NorthShore Days.....

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Winter Inspired Bracelet

Hi Everyone,

I recently shared this bracelet at Finding My Way in Texas....

I have only recently decided that I like memory wire, and I have created a number of bracelets already, but none for myself.

I decided on a themed bracelet and since Winter is upon us here in New Zealand, why not make a Winter inspired bracelet?

What you will need:

Memory wire

beads - mine are white, clear and turquoise

headpins, jump rings and spacers

Cut the memory wire to the length of your choice. Using pliers bend one end of the wire to form a loop - this is where I added a turquoise bead on a headpin.

Thread the beads onto the wire and end off with a loop again....

I had to re-thread my bracelet a few times to get the look I liked and I think the end result is really pretty.

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago on a cold Sunday afternoon, looking out to the Harbour Bridge....

My bracelet reminds me of our Winter sky....

And you have to pop over to The SweetTalk Shop and see the absolutely beautiful bracelets that Lisa has made. She says that this tutorial inspired her memory wire bracelet - but I think I may actually be inspired by her creation.

Take care

xxx

Linking Up To:

The Shabby Creek Cottage -Transformation Thursday
Under the Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase

Tuesday, 15 May 2012

Charming little Bracelet

Hey Everyone,

I'm keeping warm indoors making jewellery again...

Loving memory wire guys.... loving it!

For this bracelet - I used a selection of charms on jump rings, clear seed beads, clear glass tube beads and of course memory wire.

For this bracelet, I wanted to meet at the wrist, not overlap, so I cut it longer than I wanted and cut it down to size when I was happy with the way it looked.

To make:

Make a loop at one end of the wire and include a charm in the loop,

thread on a seed bead, then thread on 4 - 5 tube beads then a seed bead, a charm and another seed bead before adding 4-5 more tube beads.

I used the seed beads to hold the charms in place and to add dimension to the bracelet. Continue in the pattern and end off with another loop including a charm.

Sweet and super easy too...

Cute right?

This may just be my new favourite bracelet to make....

Also before I forget - for those of you interested in charms - check out this website Charm Factory. They have a huge selection of seriously awesome charms.

Take care

xxx

Linking Up To:

The Blackberry Vine - Tuesday To Do

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Sugar Bee Craft - Take a Look Tuesday

Crafty Texas Girls - Cowgirl Up

The NY Melrose Family - Whimsy Wednesdays

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Uncommon - Uncommonly Yours

Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday

The Pass It On Project - Bracelets

Hi Everyone,

About 6 weeks ago Karah from The Space Between announced her fantastic idea called the The Pass it on Project.

Basically you pick a couple of bloggers that have been inspiring and supportive to you and make them a handmade gift, they in turn make gifts for their chosen bloggers and so it goes on.... Sharing the love around the blogosphere...

The Space Between

I chose 3 bloggers to pass my handmade gifts onto.

I really wish I could have included more of my wonderful bloggy friends.

A few weeks ago I posted off my gifts to:

Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird

Fiona from Just Paint it White

Sherry from Pondered Primed Perfected

I made them each a bracelet to keep and one to pass onto a friend or someone they feel needs a pick me up. And I made a bonus little zip charm just for fun...

Bracelet No 1

Bracelet No 2

Zip Charms

I hope you like your gifts ladies and that you enjoy passing it on too.... Thank you so much for taking part.

xxx

Linking Up To:

The Blackberry Vine - Tuesday To Do

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Sugar Bee Craft - Take a Look Tuesday

Crafty Texas Girls - Cowgirl Up

Uncommon - Uncommonly Yours

Saturday, 12 May 2012

Entryway Storage Bench

Hi Everyone,

I shared our new entryway bench earlier in the week at Applestone Drive

Our house is really tiny and storage is my biggest issue and with 3 kids.... their stuff is always everywhere and I was finally over it!

This is what their bookshelf was looking like when I decided to makeover this corner. I had to find a use for the bookcase and it was destined to be dumped even though there is nothing wrong with it (okay it is extremely ugly - but still functional)...

It is really sturdy, so I started thinking about what we could do with it..... Then it came to me! I would love a mudroom, Winters here in New Zealand are so mucky and the kids are always tracking mud in and then tossing their shoes everywhere. What we really need is somewhere to store their backpacks and shoes.....

I explained to Sean what I wanted, and he got onto working out a design.... He built the frame...

Added a piece of wood as a seat and to reinforce the "bench".

We found some spare drawer knobs in the garden shed and added them to the frame.

Then it was my turn.... I painted all the wood bits white, leaving the laminated bookshelf as it was (I wasn't too keen on trying to paint it, knowing what a beating it would be taking from the kids).

I already had the baskets, as I had bought them on sale a few months ago. So to tie the whole look together - I used twine and a shell to decorate.

The minute the bench was moved into its position in the hallway, the kids raced to store their stuff on it....

At some stage, I think I will paint those panels with blackboard paint and also add hooks to hang summer caps and hats.

But for now I think it looks pretty good in the hallway and it has been fantastic having the kids so well organised in the mornings... And I'm certainly enjoying how much tidier my house is!