My weekend in Instagrams

It's been quite a full weekend and, even though the weekend is technically not over, I'm using Sunday to recover, catch up, and tidy up.

We spent Friday night in, getting cozy, and I made a mobile for my still-a-bun-in-the-oven nephew. Yesterday was full to the brim with brunch, a baby shower, and a very strange antique-shop comedy show followed by some bar hopping with friends in our neighborhood.

Ryan had to wake up at 5 this morning, which felt like 4 because of the time change. Poor darling, he is such a trooper.

If this weekend had I theme, I would say it's about how it's finally beginning to look and feel like spring. Baby animals and baby boys, flowers popping up everywhere, lots of sunshine...

Outfit posts from the weekend coming tomorrow and Tuesday!

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DI(fr)Yday: How to make chunky neon rings with crayons and a metal hardware nut

This is one of the most exciting projects I've ever done. I love it because it's such an unexpected way to make jewelry, and because the end result is so fun and wearable.

Last Friday we used 1/4" nuts to make a braided leather bracelet. This week, we'll be using a 3/4" nut to make a mold for pouring colored wax rings.

You will need

- A mold putty kit

- Crayons (It takes about 3 crayons per ring. You can combine like colors or use three identical crayons to keep the color consistent.)

- One 3/4" metal hardware nut (Don't worry if it's a bit smaller or a bit bigger than fits you perfectly. We'll get to sizing at the end.)

- One metal soup can, soda can with the top cut off, glass jar (anything that is oven safe and that you can throw out later.)

- Sandpaper or sandpaper pad

- Scissors

I wanted my rings to be pure, bright, neon colors, so I bought three 8-packs or neon colors so that I could use identical crayons. The colors you see are "Shocking Pink," "Laser Lemon," "Sky Blue," and "Outrageous Orange." I made the green by combining the "Laser Lemon" leftovers with a "Green Yellow" and a "Yellow Green" from a standard pack.

Okay, here's how you do it! . . .

Step 01. Follow the instructions on the mold putty kit to mix the putty, roll into a smooth ball, and press around the nut to make a mold. You will need to work quickly because the putty starts to set soon.

Step 02. Let dry according to mold putty kit instructions.

Step 03. Meanwhile, tear the paper off your crayons. You can do this with your fingers, but scissors sometimes help.

Step 04. Break each crayon into 4 to 5 roughly equal pieces and toss into the can. Again, this can be done by hand, but scissors help.

Step 05. Carefully, remove the nut from its rubber mold.

Step 06. Melt crayons by placing the can on a cookie sheet in a 325 degree F (about 160 C) oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from over are carefully pour the hot wax into your rubber mold using a hot pad holder or tongs. You might want to do this over newspaper or paper towels to protect your countertop.

Step 07. Cool completely (about 15 minutes) before un-molding.

Step 08. Use the sandpaper to smooth any irregularities. You can also use sandpaper or a butter knife, to file down the inside of your ring if you want it to fit a bigger finger. Conversely, you can make it fit a smaller finger by painting some hot wax onto the inside in smooth, even layers.

So, last week, we used nuts and, this week, we we used one again. This week, we used a soda can, and, next week, we'll be doing something new with another soda can. Can you guess what it'll be?

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What I wore today: 03/04/2012 (Nautical Turban)

Here's another way to keep Nautical from looking too cliché: add an unexpected element (like a turban) to give the look a new twist. Literally . . . twisting is what keeps the turban up. :)

Some will say wearing a silk scarf as a turban is ridiculous. I'm prepared for that reaction. In fact, I was even a bit nervous Ryan wouldn't like it, though it turned out that he did. Part of fashion, for me at least, is trying new things and taking risks. Otherwise you get bored, and style never changes or evolves.

For those not familiar with it, that behind me is the beautiful skyline of my hometown, Cincinnati, as seen from the Kentucky side of the river. Ryan took these photos just before we saw Wanderlust at the cinema on the levee.

Leather boots - Journey's (last seen here and here)

Straight-leg jeans - Gap (last seen here and here)

Striped tunic - Converse for Target

Braided leather belt - Forever 21

Silk scarf (tied as turban) - boutique in Paris (also seen here)

Kelly bag (last seen here and here)

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What I wore today: 03/03/2012 (Schoolgirl Surprise)

I adore this dress, and wore it for my birthday dinner last year. It has everything I love: navy, pleats, Peter-Pan collar, open back, but I have trouble transitioning it to cold weather because adding a cardigan covers up my favorite part.

Oh well. I do love the way it looks a bit schoolgirl-ish layered over navy wool tights with a brown leather belt and matching boots. It's so demure that the open back comes as a bit of a surprise, don't you think?

Open-back dress - Asos (also seen here)

Navy wool tights - online tights shop (also seen here)

Leather boots - Journeys (last seen here and here)

Vintage leather-link belt - thrifted (also seen here)

Chevron cardigan - Missoni for Target (also seen here)

Kelly bag (last seen here and here)

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DI(fr)Yday: How to make a braided leather and metal nut bracelet

I've seen a number of bracelets incorporating metal nuts as beads and I thought it was such a clever idea, so I came up with a design of my own. This is the first of two DI(fr)Yday tutorials using nuts. Next week I'll show you how to make a really cool ring. But, for now, here's how to make a bracelet.

You will need:

- Some 1/4-inch metal nuts (I bought mine in a 25-piece pack for about 50 cents and ended up using 15 of them.)

- Some leather lace in a pretty color like this teal that almost matches my new moccasins (I had 2 yards and ended up with some left over.)

- Scotch tape

- Scissors

Step 01. Cut your leather lace into two equal pieces. Holding the pieces at the center, tie a knot so that you have a double-stranded loop with four strands of leather coming off it.

Step 02. Tape your loop to a table or another sturdy surface. Begin your four-stranded braid by numbering your strands from left to right. Cross strand Four over strand Three and strand Two over strand One. Then cross One over Four (they're in the middle now) as you thread both through the center of a metal nut. Look to the photo for a clear illustration of how this works.

Step 03. Continue braiding in this way, adding a new nut each time until you've reached your desired length. For me, this took fifteen nuts.

Step 04. Make sure your braid is good and tight before tying a knot at the end.

Step 05. Tie the bracelet around your wrist by threading two strands through the loop and tying them to the remaining two strands.

Step 06. Trim the ends. I made my bracelet loose enough that I can slip it on and off without having the untie and retie the ends, and I recommend you do too. That way you can trim the ends nice and short.

Wear your new bracelet with pride!

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