Pinterest

Long before this website came into existence, I (and a bazillion other people) kept images - electronic and hard copies - of all the things inspirational. Mostly things I wanted to craft, but also things that just made me smile. My craftroom is filled with folders, my office is filled with folders, my computer is (was) filled with folders of images. I even had folders in my car, and pieces of paper in my wallet. Things I'd like to make, things I'd like to eat/cook, things I'd like to own, even things that make me say "eewwww".

Then along came Pinterest.  An OMG moment if there ever was one for someone who is a compulsive image hoarder. I have 35 boards with a LOT of pins - as they are called - and I am a total junkie. Each image is one pin, and I have over 2500 so far. Here is my link if you'd like to see what I obsess about: http://pinterest.com/karoln/

here are some of my favorites from my boards...

This is a way to display brooches in a craft booth. How adorable is this? Do I make or sell brooches? Noooooo  :)  but I might someday. I might also modify the idea to display earrings which I do make and sell. It is in my board titled "Booth Ideas". That's what Pinterest is: an on-line bulletin board-ish place to keep inspirational images. The images come from an infinite number of sources. For me, it's mostly from blogs, but I also repin other peoples pins.

This is from my "here's your sign" board. It's where I like to keep funny quotes mostly. Or sassy, snarky quotes.

"What Goes Around" is the name of this board. It has images of things that have been upcycled or altered. I love these.

Of course I have a board called "shoegasm", it has some mostly fantasy shoe wishes. I'm way too old to actually wear most these, but savvy enough to appreciate their sassy style. Oh, I'd wear these particular ones. I love, love a great wedge. And a wedge with an ankle strap... OMG

One of my favorite boards is called "Spooky (not)" - duh - all about Halloween. My favorite holiday.



The best part of pinning is you can go back to the original source of the "pin" to find out how something was made and get instructions on how to make it yourself.

Check it out, especially if you are a DIYer.

B is for...

Beach... and Balcony

The Beautiful view from my friend Margie's condo in Ormond beach. We are having a small R&R weekend, well deserved I might add. Rough week.

Beading

That's Margie working on her Bracelet. We both just took a class to learn how to make Kumihimo bracelets which is a Japanese weaving technique.

It is pretty easy to do, but labor intensive and you must, must concentrate on what you are doing, otherwise you skip a bead and your bracelet is ruined. I speak from experience. Ruined a couple! You can always redo the bracelet, but you will never get back the two hours you lost making it.  :(

This is the weaving disk. It's made of dense foam and has notches all around for the strands of beads. The bracelet is made from 8 strands. We both like to use #6 seed beads or 4mm crystals. The crystal bracelet is more expensive to make but makes a bigger statement.

This is what a Bundle of Beads looks like before it is woven into a bracelet. 32 beads on each strand. More if the beads are smaller.

The weaving creates a rope of beads. This is the underside of one I made today with a combination of pearls and crystals.

Of course, we had to have Beers while we worked, along with a plate of guac and crackers, because when we are at the beach, there is a lot of noshing and beading going on.

Here is my finished pearl/crystal bracelet, and I must say it's a Beauty!




































and another view

Another awesome idea brought to you by the clever folks at Epcot. This is a lawn chair made from an old chair and a garden hose.

Very cool looking, although I have no idea how comfortable it is. It was pretty well protected from the "masses", so I couldn't actually sit in it. All I could do was take a picture. I thought it was photo worthy.

The directions follow, and they sound pretty easy as far as DIY goes.

Just a little patience and time.