Dream Big - Build Your Castles in the Air

I love this quote from Walden. I have always heard that to reach a goal you had to have a clear vision of the outcome, and I know that's true. 

You will surely get lost on a path without a destination.

Don't be afraid to dream big! Build your castle in the sky and then come back and build the foundation and the beautiful staircase up to it. It's a lot easier to hit the target if you know where to aim. 

✧✧✧

What does your castle look like?

Hanging Mason Jar Lanterns - DIY Wedding Craft {Video}

I know I'm not the only one who has a crush on mason jars. Mason jars are huge in arts and crafts and in DIY weddings, especially right now...in case you have been living under a rock.

Ever since I saw these cute customizable mason jar save-the-dates  I knew I wanted to incorporate mason jars into my someday wedding, even though that was a couple of years ago and I wasn't actually even engaged yet... So yeah,  I totally had a crush on them first ;)

I thought it might be easier to make a video showing the step-by-step process than just take a zillion boring photos of me looping wire that may or may not really make sense. Plus, I like making videos.

For my hangers in this video, I used some electrical wire (Romex) reclaimed from the trash pile after we installed a new ceiling fan. It's perfect for all kinds of crafts, and it's solid copper! But if you don't happen to have any of this stuff lying around, you can find 12 gauge (or 14 gauge would work too) wire in your choice of metals at the craft store or at the hardware store.

I believe the mouths of mason jars are a standard size, but just for reference I am using the quart sized jars.

There's a complete list of tools and supplies after the video. (If you're on a mobile device and can't see the embedded video, you can watch this Mason Jar Lantern How To on YouTube.) Enjoy!



TOOLS & SUPPLIES:
• mason jars
• for each mason jar - 26 inches of 12 or 14 gauge wire (copper, brass, or colored craft wire)
• heavy duty wire cutters ( I use floral cutters)
• round nosed pliers

I'd love to hear what you think about this project. Leave me a note!

 I linked up at: 

DIY Patriotic Manicure - With Foil Stars and Glitter Glue!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I have to admit this wasn't a planned post. I just woke up this morning and thought, darn it! I wanna do something FUN today. So I decided to do a little patriotic nail art with what I had available...which turned out to be some aluminum foil, some glitter glue, and a little bit of nail polish. Hmmm, well, you know what? It turned out pretty great if I do say so myself, and I didn't have to make a run to the store, so in my book, that makes it 10x more awesome :)

I also made it into my very first video for my new YouTube channel, which is something I have been wanting to do for a while. (I keep my other channel specifically for jewelry making tutorials, so random fun things like funky nail art designs and other such distractions don't exactly fit in, I think?) So yeah. 15 hours later, here is the finished post and edited video. And there goes my 4th of July, LOL!

Rock Candy Rings - My first live jewelry making class!

You may or may not know that I started a jewelry tutorial website last fall, JewelryTutorialHQ.com, where I have been making and sharing videos and tutorials on various jewelry making techniques. I have been having so much fun, and after hearing so many people urge me to teach a class, I'm finally going for it!

I am excited to say that I am teaching my first live jewelry class, "Rock Candy Rings," at The Artful Bead this summer! Class begins this Sunday, July 7th at the Carrollton location, but there are some classes on Saturdays as well. I would LOVE it if you would join me! Classes are limited in size, so be sure to register early.

Upcoming Classes:

(click to register)

Sunday, July 7^th 12:00pm – 1:30pm (Carrollton)

Saturday, July 27^th 10:30am – 12:00pm (Fort Worth)

Saturday, August 3^rd 10:30am – 12:00pm (Carrollton)

Saturday, August 10^th 10:30am – 12:00pm (Fort Worth)

Sunday, September 8^th 12:30pm – 2:00pm (Carrollton)

A little bit about the project:

I will teach you how to form an adjustable size ring band from a straight piece of wire. We will hammer, forge, and form it into shape, then I'll show you my technique for wire wrapping some lovely gemstones to the band. You will create lovely stackable rings that you can wear home the very same day!

Downloadable PDF Tutorial:

I know lots of you aren't in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, but if you'd still like to learn how to make these gorgeous fun rings, you can purchase an instantly downloadable .PDF file from Craftsy or my Etsy Jewelry Supply Shop.

Hope to see y'all there!

Homemade Sangria Recipe {Warning: Not for Lightweights!}

Today I'm finally going to share with you one of my favorite summer party drinks. I had every intention of sharing it right after I posted my DIY Etched Glass Mugs Tutorial last November, but then I thought it might make more sense to wait until summer. It's officially summer, and amazingly, I remembered!

This Homemade Sangria is great for summer parties and BBQ's - it goes perfectly with sunshine, sitting by the pool, flip flops, fire ants, sunburns, short shorts, and sleeping in.

I'm not kidding when I say this Homemade Sangria isn't for lightweights. Let me tell you from experience: this is a beverage that can knock you on your ass!

Wine AND rum?!? Well, I know it's crazy, but trust me, it tastes delicious. A little too delicious. Consider yourself warned (and please be sure to pass along that warning to whomever you decide to share this tasty beverage with).

How to Achieve Perfectly Polished Complexion - Simple DIY Microdermabrasion Treatment

If you've ever indulged in a microdermabrasion treatment at a spa or a really good microdermabrasion home treatment system, you are probably aware of all the benefits in using these products; wonderfully soft, smooth skin and a gorgeous healthy glow.

If you have never experienced microdermabrasion or are unaware exactly what it means, I'll tell you briefly so we can get to the good stuff!

Microdermabrasion is basically a fancy word for a very fine exfoliant, much finer than your typical face scrubs which can have pretty large grains. The finer grains slough off more dead and dying skin cells to reveal the newer, more vibrant layer of skin below. It's this fresh new skin that tends to 'glow'.

Normal face scrubs achieve the same thing, to an extent, but the difference is much like the comparison between using very rough and very fine sandpaper. The rough stuff certainly works to scratch up the surface, but the finer stuff achieves a nice, smooth, polished finish.

One problem with these microdermabrasion productss is that they can be pretty expensive ($50 and way up for an average of 2.5 oz), and the other is that they can contain a lot of chemicals and toxic ingredients!

So I'm going to share my secret all natural DIY microdermabrasion recipe with you! Ok, it's not really a secret, and it's not really a recipe. It's too easy for that!

I like to call this stuff my "Face Polish," and after you try it for the first time you'll see why! Let me put it this way....when I first tried it and I asked my fiancé to touch my face and see if he could feel a difference, I ended up

yelling at him to "STOP TOUCHING MY FACE!!!! later that same evening. Of course, I couldn't stop it either, but still. LOL!

Etsy Fort Worth Sets up Fund for Hood County Tornado Victims

This year's theme for the annual Etsy Craft Party is "Crafting for the Community". Etsy Fort Worth, our local street team, has put together a fund to collect donations on behalf of our neighbors to the south in Granbury and Cleburne (and the rest of Hood County) to help them rebuild their community after 18 tornadoes ripped through their lives leaving many of them homeless and injured. Several lost their lives in this terrible storm - the worst to hit the Dallas Fort Worth area in 50 years. This devastated community does not qualify for government assistance, so we'd like to do our part to help these good people to rebuild and heal. Join us on June 20th for our Etsy Craft Party, where we will be folding 1,000 origami paper cranes to raise $1,000 to donate to the United Way of Hood County, who will distribute the funds to help those affected by this disaster. Visit EtsyFortWorth.com for more information and to make an online donation if you are unable to attend the Craft Party! Donations of all sizes are welcomed and appreciated. Please help if you can, if only to spread the word and send this message out to as many kind hearted people as possible!