Another quick and inexpensive DIY gift! I made a few of these for the bridal shower I was in charge of providing gifts or door prizes for the other month.  I found these gold bangle bracelets at Heartbreaker 5 for $2! Then I basically used embroidery thread and the only "friendship bracelet" technique I can still remember from 6th grade! You probably know the one I am talking about, the "make a 4 and pull it through"? :) Ha!

Materials:
-simple bangle bracelets
-colorful embroidery thread
-glue (optional- you can add a dot to the start and end to ensure the thread/knot stays put)

How To:
1. Cut a loooong piece of thread & tie one end to the bracelet with a knot.
2. Determine how you want to wrap the thread around the bracelet. The video below is the technique I used, (at the beginning of the video).

3. If you want to switch colors, all I did was to tie a knot with color #1, snip the end and then start color #2 making sure to go over the "tail" of color #1 so it gets hidden.
4. When you are finished, tie a knot & you can add a little glue to make sure it is secure!

I have been wanting to try these magnets for a while, so when I was asked to make prizes for a shower, it was a perfect excuse to try them out! My dilemma was finding the stones for cheap. Now, when I say cheap, you have to understand my warped idea of what is inexpensive. I finally caved and got 27 stones for $9. This was with free shipping from amazon with our prime account. I also thought the magnets were a little over priced at $1.27 for 10. Am I crazy?! Anywho that turns out to be just under $2.00 for 4 magnets, which isn't that bad I guess. 

Materials:
Clear glass stones
Small round magnets
Scrapbook paper (scraps)
Mod Podge glue
Scissors

How to:
1. Trace & cut out the shape of each glass stone onto pretty paper. (Each stone is a little different size/shape.)
2. Spread a layer of Mod Podge onto the flat side of the stone.
3. Place paper pretty side down onto the stone. (So that when you flip it over you will see the paper through the stone.)
4. Spread another thin layer over the back of the paper. This seals it, make sure to cover the edges. Let dry.
5. Once it is dry, spread Mod Podge on one side of a magnet and glue it onto the back of the stone! I tried this step with hot glue, but the magnet snapped off pretty easily...Mod Podge actually held the magnet the best.
6. Let it dry again and your done!

Making fabric flowers & headbands was one of my very first sewing endeavors two years ago when I was just starting with the DIY wedding shenanigans. I made hundreds (well maybe like 25) different flowers in attempts to perfect my wedding dress sash. I now have a few different fabric flowers that are my "go-to's" when it comes to headbands & hair clips. Here are a few tips about fabric flowers I have learned along the way:

Fabric Flower Tip #1: Think about thickness & stiffness. (hahahah, sorry)
    For example, using a thing sheer chiffon makes for a really pretty, light flower. However, you will need to use more of it to make the flower stand up on its own, or to have any shape. If you are using a "layering-circle" technique you will need a lot of little circles. If you are using a "folded-strip" technique you will need a long strip of fabric. A really stiff fabric, like flannel or a stiff satin, you will need less of it because it will stand up on its own.

Fabric Flower Tip #2:  Think about fraying.
    Many fabrics will fray if you don't hem the edges...and I definitely don't recommend spending time hemming for a fabric flower. One wedding dress sash I made I used a fabric that frayed like crazy and when I was done all I could envision was me pulling gray threads off my dress all night!! Ahhhh...nightmare!!  So here is my rule of thumb.  If it is a fabric that frays a lot then I use my "folded-strip" technique or the "rolly-polly" technique. This way the raw edges get tucked underneath or rolled up and you don't see them. If it is a fabric that doesn't fray very much than you can use most any other technique.

Fabric Flower Tip #3: Use a felt square backing.
    My first attempts with flowers I tried to make the flower by sewing it "onto itself", which works... but now I use start with a little square of felt and sew the fabric onto the square. This seems to work better, you end up having a large piece to work with at the end to attach your flower to a headband or clip when it's finished.

Fabric Flower Tip #4: Make it a clip.
    This idea occurred to me when I was making my flower girl headbands. I was not sure if the girls would want a hard headband or just a ribbon with an elastic in the back. Which would be more comfortable and which would stay in place? So, I decided to put the flower on a clip and then they could choose which headband to clip it to.  I know not everyone is blessed with thick, course hair like me; which is ideal for headband wearing... ;-) So, now I make all the flowers on clips so that people can either clip it to a little headband or clip it right in their hair!

Fabric Flower Tip #5: Be creative & make mistakes!!
    The blessing with making flowers is that you can just use whatever scraps you have laying around the house, so if it doesn't turn out, no money wasted, no harm done! I cut up T-shirts, use coordinating different scraps from separate projects, whatever! Cut different shapes, fold in different manners, add jewels, buttons, feathers, glue instead of stitch...anything goes!

Yay! Does anyone else like to wear headbands? Usually day 3 after not washing my hair is a headband day for me... haha.  Now grab some scraps and get creative!!!

So sorry I haven't posted in like a minute. ("I ain't been to the gym in like a minute!"--if you haven't seen this YouTube video search "Nah Son" its a Dora write-over--hilarious!) I have been happily busy crafting away for a bridal shower/bachelorette party this weekend, and I can't post about any of the crafts given that probably 80% of my readers will be at this shower!! Haha!!

However, I did want to write about what I am doing because I think it is a pretty monumental idea for all you crafters out there. Credit is really due to Crafter/Workout Friend Courtney & Dancy Friend Brianna for suggesting that my contribution for the shower should be the prizes! Genious for multiple reasons: (1) I have an excuse to try multiple crafts that have been on my "one-day-to-do-list", (2) If you are like me, you need a deadline to actually finish a project, and a shower has a definitive deadline, (3) I don't have to cook ANYTHING! ;-) If you don't already know this about me, I have been referred to as Martha Steward, but have NEVER been called Betty Crocker.

So, though I would love to show you final pictures, you will have to tune in next week after the shower. And, no, I will not be posting on Sunday because I plan to let loose on Saturday ;-) But here are some sneak peaks:

All for now! Check back next week for the full story!!