craving to paint?!?!

It has been years since I picked up a rag (yes, rag) and painted on an actual canvas.  Something about the entire process is very soothing and methodical.  I came home today after a flower arranging class which was awesome and is craving to paint.  I had to get my fix, so killing two birds with one stone, I doodled with watercolor (just not the same) and finally tested this nice thick paper.  Doodles of flower petals... definitely inspiration from flower arranging class with Ivie.   

DIY tie clip

materials:
flat clip (hair pin with a flat top is fine)
glue gun
clear tape
plastic collar stay (as long as you can cut with scissors)
iron
pencil
piece of fabric

1- Measure your clip and cut your collar stay, make sure you give enough room to cover the clip (I gave 2/16ths of an inch on each side) 
2- On the back side of your fabric outline the collar stay with a pencil lightly enough for you to see in the middle of the fabric. 
3- Tape the outline of the outline of your collar stay.  When done you should have a rectangle in the middle of the fabric.

4- Iron on the front of your fabric.  If you iron the back of the fabric the tape will melt on your iron and that would be really bad.  Iron until you can hardly feel the edge of the tape (you can feel that the tape melted in to the fabric).  The tape will prevent your fabric from fraying.
5- Now using your collar stay as guide, outline the collar stay again next to the original rectangle on top and bottom of both sides (the long side, B).  Add half inch to left and right of the 3 rectangles (short side, A).  Your outlines should look like the diagram I drew as reference.  

6- Cut your template out, again see diagram.
7- Place your collar stay on the middle rectangle and fold A over the collar stay.  use a small pieces of tape to tape down the fabric on both sides.
8-Fold the corners of B and fold over the collar stay, as you do each side use the glue gun to hold each side permanently.  You should have a nicely wrapped rectangle.
9- Glue the clip to the back of the rectangle using your glue gun. 

You should have a nice tie clip... or hair clip.  

back again!

It has been a month since I last updated, and a lot has happened.  I will not go into details but during this time, emotionally, I have never been this low.  I was not motivated to do anything but life will go on and the world will continue to turn.  One can only hold on to what they can and remember what is dear in their heart.  I just have to suck it up and do what I have to do, that said... 

So this Valentines day I decided to make a tie clip for the bf, since he has been nothing but supportive during this hard time.  I decided to do my first DIY tutorial and will post tomorrow.