Lace Headband (for Small Heads)

I'm in the mood for a super quick and easy project today.

If you have a small head then you know the trials and tribulations I put up with when trying to wear a headband.  The hard style just don't fit right and usually end up giving me a headache, and the soft style (like I made here for my niece) usually go flying off the back of my head.  So, I've come up with a fast and easy way to get around all this.

Here's what you need if you have a small head too!

Materials:
-lace or other trim
-bobby pins
-measuring tape, scissors, needle and thread or a sewing machine

Steps:
1) Measure your head from about an inch above your ear to the same spot on the other side of your head.

Do you know how hard it is
to take a picture of yourself like this?

2) Add about an inch to your measurement and cut your lace (or other trim) that length, then turn over the ends 1/2" and sew down.

My serger just happened to have black thread on it so I quickly finished the ends.  This is not totally necessary and there's no way I would've bothered if I had pink thread on my machine~

3) With your ends sewn down, simply slip your bobby pins into the little pockets at each end.

Now you can slip your headband onto your head where you want it and pin it in place easily!

I'm growing out my blonde hair...dark roots!

If you don't like bobby pins you can try butterfly style snap barrettes.

That's it, beyond easy, and you don't really even need a sewing machine.  You could hand-stitch it if you really had to.  You could really go to town and glue some flowers or other 'accoutrements' to your lace if you want to get fancy.

How about you?  Do you have a hard time with head gear?  Leave a comment below~

Beautiful Boho Earrings

I've been in a very hippie boho chic state of mind lately, so I made some jewellery to go with my current vibe.

I haven't worn large gold hoops for awhile so I decided to wrap them up and make them pretty!  Here's what you need to make your own:

Materials:
-hoops earrings (or a bangle-shown at the end of the post)
-light gauge wire
-wire cutters, scissors
-embroidery thread
-beads
-optional: flat head pliers

Steps:
1) Depending on the size of your earrings, cut a piece of embroidery thread 1.5 - 2 metres long.  You'll be using all six threads as one so try not to separate them.  Simply tie a regular double knot at one end of your thread onto the end of your earring.

2) You'll be doing what's known as a half hitch spiral knot.  But don't think about the technical stuff, because this is one of the easiest knots ever.

Source

Your 'holding cord' is your earring.

Pull tightly as you complete each knot.  You'll notice after just a few stitches that you're creating a pretty spiral effect.

3) Just keep knotting over and over again until you go all the way around your entire earring and you're at the other side.  Now just tie another regular knot.  If you have some jewellery glue on hand you can add a dot, but it should be fine without.

4) Now cut a piece of light gauge wire (I have no clue what gauge I used as I was just stash busting and nothing has any labels.  Just make sure it's easily pliable and can wrap easily.) about 1 metre long.  About 3/4 of the way down from the front or back end of your earring, wrap your wire catching the end inside.

Cris cross a couple of times to keep everything in place.

5) Wrap the wire in wide sections, about every third time around add a bead onto your wire and try to get it to sit on the outside of your earring.

6) Stop wrapping the wire about the 3/4 mark on the other side of the earring.  Just wrap and cris cross to end it.  If you have some flat head jewellery pliers you can give it a little squeeze to keep it all in place.

I loved how these turned out so much that I used the same techniques to make a bangle too!

This is an awesome stashbuster if you're like me and you have loads of beads and old jewellery just taking up space.  I really want to try it using some variegated thread, but then I'd have to buy some, and that would sort of defeat the entire purpose of a stashbuster.

Do you have some supplies you need to use up?  What sort of stashbusters do you like to make?  Leave a comment below~