DIY || #38 || Take the world wherever you walk

People...I've had these DIY Embroidered Yarn Bracelet Sandals in my head for nearly a year (!!) and I finally found the perfect materials to put it together! You probably think I'm a bit crazy, but seriously, I've been dying to make these! I've had the fortune to travel many places around the world and I made it a tradition of mine to collect yarn bracelets from each country as a keepsake. When I was younger, I used to wear all the bracelets and they became excellent conversation starters! Now that I'm living the professional life, I had to put them aside but still like to memorialize them in some way. The best part about these sandals is that they can be meangingful if you'd like them to be! It's quite common to make Yarn Friendship Bracelets, so you could double up with your besties and make these sandals as an alternative way to strut your awesome friendship wherever you go. Or, how about about a fun DIY Mother's day gift that you make together?! The options are endless. Best part, they take less than 15 minutes to put together. Here are the deets! 

What you'll need:

-Plain sandals with strap across the front/top (bought mine at Forever 21 for $7!! Here's a similar style online)

-Yarn bracelets (bought mine at Michaels, but also found some from a vendor at a street fair!)

-Hot glue gun or Permanent bonding glue

-Scissors

Instructions:

1. Prepare your bracelets! The ones I purchased cameattached to a pleather backing, so I used scissors to cut it off. If you are using the traditional yarn bracelets, you will have to trim off the ties on the nds so it is a straight, rectangular piece, kind of like a ribbon.

2. Since the yarn will thread apart after cutting the ends, apply a thin amount of glue to the back, inside of the bracelet along one edge and fold the end over just enough so it it sticks down but doesn't shorten the bracelet too much. I folded mine over about 1/4 of an inch.

3. Repeat step #2 on other side of the yarn bracelet.

4. Using the hot glue gun, apply glue to the first half of the sandal strap using a zig-zag pattern. Carefully apply the yarn bracelet, gently pressing as you move up and across the strap.

5. Glue the sedcond half of the strap and complete attaching the braacelet to it. 

6. Repeat steps #4 and #5 on the second sandal.

That's it folks! Super easy and straightforward way to really create a unique accessory for the summer adventures, for your mom, for your besties, or just for your own fabulous self! Let me know what you think or if you try it out! Also, the beautiful embroidered blanket featured in these shots is from Urban Outfitters!

DIY || #27 || Weaving...Aint nobody got time for that!

Okay, so I stand corrected. Some people do have time to learn weaving and continue on to produce beautiful products. This is one I have been admiring a bunch lately, in addition to this, this, and this. For those of us who have more admiration than free time, a little shortcut doesn't sound so bad, right? I tried a couple of ways and finally settled on this tutorial to create a non-woven but still 'woven-like' trendy wall hanging. The best part is that it took an insignificant amount of time (1-2 hours), can be easily customized even after it is completed, and cost me less than $25 for all the materials. Boo yah! So let's get started...

The items you will need: yarn (variety of colors/sizes/types), stiff plastic canvas, thread (the slightly thicker the better), scissors, stick (I used an old paint roller), and leather string for hanging. Keep in mind that you can add any other type of detail to your piece such as wooden beads, fabric scraps, etc. depending on the look you are going for. I spent about $16 on yarn. $0.50 on the canvas, $4.00 on thread/leather string, and $0 on the stick = a total of $20.50!

Basic steps: First start by sketching a rough template of what the final piece will look like. It doesn't have to be exact and does not have to be followed once you get going. Just gives you a nice visual to have before getting started and to refer back to if needed. Next, start making the yarn tufts. For the longer length pieces, I wrapped the yarn around the length of my arm, tied a piece of thread to each side of the loop, and cut across the loop in the middle to yield two tufts each tied together by thread. The more you wrap the yarn around your arm, the thicker your tufts will be and the less you will have to make to go across the width of the board. For this top gray layer I made 6 tufts, each created after wrapping the yarn around my arm about 20 times. For smaller tufts, I simply wrapped the yarn around the palm of my hand. Once you have created your tufts tied to string, you can start attaching them to the plastic canvas. For the very top layer, make sure to leave the first row of boxes open so you attach the board to the stick to be hung up. So starting in the second row, simply slide the strings through the boxes in the plastic canvas and tie them together into a knot on the back of the canvas, making sure the tuft is pulled up close to the board as much as possible. Now just repeat! Space the yarn tufts out so they overlap enough not to show the canvas underneath. Once all set, trim off any excess edges or cut the yarn as desired to get the look you want.

The last step is to attach the plastic canvas to a wooden stick. I used an old paint roller we had laying our the apartment which ended up being the perfect size. First I looped leather string through a couple holes in the top corners of the canvas then loop them numerous times around the ends of the stick. Bring the two strings together at the top and tie them together with several knots. Hammer a nail into the wall and hang. All set!

Feel free to experiment with various styles/colors! At one point I wrapped yarn around the board itself rather than creating tufts. I made a cascading effect by cutting the yarn at different lengths or tying the yarn tufts in a diagonal rather than straight across the canvas. Share if you do create one - I'd love to see!