Jelly Bean Jewelry

Spring may not be in the air BUT Spring candy certainly is.  Spring candy in all its glorious bright and cheerful colors.  Colors that could be the perfect accessory, even to winter outfits.

Accessorizing is something we know all about so we decided to do just that and make colorful (and edible) bracelets...out of jelly beans!

Do you want to make your own delicious piece of jewelry?

Gather the following supplies:  jelly beans, string and a needle.

If you opt to make a bracelet, make sure you cut your string longer than you would expect, the jelly beans will take up more bendable space then you might think.

Push your needle through the jelly bean.

*This proved more difficult than I had expected.  Perhaps the generic jelly beans I bought were a bit stale?  Regardless, I heated my jelly beans up in the microwave for a few seconds (about 8) to soften them enough to get the needle through.

Continue stringing your jelly beans onto the string to the design and size of your liking.  When you're finished, tie it around your little fashionista's wrist.

  No matter how fashionable it is, the best part is eating it!

Dandelion Wishes

One of my favorite things about Spring is the pure excitement Grace shows when she spots a dandelion. 

Her eagerness to pluck it, make a wish and blow the dandelion seeds makes my heart melt.

The problem being,  instead of seeing dandelions when I look outside, this is my current view.

I am a fan of snow at Christmas {which we had none of this past year}.  After Christmas, though, I start counting down the days until Spring returns.

So, since there are no dandelions at the moment, I decided to make some of my own.

My dandelion wish would be that Spring will show herself soon.

If you are dreaming of dandelions, or in need of your own wishes, check out this hand embroidered duo of dandelion pillow in my etsy shop.

Winter Fun - Snow Painting

Winter is still very much upon us in the Midwest.  We have enjoyed our share of making snowmen, snow angels and sledding but sometimes, I'd rather enjoy winter fun in the comfort of my warm house.  My solution, INDOOR snow painting.

What you'll need:  SNOW!  A container for the snow.  Water and food coloring {for the "paint"}.  A paint brush AND...

An artist.

What better way to enjoy the snow and, yet, still be inside and warm.

Snow painting.

And, yes, this often ends with a nibble.

Pretty *cool*, don't you think?

DIY Custom Knife Drawer

I used to store my knives in a knife block on my kitchen counter.

In an effort to save some counter space, I decided instead to move my knives to a drawer BUT that looked cluttered and verged on being dangerous.

So, I decided what I needed was a custom knife drawer.

Of course, my vision of a custom knife drawer involved using this...

So, I enlisted the help of the husband and, seriously, how could he resist making me happy?

Out came the measuring tape and measurements were taken for the inside of the drawer.

He found 2 blocks of scrap wood that he cut down to make a blade block {that the blades of the knife will go into} and a handle rest block.  The blade block is 1 1/2 inches high and 1 1/2 inches wide (the length is depending on how wide your specific drawer is).  The handle rest is 3/4 of an inch high.

On the blade block, strike a line an inch apart to serve as a guide for cutting.

Cut each line on the mark drawn, repeating multiple cuts next to the previous cut for each inch section, to increase the width of the original cut.

Multiple cuts will widen each space allowing the knife blade to fit securely.

Both the blade block and handle rest were cut to fit snuggle and securely into the drawer.  They are not glued into place and if necessary can easily be removed from the drawer.

Now, instead of my knives taking up valuable counter space OR being thrown into a drawer...

my knives are neatly and safely stored in my drawer.

I think it was a *sharp* solution.

This is Me - February Link Party

February's theme was: Reflections.

Last month, 14 brave women stepped in front of the camera and shared their 'simple moment'.

Rosie at The Frugal Freshman Homemaker

Each portrait captured a moment,

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

drew you in

Rea at home for 4 sweet home

and told a story.

Erin at Crafty Biggers

Lisa, from Wine and Glue put into words so eloquently the reasons that inspired me to start this challenge to begin with and will inspire me to continue.

So, now is your turn.  Come out from behind the camera, capture your reflection and inspire us all.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://whilewearingheels.blogspot.com/" title="While Wearing Heels" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnvvORsnwZfgA2wSfHxHbZ1YPUtCcVTVHuV01cKBzTC-q7ERQeucbVGOcFsjFcAtjm3K8GUu6_VHmUFDcl_Rp0DR4RigPdpuol1szkGPIEJbOUcZ3QGN_D9yOxbbuIXg5z_F-aQb7Hq2i/s1600/This+is+ME+-210.jpg" alt="While Wearing Heels" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Let's get this party started...here are our linky rules:

• There will be a link up here on the last Friday of every month this year, and the linky tool will remain open to your submissions until the last Friday of the next month.
• Please link back to the permalink for your *This Is ME* blog post or flickr image, not just the general url for your blog or flickr stream.
• Linked entries must be to a blog post or flickr image of your recent self-portraits, not just any old photo. Your photo does not have to relate to the optional monthly theme, but it does need to be a self-portrait.
• Please do link back here to my blog either through a text link, or with my button found below to help encourage others to participate and grow our community.
• And most importantly, be the encouragement you hope to receive and help build our self-portrait community! Please try to visit a few of the links of your fellow *This Is ME* participants and leave a nice comment--it only takes a few minutes and you may be inspired by what you see.

Well, that's it...now get linking everyone! I'll see you back here on Friday, March 1st, for our March theme announcement, and in the meantime, keep showing us your stuff in the flickr pool.

 

This is me - My Reflection

Continuing my quest to try and get more comfortable with how I look in pictures, this month, I worked on some reflection self portraits.

Here are a few of my reflection self portraits and some words of wisdom.

Butterflies don't know the color of their wings, but the human eye knows how beautiful it is.

Likewise, you may not know how good you are but others can see that you are special.

Even if you aren't happy with how you think you look in pictures, there is someone looking at them, thinking they are beautiful.

I can't wait to see how beautiful all of your reflection self portraits turned out.

Remember to come back tomorrow and link them up.

I Heart Matryoshka Doll

 I have a confession to make.

I heart Matryoshka Dolls, also known as Russian Nesting dolls, and all of the details that make them up.

I heart them so much they have been my main source of crafting inspiration recently. 

For my niece, I made a Matryoshka doll {without a pattern!}.  The two little Matryoshkas fit in the apron pockets of the big Matryoshka.  More or less, the little ones nest within the big one.

I also expressed my love for Matryoshka dolls in embroidery form. 

Sadly, this kitschy embroidered Matryoshka Doll has no home.  She is waiting for someone to buy her {from my Esty shop} and give her a place of honor.

If I keep up this newest crafting obsession, I just might have to add a 'I Heart Matryoshka Doll' tab to While Wearing Heels.

Doorway Puppet Theater

While I was suffering from crafter's block, about a month ago, I searched my pinterest boards for inspiration.  When I came across a beautiful doorway puppet theater, I decided to try and make one myself.

It seemed fairly easy.  I mean, I did make a fitted domed circus tent topper, so I figured I would give it a try.

I had material, a tension rod and plenty of puppets, so I had nothing to lose.

First, I measured the width of my door frame and cut out the amount of material I would need.
*I would suggest, if you attempted to make your own, to use striped fabric, the stripes act as better guides in cutting than polka dots. 

The next steps really were easy.  I sewed a hem, along all sides of the puppet theater.  Then, I took the top of the puppet theater and folded it down about 3 inches. 

I sewed along the seam line to make a pocket the tension rod would feed into.

This is where it got tricky.  I cut out the center, for the puppets to peek through BUT I had no idea how to finish the edges.

So, this project sat and sat. My crafter's block made more frustrated by half finished projects I had no idea how to finish.

Cue a visit from my mom, the Queen of Quilts.  Using some double biased tape, she hand sewed the trim over the raw edges using a reverse miter on the inside corners.

Finally, the unfinished project was finished.

My crafter's block is, fortunately, a thing of the past.

And, this hedgehog is happy to have a stylish venue to perform.

I am determined to master the art of reverse miter and make these as gifts for Grace's classmates birthdays.




*The doorway puppet theater I was inspired by, is for sale on Etsy.  If this stay at home mom could have afforded it, I would have spent the $90 (including shipping) to have bought it myself.