How To Make Stretchy Bracelets

Kids' bracelets, you've seen them at the popular kid clothing stores selling for $5 - $15. But did you know that they're easy and inexpensive to make? So, today I'm sharing how I make stretchy bracelets. The bracelets are perfect for party favors or gifts.

Supplies:
Clear stretch cord (1mm diameter) - I purchased the one above at my local bead shop. You can also find it at the craft store. It doesn't matter what brand you purchase. The most important thing is buying a thick cord ( 1mm diameter ) which will hold up well for kids.

Beads - any kind you like.

Scissors

Heavy duty glue - optional

Masking Tape

Cut about a 10 inch piece of stretch cord. Fold a piece of masking tape on the bottom of the string to keep the beads from falling off. I find this is easier and works better than tying a knot. String on beads.

Once all the beads are strung, wrap around wrist to see how it will fit. Adjust beads accordingly. Take off masking tape. Holding both ends together, tie two overhand knots. Add a little glue on the top of the knots. If possible, stuff the knots inside one the beads. Done.

This project entertained my kids for a good hour. Most of the fun came from searching and picking out the beads. Even my son was into it. He made one for himself, one for his Grandma and one for his Teacher.

Craft Project: Four Leaf Clover Card

Let me first say that I'm feeling a little guilty about posting a St. Patrick's Day craft right after a Hinamatsuri post. It just seems wrong, like when the stores stock Christmas products before Halloween. But this is what I made today so this is what I'll share.

This simple St. Patrick's Day card is made from card stock, glue and junk mail. That's it. It's an easy, inexpensive, and quick card to make.

Supplies:
Card Stock
Junk Mail Flyers - card stock weight preferred
Four leaf clover hole punch
Scissors
Glue

1. Punch out 9 clovers in shades of green from advertising flyers, magazines, etc.

2. Cut card stock to 11" x 5.5". Fold in half. Round corners with scissors or a corner punch.

3. Lay out clovers on card. Glue in place. Done.

Are You Ready For Hinamatsuri?

Music video about Girl's Day. There's a giant doll display in the background.

For some reason the Japanese holiday Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day, March 3rd) always sneaks up on me. But this year I'm ready, I already put up the doll display! I know it's bad luck if you have the display up past the holiday but is there anything wrong with putting it up early? Lets say early February?

If you want to celebrate the holiday as well, here are few links to get you started.

Paper Hina Doll Display

Hina Doll Set Made From Wood Eggs

Girl's Day Card

Emperor & Empress Paper Craft

Choosing Photo Backgrounds

Today I would like to share about how I photograph my crafts. Specifically, I wanted to talk about backgrounds. When taking pictures of my craft projects, I always like to have a complementing background. It adds another dimension to the photograph and can make the picture as a whole more interesting. Below are a few examples of backgrounds that I like to use for my pictures. You'll notice that they are all things you can find around your house.

* I'm by no means a photography expert and don't pretend to be. This is just what works for me when it comes to taking pictures of my projects. Take it for what it's worth.

Nature: Often I like to place items in trees, on the grass, and in the sand. I photographed this bluebird card in a tree by my house.

Table linens: In this case I used a table runner. I often use placemats, tablecloths and fabric napkins as well.

Clothing: This is one of my favorite backgrounds to use, clothing. And it doesn't just stop at my closet, I use my husband's and kid's clothing as well. The background in the picture above is one of my skirts. You'll notice that I coordinated the color of the ribbon and button to the fabric. When done right, it can really complement your subject.

Baskets: I like using baskets and wood floors for backgrounds because they give that zakka feel. If you've ever looked through a zakka craft book, you might have noticed that many of the pictures are taken on wooden tables and floors. Which brings me to another tip, see what others are doing. Look through your craft books and magazines for inspiration. Have fun.

Envelope Origami

I'm not sure if "envelope origami" really exists but for my amusement lets pretend it does.

Envelope origami - to create a likeness of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one envelope.

In this case, I folded an envelope into a box. It's an easy craft to turn your junk mail into something functional. Security envelopes work best for this project.

Red Thread Animation

Produced By Okushita Kazuhiko

I discovered this animation from one of my favorite blogs to visit, Bloomize.

Notebook Hack

One thing I could not live without is my idea journal. Anytime I'm inspired by something or come up with an idea it's documented in the journal. To keep these ideas organized, I created some tabs for my notebook. Any guesses what the tabs are made of?

If you said Japanese masking tape, you're right! All I did was fold a piece of masking tape over both sides of one page to create a tab. One nice thing about using tape for tabs is that it's flexible and will not tear off. Any masking tape will do but Japanese masking tape adds charm.

Each tab coordinates with a different category.

Silly Sticky Notes Giveaway

For today's contest I picked out these silly sticky notes on a stick. The inside of the sticky notes is a faded version of the faces. Apparently they come on a stick so you can keep them with your pencil container (refer to top right corner of packaging).

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment telling me the strangest thing you've ever purchased. One entry per household. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Monday, February 15, 2010. I'll announce the winner Tuesday on this post and email them. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. International friends welcome :)

Contest Closed

Congratulations to Pretty Crafty Thang who is the winner of the giveaway.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. It was a lot of fun reading about the funny items you purchased.

Kid Craft: Mixed Media Hearts

I got the great idea of having my 4 year old daughter make 40 of these hearts for Valentine's Day. And when I say great, I really mean absurd because what 4 year old has the attention span to make 40 of these? For that matter, what adult has the patience to make 40 of these? Not me. That being said, it's still a craft worth sharing. It's a fun art project that gives a child complete creative freedom. To me, that's the best kind of kid craft.

Supplies:
Paper
Scissors
Glue
Embellishments: beads, jewels, lace, stickers, or whatever you have around the house.

Cut out hearts. Place the glue out along with all the embellishments. Let them glue to their heart's desire.

Now, what to do with the 40 hearts that need to be decorated by tomorrow????

* Update: I shared in the comments what I did with the 40 hearts if you're curious.

Thinking Outside of The Heart Shaped Box

Sakuranbo - Cherry in a flavored gelatin

If you're looking for something different to give for Valentine's Day this year, consider some Japanese sweets. I purchased this Sakuranbo confection at J. Sweets in the Mitsuwa Market. Not only do the confections taste good but they're also beautifully wrapped. Now, I realize many of you don't live close to a store like this. In that case, see what other specialty food stores are in your area. You never know what you might discover.

Box of Yuzu Goromo

Yuzu Goromo - Candied yuzu filled with sweet an

A Look Back at My DIY Wedding

Over the weekend my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. I had planned to share how we met but my husband "didn't want our story floating around the internet". So, I thought I would share about some of the items I made for our wedding.

I apologize now for the pictures. The only good pictures we have are in our wedding album which would be difficult to scan.

For the favors, we gave out chopsticks. I printed our names/date on vellum an tied the tags with mizuhiki cord. I think I was up until 3:00 in the morning making these the night before my wedding. Can you say procrastination.


I made my wedding veil. When I went shopping for veils I thought the prices were outrageous. And so, the true do it yourself attitude came out. The veil came out okay, it could have been better. I'll leave it at that.

My mother setting up the place cards.

I used this tutorial from the Martha Stewart site to make the place cards. I also made the invitations, pew decorations and the bridesmaids' necklaces.

Did you have a DIY wedding? What did you make? Please share with us.

Cucumber Namasu Recipe

One of my favorite salads to make is cucumber namasu. It's a simple dish to make with minimal ingredients. It's perfect to serve in a bento or as an appetizer. Recipe below.

Cucumber Namasu Recipe

Serves 4 : very small servings, appetizer size.
Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Rice vinegar
Sesame seeds for garnish
*Optional - add fresh shrimp or crab meat to salad

Peel cucumbers and scoop out the center with a spoon.


Thinly slice and salt. Marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Rinse excess salt off with water. Squeeze out any water from the cucumbers. Pat dry.

For the dressing, heat sugar and rice vinegar on low heat. Mix until sugar dissolves. Let cool. Place in fridge to cool quicker, 30 - 60 minutes.

Mix dressing and cucumbers to taste. Plate salad. Garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Miniature shoes and more!

In case you missed my last Re-Ment post, I thought I would share about the miniature items again. Re-Ment is a Japanese company that makes miniature items such as food, Disney toys, clothes, etc. And I'm pretty much in love with everything. The pieces above are from the Petit Mode Collection. My husband surprised me with the shoe and handbag set (pictured above). You notice I said "me" and not "my daughter". Yes, these are my toys.

I'm not the only one captivated by these miniatures. There's an awesome Flickr group dedicated to the items.

Set 1 from Odekake Shoe & Bag

The handbag is about two inches in height to get an idea of scale.