Today I Love: Coatt - Morse Code Necklaces

Today I'm loving Coatt: Morse Code Necklaces. In their shop you will find pieces with pre-strung words and phrases such as "Amore" and "Love Me Do," as well as custom versions that are perfect for gift giving.

They remind me of a grown-up version of friendship bracelets with a secret code woven into them. Adore! xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: 12. 22. 10

Little World by Melissa aka Oh Sew Pretty.

DIY Playful Metallic Ornaments / Gift Toppers from Papernstitch

Hello everyone! Today I'm delighted to have Brittni of Papernstitch (and papernstich blog) here to share a fun tutorial with us from her free holiday eBook: The Happy Holidays Guide to DIY. I love that her project gives new life to discarded plastic toys (you can also pick up affordable new and used varieties at your local hobby stores or thrift shops). I also think (though I haven't tried it out yet) that you could paint these with nail polish in metallic or vivid colors for a similar effect (if you don't happen to have the other supplies handy).

Take it away Brittni...

The toys that were once pushed aside and forgotten are getting new life with this metallic toy ornament project that even the most novice crafter can complete with ease.

Here’s what you need to make your own:

• miniature plastic toys (this will not work for metal toys) of any kind: horses, dinosaurs, cars, etc
• small eye hook screws
• hammer
• ribbon
• clear gloss protective coating (I used shellac)
• liquid gold or silver leaf
• paint brush

Here’s how you make it:

1. Wash and dry your toys to make sure they are clean of debris.
2. Find a place at the top of your toy for the eye hook screw and using your hammer and your screw, punch a hole in it. Depending on how hard the plastic is, this may take a little time. Be careful. This is just a starter hole.
3. Next, screw in your eye hook with your hands as far as it will go.
4. Once that is done, spray the entire piece with shellac or some other protective coating. This will ensure that the paint doesn’t soak into the plastic, so less coast will be necessary and there will be less chipping later as well.
5. Wait until the coating has completely dried, and then you can begin applying your paint with a small brush. Applying the paint in thin layers works best, so you can get in to all those crack and crevices. Be sure to paint the eye hook as well, so it will blend in more.
6. Wait for paint to dry and apply a second, thin coat if necessary.
7. Wait for paint to dry and then apply a clear, gloss protective coating (again shellac works well for this).
8. Once that is dry, insert a ribbon through the eye hook. Tie it off at the desired length and your ready to hang it on the Christmas tree or box it up and give it to a friend.

More ideas for this project: Attach these little guys to packages during the gift-giving season for a special gift tag that friends and family won’t soon forget. And when the holidays are over, you can remove the ribbon and use the pendant year round for a necklace. Add a chain and its ready to wear.

A little bit more about Brittni:

Brittni is the founder of handmade exhibition site, papernstitch and the editor of a handmade blog, by the same name. When not working on papernstitch, she is dreaming up simple projects just for fun. Her Happy Holidays Guide to DIY, is filled with easy, winter projects that, literally, anyone can complete. But one of her favorite tutorials from the eBook is the golden toy ornaments project because its a little bit quirky and it utilizes discarded materials. It doesn't get much better than that.

DIY Festive Candle Wraps

Hello bloggy friends! Last December Victoria of sfgirlbybay sweetly invited me to create a special download to share with her readers. I thought on it for a bit and then ended up making a simple download for some printable candle wraps (used with battery operated candles). Scattered around a room or grouped together on a mantle, they are just the thing to add a little festive glow to your home over the holidays. And they are also ridiculously easy to accomplish. Hop over to sfgirlbybay for the free download.

If you don't have a printer handy or perhaps you just swoon hard for anything with an air of vintage whimsy about it, then you might use Elena's beautiful adaptation as inspiration for your own candle wraps. Simply collect up papers from around your home, wrap, attach with double sided tape and enjoy.

The first image was taken by me and the second image is by Elena. Please note that candle wraps should only be used with battery operated candles and never near open flames.

Inspiration Daily: 12. 21. 10

Image credits: 1. banner gift bag., 2. lindsey, 3. Untitled, 4. .