Tutorial Tue(Wedne)sday

As you might have noticed in the last few weeks we've managed to get a fair bit of mileage out of my old falling a part bag.  So we're giving you one more tutorial using what's left of the old girl to round of leather month nicely.  I love head pieces and headbands and I've seen a lot of great ones around the festivals this summer...so to try and remember the sunny fun times and forget about the biblical rain outside today I've put together a studded leather head band for Tutorial Tuesday.

What you will need:

12x5cm (approx) piece of faux leather/ 4 jump rings/ small studs/ 40cm (approx) large link chain/ 43cm (approx) small link chain/ flat nose pliers/ scissors/ bead reamer or something similar

 

Instructions:

Cut your leather into a curved shape on one side, using half a mug, jar or something similar as a guide.  Push studs through the leather arranging into any pattern you like leaving space in the corners. Using a bead reamer make to small holes in each corner of the leather.  Push 2 jump rings through the holes on either side and attach you large chain to the top jump ring and the small chain to the bottom. Measure to the size of your head and then attach on the other side, making the bottom chain a little longer. 

And there you have it, a simple festival inspired head band (to rock in the rain!)

Hannah

x

Tutorial Tuesday

With London Fashion Week in full swing I've been spending a lot of time researching new jewellery trends (making huge wish lists while I'm at it!!) and starting to develop ideas for new DIYs. Whilst I love to use the trends I see designers using and take inspiration from their pieces, I never want to directly copy anyone elses work. I think it's more fulfilling and imaginative to add your own unique twist, which in turn gives you a piece which is inherently your own and shows off your creative personality.

This DIY was inspired by this piece by Miss Alice Jewelry. I've used more of the recycled leather bag Hannah recently wrote about, and some more of the rivets that make working with leather so easy!

Instructions
Using a round object (ie. a jar lid) around 7cm in width draw a circle on the wrong side of the leather / Cut out and fold in half / Punch six holes equal distance apart along the straight side / Attach the rivets / Starting from the back thread the chain in and out of the holes until both ends are equal / Attach a clasp using 2 jump rings / Voila!

Hope you've enjoyed this weeks Tutorial Tuesday. Fran x

DIY leather tassel earrings

Hello. It's been a week since my last post. I've been living in a field for the majority of that, cut off from all technology (my phone ran out of battery almost instantly!). It was so relaxing being forced to take a break, so much so I hardly thought about work, let alone worried about it. This is a constant issue for me. Starting a business and having my blog means I always feel I could be using my time more productively and I forget to set myself time for breaks. I know that if I continue this way the things I love about my work will become tedious and I'll stop enjoying them. Now me and Hannah have left the Bead Shop we have time to focus on CMB and Teahab and should hopefully be able to take some time to relax... or maybe not? We're moving into our new studio tomorrow! As you can imagine we're pretty excited and apprehensive. We've decided to document the whole process right here on the blog including all the highs and lows of starting a business which will hopefully keep us motivated and help out anyone who is thinking about doing it themselves.

 

More about that tomorrow. Todays tutorial is for leather tassel earrings. We've used part of the recycled bag that Hannah wrote about previously. I've cut the leather where it's worn to create an ombre effect which adds a lovely aspect to the earrings.

 

 Instructions 

Cut out 2 pieces of leather to a point at one end / Cut strips evenly half way up the strip / Punch 2 holes in each corner of both strips / Attach the rivets with pliers / measure 4 pieces of chain 2cm in length / Attach chain onto earrings findings.



Two Minute Tutorial

Good Afternoon. It's been all go here lately. It's the last week in the bead shop :( so we're getting everything ready for the new owners, we've arranged a workshop space for Checkmybox courtesy of our amazing friend Sam of Get a Grip, I've been making progress with the CMB website, and it's that time of year for the Moseley Folk Festival again! With all this in mind I've put together a very quick two minute tutorial for a festival bracelet. Hannah came up with the genius idea to put the crimp covers onto the faux suede, and after she left a sample lying around in the shop I've taken her idea on and run with it! (Thanks Han!)

Also just a quick little reminder. It's the last day to vote for us in the Cosmo Blog Awards. If you like what we do it would be fantastic if you could take two minutes to help the cause. We were so chuffed to be shortlisted, and to win would be out of this world, but most of all we just want to go to the party! You can vote for us by clicking the Cosmo Blog Awards link above. We're in the DIY section under Teahab (obvs).

Thanks to everyone who has voted. We really do appreciate all your support! Back to the tutorial:

 

Cut a piece of faux suede long enough to wrap around your wrist as many times as you want it to / Attach crimp covers at random interval along the cord.

 

I've used an All in 1 cord end to make the bracelet even quicker. Close the box/cord ends over the ends of your suede. To see this in more detail go to my attaching clasps tutorials here. Make in different colours and layer up for a great festival look.
And that's it! yep, really is two minute tutorial. Fran x

Tutorial Tuesday: Guest Post

Hello. We've got a real treat for you today. Our friend Meghan from over at The Flight of Fancy has put together a fantastic DIY guest post for Teahab. You need to go and check out Meghans blog for her gorgeous, effortless style, the dreamy photography, and some killer DIYs!

Here it is:

The statement neck-wear trend doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and really, why would we want it to? There's no end to how many awesomely DIY'ed pieces you can add to your own neck party! After re-discovering little mirrors at the craft store, I wanted to make an eye-catching (and reflecting) piece of jewelry with them.


Materials:
piece of vinyl or faux leather
small decorative mirrors {find at www.hobbylobby.com}
super glue
necklace length of  jewelry chain (or twine)
jump rings, clasp, etc

Step One:
I created the necklace template by tracing around one of the mirror shapes, enlarging it somewhat. After cutting out that oval, I used it to trace the pattern for the necklace, curving it slightly upward at the edges.

Step Two:
Using the paper template you just made, trace the collar shape onto your piece of material and carefully cut out. Play with the placement of the mirrors a bit, before we get serious. Remember you'll need to leave space long the outer edge of each end for stringing.

Step Three:
Use a few dabs of glue to attach to craft mirrors to the vinyl shape.

Step Four:
Holding your collar up to your throat with your fingertips should help you determine how it will hang when you attach the necklace chain. I used a craft punch to poke a hole on each side of the collar, slightly below the top center. I put a tiny drop of instant super glue on the back of each hole, to help reinforce it. Allow glue to dry completely.

Step Five:
Decide how long or short you'd like your necklace to be, and cut a length of chain to match. I wanted the little heart clasp to show, so I attached one end of the chain to the collar using round nose pliers and a jump ring, and attached the clasp to to the other end. A jump ring or two in the other side of the collar will give the clasp something to hold on to. You can also cut two smaller pieces of chain and make a regular style necklace with the clasp at the back of the neck.

And our next theme is.....

Coat / Pendant Necklace / Headband / Dress / Statement Necklace / Cuff / Bag / Bracelets

 

 

Hello. I've had a really lazy day today, working through the after effects of last night by eating olive bread and drinking fresh chocolate mint tea from our balcony mint plant. Honestly, delicious. I've also been putting this little feast together for the next theme, LEATHER.

You rarely see me without a bit (or a lot) of leather adornments so this theme is pretty damn exciting. We also have some a guest post from The Flight of Fancy coming up this week. Plenty to look forward to! I'm off to drink more tea and work on the new Checkmybox website. Have a great evening. Fran x