I have fallen in love with this DIY Paper Bag Waist Skirt (by Adventures in Dressmaking) Super cute and perfect for summer. This one requires a bit of sewing so if you want something a bit less difficult be sure to check out their “Super Easy Paper Bag Waist Tutorial”
DIY: Bubble Chandelier (via CasaSugar)
*This one is a bit spendier than the others I have posted but still pretty decent.
Brass Safety Chain ($1.13/foot) + Elastic = Headband
I purchased 2 feet of chain and used about 14 inches of it (2 strands of 7 inches) & black elastic to make a headband.
I threaded the black elastic through two (or one, if you wish) strands, folded over the end and used a hot glue gun to secure it.
There are huge spools of chain at hardware stores where you have an employee cut a certain amount for you. Make sure you choose a chain that is easy for you to cut/twist apart with pliers or scissors; some of the chains are difficult to trim unless the employee uses the special chain-cutting-machine-thing.
You’ll need:
- a large silk flower
- floral tape
- 2 pieces of 16 or 18 gauge floral cloth wire
- a piece of 4 x 4″ green felt
- a glue gun
- a pair of wire cutters
- a pair of scissors
You’ll start by cutting 2 circles from the piece of felt at approximately 2″ in diameter. Form the wires of your halo by molding and bending each piece into a half circle. Lay the two half circles opposite of each other to create a single circle, laying it over the top of your head to check the fit. Wrap floral tape over 2 sections of overlapping wire at 11 o’clock and 3 o’clock. Trim any overlapping pieces with the wire cutters.
Using the wire cutters, cut the stem off the flower making sure the back is flat. Glue one of the felt circles to the back of the flower. Lay the 3 o’clock section of the halo on the backside of the flower. Sandwich the halo between the flower and the second felt circle with plenty of glue. As your pressing the two felt circles together, pull the halo up on its side, making it stand perpendicular to the back of the flower. Insert glue into any openings, making sure the two felt circles are sealed together.
The possibilities are endless with this as you can wrap flowers around half or the entire perimeter of the halo, reinforcing with glue. Or if wearing a halo just isn’t your thing, make a hair pin or brooch by gluing a large bobby pin or a pin back to the back of the first felt cutout.
Your flower halo is ready to wear!
How to make hemp string pendant lamps
Supplies and tools
1. Draw a circle on the ball with a permanent marker. This circle will mark a space on the lamp that needs to remain clear of string. The empty circle will be used in assembling the light fixture and will allow you to have access for changing light bulbs. If the light fixture you are using has lamp shades, make sure that the circles are big enough for the shades to easily pass through.
2. Cover your work surface with trash bags or a drop cloth, and put on gloves (this gets messy).
3. Squeeze a quarter size amount of glue onto your fingers and run the hemp string through the glue and then wrap it around the ball. The string should stick fairly easily to the ball. You can fill a shallow tub with the glue and run the hemp string through it, or you can apply the glue directly to the string from the bottle.
4. Glue and wrap, glue and wrap, glue and wrap. Just keep going. Try to wrap randomly to avoid criss-cross patterns. The more densely wrapped the lamp is the stronger it will be.
5. Make sure to avoid wrapping string over the circle area. If there are any areas that seem weak, you can apply a little extra glue to give it more strength.
6. Repeat the steps 1-5 to make multiple lamps. Let the glue dry completely. (The glue I recommended takes about 48 hours to cure completely.)
7. Use the inflating needle to deflate the ball.
8. Remove the deflated ball from the lamp.
9. This part takes some basic electrical skills. Follow the installation instructions that come with your light fixture. While installing the light string, feed the wires through the circle hole of the lamp and up through the top, so that the light bulb will hang down in the center of the sphere.
I love this so much! I can’t wait to try it (: Thanks for the submission. Submitted by: sarahannc
This lamp is easy to make and truly a beauty. 
First we used a huge baloon that I bought at a party store. Then you collect all the old Doilys, crochet or lace, small tablecloths. I found mine at a flea market. Paint them with lots of wallpaper glue so they are soaked.
Hang the ballon on a string and put the soaked lace on the baloon. They have to overlap eachother so they will stick together and connect. I always put on another coat of extra glue when thay are all on the baloon. Just to be sure. Then wait for a while. Maybe a whole night.
Pop the baloon when the glue is dry and attach a nice looking cord and lamp fitting. Voilá a new lamp!
*I think these are cute even if you don’t want to use them as lamps.
