Swarovski Rhinestone Stud Earrings

I just want to start off by saying that Swarovski rhinestones are possibly the most beautiful object on Earth. I don't believe I am exaggerating one bit. When I opened the little pouch of glittery awesomeness I was not ready for the jaw-dropping brilliance of each of these little gems! As you know, I've been trying out a couple new ways to incorporate stud earrings into my inventory and as I was browsing for more round crystals I stumbled across the rhinestone section on my favorite bead website. I like to purchase my beads in mixes of colors, that way I get a good variety of products without having to buy a huge quantity. Unfortunately my store didn't sell the rhinestones that way so I had to go looking for them. I eventually found exactly what I was looking for (non-heat set flat backs) and then starting hunting all over Etsy for the perfect backdrop to my sparkly little angels.  These discs are special. They aren't just plain old metal stamping blanks, they are stainless steal stamping blanks. The stainless steel is basically a flawless mirror that reflect almost as much light as the rhinestones. How could I not put them together to make one Super Stud?!

They turned out even more brilliant that I had hoped for and have been selling like hotcakes! If you want to get your hands on some, come see Jessalynne at the Tampa Downtown Market or wait patiently until I have a free few minutes to list them on the Jessalynne shop.

10 Tips on Caring for Swarovski Jewelry

Almost every pair of earrings I design have Swarovski crystals all over them.  I splurge on these crystals because they are undoubtably the best - the best clarity, shine and overall awesomeness.  When I got my first pouch of crystals in the mail my jaw dropped at the how much these little beads sparkle! When I bought my first batch of rhinestones I had to immediately grab my camera and take a million photos so my friends would believe how ridiculously beautiful they were.  Anyways...Cleaning and caring for these delicate gems is a bit tricky. That is, if you're clumsy like me and bang your wrists on every surface and lazy like me and just throw all of your jewelry in a bowl at the end of the day. Well, STOP! These crystals should be treated like royalty! I've searched Swarovski and some related sources for some Dos and Don'ts...

Do: Store your crystal jewelry in separate pouches or boxes to avoid scratches and chips
Do: Polish with a soft jewelry cloth regularly to maintain luster
Do: Put your jewelry on last and take off first when dressing
Do: Avoid hard contact with surfaces
Do: Clean by hand with lukewarm water and a soft cloth (do not soak)
Do: Dry immediately to avoid streaks and spots
Do: Use baby wipes to restore brilliance quickly (except on crystlas with AB finishes, these last longer when only cleaned with warm water)
Don't: Wash hands, put on lotion or exercise while wearing your jewelry
Don't: Soak or immerse your crystals in water
Don't: Use abrasive cleaners, window cleaners, chlorine, toothbrushes or sonic cleaners on your jewelry

There are a lot of tutorials out there about cleaning your jewelry and most of them involve soaking in soapy water or scrubbing with a toothbrush. Don't do it! All Swarovski crystal beads have at least one finish on them (more if they are AB or fire polished). Soaking them and scrubbing them will only remove those finishes and dull or scratch your crystals. For detailed care instructions on more than just their jewelry, please visit the Swarovski website.

 

Wire Wrapped Crystal Earrings

I'm still new to wire wrapping anything but I've been dying to make some stud earrings. The chandelier style is awesome but I need some change every once in a while.   These adorable earrings were a great start to wire wrapping, sort of like dipping your toe in the pool before jumping in.  Just creating the 90 degree angle for the stud was challenging enough - I kept holding it too tightly and bending it backwards and sideways and all over the place! The loops on this pair are a little wonky but the sapphire fire polished beads are so pretty that I wore them anyway.  I have 5 other colors with and without AB finishes. These sweet little gems will be debuting at the Ybor Saturday Market - Come out and see them sparkle!

Tips - Cleaning Your Vintage Jewelry

I wanted to share some good jewelry cleaning tips I've found online. This is a great list of 12 household products that can be used to clean any "gently worn" or tarnished jewelry bought at the thrift store or flea market.

My favorite:

Vinegar

Make your silverware — as well as your pure silver bracelets, rings, and other jewelry — shine like new by soaking them in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for two to three hours. Rinse them under cold water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.

This one has a great reaction when you mix the ingredients! The shine is actually pretty impressive. This one started with a lot of metal chipping and gunk but now it's ready for the paint and tools!

New Reversible Necklace

After refurbing those vintage necklaces I have lots of chain remnants. I'm also too cheap to throw them away, so I threw them together instead. The long beads are reversible and I couldn't decide which side I liked better so I'll let you chose.

I think I like the smoother side better. This is what it looks like in real life via my cell phone.

Knock off Criss Cross Bag

I fell in love with this bag on etsy a couple months ago but I was not going to shell out over $70 for it. I'm way too cheap to pay more than $30 for a bag. I loved the leather details on the very interesting straps of the bag. I studied it and sketched the pieces that I thought would work. After a lot of planning and graph paper I was pretty sure I had it down.

 I can't show you how I made it (unethical and whatnot) but I can show you my version. I wasn't confident in sewing leather with my machine so I chose a home dec fabric as the main bag and a canvas for the details. I also used this zipper tutorial for installing zippers to lined bags. I used this for the top of the bag and for the back pocket.

I was able to put this together in one night once I had all the pieces cut out. I am hoping to make another version in a print. A shoulder strap is kind of necessary since I don't like to carry handbags.  There are already made leather straps on etsy that I might check out next time.  

What do you think about the tassel that I added to the zipper? I think it makes the bag pop!

 

A little bit of an obsession with...Tassels!

Ask any of my friends (Kelsey) and they'll tell you I have quite an obsessive personality. Once I get fixated on something it definitely sticks. Lately I've been adding tassels, small and large, to everything. I've made interchangeable necklaces so I can match whatever color I'm wearing and teeny chandelier earrings. I just wanted to share with you a few of my favorite ways to incorporate tassels into your life.

Tassel Drop Earrings from Polyvore

 Digby & Iona Tassel Necklace from Madewell

 Tassel top gift box idea from Martha Stewart Weddings

 DIY Tassel Garland tutorial from The Sweetest Occasion

 My newest bag decorated with a shiny new gold tassel

Really each of these could be a great DIY project. Adding tassels to things is so simple and inexpensive. Hobby Lobby sells packs of small tassels and large tassels like the gold one above. Or you can try hand making them from embroidery thread or leather scraps. Martha Stewart has a great tutorial for making your own! Let's see how many you can add to your Fall wardrobe!

DIY - Day of the Dead Shirt

I fell in love with Glitter 'N Glue's FaBOOlous Skeleton Sweatshirt instantly.  I ran out and bought Tulip's glitter spray paint for fabric.  The paint dries very sparkly but when spray painting is very splattery and gloopy (technical terms). I made the mistake of rushing and not covering the entire shirt and getting glitter globs all over it. This isn't really my style but I'll live with it because I love the Sugar Skull design so much. I also want to mention that I did this all in the middle of the night and suffered about a million mosquito bites - all in the name of blogging!

I loved the ribcage that Kristen used but I could not size it correctly for my shirt. I also knew I'd only be able to wear it on Halloween. I figured Sugar Skulls are always in season, right? Here is the mask I used as my template. You can see below the parts that I actually cut out (by hand!)

 This is where a smart/patient person might cover the entire shirt with paper to avoid spray paint mishaps.

 (mishaps)

I filled in the rest of the sugar skull by finger painting. This was the best part. I am so in love with it!

DIY - Sewn Fall - Butterick Dress

Butterick 5632

The short version of this Butterick pattern is a great addition to my wardrobe and looks perfect with footless tights or cowboy boots.  I love the pleats on the bodice, but it's a little too low cut for the office so I layered it with a tank for modesty.  This fabric I used for my first version is a thick cotton with stretch, so with all the gathering under the bodice I looked super preggo.  So I ripped off the skirt, and cut off about 1/4 of the width (I measured under my bust and multiplied by 1.5 to get the right width).  I also decided to add a thin band to make the waist more fitted. 

 

I threw a short cardigan over the shoulders and a sparkly necklace for work. The length was perfect for some slouchy calf-length suede boots. The pockets in the front were pretty useful and super cute. I think when I make this one again I'll put pockets in the side seams instead of as patches. I'll also use a silkier fabric which might make the gathers fall better so I can nix the waistband.  Some darts had to be added to the bust which was pretty annoying since it is lined but I know for next time. I think I wil cut the smaller size bodice but leave the waist measurement so the cups actually fit me.

This is an incredibly easy pattern that can be altered into tons of different styles. I will definitely be making this one again, maybe shortened so I can pair it with leggings once it gets cooler out. I found this to be a great one day project - my favorite kind!



 

DIY - Tshirt to Scarf

I made this tank from Tshirt knit a few weeks ago but the darts pulled in a funny way at the neckline so I never wore it. During a recent purging I came across it again and remembered why I had purchased the fabric in the first place. It is very light, soft and vibrant and I couldn't throw it out.  I immediately set to Pinterest for some good stashbusting ideas! A scarf seemed the easiest and quickest route to a Refashion and PS I Made This had the perfect tutorial.

I wanted to spice up the fringe a little bit so I decided to dip-dye the edge of the scarf in bleach. Here's some photos of the process in my kitchen...

I soaked the bleach for probably 3 minutes to make sure it got around every fold then hung it from a cabinet for an hour or so.  The bleach soaked its way up and made the stripe a little wider than I planned but I love it. I rinsed the bleach off and laid it hanging over a table to dry overnight.  The bleached edge turned a nice silver color and looked great when the fringe was cut and stretched. Here are photos of it on my mannequin (also with my work in progress sweater). The 2nd photo actually creeps me out for some reason.

I have a few more Tshirts I'm prepares to slice up for this project. Have I mentioned that I have a severe addiction to scarves? You might be seeing a lot of them this Fall :)