First Year Anniversary Gift Ideas

Next month is my 1 year anniversary. I can’t believe it, it just went so fast!

The traditional gift for one year anniversary is paper.

I’m not quite sure what that means though.

Is it a journal? This one from Collective Elements:


Or a drawing, this one from Jenna Newton:


Or a paper nest? Like this one from Pandawithcookie:



Or even a scrapbook from WaiSze:

Any other ideas?? Please share yours in the comments. Thanks!

Lorina of The Original Beadscarf

Simple and Versatile Paper Flower Garland

One of the biggest wedding budget-savers is to do some of the decorations yourself. Here is a very simple and versatile paper flower garland you can make that looks great without breaking the bank. And because you choose the colors, length and look of this garland, it is perfect for all types of gatherings such as receptions and bridal showers.

You will need:

• Colored paper, card stock (any type of paper that is bendable)
• Flower punch
• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• Scissors

You can find all of these materials at your local crafts store. For this particular project I used 1 sheet of vellum, and a flower punch I had on hand.

Each 8.5" x 11" size sheet can more or less fit about 20 flowers. Punch a row of flowers along a side, then just use scissors to remove the punched portion.

Once you have enough flowers punched out, punch a hole in the center of the flowers.

Thread a ribbon into the centers of the flowers and keep it in groups of two.

Once you've threaded all your paper flowers through the ribbon, you can determine the length and look of your garland.

Fold each paper flower in half. This will give it dimension.

Once you've folded all the paper flowers, you can spread out each cluster as you like.

By pushing all the clusters close, you can create a lei effect!

The great thing about this project is that it's really fool-proof and inexpensive. It softens up a space instantly without costing a lot. And since it's paper and ribbon, it's definitely a lot more environmentally friendly than using cut flowers.

By Lisa
-Pretty Stationery for Beautiful Souls
http://www.lisafudesignstudio.com

How-to: "Something Blue" Bridal Hair Pin

My little sister will be getting married this summer and she trusted me enough to give me the extremely important task of designing and creating her jewelry. I'm scared already! ;O I'm almost certain, she will turn out to be my most difficult and outspoken client ever, and I'm not fooled by her when she says "Just surprise me, I'm sure I will love it!"

I decided to start with hair accessories. We went over different possibilities: hair combs, tiaras, hair bends and decided that hair pins would be best. My sister has very fine and "slippery" hair and pins will not only help to hold them in place, but also give the master hairdresser, my brother's best friend, lots of flexibility.

Supplies:

~hair pin
~wire (I'm using 26ga silver plated wire)
~beads: glass flowers, glass leaves, pearls, Swarovski crystals, seed beads
go wild! use silk flowers, feathers, old jewelry, sequins, buttons, etc
~wire clippers
1. Cut an 18in long piece of wire, place first petal or leaf shaped bead in the middle of your wire and twist wire securing bead in place.

2. Secure additional 2 petal beads on each end of the wire.

3. Make a couple of additional twists below the little branches.
4. Add glass flower bead topped with "something blue" Swarovski crystal bead leaving about 1/2in of wire bellow the flower.
5. Bend the wire tightly over the edge of the flower bead and twist tightly making sure that the blue crystal stays as centered as possible.

6. Thread a little Swarovski crystal butterfly on the longer end of the wire about 1.5in from twister wire, fold it tightly against the bead and wrap around.
7. Position the butterfly above the pearl branches.
8. Add one more flower bead with Swarovski crystal center at the base of this little bridal bouquet.

9. Thread both ends of the wire through the loop of the hair pin and secure it in place by wrapping around the loop of the hair pin and around the base of the bouquet. Clip off the access wire.

by Mirela
Jantar Handcrafted Jewelry

wardrobe refashion: small changes make a huge difference...

i bought this dress at the salvation army a few weeks ago, and though i loved the fabric and general shape, i had a couple of issues with it:
the band of dark fabric at the bottom seemed too wide, and strapless bandeau-type tops aren't the most flattering on me. so i figured out a way to solve both problems in one fell swoop.

i started by hacking off about half of the band at the bottom:

then i measured from the top of the dress to where my neck and shoulder meet, and based on that, drew a rough pattern of a halter strap, which i pinned to the fabric i had cut off:

i used a double layer of fabric, for two reasons: 1) i thought it would look right beside the thick elastic-filled top of the dress, and 2) i hate to hem. so i ended up with 4 halter strap pieces, which i sewed together at the middle and then along the edges...
...then turned inside out. and i made a boomerang! thanks for coming, next time: fabric nunchuks! hee hee.
to attach them without the stitches showing, i sewed them to the edge of the interior seam at the top of the dress, where the elastic band met the main fabric:

then i hemmed up the bottom edge, and ended up with a dress that i love!



- cakehouse

Wardrobe Refashion: New Socks

There are two things that I wasn't sure I would be able to handle with the Wardrobe Refashion Challenge: socks and underwear.


Despite having a seamstress for a mother who made a lot of my clothes growing up, those are the two things that I have always bought new from a big box store. I thought about stocking up on socks and underwear before the challenge, but I thought maybe that was cheating a little.

I have discovered on etsy that there is a ton of handmade underwear available. While much of it is a little too frilly and exciting for every day wear, there's plenty that just look comfortable and not too expensive.

As for socks, that was a little harder. So I thought, I'll tackle that first and then everything else will be easy. But... I don't knit. And I'm not interested in knitting. My mom is going to knit a pair of socks next. But I'm not holding my breath that they're for me or that I'll see them anytime this year, so I'd better figure it out on my own.

I remember seeing a pair of socks made from stretchy knit fabric on etsy, though now I can't seem to find them. So when I sat staring at my piles of fabric I started pulling out the stretchy-est fabrics I have. Here are my first two inventions.



I think it might need a little more tweaking in order to get excellent knee-high socks (my favorites), but these are both comfortable and cute.


Karen
Karen's Monsters

Where to Find The {NewNew} on March 28 + 29

Artists and Fleas Indoor Market, Brooklyn
Karen's Monsters will be back at the Artists and Fleas Indoor Market both Saturday and Sunday. Location: 129 North 6th Street, Brooklyn. (Map)




PS 9 Craft Fair, Brooklyn
Lovely Day Designs will be representing in Brooklyn this Saturday from 10am - 4pm. Location: 80 Underhill Avenue, Brooklyn. (Map)





DUMBO Winter Pop-Up Market

The DUMBO Pop-Up Market is still going strong, so check it out this weekend and say hello to members of the {NewNew} Team this Saturday and Sunday from 11am - 6pm. Location: 81 Front Street, Brooklyn (Map)




Saturday, March 28th Line-Up (left to right): JournalisticTendencies, Chelleline Cards, and theCraftarium







Sunday, March 29th Line-Up (left to right): SaruStar, LaPistolera, and PoofNY









Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair, Jersey City
WindowsOfAgate will be in Jersey City this Saturday selling at Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair from 10am - 3pm. Location: LITM, 140 Newark Avenue, Downtown Jersey City (Grove Street PATH Station Stop). (Map)


Mulberry Street Young Designers Market
l'atelier des bijoux will be selling her jewelry at the Mulberry Street Young Designers Market this Saturday from 11am to 7pm.
Location: 268 Mulberrry Street, Manhattan. (Map)




Have a fantastic weekend!


Karina
WindowsOfAgate

Etched Glass Wedding Gifts

Etched glass surfaces make great unique wedding gifts. You can really customize your gift to suit the couple and make it a one of a kind present they will treasure and use for years.

You will need:

• An object with a smooth glass surface, like a vase, drinking glass, or a mirror

• Contact paper to place over your design

• Armor glass etch cream (found at most hobby stores)

• Foam brush

• Exacto knife

• Simple design to etch

• Safety goggles

• Rubber gloves

How to:
1. If you find a design that you like in a book that you cannot cut from that page, you can use the contact paper to trace it, as shown here.

2. Slowly peel the backing from the contact paper and smooth it onto your glass surface.

3. Using your exacto knife, carefully cut the contact paper to expose the parts of the surface you would like to expose to the etching cream. The surface exposed to the etching cream will take on a frosted look.
4. Carefully remove those parts that you have just carved.
5. Put your rubber gloves on and use your foam brush to apply a generous amount of etching cream to only those exposed parts of your surface where you wish to achieve the etching effect.
6. Wait 5-7 minutes for the etching cream to eat away at the glossy surface of your glass.
7. With your rubber gloves and goggles on, bring the glass item to a sink where you will carefully wash off the etching cream.
8. Once you have completely rinsed off the etching cream, you may remove the contact paper.
9. Voila! You have a unique wedding gift.

-Lorina Pellach Ladrillono, The Original Beadscarf.