Easy DIY Gypsy Coin Necklace

Squirt doesn't have school today, which means we've got a friend over to play. I cannot say enough how thankful I am that she has good friends. Yesterday one of my mom friends commented that Squirt gives her hope that her kids can grow up and still be sweet and innocent. That made my mother heart swell just a little bit and today I realize that I owe a lot of her sweet temperament to the kids she's chosen as her friends. It really is enlightening to see how many good, honest kids there are in the world. Even though I secretly know they give their own moms moments of sheer insanity just as my girls do for me...

As Squirt was gallivanting around playing Monster High with her BFF of the moment, I sat down to do a little creating. The other day I found these coin beads at Walmart for somewhere around $2. I love coin beads. Like, a lot. I was especially intrigued because the copper color is perfect to go with the brown leather boots I saved spit in test tubes in order to buy. {Long story, but lets just say there are interesting research projects to participate in while living in a University town}

Fortunately I already had a package of mixed copper colored findings from some earrings I made years ago. Honestly, the amount of stuff I have kept forever and moved multiple times is insane. In the bag was a length of chain, so I was good to go.

All I did was measure out the length I wanted the necklace to be and slap some of the coins on there. Well, it wasn't quite that haphazard. I think my head would explode if I didn't do at least a little planning.

I held the chain up to decide how long of a section I wanted the coins to fill, then measured from each end to be sure that section was centered. Then I attached the coins to every other link in the chain until that section was full. I was really surprised how hard it was to open these copper (fake) findings. Most base metals are more pliable than these.

I am pretty non-committal when it comes to necklace lengths since I have a wide variety of necklines and moods so I added one jump ring at 16.5 inches long with a little chain extender and another jump ring at 18 inches long.

The finished product! I find that the coins don't all lay flat on the table because of the way the chain gently rotates, but once it's on I love how it all lays.

(Ignore the crazy storage room that I've claimed for a project space since it's the only room in our apartment that gets natural light)

Even more than that I love how it gently jingles when I walk. I feel a touch sassy like I'm wearing a bejeweled scarf for belly dancing.

The goal was to coordinate with my boots, and it does. It also exposed exactly how lame I am in front of the camera and how desperately I need to get new layering tanks. 

What I love about this project: 

• cheap! affordable
• the color can be layered with gold or silver, real or costume jewelry (here I've layered it with a 30" 14k yellow gold snake chain from my "real jewelry" phase of life that fits around my neck twice)
• it was relatively fast to make
• the jingles
• it coordinates with my favorite boots

What I would do differently: 

• file my nails afterward since jewelry tends to beat them up
• do my hair before taking any pictures

If I get ambitious I may add a second strand but I hesitate since I think it would limit the layering options. I love it, but I already can't wait to see how much better it looks when my hair is straightened and I have some earrings on. 

My Favorite Way to Eat an Apple

It's one of those days. I volunteered at the school library and told the volunteer coordinator that I'd be happy to take her job. She will be moving very soon and has been looking for someone to take over and it seems I'm just crazy enough to do it. 

Grad school classes resumed for me yesterday. Right now I'm really motivated and hoping to get off to a good start. I've got big shoes to fill if I want to hold on to my 4.0 from last term, which means I'm already starting on two separate papers. 

And I've been reorganizing the bathroom. It's a crazy mess in there. How do I end up with so many products laying around when I feel I hardly buy any? 

So I vacuumed,

and washed dishes, 

and made the bed, 

the realized that it was 1:30 and I hadn't eaten anything other than a banana. 

Do you do that too? Forget to eat when you get busy? I do it all the time. There are at least a couple days a week that it's time to figure out dinner and I realize I haven't eaten breakfast yet. Then it's all I can do to avoid snarfing down every sugary instant-gratification consumable item hidden anywhere in the apartment. 

So I grabbed an apple, but not just a plain apple. I'll show you what I like to do. 

Grab a bowl, then add: 

and stir it all up!

If you like, you can add a dash of vanilla for an extra vanilla-ey punch (I usually do!) 

This is one of my favorite snacks when I'm starved, or having a major sweet tooth, or just plain want it. It's also good if you've set some resolutions to eat better. There's protein, fruit, and flavor with minimal bad stuff! 

{I use Dannon All Natural Vanilla yogurt because it doesn't have aspartame. You could use greek yogurt for major yum, but have you read the label? Wowza. With all that fat and sugar it's no wonder it's so good.}

The first time I tried this I was really surprised how tasty it is. Use a sweet apple like Fuji or Gala, and it can satisfy a sweet tooth and keep you from grabbing some peanut butter cups in the checkout line at the grocers. Enjoy!

One Little Word

For the last few years, I have tried to select a word to represent the coming year. It seems an easier task than creating a list of resolutions that exist solely to depress me, and yet each year it takes most of January filled with reflection before I come up with something that really speaks to my soul. There is one exception. At the completion of 2010 I was seeking for some changes that I knew were going to be hard and chose the word "embrace" to represent 2011. That was the only year I could select a word with little deliberation and had selected it before the new year began. It figures, it was New Year's Eve of that year I met my now-husband. I knew the moment I met him that it was going to be a lasting deal, and the word "embrace" really served to help me approach the many life changes that came with our meeting.

This year, I have really struggled to select a word. I thought about "endure" or "persevere" to help carry me through this student life chaos but those both sound so negative and I prefer a word that uplifts and inspires me.

Last night it finally came to me.

My word this year is CREATE.

Normally, this makes me feel all crafty-like, but I realized that we are the creators of our own destiny and can apply this word in so many ways.

I've struggled with feelings of inadequacy and depression with being incapable of finding work. It's really done a number on my self-esteem and I wish to focus on the fact that I can create a beautiful life in my present circumstances and within my present means.

This is the year I take back my feelings of empowerment and remember that I can create the beauty, opportunity, and joy that I seek. A little bit of crafty and kitchen creating will certainly contribute to that.

So there it is, a little late, but personally significant.

Create.

Do you select one little word? What would yours be?

Subtle Valentines Welcome

It's that time of year when I start to wish people a "Happy Hearts and Flowers Day!" which I much prefer to the many years when I wished them a "Happy Single Awareness Day!" I don't really love Valentines Day, or at least I didn't before I met my husband. He's so sweet that I'm slowly coming around to it.

It doesn't help that I don't love pink, or red, or hearts. I do love my children however, and both of them list Valentines Day as one of their favorite holidays, which means I simply must embrace it.

The Christmas wreath came down on the 14th, but only so it could be replaced with birthday balloons. Today the balloons came down and I just couldn't deal with how naked the door felt.

Keeping with my cheap, free, or recycled goals I pulled out the picture frame from my Fourth of July decor and some scraps - fabric, paper, tulle, buttons, etc. I really didn't have a plan.

Once I started playing I decided to go with a neutral palette so it wouldn't scream "PINK" or "RED" from miles away. This vintage inspired thing isn't my normal feel so it was really hard to wrap my mind around it. I still feel like it's missing a LOT, but when I try to add more I just can't live with it and keep reverting to this:

There is glitter on part of the letters making up "LOVE" in the top corner but it doesn't show up really well. It's fun to try something new, but I'm not sure about it yet. Thoughts?