribbon to hang too far down in the back.

This isn't a great shot because I took it of myself. But I did want to show you how the belt looked worn. Here, I just have it over a simple black cardigan. The wedding is next week and I will take a picture of the belt and dress together to share.

I made extra hot pink flowers for hair clips or pins. You can pick one up for yourself here. : )

If you are interested in ordering custom belts for your own wedding or special event contact me at aubs25@hotmail.com or through my Etsy shop!

Coming up soon on Yellow Blackbird:

-Altered picture frames

-A simple t-shirt refashion

-"Magical" June cards

-Shop monogram letters

Have a wonderful day!

-Aubree

A Bridal Shower

This week my mom and aunt (and I helped a little too!) put on a bridal shower for my sister-in-law to-be. Every shower is a masterpiece with these two! They create fabulous buffet tables.

For this shower, they chose a red geranium picnic theme- perfect for summer. Notice the neutral table cloths that help the red flowers pop.

To create the levels, put a table cloth on the table, then place Styrofoam wedges and/or sturdy boxes around the table. (These Styrofoam wedges were created, I believe, from a flat screen TV package. Good way to recycle!)

Next, put a matching table cloth over the wedges and boxes. Place your matching dishes on the wedges and flat part of the table. We usually weave some kind of greenery or garland around the dishes. Sometimes we use tea light candles in the spread to add some atmosphere.

Doesn't it look beautiful? The large water jug on the end really adds a lot (I think this one is from Costco.) This leaves the hostesses free from having to refill water pitchers and doesn't make too much mess. (Just make sure you have a dish under the jar to catch any spills.)

Mmmm..... yummy desserts! Mini cupcakes, fruit pizza squares, and daisy sugar cookies. (I made the cookies, but my cute sister-in-law decorated them for me.)

I think a good plate rack is a must-have for entertaining. Not only does it look nice, but it saves space on the table so you can fit more.

A candy station is a great way to do party favors. Find candy in colors that match your theme in put them in clear glass apothecary jars. Provide bags or boxes with a thank you message so that guests can create their own cute favors.

Some of us like shower games, and some of us don't. We decided to do one game for this shower and it turned out great! (This was my main contribution to the shower.) It is a candy bar matching game. Guests draw a slip of paper with a wedding phrase on it. They have to match that phrase with the candy bar that describes it. If they are correct, they get to keep their candy bar. It gives everyone a prize!

Butterfingers- first date interactions
Pay Day- Wedding ring purchase date
Twix- Bachelor Party pranks
Mounds- gifts
Big Hunk- groom
Sweethearts- the bride and groom
Lifesavers- parents
Sugar Daddy- Father of the Bride
Runts OR Jr. Mints- Flower girl and ring bearer
100 Grand- the reception
Fast break- leaving the reception
Zero- Post wedding bank accounts
Rocky Road- the first year
Airheads- bridesmaids
Ring pop- wedding ring
Symphony- first dance
Hot tamales- the bride
5th Avenue- dress shop
Treasures- wedding photos
Almond Joy- Happily Ever After
Kisses- You may now kiss the bride
Three Musketeers- groomsman
Twizzlers- tie the knot
Nerds- In-laws (only works if in-laws are giving the shower!)
Bliss- wedded bliss
Goobers- friends who decorate the car
Whoppers- the bill for the wedding

For my gift, I created a basket of kitchen items in the bride's kitchen colors- red and black. I used a red dishpan and filled it with dish towels, a pitcher, oven mitts, a juicer, measuring cups, and a spoon rest.

I wrapped it in cellophane and tied it with a variety of red and black ribbons.

I made a black and white card and put the bride and groom's initials on the front of it with red stickers.

It was a great shower. My mom and aunt do awesome work!

Secret Sister Gifts

Recently I returned from girl's camp. It was a lot of fun! As part of the camp we drew names in advance of a "secret sister." We were supposed to give our secret sister one gift each day during camp. I drew Stephanie, who is one of the other leaders. Of course I had to make my gifts!

The first thing I made was a monogram letter of her last name. I found the wooden 'N' on clearance at Walmart for $1! You can also buy them at most any craft store. I painted the letter, traced the letter on paper, cut out the paper and attached it to the wood with Modge Podge. I went pretty simple with this one, only adding the black ribbon as an embellishment.

I didn't know the colors of her home, so I chose what I hoped would be neutral enough to go anywhere. (I even scoured her Facebook page looking for clues!)

Next, I embellished a pair of flip-flops just for her. Right now Walmart has a lot of different colors of flip-flops available for only $2 a pair! I picked up the trim at Walmart too.

I cut the trim to size, then attached it with E-600 glue. I will only use this glue outside. It smells wretched for a while until it dries completely! I then created a flower using this tutorial that I have linked to several times before.

I attached the flower with the stinky glue and left the shoes outside for a while to dry and air out!

I wanted to make sure that Stephanie knew each item was for her and that it was the secret sister gift so I created tags. My fall back method for gift tags is to place a single letter (or double for a wedding) monogram on a plain tag. It looks so clean and sharp.

I matched the tag to a ribbon and attached one to each gift.

I was going to make a third gift but I ran out of time so I just did candy for the last day.

I still want to do the giveaway! I haven't had much time for promoting lately, but as soon as I get 200 "likes" on my Facebook page, I will giveaway a headband or hair clip!

Red Rose Wedding Cards

Please excuse the not-so-great photos. I made the cards right before the club met and it was already getting dark when I tried to take pictures.

I decided to go with a wedding theme for card club this month. I cut a small black card from cardstock, and covered it with a black and white patterned paper.

I then made the roses from red cardstock using this tutorial I have linked to before. I don't draw the spiral, I just cut it and round the corners off.

I cut a green leaf from some handmade paper I had in my stash, and attached the roses to the cards.

I also had a lot of these cute little metal wedding sayings I had been given so I could attach them to the cards at no cost.


I am very pleased with how they turned out. They are pretty, cheap, and not time consuming. (I made 10 of them in less than 2 hours.)

What should I make for next month's card club? I should get started early this month!

Giveaway!!!

I want to give away one of the new headbands I have been making. BUT I want to reach 200 fans on Facebook first! I am currently at 172 fans so I only need 28 more. Become a fan if you want to be able to enter the contest!