DIY Braided Rhinestone Bracelet by HonestlyWTF

Seriously, how amazing is this DIY braided rhinestone bracelet from Honestly WTF ? I love it so much that I decided to share her tutorial! You must go check out her blog!

 

Here is what she says you need...

 

You’ll need:

• a rhinestone bracelet
• a bunch of silk thread
• 4-6 inches of silver bullion or silver thread
• embroidery needle

(check out her blog for links for each thing you need)

 

 

Take a 2 inch piece of silver bullion and stretch it out to create a thin metal wire. Gather a 12 inch bunch of silk thread and tie a knot around the last inch.

 

Wrap the wire around tightly, covering 10-12 mm. Snip the wire and tape the thread to a flat surface. You can skip this step and simply knot the bunch of thread instead.

 

Braid the thread until it reaches the length of the bracelet.

 

 

Wrap more silver wire around the end and trim the ends. Thread the needle with a piece of silk and thread it through the end of the braid.

 

Sew the braid to the bracelet by threading the silk through the middle of the braid and over each rhinestone setting. Be careful not to snag any threads while pulling the needle through and be sure to pull tightly each time.

 

 

 

 

Continue threading. Once the last part of the braid has been sewn on, wrap the silk thread around the last rhinestone gem a few times.

 

 

Thread the needle out the back of the wired section and trim

 

Your braided rhinestone bracelet is finished.

 

 

 

DIY Bright & Gold Leaf Pots by Miss Renaissance

These pots are super cute and super easy! It's a great way to add color to your home. Be sure to check out Miss Renaissance  and her DIY tutorial!

DIY Rope Framed Nautical Map Art

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Frame...Mine was from Ikea

Map...I found mine at a thrift store for 25 cents.

Rope...size of your choice. I chose a chunky rope. I got mine from Lowes. You can buy it by the foot.

Glue gun & glue sticks.

 

Cut & insert the map into the frame.

Cut your rope to the right length so it will go all the way around the frame.

Use your glue gun and glue the rope right on the frame.

 

EASY AS PIE!

 

 

I went skydiving!

 

Yes, I'm being serious!

 

This past Friday my husband, mother in law, my dad and brother in law all went SKY DIVING!

 

 

 

It's crazy insane.

 

I highly recommend it.

 

Once you take the leap out of the plane door, it is pure excitement.

 

The wind rushes around you and suddenly your flying.

 

1st you gear up.

 

Then get into a tiny plane with a lot of other people.

 

In the plane your tandem instructor will attach his harness to yours and then you wait until you are at the right altitude. I believe ours was 13,000 feet.

 

Once you reach 13,000 the plane will level off and someone opens the big plane door.

 

The cold air rushes into the plane and suddenly it gets VERY real.

 

One by one people jump out of the plane.

 

I got to watch my family jump because I was the last one to jump!

 

Once you do it, you will want to do it again!

I got my whole jump on video but the goggles distort my face and I'm embarrassed to share it.

Here is a pic of my mother in law jumping!

So would you ever sky dive?

 



Garden Week : 15 Awesome DIY Outdoor Furniture ideas

 

 

 

 

Continuing on with GARDEN WEEK... here are 15 awesome DIY furniture projects that's are pretty simple yet so cute!

 

 

DIY BENCH

 

 

DIY CRATE BENCH

Industrious Seating For a DIY bench on the cheap, attach four metal crates together and top them off with a long cushion.

 

 

DIY CINDERBLOCK BENCH

 

CINDERBLOCK COUCH

 

DIY PALLET COUCH

 

 

DIY PALLET FURNITURE

 

DIY PALLET BENCH

 

$30 IN LUMBER OUTDOOR SOFA

 

 

DIY PALLET LOUNGER

 

DIY BARREL SIDE TABLE

 

DIY FARMHOUSE TABLE

 

DIY RECLAIMED DECK WOOD TABLE

 

METAL DOOR TURNED INTO OUTDOOR TABLE

 

DIY FARMHOUSE OUTDOOR TABLE

 

 

 



Garden Week : Growing Peonies

 photo source unkown

 

It's Monday dolls!

 

This week I'm all about the garden. Since we are doing a backyard makeover, I decided to share some things that inspire me when it comes to my plans for my backyard.

 

Here is the progress so far.

My hubby tilled up all the dirt and we sprayed for weeds.

We then raked and raked and raked and shoveled dirt to get rid of all the dead weeds.

Then we raked even more and leveled out all of the ground and smoothed it out.

We hired men to pour our concrete patio.

After that my hubby built our gazebo.

I then decided where the flower beds would go and started boxing them out with redwood as you can see my progress here in the picture.

I actually dug little trenches so the redwood poles would sit lower in the ground.

Then my hubby laid the sod and I planted some trees and bushes.

 

 

 

We still have a long way to go but I'm noticing my taste in gardens is cottage inspired!

 

Nothing says "cottage garden" like peonies!

 

I have 12 peony bulbs that I am currently growing in pots and waiting to be transplanted into my flower beds.

 

 

Here are some tips for growing peonies!

 

Height: Peonies grow from two to four feet in height. Support is often required for tall, double hybrids. Peonies thrive in sunny locations and well-drained soils, tolerating a wide range of soil types.

 

Planting: Place the peony in the prepared hole so that the eyes (small, red-colored buds) are 1 to 2 inches below the soil's surface. Backfill and water well.

 

I actually planted my roots in well draining pots with potting soil. I then places then in direct sunlight and water lightly every day. Within the first 2 weeks the eyes shot up quickly and I now have a few stems with leaves on them. I then transplanted them into rich soil in the ground in a place that gets 6+ hours of sunlight.

 

Also, remember that peonies don't like to be drowned with water all the time and are drought tolerant.

 

I also planted mine in the spring but you can also plant in the fall.

 

Failure to bloom may be the result of any of these factors:

* planting too deeply
* immature plants
* excess nitrogen
* inadequate sunlight
* overcrowding
* phosphorus and/or potassium deficiency
* insect or disease problems
* competition from roots of nearby plants
* late freezes

 

 

SUPER IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHEN PLANTING!!

A very sunny spot... 6+ hours a day

DO NOT plant too deeply. I planted my eyes 1 inch under soil.

Don't over water.

 

If you plant too deeply or in a shady spot they will not produce blooms.

 

 

Here is the Sarah Bernhardt peony that I planted in my backyard. I can't wait for mine to get this big.

photo source sunset.com

 

 

 

 

 

A little update

Remember this? My backyard has been keeping me away from blogging!

Well, sadly we didn't win but that's ok! We are in full speed makeover mode and today we get grass for the first time EVER since we moved in!

This is a dream come true! I will be posting little reveals here and there as we go along.

I am so excited! The kids will finally have a backyard to play in.

There has been a lot of blood sweat and tears in this backyard and the hard parts are coming to an end!

I just wanted to update you really quick.

Monday I'll be kicking off my garden/backyard week so check back then!

Also, there is something new & exciting coming soon to Vintage Romance! Can't wait to share the details soon. Still working a few things out and then I can tell you!

Oh and one more thing...what's your opinion of changing domain names! I still can't decide!