Belts - Two versions

      I've taken all of the clothing out of my Etsy shop for the time being, until I can get all the correct labels and such made for them. In the mean time, I've been rumbling about trying to come up with some fun accessory type things to put in it. The idea of belts came to me, because I can't ever find ones that I really like all that much. I really love clothing and accessories that mix aesthetics, (rough/soft, rugged/feminine, etc.) and that has an element of uniqueness about it. I like a bit of an eclectic look too, as if you could have picked up a bit of your outfit from random places you've traveled to.

     With those desires in mind, I came up with this belt. It is made from wide crochet trim, leather, and two steel rings.

     As you can see, those rings were an awful gold color. (I found a pack of six of them in the macrame section of the craft store) The first order of business was to "rustify" them to my satisfaction. I tossed them in a bucket with enough bleach to cover them and a about a half cup of vinegar. Do NOT do this inside, and do NOT breath it!!! This mixture is extremely toxic and is intended to corrode metal...it will BURN YOUR SKIN if you get it on you. I let it sit overnight. It was pretty gross the next morning.

      This is what the rings looked like, straight out of the mixture. You can see there was a lot of chemical build up.

    I scrubbed them off with shower cleaner to get all the build up off. Then I had a grand time banging them with a hammer to achieve the nicked up finish I wanted. I found that hitting them at an angle produced the most pleasing sort of nicks.

      Once I was satisfied that they looked sufficiently rustic enough, I began constructing the belt. I cut a strip of leather to sandwich the very end of the belt, to give it a nice finished end.

       Next, I cut a piece of leather that looked like this to sew around the ringed end.

     It should sandwich the rings like so.

     I sewed two lines of stitching there, to hold it nice and securely.

      I just love the contrasts on this belt!

      Its just the look I was going for, and its so easy to wear too.

      I also put together another version too. This one has a bit of a nautical vibe to it.

     It is much quicker to do. I simply sewed narrow crochet trim onto woven strap.

      I made sure to sew about ten inches of trim on the back of one end too. You don't want the tail to show stitching when you wear it. I sewed two O-rings the other end.

       That's all there is to it to this one!

      I think it fits the ticket for a simple and summery look.

       I've got a more dressy one up my sleeve too, for the more sophisticated look. I'll have to show you that one later. I'm totally having fun with these! =)

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

linking to:
Someday Crafts
My Girlish Whims
Sew Much Ado
Sew Woodsey
Freckled Laundry
Singing Three Little Birds
Boogieboard Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors
The CSI project

Friday Favorites - Randomness that I like

      It's Friday, my favorite day of the week. I always feel like kicking back and eating chocolate all day on Fridays...especially rainy and cold ones...which is precisely why I don't keep chocolate in my house. In keeping with spirit of enjoying the last day of the work week while expending as little effort as possible...let's look at a few of my favorite things from this last week.
      This fashion blog which is enormously entertaining to me. It pretty much induces a laugh every post...not for having bad fashion mind you, it's just funny. Go read a few posts, you'll understand.




       This tutorial from Shwin and Shwin on how to do a round neck yoke top. For some reason that's always been a bit of a puzzle to me...must give her instructions a go very soon!

      This movie, which will pretty much make you ball your brains out, but is really quite good.

      

       Yellow doors. Don't ask, I can't explain. I just think they are so charming.



Pinterest

      Enjoy your weekend! =)

Psalms 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

My Wonderously White Kitchen

      My. Cabinets. Are. DONE!!!!! Whoohoo! I am beyond pleased about how they turned out, and even more so that I am finished with them! For once, I am so super happy I have an itsy bitsy sized kitchen! I cannot imagine doing one any bigger. My patience for tedious projects is non-existent.
     Here is what I had to work with.

       You may be wondering why the cabinets look like they have mud on them. I can explain. When we first moved in, they were the most awful shade of pinkish wood. It looked like skin, and it grossed me out. I didn't have time to paint them at that time, so glazed the cabinets right over that pink wood to "rustify" them. My mister decreed they looked dirty, but I didn't care. At least they weren't pink!
    Here is my beautiful little kitchen now!

     Amazing how paint can make a space feel so much more open! This little space can barely fit two people in it at time.

       But, it certainly feels larger with the nice clean white.

      I debated distressing, or glazing them. In the end though, I decided I wanted to keep it simple and crisp. I have a lot of other distressed and glazed furniture, and I didn't want everything to look too matchy matchy. I can always change it up later if I get bored with it.

     I have plans for that little space on the top there, but I have to find what I need to do it first. Those baskets hold hot pads, and such like things that I don't have drawer space for. This crate keeps all our coffee making ingredients handy and not looking too messy. It also hides the fact that I switched paint colors in the middle of a wall! =)

      Here are a couple tips from my experience. I used a one and a half inch Purdy brush, a small foam roller, and a slightly larger roller to paint with. That small foam roller was well worth buying. It saved my sanity quite a bit on the small flat areas to keep brush strokes from showing.

      I primed them with this primer.

     I found that cans were super helpful to prop up the drawers and doors while I painted them.

      One last tip for you that I learned from my super smart big sister. Once you've rinsed out your brushes, pat them dry and throw them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag.

      Once they've frozen, take them back out and let them defrost. Pat them dry again. This keeps them from getting crunchy. They will always stay soft no matter how much you use them! Just remember to thaw them out well before you're ready to work again. It's phenomenally annoying to get all ready to paint, only to realize you have frozen brushes! Not that I would know from experience or anything....

      Aren't those tulips lovely? My sweet mister bought them for me. I just love them.

        All in all, this was a project well worth doing!

      Have a superb rest of your week!

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

linking to:
The Inspired Room
Miss Mustard Seed
Simple Home Life

the vintage farmhouse

Friday Favorites - Color

    I've been painting...and painting...and painting. My cabinets are almost done...and you will swoon when I show you. OK, you might not, but I will...mostly likely from the sheer joy of finishing! Have I mentioned I don't really like roller and brush painting? I don't. See, it takes this charming little thing called patience to brush paint...and I seem to be in short supply of it.  Also, the world has a funny way of falling apart the second you climb onto a ladder with a paint brush in you hand...babies start running fevers, toddlers forget they ever knew what a potty was, and husbands randomly become stranded on the side of the road with broken down vehicles. Odd how these things happen.
    So what do you think of color? Are you for it or against it? I'm very much for it, mostly. I do enjoy white quite a bit.

    But, I don't think I could handle that much white all the time. This one is fun, but a little too modernish for my taste.

       I'm no good with color matching. Actually, I ask my mister most of the time if I match before leaving the house. He has a better eye for color than I do. I found this oh so super nifty site all about color pallets. Color Lovers has all sorts of interesting color palettes and color matching info.
      Turquoise and yellow are always a go in my book. (Is that skirt not the cutest?!)



     Red and blue of any shade is another combination I very much enjoy. Bold shades or subtle, I just think they look smashing together.



           I think all of these vintage sorts of colors are lovely. I never thought I liked mustard yellow, but it has grown on me.



      Another color that is growing on me is Orange. Done the right way, I think it can be quite pretty.



       I do believe grey still holds my heart for the loveliest. It looks so classy with other colors.



      Well, so much for my dissertation on color. What about you? What pallets strike your fancy and how do you decide which ones go together?
(all images are from Pinterest)

Psalms 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.