DIY Rhinestone Wire Bunny Ears

Easter is coming up soon, so what better way to dress up for the occasion than with some adorable bunny ears. I actually made these ears for an Ariana Grande concert, but I definitely plan on re-using them for Easter as well.

The ears are quick and easy to make--I made 5 pairs in a couple hours. The hardest part might be finding the supplies to make it. The wire should be easily found at any craft store. I found the rhinestone chain at Michael's, however, it was in the clearance section (which was a win for me, but it means it might be harder to find there now). I ended up buying the headbands from the clearance rack at Claire's. They had yarn wrapped around them, but I managed to unwrap the yarn fairly easily.

10 DIY St Patrick's Day Wearables

No green in your closet? No Problem! Just whip up on of these St. Patrick's Day DIYs and pinch-proof your outfit.

Shamrock Flower Crown: Free Crochet Pattern

Green isn't a prominent color in my wardrobe. So when St. Patrick's Day rolls around I'm usually scrambling to find something to wear. I usually have to settle for an article of clothing that is much more teal than kelly green or something green I've literally only kept around to wear once a year. Sometimes, however, I end up just tying a green ribbon in my hair.

I wanted to be prepared this year. One thing I do happen to have in green is yarn, so I decided to start from there. Instead of just a scarf or hat, I wanted something specifically festive for St. Patrick's Day. After all, I will probably be pairing it with some less-than-green clothing. I decided I wanted to make a flower crown. Specifically, a clover flower crown!

Pearl Drop Chain Earrings: DIY Jewelry Tutorial

Jewelry making projects can be so satisfying to me because I can usually come up with an idea, sit down, and make it in under an hour. I had an idea for these earrings, Google image searched some pictures for further inspiration, and then finalized my design. Then I sat down and made them. It took a little tweaking to get the length I wanted, but you could knock out a pair of these in 10 minutes.

I really do love how they turned out. They look nice and sophisticated enough to wear out on a date, to a party, or for a wedding. I think they'd also make a great gift. Plus, I'm a sucker for dangly earrings. I love the feeling of them swinging around when I move. Also, I made these with metal findings and faux pearls, so it is a super inexpensive project! That being said, you could definitely class these up by using silver or gold findings and real pearls.

Recent Makes: Crochet Beanies with Pom Poms

I feel like I've been making a lot of hats lately. Half of them have been baby hats (a couple years ago it seemed like everyone around me was getting married, now everyone seems to be having kids!), but the other half all been for me. Including the free crochet pattern that I released last week for the Messy Bun Beanie. Check it out if you haven't already!

It's the tail end of winter here, and it being Northern California, our winters tend to be around 50 degrees with a good amount of rain (the last few years of drought excluded). However, I'm taking a trip to London later this month where it will be a bit colder and a bit wetter, so I definitely used that as an excuse to make myself a couple new hats. By the way, if you want to see pictures from my trip and my day-to-day life in general, be sure follow me on Instagram. I spend most of my time on social media there, so it's the best place to see what I'm up to and sneak peeks of future tutorials.

How to Shorten Jeans and Keep the Original Hem

If you're on the shorter side like me, you may find that a lot of jeans are too long for you. Or if you're in between inseam sizes, you have to choose between jeans that are a bit too long or a bit too short. Either way, you're faced with jeans that are the wrong length or the expense of taking them to the tailor.

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to shorten your jeans and keep the original hem to give it a professional finish. Traditional hemming calls for cutting off the excess fabric and re-hemming the bottom. In jeans, that causes the hem to lose the signature distressed and worn in look of most denim hems. It then becomes quite obvious that the jeans were altered. I'm going to show you how to keep the hem so that the jeans look as close to the original as possible. Even the underside of the jeans will have a clean finish, so if you still wanted to wear your jeans cuffed (for fashion rather than necessity), you could still do that.

10 DIY Valentine's Day Crafts

It's been a long time since I've done a roundup post, but I'd thought I'd share some cute 'n' sweet DIYs I've found that are perfect for Valentine's Day. Hope you find some inspiration to make some decor, clothing, and gift for your valentines. Enjoy!

Messy Bun Hat: Free Crochet Beanie Pattern

I'm probably a bit late on posting this since the frenzy around these hats seems to have died down a bit. The Messy Bun Hat, a.k.a. The Ponytail Beanie, a.k.a. The Mom Bun Hat, a.k.a.... well, I think that's it. Anyway, I felt like I saw those hats all over the web in December. I even got a special request to make one for Christmas. So I looked at a couple free patterns out there and then ended up making my own version.

This hat's starting row is crocheted around an elastic hair band. I like that the hair band helps to stretch the beanie to fit over the bun without having to have a huge gap. The hat is worked up with bulky yarn so it's a fairly quick project. I also decided to publish this pattern because it gave me an excuse to make my own! I think these are perfect for bad/lazy/dirty hair days in the winter. It also perfect for preventing hat head. You can just put your hair up in a loose bun, put on the hat, and stay warm outside. Then when you're inside, you can just take off the hat and undo the bun and you have lots of volume in your hair. I'm still working on perfecting my messy bun, though, to give the hat maximum hair pompom effect.

Sew a Set of Zippered Travel Bags

I'm excited to announce that I published my third Skillshare class last night, Sew a Set of Zippered Travel Bags. This tutorial shows how to sew 3 open wide zippered bags that make a perfect travel set. The different sizes are great for storing everything you might need, and after your trip the bags easily nest inside one another for storage.

If you're not a Skillshare member, considering signing up! It's an online learning community that currently has over 2 million members. It covers many topics too, not just crafts. Premium memberships are $96/year, however, if you sign up with my referral link, you can try it for free for your first month. My goal for the year is to teach 2 new classes each month so that I will have over 2 dozen classes by the end of 2017!

If you're not interested in taking online classes, you can still make this set of travel bags if you already have some sewing knowledge. I've posted the chart below showing the cutting measurements for the fabrics, as well as a materials list and very basic step-by-step instructions.

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Now that the holidays are over, I can share what projects I handmade for Christmas gifts. Some of them were not so sneaky, as they were the toiletry bags I made for my online class and the Tiburon Gloves pattern I released on Ravelry last month. Others you'll get to see for the first time here.

DIY Choker: Jewelry-Making Class

If you want to get started in jewelry-making, you may be interested to hear I published my second Skillshare class on how to make a choker necklace. This is a great class for beginners since often it's easier to see how something is done rather than reading about it and looking at pictures.

You need a premium membership to enroll, but if you use my referral link you can get your first month free!

6 DIY Gift Box Ideas

Holiday gifting season is in full swing! I make a lot of gifts during Christmastime, and often I mix together handmade and store bought gifts. I like to combine a DIY item with small store bought items for custom, inexpensive gift boxes. It's a nice way to show someone you care by the time and thoughtfulness put into it.

I've gathered together six ideas for gift boxes to cover almost anyone on your gift list. They all include one handmade item and I've provided the link to the tutorial or pattern showing how to make it. I also linked the additional purchased items to similar items for purchase on Amazon, but not all of them match up to the exact item in the post because I purchased everything locally. They are just ideas, though, so feel free to customize your boxes with the preferences of the recipient in mind!

Men's Apron Sewing Tutorial

Need a gift for a guy in your life? Aprons are great for aspiring chefs (or just the at-home gourmet), BBQ aficionados, or as a utility apron for someone who works with their hands. This is an easy and fairly quick sewing tutorial that just requires a yard of fabric. The faux leather closures add a touch of ruggedness that any guy would appreciate.

The Tiburon Gloves

I'm excited to announce my latest crochet pattern: The Tiburon Gloves. These fingerless gloves are customizable to suit your preferences. It has a shorter cuff option that is perfect to wear with a watch and a longer cuff option that will add warmth. There is also instructions for the button tab and scallop edging included with the pattern that can be added onto either length option. The fingerless gloves are great on their own as hand warmers or can be worn over gloves for an extra layer of warmth. These mitts are perfect for men or women to wear.

How to Sew a Toiletry Bag with French Seams

I'm excited to announce I published my very first online class on Skillshare, Sew a Toiletry Bag with French Seams. It's a beginner-friendly sewing class where you can have support from myself and fellow students along the way. The toiletry bag you will learn to sew is similar to my Boxy Toiletry Bag from my Fat Quarter Series, but it is simplier and quicker to sew. So if you like that bag, but were hesitant to tackle it or just want a quicker-to-sew version, this project would be perfect for you.

Crochet Deer

I had a lot of things I could have been doing this weekend, but instead, I crocheted a deer.

...I have no regrets. It's adorable and it goes perfectly with my crocheted Christmas decor.

I used the Sherman the Deer pattern by SnuggleMe Stitches on Ravelry and scrap balls of yarn. In fact, it's a bit hard to tell, but the back two legs and part of one of the front legs is made with a different yarn than the rest of the body. I intended to use the same brown shade for the ears, but ran out exactly at the end (luckily) of the last leg.

Placemats, Napkins, and Table Runner Sewing Tutorial

With the holidays fast approaching, it's the perfect time to give your tablescape an update. I recently sewed new placemats, napkins, and a table runner because I felt like a change.

All of these projects are fairly simple and quick to sew up. The trickiest part is learning the mitered corner technique for the napkins (but it's worth it for them to hold up for a long time). The placemats are reversible to either show a solid color or the accent. The table runner is also reversible, cleverly matching my new placemats on one side and my old placemats on the other side. Plus, I like the warm neutral side to set out during the day. It *may* be because it matches the pillows I made here. Since I live in a condo, the dining area and living room are the same room.

I made my placemats a fairly standard size. My napkins, however, are simply the maximum size the piece of remnant fabric allowed (minus a bit more from a sewing error!). The table runner is just the size of fabric samples I had, which I thought was a nice size for my table.

3 Easy DIY Chokers

I'm pretty late to the choker game since it's been back in style for awhile now. Also, I may have actually Googled "are chokers still in style?" before starting this DIY. Guess my age is showing! I hadn't worn a choker since the last time they were really popular back in the 90s. Even then I didn't like to wear them. I thought they were uncomfortable and that my neck was too short to wear them. Yes, you read that right. I think I read in a teen magazine that you shouldn't wear chokers if your neck is short because they were unflattering. The self-esteem of young girls is so fragile and convoluted that I stayed away from chokers because of some silly "fashion rule". So now that I'm a full grown adult I decided to try them out again and short neck be damned. Confidence is the most flattering thing you can wear anyway.

The first choker I made was super simple. I wondered if it was even worth a tutorial, but I loved it so much I wanted to share it anyway. Yeah, it is a bit uncomfortable, but in that I'm constantly remember I'm wearing it kind of way. Plus, I feel really cool in it. (Is it still cool to say cool?) Of course, I didn't stop there. I decided to make another, slightly more complicated choker. Then leftover from that I had the perfect amount of chain left to make a third simple choker. Now I have three chokers to pick from depending on my mood. Ready to get started? Pick your favorite or make all 3!

Beginner's Guide to Basic Jewelry Making

I started experimenting with making my own jewelry a few years ago. I've always had a bit of a jewelry addiction and bought way more than I actually wear. That's probably why I was drawn to buying inexpensive jewelry to be able to afford such an addiction. Then I decided to actually try making making some of my own "cheaper" versions of more expensive jewelry I loved but didn't want to or couldn't afford to spend much on. Sometimes the process involves trying to replicate an inspiration piece, but other times I just take out my jewelry making supplies and see what inspires me.

This will be a very basic beginner guide. I wrote it mainly as a companion to my other jewelry making tutorials to explain in further detail some of the steps. It will cover the supplies you will need as well as the basic skills needed to do any of my jewelry tutorials. As a disclaimer, I am no expert. My skills are still in the advanced beginner to intermediate level and I'm completely self-taught. I just want to share some basic knowledge if you want to start making jewelry but don't know where to start. Let's begin with basic supplies. You can get most of these inexpensively from craft stores or purchase online. You can even repurpose old or broken jewelry you already have for chain, clasps, or pendants.

Easy Zippered Pillow Cover Sewing Tutorial

I have a pretty easy tutorial for you today. I know I've had several posts about making pillows before, but they're one of my favorite easy projects. It's a great way to update the look of your home when you want a change. This particular pillow cover tutorial is super easy and quick and probably the most basic zippered cover you can make. Even if you haven't sew a zipper on before (it's not as scary as it seems!) you will still be able to make these. It's a fast and beginner-friendly project with just 10 easy steps. You could sew up several of these in under in hour.

The only things you will need for this pillow cover tutorial are some fabric, a zipper, and a pillow form. If you don't have a pillow form, you can easily make your own using this tutorial. Another great source of pillow forms is a store like TJ Maxx or Marshalls. Be sure to check the clearance section you might find some "ugly" or damaged pillows for cheaper. Then you can simply remove the cover and sew your own with fabric of your choice. The pillow forms I used for this tutorial are feather and from IKEA (another cheap source!). I had them in storage for a long time and the pillow covers were worn and badly piling so I decided to re-cover them.