1st project with the Fiskars mat

As I'm sitting here still debating if I should make a dress or a skirt I couldn't help but use my cutting mat and blade for the first time so I decided to try it out on the little remnant piece of fleece that I had recently purchased.  I had bought the piece hoping I can turn it into a pillow case of some sort, but unfortunately the piece was long instead of wide.  Lucky for me, it was the perfect scarf length!  So what better to make with some fleece than a no sew scarf??  All I did was trim the edges and then fray the bottom by 2.5 inches.  And of course I couldn't help make a video to show how easy it was to use the rotary blade.

DIY Washer + Ribbon Necklace

Original pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298464714/
Original blog: Nestled

Pin rating: 4.5

Difficulty: Easy

I love no sew projects and this one in particular was quite fun.  I definitely had an easier time with this one than I did with the pearl ribbon bracelets.  Also loves that this little project required me to make a trip to the hardware store.  I just get all giddy when I'm in there.  That place is so amazing and can inspire so many DIY projects for the home, or in this case jewelry.  My next blog post is also going to be a jewelry piece that includes material from the hardware store so check back on Wednesday.  

So I struggled a little at first in understanding the instructions because it mentions to thread ribbon up or down through the washers but since it has the pictures it made it a lot easier to understand.  I'm going to use the instructions from the Nestled blog and try to clarify anything I thought was confusing.  It was mostly  step 1 where I got confused but everything else was straight forward.

• 20 pieces of 7/16" flat washer (50 pack at Orchard Supply Hardware for ~$3.00)
• 1 1/2 yard of 5/8" wide ribbon

*Update* You can now purchase your very own Washer Necklace DIY Kit via my Etsy Shop.

DIY Fabric Flower Necklace

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298734063/

Original blog: Little Inspirations

Pin rating: 5

Duration: 30-45 minutes

I love making fabric flowers but I never thought of making a fabric flower necklace until I saw it on pintrest.  This is super easy and such a beautiful end result.  My flower template is a little different from the original tutorial but this was the way I taught myself to make the flowers so I just kind of stuck with it for this tutorial.  I also tried out the Fray Check for the first time and I kind of like it except for the fact that it's noticeable when it dries - granted Fray Check is probably better used for clothes that will be washed.  Also, my pictures this time around are all a tint of blue...I'm not sure why but I tried to fix and adjust them as much as possible so please bear with me as I'm still learning the photography aspect of blogging.

• Small flower template
• Fabric
• Felt (not pictured)
• Chain
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks
• Scissors

Optional

• Needle & thread
• Fabric pencil
• Fray Check
• Jump rings
• pliers to break the chain
• Necklace clasp