Saturday, March 24, 2012

Rainbow Necklace



I made this necklace for my daughter's birthday outfit. We had a rainbow party and I came across this charm on Etsy. How cute is a piece of rainbow cake!!?? I wanted to make my own necklace, because everywhere you go they want $40 for a child's necklace, which is too expensive in my book. I paid $6.79 for the cake charm and $6.25 for the rainbow gumball beads (also on Etsy. I already had the pearls, wire, and crimping beads, but you can buy inexpensive kits at Walmart or Michael's to get those.



You will need:






Rainbow 12mm "gumball beads" www.Etsy.com/shop/fizzypops?ref=seller_info



Pearls or other beads to alternate in between other beads



tiny silver beads to alternate in between other beads



Needle nose pliers



scissors



beading kit with wire, crimping beads, and clasps ( I like the hook kind or the toggle so my daughter can take it on and off herself. The lobster clasp she can't do on her own)


E6000 glue and a toothpick







1. Figure out the pattern you want. I wrote my colors in order that I want to use them, knowing I will add a silver bead, pearl, and another silver bead between each color



2. Here I layed them out in order to get a view of what it will look like.


3. Cut about 1.5 times the length of the wire you want. I compared my length to a necklace my daughter already had that I liked. Put two crimping beads on the end of the wire, then one of the clasps. Loop the wire around the clasp, then slide the two crimping beads over the folded wire and clamp tightly with your pliers.




4. Here I am reinforcing the crimping beads by painting them with E6000 glue and a toothpick. I don't like to use crimping beads covers because in my experience, folding the crimping bead so it will fit inside the bead cover makes the crimping bead weaker. Also, the glue will help prevent the necklace from breaking and all the beads flying off.


Then, I added several silver beads to begin because this is the part that will be in the back of the neck. It will save you money because you won't be using up all of your expensive beads. I was able to make two necklaces with my gumball beads (I had to buy two cake charms). Make sure you have the same amount of beads on either side of the charm! It might take several trys to get it right to it your desired length.




5. Thread your entire necklace. Don't forget to put the cake in the middle. Add one final crimping bead to the finished end. Leave more wire than you see pictured! I made it too short and it was really hard to get my final clasp on there. I like to put a crimping bead to tightly clamp the threaded beads so they are not loose, then I put my second crimping bead on, then the clasp and then clamp. Then glue again. Let the glue dry for 24 hours, then the necklace is ready to wear!




Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Lorax Cupcakes

I took my daughter to see The Lorax this past week and I couldn't help but notice that the trunk of the Truffula trees looked like those yummy Pirouette cookies that I love! And of course the bulk of the tree resembled cotton candy. This project was not hard at all and so cute and colorful. But what else can you expect from Dr. Suess?



You Will Need:

Cake Mix

Cotton Candy

Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies

Frosting

Neon food coloring

Red M&M's

Green scrapbook paper (not pictured)

Scissors or a Cricut


1. Bake your cupcakes like you normally would


2. Let them cool completely


3. Mix in some food coloring into your frosting




4. Frost the cupcakes




5. Dip one end in the frosting (to secure the cotton candy) and stick the clean end into the center of the cupcake


6. Stick a bog blob of cotton candy onto the top of the Truffula tree. Form the tree by twisting little pieces into spikes


7. Add your "fruits" (M&M's) that fell from the tree at the base



8. Use your Cricut to cut a piece of grass or just use scissors to cut a long strip with one jagged edge. Wrap around the cupcake at the base.



These would be great for a Dr. Suess party or just a fun thing to do with your kids. Word to the wise: the cotton candy will shrivel with air exposure, so if they are for a party, you will have to make them the morning of the party, not the night before.


"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

-Dr. Suess

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