DIY Leather Earrings

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 nicoleLeave a comment

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

I’m on a leather kick these days. I keep thinking of projects I want to make out of recycled leather. Which is good, because one of my recent ongoing projects started out like this:

A free leather couch that comes with a really long, crazy story. I want to tell you all about it, but I’m going to wait until the BIG project I’m planning is finished. I’m just not sure when that’s going to be because I keep hitting snags. But it’s coming. I promise.

In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about some other things I’d like to do with recycled leather, and earrings was high up there.

I’ve seen leather earrings online for years now, but I never thought about making them myself. Then my friend, Christy, made a pair, and I loved them. And I remembered some leather I thrifted years ago for just this kind of thing. (I was on a leather kick then, too, when I made this clutch from a thrifted leather jacket. I still use that clutch all the time, and it’s one of my most visited projects here on the blog.)

I bought this coat, thinking it might make another great clutch, but as is the story of my life, I never got around to it because other projects and ideas got in the way.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

But, when you want to make a pair of earrings YESTERDAY ALREADY, the coat hanging in your closet seems perfect. I chopped off a sleeve and got to work.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

I was going to free-hand an almond shape, but then I spied a wire hoop I made when practicing for these earrings, so I traced it onto cardstock and cut it out.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

I used a Sharpie on the back of the leather to trace around the cardstock.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

I cut them out with a regular pair of scissors, then I used an awl to poke a hole at the tops for the ear wire. I made my own ear hooks out of gold filled wire and added them on.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

The whole process took less than 5 minutes, so I decided to make some more!

The back of the red leather has a dark orange tint, so I made a pair of those.

They look great with the new Mets hat I just bought for Little League games.

Then I tried a cut-out pair.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

I really like how these turned out!

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

Now, I’ve been trying to clean that “free” tan couch for over a week. (Husband says, based on the amount of labor we’ve put into it, it can no longer be called “free”.)

As of Monday afternoon, I had a tiny piece of the tan leather that’s perfectly usable, so I made a pair of earrings out of that, too.

DIY Leather Earrings :: beautiful-objects.com

These might be my favorites. But the orange ones are a very close second.

If the BIG leather project doesn’t end up working out, I’m going to have A LOT of leather to work with, so, friends and relatives, you might be getting a pair of these for birthdays and Christmases for years to come. Hope you like tan!

etsy shop · Jewelry · Style

Caftans + Bold Earrings

March 7, 2018March 6, 2018 nicole2 Comments

It was a cloudy, rainy weekend here in Northern California. I am NOT complaining – we NEED rain, I LOVE rain, I look forward to dark, gray days to light candles and dig out blankets and feel cozy and wintery. Plus, it’s been pretty cold, so it FEELS like winter, finally.

But….

I’m also starting to think a little bit about spring. The Boy started baseball last week, and The Girl is running barefoot everywhere as if it already were sunny and warm. We’re starting to sign up for summer camps. The REALLY warm weather will be here before we know it. I think it’s the perfect time to consider….

…a caftan!

This is the first one I found YEARS ago. I didn’t even know what it was (a robe? a nightgown? something from another country?) But the embroidery was so lovely – I’m a sucker for good needlework – that I had to have it.

Turns out, they are perfect for warmer weather because the long, loose fabric billows away from the body and keeps you cool.

(For a brief history of the caftan, check out this article.)

I fell for this one because of its cross-stitch design, a skill I used to be pretty good at back in elementary school. The gradient of color played out in tiny stitched X’s is just so great.

This one’s perfect for spring – bright coral with white embroidery.

This one is my favorite – a soft chambray with thick white cotton embroidery thread. I think this is the one I’m going to keep. The rest will be going in my Etsy shop this week. (And I’m always on the lookout for more, so I’ll add more as I find them.)

And aren’t they fun with big, bold earrings?

I’ve been playing around with a couple of different earring designs lately – a 3-tier drop and a big almond shape. Both designs feature upcycled vintage beads I’ve found at antique shops and thrift stores. Because most of the beads are vintage acrylic, they are fairly lightweight and easy to wear.

You can check out these and more earring designs over in my Etsy shop. (Click on photos above for more details.)

So, would you wear a caftan? If I invited you to Caftan Party? (It’s a thing – see here and here.)

Being Mama · books · five things · Jewelry

Five Things

June 2, 2017September 6, 2017 nicole2 Comments

Happy Friday! Happy June! I can’t BELIEVE it’s already June!

We had some fun plans for Memorial Day Weekend, but then BB got a stomach bug and was quarantined for 4 days while Husband and I wore masks and gloves and washed our hands 8000 times and let the kids watch a ridiculous amount of movies in their own rooms so there would be no cross-contamination. #thanksnorovirus

And now next week is the last week of school, so we’re in the thick of end-of-the-year events. Yesterday was “Donuts with Dads” at BG’s preschool (a sweet tradition that involves donuts, of course, and sweet cards and building projects), and last night was an awesome musical put on by BB’s class at school. He completely surprised us all by volunteering at the last minute to take over a part for a child who couldn’t be there. He was the most adorable little frog who turned into a prince, and I couldn’t have been prouder of him.

I have to say, I’m feeling ready for summer break. Not ready as in I have great plans and camps and activities mapped out, but ready for slower-paced days and hanging around and reading and going to the pool and just generally relaxing. (More of my thoughts on summer here.)

As we start the final countdown, here are five things on my mind this week:

1. Not a Perfect Mom, but an Enough Mom. A great read, especially as we often head into summer with BIG expectations of how “lovely” summer should be.

2. This book. I read it in two days – possibly a record for me since having kids. Husband read it in about 5 hours. Science Fiction is something I never read, but the story in this one was so engaging and tender and CRAZY (I’m not going to pretend I even understood everything), I couldn’t put it down. I still can’t stop thinking about it.

to select well among old things

3. This quote. YES!

bon bon vintage earrings 4. These earrings. I feel like I “select[ed] well among old things” when I made these! I fell in love with these old vintage beads – their big round shape, their faceted surface, their disco ball feel. I’m on the hunt for more like this – I want to make these earrings in every color! (I’m adding new pieces to my Etsy shop often – check out other finds here.)

5. Made me laugh. BB and BG loved it, too! There’s nothing better than looking at cute and hilarious animals. I’m bookmarking this to revisit on tough days. Enjoy! (Update: The original link was broken, so I found another page that has the same photos. Still cracks me up!)

What are you up to this weekend? I’m looking forward to a germ-free weekend where we can do some of the things we planned to do last weekend. We have very little on the calendar, and I couldn’t be happier. Hope your weekend is full of good books, inspiration, and great laughs. Thanks for reading!