My First Friday DIY

Howdy Folks! Welcome to my first DIY Friday! We'll see how this goes...I have this post and one more lined up, but hopefully I will think of more little projects to keep you busy over the weekend!

Although this first one won't take very long...I guess you could pop in a movie and make a whole bunch!

Today I am going to show you how to make a fun "charm" for a necklace. I think I first saw this kind of thing on Elsie's blog, or through her Style School class (to make a fun rear view mirror accessory). But here I've adapted it to hang from a chain or beads.

You will need:

- pencil or pen

- craft knife and cutting mat

- sturdy cardboard, but thin enough that you can still cut through it

- yarn

Step One:
Draw your image on the cardboard with your pencil. You'll want it to be a fairly simple image, like a heart or a star, but also one that doesn't have a lot of interior corners that might be hard to wrap. I like a challenge, so I picked a peace sign!

(and Blogger is flipping my photos again because it's awesome...)

Step Two:

Use your craft knife and cutting mat to cut out the image. Start with the inside first...this makes things way easier!

Then cut the entire shape from its cardboard prison.

It doesn't matter if the edges are rough, or if you can see the pencil. This will all be covered with your yarn.

Step Three:

Wrap your yarn around the shape. It doesn't matter where you start, but cut a manageable piece of yarn from your ball and start wrapping.

When you get to the end of one strand of yarn, cut a new strand and start wrapping this one over top of the end of the previous string so you don't have to tie knots in the middle.

Once you've covered your shape, tie a knot in the last piece of yarn to secure it.

Step Four:

Find a chain, or beaded necklace to attach your charm to. Using a jump ring, or a paper clip, attach your charm to the necklace. I'm using Tim Holtz mini paper clips, which were leftover from a failed project, and the hanging clips. If you use something like this, it makes it much easier to switch your charm out.

Step Five:

If you want to add a little more colour or weight, attach another small charm or bead just up the chain from your DIY charm. I've been saving these Batman charms for just such an occasion!

And now for my Road Trip Revealinator!

I made this little guy out of wire before wrapping in yarn. The wire is really flimsy though, so we'll see how it holds up. It's a little dinosaur...we're going to Drumheller this weekend! How fun! We're leaving this afternoon and coming back on Sunday. I'm excited to have this little road trip with my guys, plus it will be another "check" on my 30 Before 30 list.

See you later skater alligator!