Inspired by... an anniversary

 

Today is the one-year anniversary of Inspired by...!  I'm so thankful for all of YOU! Who read, comment and inspire me!  I hope that this blog has been, and continues to be a place of inspiration and encouragement.

 

Out of nearly 200 posts over the last twelve months, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the top seven...

 

Inspired by... Austen

 

Inspired by... pink

 

Inspired by... Noel {Inspiration #3}

 

 

Inspired by... bees {free printable}

 

Inspired by... pumpkins

 

Inspired by... flaws

And the #1 most viewed link...

 

Inspired by... Noel {Inspiration #4}

I hope you've enjoyed today's recap.  All the pictures link to the original posts if you're interested in reading more.

 

Have a wonder-filled day,

Inspired by... Austen

 

Fans of Jane Austin may remember that Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility wore a ring, in which was set a lock of Lucy's hair. Despite the fact that it's Lucy's hair (not Elinor's), I find this uncommonly endearing.

How likely is the modern man to wear such a novelty? While I believe there are still plenty of romantic and sentimental men out there, the majority of the jewelry I found for sale on line that incorporated a loved one's hair was "memorial" jewelry rather than something worn as a show of present affection.

So what might be a better option for the modern man?

How about a key chain?

 

 

This was an easy project using scrapbook paper, modge-podge, dimensional magic and a lock of hair. I began by cutting out a small square of scrapbook paper.

 

 

Be sure to glue the paper down, or you can end up with bubbles when you add the dimensional magic. Next I added a lock of hair and applied a generous amount of modge-podge.

 

 

Warning: this step requires a bit of patience.  At least the hair I used did. Let's just say all the strands didn't want to lay the same way.

Let the glue dry completely, before going to the next step. Once dry, add the dimensional magic.

 

No bubbles!

 

And once it dries...

 

Textured with Bonnie's Dappled Dawn

 

Romantic. Sentimental.

And one, I think, Miss Austen would find to be most sensible.

 

The perfect gift for the modern man!

 

Blessings,

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by... YOU

 

Have you been enjoying the "best of" posts popping up all over blogland this last week? I've enjoyed the opportunity to catch some posts I previously missed.

After reviewing the top ten blog posts (based on your page views) on Inspired by... I noticed that many of the post dates were early on and since so many of you are new followers I thought you might enjoy a recap in case you missed some of the favorites!

Here's the inspired countdown...

 

#Ten

The Hoots!

#Nine

Inspired Noel #3

 

#Eight

Noel

 

#Seven

Before and After Projects

 

#Six

Inspired Noel #1

 

#Five

Tote Makeover

 

#Four

Free Printable

 

#Three

Fabric Pumpkins

 

#Two

Flaws Turned Fabulous

And the most viewed post

of 2011

Inspired Noel #4

I hope you saw something new and inspiring today!  Thank you all for following, commenting, pinning, Facebook-ing and just plain viewing Inspired by...

 

I hope to continue to inspire you in 1012!

 

Blessings on your New Year,

Inspired by... Noel {Inspiration #5}

 

 

Greetings, everyone! Today I have another fun and easy jewelry craft to share with you! And the best part is you probably have most of the supplies at home and the rest you can pick up on Friday while you're out shopping 'till you drop! Umm, unless you're like me and you try to avoid leaving your house on Black Friday. In that case, run out this afternoon so you can make these on Friday while you're avoiding the rest of the world!

 

 

Ha! These are seriously cool! I love everything about them! My inspiration came from Saved by Love Creations. The post there credits and links to the original creator, Tiffany Windsor, at the Cool2Craft Network blog. Both have excellent tutorials on how to make these.

To make mine, I used an old set of dominos, egg shells, alcohol ink and dimensional magic. The Saved by Love tutorial puts the eggs shells on the blank side of the domino, but I did not like the dots showing on the backside of my pendants, so I strategically placed the egg shells over the dots instead. It worked great and the alcohol inks make a nice finish on the smooth sides and back of the domino.

 

 

Another thing I'd do differently, and recommend, is using regular glue to glue down the egg shells to the domino (or whatever substrate you use). I used dimensional magic on mine (per Saved by Love tutorial) which created a raised surface around the shells, so when I was ready to put the finish on over the ink (again using dimensional magic) it wasn't as smooth and flowing as it could have been. This will make sense when you get to this step, I promise!

 

 

You can glue the pendant bail to the back of the domino, or drill a hole into the domino like I did.

 

 

 

For my next round I'm going to get a little creative with my egg shells. I think it would be fun to try to form them into specific shapes or letters. What do you think?

 

 

So, what are you waiting for? Go whip up your favorite omelet and get those eggs shells a soakin'!

 

Blessings,

 

 

Sharing inspiration here: