An Old Bracelet is New Again

Like most girls (women) my age, I have a drawer full of jewelry that I once loved and lived in, that has now become a bit passé. Remember this Tiffany bracelet that was so popular about seven years ago? No one is wearing them anymore, but it's nice heavy silver, and charm bracelets are so in right now! So I decided to give mine a new life.

Of course, I don't have a bunch of charms lying around, but I did have a surplus of foreign coins from various trips, just gathering dust in a closet.



Using the jewelry attachment on my fancy new Dremel, I buffed the coins to give them a little shine.



Then I laid everything out, making sure the size distribution seemed right. I decided to mix my metals, so I'd be able to wear the bracelet with a variety of other accessories. Then I let the drilling and linking commence! Word to the wise, stick with the Dremel for drilling holes in the coins - I broke two bits when I tried to use my regular wood drill.



Ta da! An old bracelet is new again. Special thanks to my hand model, Jen!

Parasol Lighting Fixture

Part of the problem with rental apartments is that there is a limit to what you can customize. For instance, my landlady has a very unfortunate (for me) aversion to painting. However, I've found that one of the easiest and most effective ways to change a room is by updating the lighting fixtures.

I wanted a bright but diffused light in my bedroom that wouldn't blind me in the mornings. This parasol casts a lovely glow, and was incredibly easy to hang. And not including the trip to Chinatown, it only cost about $5!



I merely sawed off the bamboo handle to about 6 inches long, and drilled a screw into the newly cut end. Then I inserted the screw into the hole that was left when I removed the existing glass bowl-style shade.



Bada Bing! Done!

Sew Mama Sew

Have you ever noticed that stores like Anthropologie use the funnest, most unique fabrics? And that those bold, colorful patterns are almost impossible to find in the retail sector? Why is it that stores like Joann's only seem to cater to the stodgy quilters and scrapbookers of the world? No offense to my stodgy quilting / scrapbooking readership, but I am about 30 years too young for the Christopher Lowell Collection.

For those who are looking for a place to buy unique fabrics at a reasonable price, I suggest SewMamaSew.com. Check out the kitchen valance I made from this fun Mendocino squid fabric by Heather for Free Spirit.




I also just ordered five yards of Sprays by Kaffe Fassett to make new living room curtains.



I'm thoroughly addicted! Anyone else have a hot fabric shop to share?