[ scroll down for a tutorial and giveaway! ]

I love figuring out little accent pieces to add to otherwise plain outfits. Saturday I was wearing my favorite gray wool skirt and a light blue cardigan (it was cold here!), but decided it looked rather plain. None of my brooches in my jewelry stash seemed to work, so I put together a little “quick fix” piece! A trio of “cherries” (originally a holly berry spring from the craft store at Christmas), a little black velvet bow, a pin back, transformed to create a cute piece. It reminds me so much of the novelty costume jewelry brooches of the early 1940s! In case you would like to make one, I wrote a mini tutorial.

[ click here for a tutorial, or enter below to win a cherry brooch! ]

As a thank you to all my lovely readers for making my blogging so darn fun, I’d love to give away one of these little cherry pins! Entering is super simple: just leave a comment below (no tricks or catches!). Be sure to fill out the email line of the comment form; entries without a valid email address will not be counted. I’ll leave the giveaway open until midnight Wednesday (February 17), and a winner drawn at random will be announced Thursday! (Please note: this is open to all readers; international entries welcome!)

Did you do anything crafty this weekend? Good luck!

I’ll be the first to admit I am not the most consistent person when it comes to utilizing my stash of scarves. More often than not, like a lot of women, I’m at a bit of a loss to figure out more artistic ways to show one off! Some of these ideas from 1944 are quite dramatic and would be fun to try even in a modern context. Plus a scarf is a great way to add a little pick-me-up to your winter wardrobe right about now!

[ as usual, be sure to click for the enlarged view! ]

[ as usual, be sure to click for the enlarged view! ]

So I’m curious: would you try any of these scarf tricks? What is your favorite way to sport a pretty scarf?

I love chunky bracelets, those covered with jangly charms or big statement bracelets! One of my favorite things to do is sit down with my jumble of costume jewelry bits and pieces and come up with ways to multi-purpose things. This “mix and match bracelet” is inspired by wearing a long chain necklace as a bracelet and embellishing it with various things! It’s a great way to expand a bit of your jewelry stash…

All you’ll need is a long chain necklace (or buy a length of chain from the bead or hardware store and attach a closure to the end yourself), charm bracelets, and an assortment of your favorite pins and brooches. The end result is a “statement” bracelet that I love pairing with otherwise simple outfits to add a bit of zing! Be sure to click on the images for the step-by-step comments.

[ click for a larger view. ]

[ click for a larger view. ]

I hope you enjoy this little quick trick!

I had one of those annoying revelations last night about my current knitting project. The yarn I was using (and determined to use) just wasn’t the right gauge. No matter how much I wished, pleaded and tried to make it work. Silly me for even trying, I guess. lol. Looks like a trip to the crafty store this weekend is in order for some more suitable fiber! So instead of my intended post (on snoods and fun stuff), here is a quick little project just in time for some springtime organizing!

I have loads of belts. Even after whittling down my collection before I moved, I still managed to hold on to quite a few. To be honest, however, I haven’t been terribly good about storing and organizing them–they’ve been looped over various hangers for awhile. Which I know is quite bad for the leather. So in an effort to be more “grown up” about organizing my closet (and not having them collectively slide off the hanger into a heap on my closet floor!), I came up with a simple and inexpensive way to organize them all.

Supplies: Vintage (or new) wood hanger with a flat strip of wood at the bottom. 3-5 metal hooks (you can use the size or number that suits your needs). Lace or ribbon for decoration.

Attach two hooks: one to either outer side of the flat cross bar. My hanger had pre-drilled holes, but these hooks are usually easily to screw into wood. Just be careful not to cause the wood to split!

Measure from the two outer hooks and find the center point. Mark and screw the third hook in. If you have two more hooks (for a 5-hook hanger), simple find the center points between the center and outer hooks for proper placement.

After the hooks have been attached.

Tie the ribbon or lace around the hanger (totally optional, but I like to add a bit of charm to even the most utilitarian things!).

The finished hanger! Doesn’t it look so much neater now? Finally I can actually see all the belts I have (although honestly, this isn’t all of them… the rest are in storage!).

This is also the perfect way to hang up purses for easy “grab and go” storage…

( Click for larger view. )

Thank you all for your sweet comments on the pink lipstick experiment! Yesterday evening I had it on when Sailor Husband came home, and then switched to my usual red to go to a baseball game (we were given tickets to a spring training game). As we were leaving, he remarked that he thought I looked quite pretty with the pink! lol! So… I suppose the silliness was all mine with nervousness over pink lipstick.

Anyway, onto the post I had planned for today! I always love taking something that I have and repurposing it without destroying the piece in the process. It’s always so fun–and a challenge–to come up with new ways to wear things I already own. I posted a picture awhile back wearing a long pearl necklace I had tied around my neck like a scarf, and got a couple questions on how I did it. Yes, it’s insanely easy, but there is a little trick to get it to stay, so read on…

( Click for larger view. )

01. You need a long bead necklace (any beads would do; I’m just using this pearl necklace that I have). These super-long necklaces were popular a couple years ago, so you probably have at least a couple!

02. Place it behind your neck.

03. Cross the ends over, positioning the intersection where you want the “knot” to be (center neck, side).

( Click for larger view. )

04. Loop one end over the other, being sure to pull it snugly to your neck at the height you wish the necklace to lie at.

05. Now here’s the trick to having it stay put: gently “mesh” several of the beads down between each other, wedging them down into the central string. My necklace is loosely strung, but if your’s is densely beaded, be careful not to put too much pressure on the string!

06. Arrange the ends and you’re done! I also will occasionally add an old brooch or something to the “knot” at the center. Just adds a bit more flair to the look.

I am quite smitten with using a necklace to create a scarf/choker. I think it might look even more lovely with a necklace made up of fine chain and beads!