As fun as jewelry is to collect and wear, it can be tricky to figure out how to store all your pieces. If you're not careful, it can too easily turn into clutter. Home organization stores would love to convince you to run out and spend tons of money on jewelry organizers and storage. But if you're willing to get a bit crafty, you can easily make your own DIY jewelry organizer or holder to store your jewelry in style.
Raise your hand if you have trouble finding jewelry that you like! Modern and interesting jewelry at affordable prices can be such a unicorn, don't you think? Which is why jewelry is the perfect candidate for some good old DIY intervention!
I love rolling up my figurative sleeves to create unique, handmade accessories. My latest jewelry project is one you minimalists will love: DIY leather circle earrings.
These stylish earrings are a cinch to make and don't require any fancy tools. AND if you use thrifted or second-hand leather belts, they are good for the environment too! Keep reading to see how easy it is to make your own leather circle earrings.
MATERIALS:
Thrifted leather belts — look for ones that are thick and wide so you have a good bit of material to work with.
Sharp scissors
Craft knife
A tea light or other small round object to use as a template
Tape (any kind will do)
E6000 or comparable permanent glue (a two-part epoxy also works well)
Earring posts and backs*
*If you have sensitive ears, try Creating Unkamen on Etsy for surgical steel or titanium earring findings. I’ve been replacing all of my earring posts and wires with these findings and they haven’t irritated my ears a bit!
Step
Start by cutting a piece of leather off of the belt that's big enough to fit the round object.
Step
Tape the round object (in my case, a tea light) into place in the center of your piece of leather. This will help keep the object steady while you cut out the circle.
Step
Using the craft knife, score a line in the leather by tracing all around the tea light or round object. Try to follow the shape of the object as closely as you can with the knife, just as if you were tracing it with a pencil.
Use light pressure to cut just a shallow "score" line for the first pass. Then apply more pressure to your cut with each turn around the tea light, using the initial score line as a guide for the blade to follow.
Keep cutting around the same line, tracing the round object, until you have created a groove in the leather, as pictured above.
Step
Once there is a deep enough cut to make a groove in the leather, you can remove the tea light. The groove will now act as a channel for the knife blade, as you make deeper cuts to cut through the whole fabric. Continue to cut around the circle until it pops out. Just like cutting biscuits! (Ok, a little harder than cutting biscuits).
Step
Finally, grab the E6000 and glue the earring post to the back of the leather circle near one edge. Use just a tiny amount of glue, as you really don’t want the glue to get onto the part of the post that goes into your ear (yuck).
Repeat steps 1 - 5 for the other earring and--always the hardest part!--allow to dry fully.
And just like that, you have a pair of totally one-of-a-kind, handmade leather earrings to wear!
I love that these DIY leather circle earrings will look different for everyone based on what belt you find at the thrift store. Wouldn't they look gorgeous made out of old tooled leather? As if you needed another excuse to rummage around at the local Goodwill…
Have you made anything else with leather before? What do you think about making your own jewelry?
If you make these earrings (or other DIY accessories!), we would love to see! Tag us #curblycrafts on social media and be sure to mention us so we can check out your projects!
Except, perhaps, people who can't keep plants alive.
Good news for all you plant-murderers: faux plants can often look as gorgeous as the real thing. Especially if you glam them up with my all-time favorite crafting material, copper leaf.
Today I'm going to show you how to make copper leaf plants so that you can bring some unique and botanical beauty to your summer decorating. That's right, we're leafing leaves! Ready to see how?
What do you do when you run out of horizontal space for houseplants? Go up! A vertical garden made of wall-mounted plants is easier to put together than you might think, and we have a step-by-step tutorial to show you how to make your own.
What do you do when you run out of horizontal space for houseplants? Go up! A vertical garden made of wall-mounted plants is easier to put together than you might think, and we have a step-by-step tutorial to show you how to make your own.
Now that summer is in full swing, I can't stop thinking about plants... and my indoor garden needs a bit of sprucing up. So I did a little Pinterest searching, and came up with tons of great DIY ideas to add some character to my succulents, cacti and other greenery. And today I'm sharing them with you. Find out how to dress up your plant babies with these ten gorgeous DIY planter ideas.
It's finally that time of year when people start to fix up their yards and spend their spare time outside. The grill comes out, the patio furniture emerges, and the neighbors stop by. Which means it's also time to get creative and find some fun things to do out there in the backyard. Here's a collection of our favorite outdoor games that are fun and easy to put together.
I love a quick art project! As I was preparing to (finally) hang some art on my walls, I was thinking of ways to keep my costs low and make my own wall art and the answer was as simple as making this paint scrape art with a few colors that matched the scheme of my home. Within 5 minutes, I had a colorful piece of art that I love.
One of the things I love about air plants - also known as tillandsia - is that they can be displayed in virtually unlimited ways. With soil out of the picture, an air plant can live in any container, on any ledge, in any opening, on any surface; they are one of the most versatile plants in terms of home decor. Which, for someone like me who loves crafting things, is the gift that keeps on giving. Looking to fill a bit of wall space, this wall-mounted air plant holder does the trick. Keep reading to see how easy it was to make!
In this post, you'll learn how to make a birdhouse two different ways ...
A few years ago, I made a mid-century inspired birdhouse, modeled after the iconic Case Study houses. I created it using my growing collection of woodworking tools, like a table saw and router table, cutting complex angles, and using joints like rabbets and dadoes. It was fun and challenging, and nearly three years outside later, it's still very strong and holding up wonderfully.
But, of course I know that most folks, even other creative-types and DIYsters, don't have access to all these tools. So, I wondered: is it possible to come up with a modern, handmade birdhouse that doesn't required bunches of power tools and knowledge of complex joinery?
Of course it is. So, here's a DIY mod birdhouse that requires only an electric drill and a few toolbox staples. The whole thing can be made for around $10 in materials, and in just an hour or two.
Spring is just around the corner (hopefully), so we're getting in the spirit with pretty florals and lots of spring-like colors. Today we're sharing some DIYs that will help you get in the springtime frame of mind too. Keep reading to check out 16 of our favorite floral DIYs for your home.
Do you remember this joke?: April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? The answer is "pilgrims" for those of you skipped the third grade. Cue eye roll. Anyway - we are headed right into the rainy season as March comes to a close and winter is finally releasing its chilly, chilly grasp. It's finally time to break out the umbrellas and rain boots! Keep reading to see how to make your rain gear more personal by DIY-ing this painted umbrella (P.S. it's totally waterproof, too!).
If you happen to kill every plant you've ever had, I have a trick for you: hang them at eye level! Sure, it's not much, but having your plants at eye level is a great way to remember to water them. And if you're new to plant ownership, there's no better place to start than with an air plant and this 15 minute DIY!
Learn to make a pebble bath mat with simple materials and techniques.
Photo: Lidy Dipert
For all those stay-at-home moms who have very busy lives, this DIY is for you! Or anyone who loves an excuse to be pampered just a bit every day.
Unfortunately, going to the spa isn't a realistic or practical option for many of us. Which is why something as simple as this DIY Pebble Bath Mat can make the world of difference, turning an everyday shower into a treat. So take comfort the next time you get a spare minute to soak in some suds!
I think we can all agree that moon phases continue to be all the rage. Not wanting to pass up on this bohemian trend, I brought moon symbols into my home with a lunar wind chime - keep reading to see how!
In an effort to get organized early in the new year, I've been making myself little desk accessories to get excited about computer work. And I'm happy to say, it's actually working. So, I thought I would share one of the projects that I recently made, for a jumbo wood block perpetual calendar. The larger size makes this calendar a statment piece and adds a fun playfulness to the typically bland work station. Click...
If you're anything like me, you have a running list of projects you want to try. Things you save repeatedly on Pinterest, ideas you scribble down in the back of your planner, or maybe you just keep a mental list in your brain. Clothesline baskets have been on my want-to-try list for forever, and this week I took the plunge. After conquering the first one, I want to make a million of these clothesline baskets. A million! Additionally, I'm loving the simple stripe in this basket. We're exploring all things Scandinavian this month, and this basket fills the bill with equal parts monochrome and texture.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to love burning candles at home. I now enjoy buying seasonal scents in pretty containers, and I’ve learned to love making my own candles. With industrial-style accents becoming increasingly popular, I made a set of concrete soy candles with beautiful wood wicks using rose, one of my favorite scents.
It's hard to believe, but a new year (and decade!) are here... which means that it's time for new calendars! There are tons of gorgeous, free printable calendar downloads available online, so we've rounded up our favorites in a variety of different styles. Click through to check them out and download your favorite.
Are you in the mood to make some DIY gifts this holiday season? Then you'll want to peruse and pin our DIY gift guide. In it, we highlight 75 tutorials that cover just about everyone on your gift-giving list; mom, dad, girls, guys, tweens, kids, babies, fur-babies (that's cats and dogs to the uninitiated), hostess gifts and even teacher gifts. We've got it all covered. Take a look!
