Black Lace Headband Tutorial

I did a white lace headband tutorial a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to see what other looks I could create from lace. If you explore the 'by the yard' lace and fabric trimmings aisle at your local craft store, you can find a lot of awesome headband materials. It's crazy how cheap it is to make a classy headband. And it really doesn't take long at all. 

Materials needed:

• black lace (I actually found the exact lace online! Yay! It wasn't this expensive at all--I paid around $1.50 for 13 inches)
• thread
• needle
• scissors
• ruler/measuring tape (if you feel it's necessary)
• elastic (1/2 inch braided) 

Now, I don't have exact measurements for you since every head is a different size. For your lace, measure your head from ear to ear. I just put the lace on my head and guess the length. No need to really measure. For the elastic, the length depends on how tight you want your head band. My white lace headband was too tight, so I decided to cut a little more slack in my elastic. I cut roughly 8 inches of elastic for this headband. 

To determine your elastic length, you can try my method of putting the lace on your head how you want it. Secure the points behind your ears with your middle fingers. Then, stretch the elastic across the back of your head with your thumbs and pointer fingers. It's kind of awkward, but it gets the job done. Pinch the elastic at the length that feels comfortable, then cut. 

Thread your needed. I fold the lace on each side so that it is the same width as the elastic. Place your elastic on the back of the lace and begin sewing a crap-ton of stitches. If you are picky, you can use black thread so the messy stitches aren't noticeable, but as you can see from my gray thread, I really don't mind exposed messy stitches.

The sewing isn't an exact science. Sew until you think it's tight, then give a tug. If anything rips or tears, then you should probably keep sewing. I'm sure if you are handy with a sewing machine you can whip this headband up in no time, but hand stitching works just fine for me. Once you sew on side, repeat on the other side of the headband. You can double check the tightness before you sew the second side. I think I trimmed a quarter inch off of my elastic at this point.

This headband actually stays on my head if I wear my hair down. I'm pretty impressed with that. As always, leave comments or questions below!

Abstract Art Technique for Craft Projects

I started doing this art technique when I was taking art classes in college. I was in love with the way paint acted when you transferred it from one surface to another. It's like a temporary paint stamp.

Materials needed:

• acrylic paint in whatever colors you choose
• a piece of plastic or a sheet of transparency. I have used plastic wrap, but I wanted a more rigid surface. You can really use any smooth, non-permeable surface. Tip- you can buy individual sheets of transparencies for about ten cents at FedEx Kinkos. 
• Paper- I use card stock or thicker drawing paper, 60lb or heavier in weight. 
• Paint brush(es)- depending on the texture you want. You can even use your fingers, sticks, or anything else you feel like using. 
• Water
• pens (optional) I like black fine liner pens. Sharpie or Micron are good. Don't used water based pens if you plan on using this for glass tile projects. The glue/glaze can make water based ink run and blur. 

I start by putting a few blobs of paint on the transparency. You can see in the picture that I have the transparency sitting on top of my paper. This helps me see the textures I am creating a bit more easily. I start to fiddle with the colors. Mix them together, put a little water on to get a smoother consistency. You want to work fast or keep the paint moist by adding water. You could even get a spray bottle of water and spritz the surface if you are working in a dry environment. 

Once you get the textures you want, flip the transparency over onto your paper and smooth the paint down with your hands. Don't rub too hard in isolated spots because it might change the shapes you created. If your paint is thick in certain spots, it will ripple when you pull the transparency off. It looks kind of cool when it does that. It looks sort of like veins. 

I like to work with the transparency a couple of times. Once I pull the film off, I lay it back down and moisten the surface with my brush while creating new textures and patters. You can put more paint down if you need it. 

Once I am satisfied with the results, I wipe the transparency with a wet paper towel or rinse if off in my kitchen sink so that I can use it again. After the paint dries you can take a black pen and start 'pulling' out shapes from chaos. 

There are so many possibilities with color, shape and texture using this technique. I hope you have fun with it and please share any questions or comments you may have. If you want to put this technique to good use, try making magnets like these! 

DIY Abstract Art Refrigerator Magnets

Cute refrigerator magnets are a must when you move into a new place. When Jake and I bought our house, I wanted something other than local business magnets. They are kind of ugly, and plus they don't do jack when it comes to holding things up. During this time, I was a cashier at a craft store and saw so many glass tiles go through the register I figured I would just make my own glass magnets. The only issue would be the what I wanted the magnets to look like.

For a while, I had been experimenting with abstract paint swirls for my art, and I had a bunch of left over 'test' pieces which worked perfectly for this project (and other projects with glass tiles like pendants, earrings, key chains, etc.). If you want to see how I made my abstract art sheets, click here.

Materials needed:

• glass tiles- I used 1 inch circles and 1 inch squares. You may be able to find the glass tiles at a local craft store, but I bet you they are double or triple the price. 
• magnets-I bought a 10 pack from Joann's but these rare earth magnets work too. Ceramic magnets are bigger and less powerful than the rare earth magnets, so if you want power, go for the latter. 
• dimensional glaze- you can use Tacky glue or any glue that dries clear as long as you don't mind bubbles. The dimensional glaze is for picky people. 
• scissors or X-acto knife
• glue- I used Loctite Power Grab, but E-6000 works too. I prefer not to use anything that needs ventilation or says it causes cancer--but maybe that's just me. 
• small old paint brush
• art or any printed image (use heavier paper like card stock or photo paper) Click here for my abstract art tutorial. 

To begin, you will be gluing the glass tiles to your paper. I start by putting dimensional glaze on my tile and spreading it around with the glue applicator. Then press the tile down on the paper. If glaze/glue oozes out the sides then use less glue for the next tile. If you have a lot of air bubbles try pushing the tile down a little harder or adding more glaze/glue. 

After you have your tiles glued, cut them out, leaving a little excess paper to be trimmed later. I use an X-acto knife so that I can preserve the paper for later use, but a scissors works fine if you don'e mind cutting through unused parts of your art. I like to cut out these small sections just in case the paper warps and lifts the tile off the page. I've had it happen and I was very peeved. 

Leave your tiles to dry for a little while. Maybe an hour. Then trim off the excess paper with your scissors. Next, you need to seal the backs of the paper with more glaze/glue. I squirt some glaze down and then spread it out with an old paint brush. If you are using the dimensional glaze, try to not get it on your fingers, because that stuff is sticky. My fingers were tacky all night because I couldn't get it to wash off (little tip, try rubbing oil on your fingers if they do get sticky.) You only need a thin layer of glaze to seal the surface. Let it dry for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Once the backs are dry, you can glue your magnets on. I squeeze a little Power Grab glue on the magnet and then push it down onto the tile until a little glue squeezes around the sides. If you are using the quarter inch rare earth magnets, maybe use a tweezers to hold the magnet so you don't get glue all over your fingers. A quarter of an inch isn't a lot to work with.  

Once all of your magnets are in place, allow this to dry for as long as the glue tells you to. The Loctite glue sets in 15 minutes, but I let it dry over night. Once they dry, you are ready to stick them to your refrigerator! These magnets are awesome little gifts for people, and they are fun to make! 

As always, leave questions and comments below (if you have any!). Thanks for checking this post! Stay tuned for other random projects. You never know what I am going to feel like doing. 

Hello Again, Art.

Although art has always been my passion, I stray from it quite often. Maybe it's the natural process I need to go through in order to create, because there is always an evolution that happens. Whenever I step away for a while, I come back with a different perspective. Granted, my subject matter remains quite stagnant, the lens I view it through shifts. 

Being an artist is often times the visual representation of a search for identity. I think with each piece of art I create, a different facet of my identity shows through. There are some people that think they can separate themselves from their work. That the art exists as a separate being, wholly detached from the creator. But I don't really know that this is completely possible. Every choice an artist makes reflects a part of them. It says something. Even when creating a piece for someone else. The medium used, the subject chosen, the brushstrokes, the pen lines, the splatters all say something about the artist. It's a language. 

My art says I'm messy, chaotic, fluid, and a little lost. And for some reason I need to put gold on everything. You can learn so much from your own art. Doesn't matter if you're good at it or are the worst. You are still speaking the language when you create something. 

When I was going to school for art, I was an art snob. I was all "That's not good art!" and I thought there was a specific guideline for what could be considered art. But there isn't. The wonderful thing about art is that once people try to pin a definition on it, it wriggles away and evolves into something else. Art is something that can't be limited. Sure, there is crappy art and great art in the micro and technical sense, but it's all about intentions. 

I began teaching an art class to senior citizens and my entire perspective changed. I lost the judgement I had before. I became an all inclusive art lover when it came to my students. Yeah, they didn't have a lot of raw skill and maybe their pieces weren't always 'good' in a technical sense, but there was so much beauty in their intention for creating. I could see them through their art. I couldn't judge that. I couldn't judge their creations. I still can't. I can tell someone how to better their technical skills, but when someone is creating just to create, there is no place for judgement. My students, even with their years of life experience, were finding their identities within their art and that journey does not need criticism. That journey needs nourishment. 

Okay, that's enough deep thought for the moment. 

Now, to the basics of how I created this. I want to introduce you to the power of alcohol inks. Adirondack Alcohol Inks are usually used for card making or other craft projects, but I have fallen in love with their artistic uses. 

I have also become quite fond of making stencils (as seen in this tutorial for stenciling a shirt). I have been finding unconventional uses for a lot of things recently. I started making stencils out of clear transparencies, but the I couldn't get sheets any bigger than 8.5x11. I felt too limited. Then, after buying a roll of self adhesive shelf liner, I had an 'aha!' moment. Love those. 

I sketched out a face that I wanted to stencil, cut a piece of the shelf liner, and then copied the sketch onto the line. Tip: You can actually print on this shelf liner. When I was making my shirt stencil I fed it through my printer to get the text I wanted. You can do the same with sketches. Just scan and print. Then cut out your stencil with an x-acto knife. And, by the way, this shelf liner cuts a lot easier than transparency film does.

Once my stencil was done, I put it on a piece of primed bristol board. I primed the paper myself with gesso. Just paint the paper with gesso and leave to dry. The reason I do this is to create a semi-sealed surface. I didn't want my alcohol ink to sink into the paper. I wanted it to sit on the surface so I can go back and manipulate the ink. That's the cool thing about priming paper. I've also primed plywood with interior house primer and that worked awesome. 

This is where I get chaotic. The ink bottles have a fine tip which makes dripping the ink really easy. I just upend the bottles and lightly shake the ink out. Once I get the colors down, I spread a little rubbing alcohol on the ink to lift it from the surface of the paper and let it run down.

Until this point, the stencil hasn't served much purpose other than as a guide for where to put the ink. The adhesive backing isn't strong enough to keep the alcohol ink completely from bleeding underneath, but that's not really an issue for me. I think the bleed through looks pretty cool. I used a makeup sponge and black acrylic paint to fill in the stencil. Dabbing works best. 

Once I pulled off the stencil, I began to detail the face with a fine tip pen. Like super fine. Micron size 005 pens are tiny, but awesome. Splatter some India ink around, add a little gold pen, and accent with some white gel pen. I love to use a bunch of different supplies. 

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear about more alcohol ink projects! 

Faux Stained Glass Earrings

This is a play on an earlier tutorial with nail polish. I have been experimenting with different materials in the last year, and this is one of my favorite techniques. Using clear nail polish and alcohol ink, I created a resin like medium (without the super toxic part), and the effect of stained glass. You can do this same technique with liquid polymer clay and alcohol ink, but this tutorial eliminates a step by not needing to bake the earrings.

To start, you will need a pair of earrings with loops small enough for the nail polish to adhere properly. Below is an example of a simple loop style earring. Or you can follow the Simple Loop Earring I from this post.

Materials Needed:

• round nose pliers
• flat nose pliers
• 20 gauge wire (Check Joann's too)
• wire cutter
• clear nail polish (any brand)
• alcohol ink of your color preference (I use Adirondack. You can get it from Joann's)
• third hand, if you feel like you need it (I just used it so I had a free hand for pictures)\
• earring hooks/french wires (I use titanium since I am allergic to nickle)

Once your earrings are formed, mix your ink and polish. I use a scratch piece of paper to mix a small batch. Since nail polish sets really quickly, I only work in small batches. I put a couple of drops of clear polish down, and then a drop of ink. Mix it together with a piece of wire.

Gather a drop of the polish on the end of your piece of wire and place it in one of the loops. I use a gentle circular motion to lightly touch the insides of the loop, then pull the wire out. If the nail polish pulls from the middle and doesn't cover the loop, try adding more polish. If adding more polish doesn't help, then your loops might be too big and you will need to adjust them.

Once you have each loop filled, let it set for a few minutes. I have a wire 'tree' where I hang finished pieces to dry so they are out of my way. You want to keep the earring from laying flat on a surface while it dries, for the polish might pool onto the surface and out of the loop.

After both of your earrings are dry, you can put your hooks on. Use a flat nose pliers to open and close the loops on the earring findings. Now you are ready to rock your earrings! I love the way the sun shines through these little beasties.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and check back often for more projects. I just can't stop making things. It's a problem.

Floral Headband

This is such a 'springy' headband. I had an abundance of flowers stashed in my container of old hair flower supplies and I thought 'hey, let's make something!'. If you have seen my Simple Hair Flower tutorial, this one starts out the same. The only difference is the headband, really. To be honest, this headband is not my favorite. Probably because it's fall and pink is just not a fall color. Oh well! It was fun to make!

I much prefer metal or plastic headbands to elastic bands. I explained in my Lace Headband tutorial that me and elastic bands just don't go together. Weird shaped head? I don't know. This could be adapted to an elastic headband, but it would require some excessive sewing, but I chose to stick with a simple plastic headband. These actually stay on my head.

Materials Needed:
   headband (I bought a three pack from Target)
   glue gun
   glue sticks
   fake flowers (from home decor)
   buttons (or anything else you prefer)

You could make some fabric flowers out of ribbon or fabric scraps if you can't find any fake flowers you like, but you'll have to guess how to make them since I haven't tried that yet. Someday! I'll keep you posted.

When you find flowers that you like, disassemble them like the third picture. You want each layer to be separated so you can glue them for security.

I wanted to do three flowers. Two flowers consist of two layers and a button center, and one flower consists of three layers and a button center. Start by applying a little bit of glue to the center of your first layer. Let it cool a few seconds and place your second layer on top. I turn the top layer a little so the petals cover the gaps between the first layer's petals. Pinch them together until cool, then add your button.

Repeat this for all of your flowers. Once your flowers are done, it's time to glue them to the headband. Squeeze a generous dollop of glue onto the back center of one of your flowers. I started with one of the two layer flowers.

Place the flower on the headband and give a squeeze. Hold until the glue sets. Next, I placed the second two layer flower. I wanted the two small flowers to be on either side of the larger flower. Lastly, place the third flower. Again, hold it in place until the glue sets.

I think I might set this headband aside until next spring. Or maybe I will go find some festive fall foliage and make another one for this season. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Thanks for visiting!

DIY Styling Hair Paste

This is some sassy styling paste for those who hate store bought products with crazy chemicals. Jake has super fluffy hair after he washes it and loves to use this paste to give it some direction. I've used it to tame down frizz. A little goes a long way. Unless you like the feel of a lot of product in your hair, then pile it on!

Ingredients:
   2 tablespoons shea butter
   2 tablespoons beeswax
   3 tablespoons sunflower oil
   10 drops sweet orange essential oil
   5 drops grapefruit essential oil

The beeswax give the paste its structure. If you really want to give form to your hairdo, beeswax is the thing to use.

Shea butter is solid at room temperature to help provide structure, but it is also moisturizing.

Sunflower oil is gives you a little shine and also keeps the mixture at a softer texture so it's easier to use. I wouldn't use too much paste, because sunflower oil can give you the greasy look. I have read recipes where people use jojoba oil, which is supposed to be more of a 'dry' oil, but it's a bit more expensive. Someday, I will splurge on the jojoba, but not today.

You can get sunflower oil in any grocery store. It's usually with the vegetable oils. For my other ingredients I like to use Bulk Apothecary. I bought yellow beeswax, but you can also get white wax if you like a cleaner look to your final product. Shea butter comes in refined or unrefined. I have used both and prefer the refined butter since it is smoother. The unrefined shea butter feels a smidgen grainy and doesn't mix as well as I would like it to. It's personal preference, though.

Materials Needed:
   pan with about two inches of water
   glass or metal bowl
   spoon
   container for final product (I used a 4 oz mason jar)

Heat your water on medium heat. It doesn't need to boil, but mine usually does, because I'm impatient. Dump all of your ingredients into your glass or metal bowl. You can either set it in the water or use a larger bowl to set on top of the pan like a double boiler. Stir the ingredients every so often until the mixture is completely melted.

Remove the mixture from heat and let stand for a moment. If you are adding essential oils or fragrance, this is the time to do it. Always add flavors or scents during the cooling phase. I added my oils after I poured the mixture into my jar. Give it a quick stir and allow to cool. You can put it in the refrigerator if you want it to set faster.

Give your container a cute little label and say goodbye to store bought styling paste. With this mixture, you have to dig into it a little and let it melt on your fingers before applying it. Be aggressive, B-E-Aggressive! Pictured below is my goofy husband after our paint photos done by P&T Photography. Besides the bit of blue, his hair is perfectly styled with my homemade paste. Success!

Courtesy of P&T Photography

If you want to see more paint photos, visit P&T Photography to flip through our album. It was a blast. Or check out my Paint Fight Photos post if you would like to try something like this on your own. Do it.

Anywho, thanks for checking out my post. Leave questions or comments below! If you enjoy this recipe definitely try my Shimmer Body Butter or Natural Face Cream.