I know I'm not the only one who gets their headphones tied in knots. I've tried all kinds of tricks to keep my cords untangled from one another, but it seems like no matter how hard I try, they all fall apart sooner or later. Keeping them separated seems to be the key–and these leather cord tacos are the way to do it! You can easily adjust the size of the taco to fit all of your cords from headphones to laptop chargers, so you can stay organized across the board.
You will need:
Leather/faux leather panel
X-acto knife
Small button
Leather needle and thread
To Make:
Trace a small circle (like the bottom of a mug) onto the leather panel. This size is great for headphones; feel free to adjust the size to fit your cord's needs!
Cut the leather circle out with an X-acto knife. Use multiple shallow strokes until it's cut all the way through, rather than trying to cut through the full thickness at once.
Sew a small button on one side of the circle. Make sure the front of the button is on the inside, so it'll be oriented correctly when folded in half.
Cut a slit on the opposite side of the circle, just big enough for the button to fit through.
Fold the circle in half and button it. Done!
These are so easy to make, and they come in so handy when I'm tossing cords and chargers in my purse or if I'm traveling, so I don't end up with a knotted mess when I get to my destination. I also love the sparkle of the little button! Do you have any tricks you like to use to keep your cords in order?
This post might seem like it's coming a little bit out of left field, but I've actually been holding on to this one for about a year, so bear with me. In my final semester of college, my thesis project centered around the ideas of exploring non-traditional subcultures. I narrowed down my list of ~15 subcultures down to just 3 for the final product (Barbie, Scrapbooking, and Harry Potter Fandom), but I couldn't quite let go of disco subculture. I had spent a ton of time looking into the world of disco, and one thing that really grabbed my attention was a legendary New Year's Eve party held at Studio 54. They reportedly imported 4 tons of glitter and straight up dumped it on the floor for the night. It was four inches deep; the owner described it as feeling like you were "walking on stardust," and countless celebrities testified to still finding glitter in their clothes months later.
I absolutely could not stop thinking about it. Four inches of glitter. That's ankle deep. What's it like to walk around in heels in glitter like that? How did they import it? How did they get it off of everything after NYE? Were they actually able to get it off of anything after NYE? Insanity.
I came up with the crazy idea to build a glitter sandbox—not huge, but big enough to take a few steps in. I just really needed to know what that was like. While dropping disco subculture from the project meant also leaving behind the glitter sandbox, I'm still holding out hope that I can do that one day. But for now, I'm settling for a scaled down version–a glitter zen garden.
I think zen gardens are beautiful ways to add a decorative element to a desk or a side table, and their calming effects are always welcome. However, a traditional wooden zen gardens wouldn't really work with the glittery aesthetic I was going for, and after a short search, I found the perfect clear acrylic tray (from The Container Store) to hold my sparkles.
This DIY is more of a put-it-together-yourself than a do-it-yourself, but I think it still qualifies.
You will need:
a clear acrylic tray–make sure it doesn't have holes/handles cut out of the sides or the glitter will just spill out!
black glitter
diamond vase filler
zen rake
To make:
Pour the glitter evenly throughout the tray. Assemble the diamonds/vase filler attractively in the glitter sand, and use your zen rake to comb through the glitter! Easy peasy.
I searched everywhere for a metal zen rake, but couldn't find one (that kind of goes against the entire point of zen gardens, being natural and all that), so I spray painted mine. If you know someone who can make me one, let me know!
I used clear vase filler that's shaped like diamonds in place of the rocks that usually occupy zen gardens. I think it goes well with the clear tray and the whole thing kind of has a futuristic vibe.
I love having this on my desk; I always like to challenge the context of the way people look at glitter. The only thing this zen garden needs is a pop of hot pink. Maybe I can find some pink gems...
We're in the single digit countdown to Christmas, and you know what that means...time to start planning for New Years so you don't get caught completely off guard. Just kidding (kind of)! My birthday is the 29th, so it's actually between those two holidays, which basically just makes that whole week a constant party!
I have a suuuper simple one minute DIY for you today–you can make a ton of these drink stirrers for less than $5, and you'll always be ready to bust out the booze in style.
Supplies:
Sequined or glittered styrofoam balls–Look for vase and jar fillers. I got a huge bag of them at Michael's for just a couple bucks!
Cocktail Stirrers
To Make:
Poke the sharp end of the skewer or stirrer into the styrofoam, making sure not to poke all the way through to the other side.
Trim the stirrer if needed to fit your glass.
That's it! Seriously.
These are so perfect for New Year's–don't they look just like the ball about to drop? How will you be celebrating at midnight this year?
Just one more DIY with the rose gold spray paint I've absolutely fallen in love with! This gold leafing is super easy and way cheaper than actual gold leaf. The texture really adds a nice element to the table too. This post is similar to the way I dipped gold pinecones in Tuesday's post, so it's easy to do two-for-one projects with this technique!
Supplies:
Container that can hold water (that doesn't matter if it gets painted)
Spray the water with your spray paint–the color will float on the surface.
Dip the candles in the water deep enough to reach the height of coverage you want.
Dip the candles more than once to get more paint in different areas. Pull them out at an angle to get more paint on the sides.
I told you it was easy. Also, a helpful hint: if you plan on using candles in your centerpiece, make sure they're unscented. If your candles have a strong smell, it can be irritating and interfere with the delicious smells from the food you're about to eat!
Today's post is all about napkin rings, an essential for any holiday table. Plus, I get to break out the rose gold spray paint again which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I already want to turn everything in sight this color!
Supplies:
Oven bake clay
Cookie cutters
Spray paint
To Make:
Roll out your clay until it's about 1/4" thick.
Cut out the shape of your napkin ring using a knife or a cookie cutter. I used one of the leftover tiles from my marble place cards as my hexagonal guide.
Cut a circle out of the center using a smaller cookie cutter.
Bake at 275° for 15 minutes. Let cool.
Spray paint and let dry before using.
Easy peasy. This idea can be used for so many occasions, depending on the shape of the cookie cutter you use or the color you spray paint them. Let me know if you're going to make these for your turkey table this year!
