Easy DIY Knotted Cord Bracelet

After pinning way too many knotted bracelets to my my "DIY to try" board, I decided it was time to take the plunge and finally make one!  My friend Erica and I planned a craft session during a recent visit and, with the help of my Hubby, tried a few different kinds of knots before finding an awesome one that lies flat, works perfectly, and looks so sweet.  Here's how we made these summery bracelets!

Supplies:

• Satin rope cord like this or this (two strands, approximately 22" long each)
• Two 1" gold ribbon crimp ends (they also come in silver)
• Lobster clasp with tag connector and two jump rings
• Needle nose pliers
• Gel Epoxy (E-6000 glue works too)
• Toothpick & scrap cardboard (to mix the epoxy)
• Scissors
• Tape

Before you get started, open up the crimp ends a little, using pliers.

Take one length of cord, fold it in half.  Lay it down on your work surface so it forms a loop.  For my bracelets, I used 2 pieces of cord, each 22" long, and that made a 6" long bracelet (including the clasp).  Use more cord if you have thicker cord or want a longer bracelet.

Sneak your second length of cord (also folded in half), under the loop.

Loop the bottom cord over and then under the tails of the loop you made.

Then wrap it over one half of the loop, then under itself and then over the second half of the loop. 

Gently pull the knot tight, shaping it a bit so it lies flat and the ends are even.

Measure how long you would like your bracelet (don't forget the clasp adds length).  Place tape all the way around the four strands where you want to cut them.

Using sharp scissors, cut all four ends after the tape so the tape holds the cord together.  This type of cord unravels quickly, so we immediately added epoxy to the ends.  Some tutorials show gluing on the sides of the cord but then it shows, so we glued the ends and only a millimeter between each cord to hold them together invisibly.  We mixed the two-part epoxy with a toothpick and used the toothpick to spread on the glue and coax a little between the cords.

Hubby's hands!

Let the epoxy dry for a minute, just so it's tacky but not hard (this epoxy dries rock hard).

Place the cord into the opened ribbon crimp and use a toothpick to push it all in.  It's wriggly and will try to escape, but the epoxy (still pliable but not totally glued) will help hold it together.

Close the crimp with needle nosed pliers and let dry 24 hours.

Add a clasp using two small jump rings.  Our clasps were provided by the Etsy shop, Antiqued and I really love them because they already come with tag connectors and look really sleek.  At this point, you can also add some chain in lieu of the connector to make the length adjustable.

These bracelets took minutes to make (and cost only $1-2 per bracelet), so we made a bunch!  Erica's versions of these bracelets are totally different than mine so take a look for more inspiration.  It was serendipitous that we each just happened to find, and favor, really different cord.

I made this two-tone one first, but Erica and I both decided we love the look of the solid colour better.



It's lightweight and really cheery, which makes it perfect for summer. 

P.S. This is a project kitties love to help with.

Awwwww.

Treasure Hunting Report: Pyrex and More

The last couple of weeks I have been swamped with work, which included preparing for a conference and then traveling to the good 'ole US of A to present my paper.  It was well received (yay) and had the added bonus of a road trip with Hubs!  On our way there, part of the highway was shut down so we had to take a secondary road which, despite slowing us down, had a real silver lining: a great roadside antique shop!  The tiny shop was packed with jadeite, Pyrex and vintage glassware.  Prices were good: higher than thrift stores, but below typical antique store prices.  I didn't buy a lot because I didn't have much time to make selections, and we still had days of driving ahead of us so I didn't want to pack the car with breakables.  In hindsight, I wish I bought more but I took home a few gems and am definitely returning for a Pyrex fix soon.

The snowflake casserole is my fourth one (I have two with white snowflakes on turquoise and two in this pattern).  The pink casserole is for my Mom.  I have finally collected a full set of the Butterprint Cinderella bowls and and am now halfway to a second set.  The small Cinderella (white with yellow flowers, a pattern from the 1970s), completes my thrifted set.  The round turquoise casserole is the prettiest shade and a totally new design for me!

My turquoise collection is growing and now takes over a whole cupboard, displacing my browns and yellows (which look so good with this DIY tablecloth) into the glassware cupboard.  See the last photo taken of the cupboard here.  There is still room and I plan to pack this with turquoise Pyrex.  I might just have to steal this bowl back out of the shop . . .

I also bought a Capri glass creamer to match a sugar bowl Mom thrifted for me.  I found some shot glasses at a local VV and now my turquoise glassware collection is also blossoming, adding some colour to the teak cabinet and complementing the DIY agate art above.

Once home from the trip, Hubs and I set to work on the basement again and I did a lot of decluttering, donating about six boxes and a chair to Value Village.  While Hubby made the donation, I scurried inside and found a few items for the shop (including two really cool Pyrex pitchers, like this), plus I bought this fun lamp.  After an hour of cleaning its grimy edges, it gleams and all I need now is a nice drum shade!

Have you done any treasure hunting of late?  This weekend I'll hit my first yard sales of the season!  I'm trying to decide if the Glebe sale next weekend is worth it.  In my 15+ years of yard saling, in three cities, I find people with expensive homes often (but not always) have disappointing yard sales and charge an arm and a leg, while the gems and deals are waiting at the homes you might think are the least treasure-filled.

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See My DIY in a Magazine (Again)!

In the fall, my DIY Christmas spider tutorial was featured in Ottawa at Home magazine.  This spring I'm sharing another DIY project!  Because my blog tutorials for DIY art projects are so popular, I wanted to show Ottawa at Home readers how easy it is to make their very own DIY abstract.  What wasn't easy, for me, was painting on demand!  Let me tell you, painting while a photographer hung around and waited for me to say "okay, snap a shot now" was a teeny bit stressful.  As you know, I normally have to tackle the same painting a couple of times (like these and this one), sometimes over days, weeks or months, to get it "right," but this time I only had a few hours!  Happily, I love the finished piece and the only change I made was to hang it sideways. 

See the full tutorial (with glossy, gorgeous photos) in Ottawa at Home online, or head to one of these fine retailers to pick up a copy of the magazine.

I love a DIY painting tutorial that offers step-by-step photos but that can be sooooo tricky to do because stopping to take a photo often means I lose my mojo and the painting turns out weird.  But I've tried to share as many tutorials as I can, with step-by-step photos to give you a feel for how my (novice) paintings take shape.  Check out this black and white painting, the abstract triptych in the bedroom, my fun drippy painting, the Rothko-inspired trio, the geometric painting and its makeover, or, for something a little different, see how I made a simple striped piece with text.

I should mention that although Hubby & I try to support artists when we can (we have bought pottery from independent Canadian galleries and have often bought small works of art when traveling), right now we just can't afford to adorn all of our walls with the work of professional artists.  Happily, many of our family members are artists so we have their work livening up the townhouse.  Our DIY pieces fill in the gaps and add even more colour and life to our walls.  I love our DIY art and think that making your own art really is doable, but I'm not suggesting that the work professional artists do is as easy as 1-2-3.  Please support local artists and artisans when you can! 

P.S. You might have spied this painting in the reveal of a corner of our basement makeover (more soon).  We shot this project before I went to Hungary!  I've been itching to tell you . . .

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Pinterest Challenge: Minty Table Makeover

I capitalized on a few warm spring days and painted my grandmother's table mint, as planned!  She received this table as a wedding gift in the 1950s but gave it to me years and years ago when I was on the hunt for a round nightstand.  She was actually using it but moved what was on it to another table so I could have it.  Don't I have the sweetest, most giving grandmother?

I have continuously loved this table over the years, but it had some rust and worn paint so a freshening up was in order.  My grandma and I decided mint green would look pretty, and keep the vintage vibe.  I had a hard time finding a nice mint green spray paint, though.  Some were too apple green, some too sage.  I thought I scored with a Liquitex shade, but I'm not entirely sold because it's a bit duller than I hoped.

How-to:

1. First I lightly sanded the table, especially areas with rust, with a fine sandpaper.
2. I pushed off the rubber feet and also slid off the brass coiled detail to make painting easier.
3. Next I wiped the table down with a damp cloth and let it dry.
4. I used Tremclad metal primer (in grey) and gave the whole table an even coat of primer, doing the underside first and then flipping it over to do the top.
5. I let the primer dry for 48 hours and then used Liquitex spray paint in chromium oxide green 6 (I have a whole post on the pros and cons of this brand of spray paint), again doing the underside first and then flipping it over to do the top.
6. I let the table dry 48 hours before bringing it upstairs and putting the glass top back on.

I usually use the Liquitex over a white base for more vivid colour, but the Tremclad grey was such a light shade of grey it almost looked white.  I'm wondering, though, if it did dull the colour, even if I did apply multiple coats of the mint shade.  In any case, the paint finish turned out great.

The baseboard heaters seem to pop out at me even more, now that the table is a lighter colour, but painting them all white is on this summer's to-do list.  Even if I'm on the fence on the shade of mint, it does seem to pair really well with the chair, which reads as mint but is a pale green and aqua pattern.

 So, what do you think of the new colour?



P.S.  Because I pinned a thousand or so mint tables to my Pinterest boards (check out this post for the really literal "mint table" I found) before embarking on this minty makeover, I'm linking up to this season's Pinterest Challenge!  I'm linking this project up to Young House Love, Bower Power, Sparkle Meets Pop, and Red Bird Blue.

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April is Done: Did We Have Fun?

I always feel a little anxious when spring flies by because I know summer will feel even shorter!  This month was fun but fast.  I also got swamped with research and work, but that's a story for another day.

My favorite post this month was the framed agate art, which got a little bit of link love that I mentioned here and also a few links I added to the press page.

I also added some furniture to the townhouse!  I found a great bar cart that I'm prepping for painting (sorry Team Keep-it-Brass, the finials have to go and our remedy is super obvious, so painting is a must).

I am still loving our second great find: a vintage teak dining room cabinet. 

We definitely were in treasure hunting mode last month, picking up goodies for the shop and even attending the Ottawa Antique Show.  Although we didn't buy much, it's always nice to see such a large variety of antiques under one roof.

I planned some kitchen art last month - I just need some time this month to execute it!

I also planned a mint makeover and with one table painted and curing in the garage (details next week!), I'm excited about making over the second.

I was mooning over colour a lot last month, trying to beat the blahs.
The kitchen got a few new accessories this month: including a perfectly functioning kettle (I feel spoiled) and fancy oven mitts that keep my hands from getting burnt (so spoiled).  I'm learning choosing special everyday items makes everyday feel, well, special.  Choosing a kettle was fun - who knew there were so many colouful options?

In addition to my kitchen, I also got something special: a sweet pair of brass and mint earrings from ILIOS.

But I shared the wealth, partnering with ILIOS for a giveaway so you could win something pretty too (plus I announced the winner for the laKattun giveaway)!

I also rounded up some ideas for Mother's Day gifts.  A bit early, yes, but as a shop owner I know shipping can take some time (you won't believe how long a package took to get to Italy!  Canada Post, you're not on my good side), so it's always nice to get a head start.

I also shared my struggles decorating a house that is only mine for the short term . . .

. . . but then I rounded up a bevvy of brilliant ideas for personalizing even the most temporary of spaces.

We had our monthly Money Talk, and I shared some current struggles and ongoing solutions.

After a bit of snow in parts of Ontario . . . but then some warm days in Ottawa, let's hope spring is OFFICIALLY here!  I have some half-finished projects from the intermittent warm days last week and I'm ready to wrap them up.

I almost forgot: our Minden Shop has a 20% off sale right now, ending May 5th.

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Dinner Dans le Townhouse: Unbelievably Good Mac and Cheese

I received a few emails requesting I share the recipe for the mac & cheese that made an appearance in yesterday's post.  I'm happy to oblige because I think it's important other people are as severely addicted to this as I am.  It's easy to make, but has a fabulous, restaurant-quality taste.  When you're craving some mac & cheese, you'll never turn to the boxed stuff again!

The recipe is from Macaroni & Cheese, 52 Recipes from Simple to Sublime, but has been modified to maximum tastiness by my Mom & I!

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (a 500g bag works for me)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (generous heap)
2.5 cups whole milk
1 tsp herbs du provence (one of our modifications, be generous!)
1 tsp nutmeg (again, generous spoonful)
Pinch of salt & cayenne pepper  (we skip the Tabasco sauce suggested)
2 cups grated gruyere cheese (another of our mods because this cheese is so tasty)

Countdown to tastiness:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9x13 pan.
3. Cook pasta and drain, set aside (in the pot).
4. While pasta is cooking, you can start on the roux: melt the butter over low heat, then add the flour.
5. Whisk the flour and butter mixture so it makes a paste, cook for about one minute.
6. Whisk in milk and increase heat to bring to a boil - it will start to thicken and gently bubble - but keep whisking as it heats (this takes some time, around 15 minutes).
7. Add the spices and cheese to bubbling, thickened milk, stir until melted.
8. Pour sauce on noodles and stir together.
9. Resist eating it at this stage.  Hubby struggles with this, hovering around, asking why we can't eat it now.  Your patience will be rewarded.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes (until the top is a little browned with slight crispy cheese).

Our substitutions make this a fancy "gruyere mac and chesse," with spicing fit for a nice restaurant.  It is excellent as a side dish, or on it's own.  Cheesy but not too gooey - know what I mean?  Perfectly creamy.  This is winter comfort food, but perfect for dreary, cold, rainy spring days too! 

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