Friendship Bracelet Design One

I've always loved making friendship bracelets, but I was always stuck making the same two patterns: the simple one-knot strand and the stripes. I took it upon myself to learn a new kind of friendship bracelet and decided to share!

What do you need?

• 6 beads
• Scissors
• Tape (optional)
• String
• Ruler (optional)

Step One:

Cut five 36" pieces of string and tie a knot to connect them leaving about two inches of string above it. Tape it onto a relatively stable surface. This makes it easier to maintain tension in the strings when tying knots. 

After taping it down, divide the strings like the picture above. You should have two strings on the left, one in the middle, and two on the right. I will be referring to the middle string as the "core string". 

Step Two: 

Tie a square not around the core string. I usually start with the right side going under, and then do the left side going under. Those two knots combined create the square not. If there is any confusion, there are pictures of both halves of the square knot below.

Step Three:
Remember: these two knots create one, single square knot. Tie eight more square knots for a total of nine square knots.

Step Four: 

Lace a bead onto the core string. Tie three square knots below it. 

I apologize for the first photo. I was having issues rotating it, but you should still be able to get the idea. 

Step Four: 

Repeat the same step (bead, three square knots) for every bead until you get the sixth and final bead. When you get to the last bead, tie nine square knots. Finish off the bracelet by tying one final knot to connect the strings before cutting the remaining string leaving two inches below the last knot.

These bracelets are a fun variation as far as friendship bracelets go. Use them for fun, for yourself, for friends, and for gifts! Happy crafting! :)

Fabulous Friday (2)

Those who fly solo have the strongest wings.

Well, let the weak say, "I am strong". Have a great weekend. <3 

Fabulous Friday (1)

It's not often that we have a perfect week. It isn't, however, out of the norm to go through a few rough spots. For me, this week was particularly hard. 

In an attempt to spread positive energy, I'd like to mark the start of Fabulous Friday!

Fabulous Friday: a pick-me-up for your not-so-fabulous week. <3

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

Pizza Stuffed Pretzels

At one point, our family was cooking meals like crazy. Why? We wanted to freeze them for easy dinners that were ready to throw in the oven. There was one recipe that I loved in particular - Pizza Stuffed Pretzels.

The link to the recipe: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/07/pizza-stuffed-pretzels.html

The recipe recommends dipping the pretzels in warmed pizza sauce. Instead of buying ours in jars at the store, we make ours using a few ingredients we had at home. 

I wish I could claim credit for this recipe, but I can't. Just stir all of these into a small pot and heat on low:

• 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

The first time we made this sauce, we actually used herbs from our own garden. The recipe works just fine with a teaspoon of Italian seasoning as a substitute. We've also found that lime juice can replace lemon juice.

Homemade pretzels make a happy family! :)

T-Shirt Scarves

Each winter just seems to get colder and colder! I frequently find myself bundled up in three jackets. Well, that's not as trendy as it sounds. What has been trending, however, are these homemade scarves. I've noticed people wearing around these scarves made out of t-shirts! They're so simple to make and take only about ten minutes; quick and easy.

What you need:

• T-shirt (tank tops work too)
• Scissors (rotary cutter and board are an optional alternative)

1. Trim

Unlike most things, there is no exact science to this. You simply cut two lines: one beneath the armpit, and one above the bottom hem.

I used a pair of scissors, so the lines weren't as straight as they could have been with a rotary cutter. It doesn't change the final product, but it would be more crisp in the beginning process.

You can toss the top third of the shirt, but save the hem to finish the scarf. 

2. 1-inch Strips

If you can just remember the "1-inch rule", you're good. Cut 1-inch strips across the middle portion of the shirt. Leave about one inch near one of the side hems so your scarf doesn't fall apart. It should look something like this:

3. Roll

This next step is the trickiest, but it's still not too hard. Grab the top of the shirt that's not cut (the left side in my picture above) and roll the hem downwards until the cut up garment starts to resemble a scarf. Again with the inch, your hem should be rolled until it's about one inch long. This isn't rocket science, so you can be a bit lenient. 

4. Stretch

To complete the t-shirt scarf look, grab two ends of the scarf and pull. By doing this, you make the cut strips longer. They also roll up and hide any imperfect lines made by scissors. If you're using a softer fabric, be careful not to rip it! 

5. Tie

Here is the part where you get to use the old trimmings from your shirt! To make the scarf keep it's shape, you simply tie a strip of the trimmed fabric around the hem of the scarf. To be creative, I used a strip of fabric from an old pair of jeans I had lying around. 

Voila! 

The first time making these may not turn out perfect, so I'd recommend making a "trial" scarf before starting on your favorite shirt! 

This could be fun for...

• DIY gifts
• party activity
• just finding a use for old clothing
• staying warm in the cold with style

Since this is my first blog entry, I feel like I should give credit to my mom for inspiring me to start a blog of my own. You can check hers out at http://sub-urbans.blogspot.com/

Remember, live creatively. :)