craft

Wine Cork Magnets

Hello World,

I like to collect wine corks. I love the texture, the unique designs, and how great they are as a craft material. I really want to make a cork board someday, but collecting them authentically is taking me what feels like forever. So, if you are like me and want a project that can be done with limited wine corks, here is a project for you:

corkss

Wine cork magnets. Simple right? Check out the tutorial below:

1. Gather your supplies: wine corks, an adhesive magnet sheet, and a box cutter / x-acto knife.

2. Carefully, cut your wine cork in half lengthwise.

3. Cut your magnetic sheet to the same size as your wine cork.

4. Peel off the paper backing and stick the magnetic to your wine cork.

That’s it. Wam bam, you have some unique magnets!

If you want to be really thrifty, repurpose magnets (say the ones you get from Dominos or your dentist) and just glue them to the back of your corks. These could be a cute gift for a birthday, bachelorette party, anniversary (especially if the cork held significance).

Happy Crafting!

Glitter & Stud Your Phone Case

Hello World,

I have a Google Nexus, and finding cases for it can sometimes be a challenge. I decided to spruce up my plain case with two of my favorite things- glitter and studs. Check out the tutorial below for this super simple DIY project:

phone-case2

1. Gather your materials: a phone case, Mod Podge, glitter, clear spray paint, a paint or foam brush, flat-back studs, and E-6000.

2.  Place your phone case on top of a paper plate. I used a paper plate so that I could funnel my leftover glitter back into the container.

3.  Apply your first layer of Mod Podge.

4.  Cover that baby with glitter.

5.  Allow to dry, then add another layer of Mod Podge.

6.  Add more glitter. I used black glitter on a black case so if I missed spots it wouldn’t be as noticeable.

7.  Allow to dry. Spray with clear spray paint to waterproof it.

8.  Glue on your studs (in a ventilated area). Mine were from a clearance bin at Michael’s and were meant to be ironed on… but they were only $0.50.

9.  Allow everything to dry overnight. In the last picture above, everything was still a little tacky because I was impatient.

Tada! You have a personalized case! Other DIY case ideas could be to use: images, scrapbook paper, rhinestones, etc. Once I find another cheap case for my phone, I really want to make one completely covered with pyramid studs.

Happy Crafting!

Clay + Twine Bracelets

Hello World,

Have you ever worked with Super Sculpey? A professor back in college introduced me to it because unlike regular oven-bake clay, it cooks into a ceramic-like material (that is pretty much shatter-proof). It actually feels more like plastic once cooked, and it slightly bendable.

I had decent amount leftover from art projects, and decided to whip up some bracelets with my own custom charms.

bracelet-intro

Check out below for how to make some yourself. Warning: this tutorial is longer than usual.

bracelets

1. Gather your supplies: oven-bake clay (and a standard kitchen oven), aluminum foil to cook it on,  twine (mine is baker’s twine), scissors, spray paint, and beads along with a short piece of jewelry wire (not pictured).

2. Break off a quarter-sized amount of clay.

3. Play with the clay until it is more pliable.

4. Roll your clay into a nice, even log.

5. Connect the two ends of your log together, and then roll the connected area between your fingers until the seam blends away.

6. Holding your loop, twist it until you form an infinity symbol.

7.  Bake your clay according to your box directions, allow to cool, and then paint.

8.  Cut out 2-4 pieces of twine, all the same length. If you are unsure of the length, cut each piece equal to the circumference of your wrist. If it ends up being too long, you can always trim it later.

9.  For this bracelet, I used four pieces of twine. I paired two for each side. Fold them in half and feed the looped end through your infinity charm.

10.  Pull the corresponding tail ends through the thread loops, trapping the infinity charm.

11.  Now, if your twine is too difficult to feed through a bead, use this trick: get your jewelry wire, and fold it gently in half.

12.  Loop the wire around a tail end of your twine, and feed the bead onto the wire.

13.  Pull the wire through the bead.

14.  Pull until the tail end of your twine is through the bead.

15.  Tie double knots at the end of each twine to secure your beads.

16.  To wear your new bracelet, either tie a simple knot around your wrist, or do a sliding knot. I used this tutorial to do my knots: YouTube.

Experiment with different shapes, colors, ect, and enjoy your new arm candy!

Happy Crafting!