Stella & Dot's New Fall Line: My Surprising Jewelry Discovery

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Refresh your Style with Stella & Dot's new Fall Line

Have you seen the new Fall Line from Stella & Dot?  I was just perusing the virtual aisles today.  I made a surprising discovery.  I absolutely loved almost all of the cuff bracelets.  Why is this surprising?  Because I don't own a single cuff bracelet.  Scratch that.  I do own one -- my Dad bought it for me when he was on a business trip when I was about 10.  I still have it, and to be honest, I do love it.  But that's it! I think I might need to change that in the near future.

I'm only going to share my top three favorite bracelets here, you'll have to check out the others for yourself!

ELISE PEARL CUFF

FONTAINE CUFF

CHANTILLY LACE CUFF

One of the things that I love about all of these cuff bracelets is that they span seasons -- you could wear them with a cute sundress or jeans and a sweater.  How would you wear them?

While I think the cuff bracelets are surprisingly amazing you might find something else that surprises you in the new Fall Line so be sure to take a look.

Faux Leather and Recycled Glass Beads Wrap Bracelet How To

I received these beads in exchange for my honest opinions. 

I know, I'm a little late in the wrap bracelet trend, but here I am hopping on the bandwagon!

The beads are recycled glass beads from Happy Mango Beads.  (I'm not sure if that link is exactly the same bead, but it's close.)  Here's Catherine photo-bombing my picture of Happy Mango Beads goodies. I can't believe this photo is over a year old!  (By the way, if you like beautiful pictures and beads in your Facebook newsfeed, you should like Happy Mango Beads.)

I had received these beads about a year ago and with hubby getting a new job, a 500 mile move, a severe morning sickness filled pregnancy, the birth of my son, etc., etc., I am only now getting caught up on my crafting!  Of course, as soon as I got my goodies from Happy Mango Beads I took a break from packing and did make this pretty memory wire bracelet.

Back to today's bracelet, the (faux) leather cord was a gift, but I'm pretty sure it came from Joann's.  I used heavy duty all purpose thread from my stash.  I also dabbed some E-6000 glue on all of my knots -- probably overkill, but it gives me peace of mind knowing that everything is super secure.  I also used one button.

Here's another picture of my beautiful girl, this one is from today. She's getting so big!  She loves to model my crafts for me.

I pretty much just winged it while making this bracelet, but I am really happy how it turned out!  If you'd like a little direction, here's what I did:

• Cut leather cord to desired length.  For mine, I doubled the leather and then wrapped it around my wrist and added a couple inched before cutting.  
• Make a loop by tying a knot at the halfway point.  This loop will be your "button hole", so make sure your button will fit!
• Tie your needle and thread to one side of the leather.  
• Start adding beads.  I went through the bead, around the leather, back through the bead, around the leather, and then through the next bead . . .
• At the end, knot the thread, leaving a long tail.  Knot the leather and the thread together.
• Add the button.
• Put a drop of E-6000 glue on all of the knots.

A couple of tips for while you're working:

• Secure your work somehow.  A clipboard would be perfect.  I used a paperclip and a cardboard box.
• The first few beads are difficult.  I didn't think mine were lining up well at all, but somehow after about a half-dozen beads everything looked great.
• This method will work for all sizes of beads, but keep in mind you will need a very thin needle for smaller beads, because you have to go through the bead twice.

The beads are on the heavier side, so this bracelet does have a bit of weight to it.  Because of the weight I decided that this bracelet should only wrap around my wrist twice.  The beads are very high quality.  I love how each one is unique.  They get my seal of approval.

I think the combination of the leather and the recycled beads has a slightly rustic feel, perfect for fall!  What do you think?

As always, I love linking up at various parties across blogland! If you liked this post it would be awesome if you followed me somehow.

 

Rachel: The Philosopher's Wife

Like I said above, I received these beads in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. 

7 Quick Takes

For more Quick Takes visit Jen!

1. I think I've developed a slight obsession with Red Velvet Cake this pregnancy.  I think the last ten pins I've opened on Pinterest have somehow involved Red Velvet something (cookies, brownies, cheesecake, cheesecake brownies, etc.).  I haven't actually eaten anything with "Red Velvet" in it's name this pregnancy, but if anything that has only increased my desire!

Rachel: The Philosopher's Wife

2. How many times have you read Peter Rabbit this week?

3. I love the smell of baking bread.  I also love having a bread maker.  I've done absolutely minimal cooking this pregnancy, thanks to just about everything making me sick, but I did manage to throw together a loaf of bread yesterday and it was delicious.  (My husband has been really wonderfully understanding with my inability to cook and has been phenomenal about getting home from a long day at work and then getting dinner together -- thanks, Honey!)

Image Source: Free Digital Photos

4. Getting ready for the second child is really very different from preparing for the first.  Or, at least, I'm going about it completely differently.  I most likely will be having a c-section in seven weeks or so (32 weeks along right now!), so I'm starting to pull things out, wash baby clothes, count diapers, figure out where to put all of Porcupine's things, etc. It feels much more relaxed and laid back than prepping for Catherine's arrival.  Was the second child easier to prepare for for you?

5. The most difficult thing we need to do is convince Catherine to give up the crib mattress.  She has a "big girl" bed (complete with a nice mattress of it's own), but she much prefers sleeping on the crib mattress on the floor.  Since she actually sleeps quite well this way my hubby and I didn't really care, but the poor girl now has a time limit.  (She also can be a bit of a wild sleeper . . . but that's another issue entirely.)

6. I started making a leather wrap bracelet yesterday, but it turned into a complete fail.  It is a salvageable fail, but for yesterday it counted as a complete and utter fail.  My beading needle was too thick -- I just need to finish unpacking and cleaning my craft room.  I didn't have suitable workstation -- I felt sick and was working on the couch.  I didn't have a clamp to hold my work steady -- even a clipboard would work, I just felt too sick to find one.  All of these are easy things to fix, and once my "morning" sickness goes away I should be just fine.  Knitting and crocheting make better couch crafts.

At first I was going to use some basic pearl beads for my (failed) bracelet, but then I thought that these Coke Bottle Recycled Glass Beads from Happy Mango Beads would be much more unique.  (They are the ones in front of Catherine's mouth. Isn't she a Silly Goose?)

7. I'm super excited about the Valentine's Day Giveaway that I will be hosting!  It will start next week and the prize is from Origami Owl!

Amethyst Teardrop Memory Wire Bracelet

I was given beads to review from Happy Mango Beads.  All opinions are my own and, of course, they are my honest opinions.  
This post may contain affiliate links.  

I am super excited because Happy Mango Beads sent me an awesome package of beads to review.  (You should be excited too, because they also are sponsoring a fabulous giveaway!)  My daughter also was very excited when the beads came in the mail and insisted on being in the picture of all of the goodies.  Stay tuned for more projects featuring these beads!  (Today's project used the beads in the front center of this picture.)

Some of you might have noticed that I mentioned in last week's Quick Takes that I am moving shortly, which means that I don't have a lot of time for my crafting endeavors right now.  However, I just couldn't let all of these goodies just sit around in a cardboard box, could I?  One of the easiest jewelry projects to make are memory wire bracelets, so that's what I decided to make!

If you haven't made a bracelet using memory wire before, I highly recommended it.  It is very easy to create a beautiful piece of jewelry for anyone very quickly!  Here are the instructions:

1. Use round nose jewelry pliers to make a loop.
2. Add beads.
3. Use round nose jewelry pliers to make a loop.

I used some seed beads from my stash and the Amethyst Teardrop Beads from Happy Mango Beads.  I enjoyed working with the amethyst beads.  Each hand-cut bead is slightly different and unique.  One package contained a fifteen inch strand of beads.  (I didn't count how many individual beads I received, however, there are plenty for a couple of projects!)  My one slight complaint is that the holes are not uniform in size--there were some beads that could not be threaded onto my memory wire.  

So, what do you think?  Do you like this bracelet?  I really am quiet happy with the finished product!

(GIVEAWAY ENDED)Make sure that you enter the giveaway to win a $25 gift certificate to Happy Mango Beads!

I love sharing my craft around the blog world, check out these and the following for great places to party!
Fine Craft Guild

Yard Sale Find: "Sweet Tart" Bracelet

After Mass on Sunday we went yard-sale-ing!  The weather here was lovely and we came home with a few new-to-us-items.  One of my favorite finds is this bracelet that I picked up for fifty cents!

It is "supposed" to be a necklace, but I think it works so much better as a bracelet.  What do you think?

The beads remind me of Chewy Sweet Tarts.  Of course, I don't think that is a bad thing.  

Photo Source

Memory Wire Bracelets

I've been enjoying making these pretty bracelets the past couple of days.  It was my first time to work with memory wire, and I have to say, it was a pleasure!

Memory wire is a stiff, already coiled, wire that can be used for making necklaces, bracelets, rings, and various other projects depending on the size of the coil.  It makes creating jewelry items a breeze.  

All you have to do is add a loop to one end, string your beads, and add a loop to the other end.

I don't currently own a set of rounded jewelry pliers, so I borrowed my husband's needle-nosed pliers.  They worked, even if they did smell like a tackle box.  I think I might take some of my birthday money and buy myself a set of jewelry pliers.

I really am quite happy with these bracelets, I think that they look very nice and were quite easy and enjoyable to make.  

I really have been in a "bracelet mood" recently, haven't I?  These, the candy cane inspired bracelet, and my crocheted wrap bracelets (which you can purchase on Etsy!) are all fairly recent creations.  

I'm curious, which of these is your favorite?

I love to share my projects at various link parties. 

You can find the buttons of many of these places on my Crafty Links page, or follow these text links:

One Project at a Time, Take a Look Tuesday, A Round Tuit, Time for a Party, Show and Share, Will See It, Inspiring Creativity, Whatever Goes Wednesday, What I Whipped Up, Wow Me Wednesday, Super Link Party, One Creative Weekend, Fantabulous Friday

Beaded (Christmas?) Bracelet

Last night I mentioned on my Facebook page* that I was working on making a bracelet.  Well, I had enough toddler-free time to actually finish it! (Toddlers and tiny beads do not mix.)

I wanted to make a wrap bracelet, using wire and seed beads, that was a subtle tribute to a candy cane. My goal was that it could be a Christmas bracelet, but that it also could be an anytime bracelet.  

I am pretty happy with how it turned out!  

So, what do you think?  Does this bracelet "scream" Christmas to you?  Or is the candy cane motif subtle enough to work year-round?

*I have a quick note about my Facebook page.  I would love it if you'd click on over and comment, like, and/or share things from my page.  Facebook's new(ish) rules on fan pages severely limit what gets seen in news-feeds.  However, the more people interact with the page the more others will see it.  I have over 3,500 likes, but according to Facebook's page stats, only about 100 people actually see my updates.     

I love to share my projects at various link parties in blogland.

I have a button page of many of the places I party, and here are some links as well:
Made by Me, What We Wore, Read, and Made, Show and Share, What I Whipped Up, Time for a Party, Mine for the Making

Beaded Crochet Wrap Bracelets

I gave a teaser of my Beaded Crochet Wrap Bracelets last week in my WIPS post.  (That's Works In Progress if you didn't know!)  I am happy to report that I've finished a few and am pretty happy with how they turned out!

This was my first time to incorporate beads in a crochet project and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was!  Basically, to use beads you string all of the beads that you are going to use before you begin crocheting.  I worked a little bit of Elmer's glue into the end of the yarn until it was stiff and pointy and then end was a "needle" to make stringing easier.  Then I just worked my crochet chain as normal, and whenever I wanted to add a bead I just slid it up the yarn and worked it into my stitch.  (So, in a nutshell: 1) string beads 2) crochet as normal adding a bead when you want. Super easy peasy!)

This silvery grey bamboo yarn looks great with the clear glass seed beads.  It did take a bit of patience to string all of the tiny seed beads onto the yarn!  The beads add a bit of subtle sparkle and glam.  I also made a similar bracelet using the same yarn but gorgeous reddish-orange beads.

Now available for purchase! 

You can purchase this one at my Etsy Shop!
Well, not anymore, someone already did!

On my Multi-Colored Bead Wrap Bracelet I love how the glass beads "pop" out.  They are eye-catching and super fun!

I also made one non-wrap bracelet.  I once again used the silvery grey yarn, but this time I used green aventurine beads.  

I will be making more of these--both for myself and to sell in my shop!  They are just so much fun to make and to wear!

I am hosting a giveaway for a custom dyed skein of yarn!

I love linking up at parties!  

You can check my button page or follow any these links to see where I link up each week!

Made by You Mondays, Just Something I Whipped Up, Making Monday Marvelous, A Round Tuit, Make it Yourself Monday, I Made It! Monday, Craftastic Link Party,  Craft-O-Maniac, What's In the Gunny Sack?, Make it Great, Take a Look Tuesday, Mix it up Monday!, Terrific Tuesdays, One Project at a Time, Cowgirl Up, Show Me What You Got, Will Craft for..., Your Whims Wednesday, What We Wore, Made, and Read, Tip Toe Thru Tuesday, What I Whipped Up, Made By Me, Time for a Party, It's a Party!, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show Off Your Stuff, A Crafty Soiree, Hookin Up with HoH, Creative Juice Thursday, Commercial Break Thursday, Catch a Glimpse, DIY Diva, Things I've Done,  Chic & Crafty, Friday Favs Party, Shine on Fridays, Friday Fun Party, Financial Friday, I {Heart} Fridays, Creative Bloggers Party, 

7 Quick Takes Friday

ONE

Catherine and I will be quite sad when the pool closes.  We have just over a week left.  This week has been very quiet at the pool--a couple of toddler swim times we were the only people in the pool!  

TWO

Here is another picture from the pool!  

THREE

I shared a photo on my Facebook Page of the awesome yarn I received from Fangrrl Fiber Arts.  

FOUR

St. Rose of Lima's feast day was this week.  She is my confirmation saint.  The first book I read and learned all about her was this one. 

FIVE

I am feeling completely unmotivated to get up and wash the dishes.  Someday, I WILL have a dishwasher.  (Even if it's just a cute little ponytailed girl with a bucket!)

 SIX

I took a super short -- four question -- what's-your-temperament quiz earlier today.  I'm sure you've seen them: if you answered mostly A's then you're phlegmatic, etc.  Well, I honestly answered A, B, C, & D once apiece.  So what does that make me?

SEVEN

I added one of my beaded crochet wrap bracelets to my Etsy shop!  

Check out more 7 Quick Takes!

PS: Do you like giveaways?  Then check out my Giveaways!