Bromeliad

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Where to buy rhinestones in settings for DIY jewelry

As mentioned earlier, making DIY rhinestone jewelry can be a loser situation if you are paying 50 cents to $2 or more per stone for your DIY project.

It took me months to find rhinestones in pronged settings at a price I was willing to pay. Below is part of my current collection, which I did not pay more than 20 cents a piece for (and some much less.).

Here are my sources, plus a few more options that aren't too crazy.

First up are slider beads by Darice. I've only found two places that sell these online - Consumer Crafts and JoAnn. Consumer Crafts has free shipping today only. JoAnn has free shipping for Black Friday weekend. Unfortunately Darice seems to be discontinuing some of these beads, particularly the single color strands, which is bad timing now that rhinestones are the hottest thing since craft clay. I've gotten 14 large stones for as little as $1.60 by hitting a clearance sale. Dear Darice, please make more rhinestone slider beads, not less.

Next up is AllStarco, which offers by far the best price on clear rhinestones. They also have a limited selection of colored rhinestones in settings, particularly navettes. You have to set the rhinestones yourself for everything except the montees, but it's not hard. You can get 24 navettes for $4.23, which works out to less than 20 cents a gem. Use code CYBERGOBBLE for 20 percent off until December 2.

Some other options are Wander & Hunt, which offers a nice selection of rhinestones in soft colors for about 40 cents a stone and free shipping. Stephanie at Henry Happened I believe was the first to discover stick-on pronged gems used for scrapbooking, which are good for small projects where you don't need a lot of stones in one shape. They run $3-4 a sheet for about 25 gems of various shapes.

Any sources I missed?

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Where to find affordable statement jewelry

Before I plunge into some more rhinestone DIYs, here's a pause to contemplate the possible death of DIY - the abundance of incredibly affordable bling on the Internet. (Above is an example from Bauble Bar via Sequins and Stripes.)

Why spend $30 on a DIY when you can buy a necklace for $15 and free shipping?

The solution is that you have to be able to make a necklace for less than $15. More on that later. In the meantime, let me introduce you to my new favorite blingtopia - Shop Lately.

Shop Lately has literally hundreds of jewelry pieces, most under $30 and many under $20 (mixed in with a few high-end pieces). Most of the jewelry is big and bold and on trend. Below are a few comparisons with your ever popular jewelry retailers like Anthropologie and J. Crew.

Anthropologie's Onica Crystal bracelet. Shop Lately's Manifest a Miracle bracelet for $88 less.

J. Crew Crystal Color Statement necklace. Shop Lately's Azure Breeze statement necklace for $96 less.

J. Crew's Geometric Floral necklace. Shop Lately's Translucent Jasmine necklace for $116 less.

Shopbop's Petite Foret necklace. Shop Lately's Luxe Gem necklace in green for $55.50 less.

J. Crew Beaded Rose necklace. Shop Lately's White Rosette necklace for $103 less.

Here's another treat. In an example of brilliantly simple marketing, Shop Lately gives you store credit for sharing on Facebook or inviting your friends to shop. (Your friends get a credit, too.) And Shop Lately has a blogger program where you receive credit for sharing your purchases on your blog. So, thanks to sharing a bargain that I would have shared anyway, I now get to buy a necklace. Or a bracelet. Like this one.

So, DIYers, does it bug you to spend more to make than it does to buy?

Friday, November 22, 2013

My DIY multicolor rhinestone necklace

Here's a warm-up project after all that rhinestone inspiration. This multicolored jewel necklace was inspired by one I saw on Shopbop that looked doable. The inspiration was $165. Mine cost way less than $10.

At first I wasn't keen on so many colors in one necklace, but it grew on me. It seems to work with autumn somehow. Also, you don't have to duplicate the original design. Use whatever colors, shapes and sizes of rhinestones you have on hand.

Get the full tutorial at examiner.com.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

20 DIY rhinestone inspirations

Fight off winter darkness with sparkly rhinestone jewelry. Here are 20 designs from high to low to inspire your DIY enthusiasm. Above is the work of designer Loren Hope.

Also at the top of the list for beauty and price are Shourouk and Dannijo.

Anthropologie's Cimarron Glitz bracelet by Dannijo. ASOS Jewel Cross headband.

Baublebar Mystic Topaz Gem Cuff. Left necklace, unknown.

Dolce & Gabbana.

Nasty Gal's Crystal Braid necklace. J.Crew's Pear necklace.

Fallon Crystal Choker necklace. Noir Jewelry Gem necklace.

Adia Kibur Teardrop Necklace. Tasha Statement Necklace.

Juicy Couture Teardrop Chain Link necklace. Tory Burch's Manon Embellished Crest Cuff.

Venessa Arizaga Amazing Grace necklace. Kate Spade Steal the Spotlight Statement Necklace.

J. Crew Jeweled Chandelier Sweatshirt. Tory Burch Vesper Top.

Are you feeling a DIY rhinestone project coming on?

Monday, November 11, 2013

Jewelry superstars on Cut Out & Keep

Yours truly was recently featured as a Jewelry Superstar on Cut Out & Keep. However, since you are already at my blog, I'm assuming you already know my projects. Therefore, I'd like to feature a few other recent Jewelry Superstars. Some were familiar names to me. Others were an introduction to DIY bloggers I had never heard of.

Above is the Cosmic Necklace from Minted Strawberry.

Dryad bracelets from Mich L. in LA.

Elizabeth Taylor inspired necklace from Beads Unlimited.

A mini leather belt ring from We Can Re-Do It.

Embroidered leather cuffs from Erin Siegel.

A DIY crystal spike necklace from Thanks, I Made It.

This, folks, is just scratching the surface. Seven projects from hundreds of bloggers. There is no end to ideas and inspiration here.

And here's me and my stuff. Thanks, Cut Out & Keep.

See more Jewelry Superstars here. For craft, sewing, cooking and other superstars go here.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Spruce DIY upholstery book giveaway

Let me get right to the point. I'm giving away a gorgeous DIY book courtesy of Storey Publishing that sells for $35.

Skip to the end if you are only here for free stuff.

For the rest of you, here is a peek inside of Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design, a new book by Amanda Brown. Amanda, who runs Spruce Upholstery in Austin, is one of those genius people who started pairing modern fabrics with vintage furniture pieces. Her tutorials have been featured on HGTV and Design Sponge.

Bromeliad the blog is all about reuse, and rescuing solidly made furniture and giving it a makeover is a big-ticket way to reduce waste.

This hardcover book offers gorgeous photography along with detailed step-by-step instructions. It's not just an inspiration book. It's a true do-it-yourself guide. Every step of every project is included, along with photos.

Part of Amanda's skill is pairing modern fabrics with a vintage upholstery shape, as the examples below show.

The book makes it seem that if you've got the the equipment and space and a tiny bit of spatial intelligence, a serious upholstery project is within your ability. I have none of those. My only big furniture project - a slipcover I did a few years ago - nearly killed me. But Spruce did inspire me to drag out this little thrift store footstool and cover it in something fabulous and weird. Right now I'm considering cobalt blue snake.