Monday, June 25, 2012

You Send My Life A Whirling- A Hanging Mobile Tutorial

Alright, not gonna lie, I got this idea from a mobile in the gift shop of the BMA. Except that one was more like the one you can see here, which is a lot more modern art-y than anything I could hang up in the house. And then this ended up being really easy after thinking of memories of making mobiles with my mom when I was little. So maybe this came a little more naturally than I'd originally thought!

But enough babbling. Here is what you need. Go!
3 long sticks, roughly the same size, 6-7 shorter sticks (less than half the length of long sticks), twiney-ropey stuff,  4 clothespins, fishing line, and, of course, scissors!
 Take your long sticks and tie them together on each end and in the middle, wrapping the twine around a bunch of times before dying a double knot.


A close up of the knot!

 Repeat this for the other two little bundles, but skip the middle section of rope. You also might have to twist the sticks before you tie them so they curve in the same direction.

Using your fishing line, tie the shorter bundles of sticks to the longer one by tying a knot around one stick in the bundle, right in the center. When you hold up the mobile from the top, the sticks are not going to be balanced! Accept this and move on (unlike a certain tutorial creator).

Then tie on the clothespins with the same fishing line in the same way, with the line going through the little metal loops of the clothespins.

Close up on the knots. Again.
Tie on a piece of twine to hang it with, and you're done! Yay for you!

I had to put some notecards behind one of the post cards to balance it a little better, but it's not really noticeable. Get creative! Which is always a good thing besides. Now sit back and watch it twirl, while listing to Swept Away by the Avett Brothers.

Happy Monday, kiddo.

~Emilia

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Baubles, Bangles, and Beads- Ribbon Bracelet Tutorial

I love this song by Frank Sinatra, which apparently is from the musical Kismet. But his version of Baubles, Bangles, and Beads is so much... jazzier! And it was the perfect background music for makin' some nice bracelets (which was, by the way, super easy)!


So... here are yo materials:
Thin ribbon, and beads. Lots of beads.
Wrap the ribbon, still wound around its thingy, around your wrist so that it has two tails on either side. Make the tails much longer than you think you'll need so you'll be able to tie them in a bow later.

Cut that ribbon!

 Wrap the ribbon around your wrist in the same way again as before, this time holding the tails together with your free hand at the place you want the end of your bracelet to be. Mark that place or just remember it, and then thread your first bead onto the ribbon and tie a knot around it once it's in that spot.

Thread the rest of your beads on, tying on the last bead in the same way as the first. Ta da! That's it!




Now model that bracelet like nobody's business!

You'll glitter and gleam so, you'll make somebody dream so...

Hope your summer's been good so far!

~Emilia