We're Taking A Little Break...

Today's post is a hard one to write, but unfortunately we have decided to take a little break from e&s.

There are so many factors that have contributed to this decision but real life is demanding all of our time at the moment with work commitments, running our individual blogs and Skye planning her upcoming wedding. Basically we've just had to compartmentalise things and we feel taking a step back from e&s is the best thing for us right now. 

We've achieved so much over the last 8 months - we want you to know that this isn't us throwing in the towel! We absolutely love our little blog, working together, and sharing all of our DIY and crafty adventures with you. We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you for coming along with us on the journey and we sincerely hope you'll stick around to see how it will continue in the future.

At the moment we can't say how long this hiatus will last, but we will both still be around on Twitter and our individual blogs if you need to find us - please do keep in touch!

Skye - www.evenartichokeshavehearts.co.uk | @skye_pennant | skyepennant@hotmail.co.uk
Erin - www.e-eliseetc.com | @eeliseetc | eliseetc@hotmail.co.uk

Skye & Erin

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Jewellery 101 - Necklace Chains

If you enjoy making lots of jewellery as a hobby or are looking to start up your own jewellery business selling handmade pieces why not invest in the supplies to make your own chains?

All you need to make each necklace is a length of chain, two jump rings, pliers and a clasp (example shows a lobster style clasp) - once you have the supplies you can make one in minutes! To create a necklace simply cut the chain to your desired length, open up a jump ring, thread it onto one end of the chain and close. Then add a jump ring and clasp to the other end of the chain and you're done.

With just these few items you'll be able to make specific length necklaces as and when you need them for a project allowing you to customise your pieces, plus if you're making high volumes it may save you money in the long run.

If you're not sure on what length of chain to use for your necklace I recently created a handy visual guide using the same necklace design on different length chains. You can find it over on my blog.



We love hearing from our readers - use the hashtag #eightandsixteen to share your comments & photos with us!

Erin

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DIY Paper Flower Earrings

Today's project is a quick and simple statement jewellery DIY perfect for adding a pop of colour to your outfit. Don't fancy paper jewellery? Upgrade this project by using leather scraps for the flowers instead!

You will need: 'paper blossoms' or a flower paper punch, two earring posts, matte Mod Podge, coloured nail polish, glaze, a blob of blu tack

1. Start by adding a little glue or matte Mod Podge to the back of your earring posts, then push on the paper flowers

2. Set aside to dry by standing up the posts in a blob of the blu tack or a piece of polystyrene packaging

3. Once dry I would advise coating the flowers with a layer or two of your matte Mod Podge to make them a little more durable

4. When the Mod Podge has dried use nail polish to colour the flat tops of the earring posts - these will be the centre of flowers

5. Once the polish is dry add layer of glaze and again leave to dry. Add on an additional layer of glaze if necessary and once dry they'll be ready to wear!

We'd love to hear from you if you try out this or any of our other DIY projects - use the hashtag #eightandsixteen to share your photos with us!

Erin

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Skye's Five Favourite Projects Of 2014!

DIY Film & TV Quote Banners

DIY Deathly Hallows Tshirt Inspired By Harry Potter

DIY Camera Strap Cover

PinTest: Ping Pong Ball Pumpkin Lights

Tea Towel Upcycle Challenge: DIY Lunch Bags

Looking through all of our posts over the last seven months has been so much fun! I can't believe how many DIY's we've managed to cram into this little blog, but I've loved doing them all and sharing them with Erin.

Picking just five of my favourites has been hard, but in the end I went with the DIY's that have really stood the test of time.
I still have the banners hung up around my flat, I wear the Deathly Hallows Tshirt too much, the camera strap is so comfortable and gets lots of compliments, the ping pong ball lights just make me smile, and the lunch bags are super practical!

I hope that you've enjoyed reading our DIY's and projects - and if you have any suggestions or things that you'd like us to try then just let us know :)

We'd love to know what your favourite projects of the year have been - use the hash tag #eightandsixteen to let us know or share your photos with us!

Skye

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Erin's Five Favourite Projects Of 2014!

DIY Quilted Cobweb Coasters


DIY Harry Potter Inspired Envelope Pouch


Wire Skull Decorations


Upcycled Bookmarks


Light Bulb Snowman Ornament

It's been a crazy seven months here at Eight & Sixteen, who would have thought that we would have created so many projects in such a short space of time?! I've really enjoyed working with Skye on this little blog and found it so difficult to choose just five favourite projects. Although it was tempting to opt for all Halloween ones (those are always my favourites to work on!) I eventually managed to narrow it down to the five shown above.

The quilted coasters had to make my top five as not only were they for Halloween but they also required me to learn new skills as they were my first completed quilting project. I learnt the single binding method especially for this project and was really proud of how the coasters turned out. Similarly the envelope pouch was a project that took perseverance to complete. Again having dreamed up the idea I didn't have a pattern or instructions to follow and in the end it took me three attempts to get the finished product looking exactly how I wanted.

The skulls represent how much I've been really enjoying working with wire this year and not just on jewellery projects. It's such a versatile craft supply and I'm hoping to find more new ways to use it in 2015!

The final two projects on my list are both upcycles, something I've become more and more enthusiastic about this year. I had so much fun making both the snowman ornament and the bookmarks which were one of the first Eight & Sixteen projects I set to work on. I loved seeing the simple light bulb and wallpaper samples transform into new items.

I hope you've enjoyed our 2014 DIYs just as much as we have. If you've got any particular projects or techniques you'd like to see featured in 2015 please do let us know!

We'd love to know what your favourite projects of the year have been - use the hashtag #eightandsixteen to let us know or share your photos with us!

Erin

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Craft Favourite: Alphabet Stamps

It's been a while since our last Craft Favourite post, and with the festive season coming to an end I've been reminded of just how much I love my Alphabet Stamps.

If you prefer the hand made route (we sure do!), then stamps are perfect for card making, organising and customising. You can buy all sorts of sizes, fonts and sets; the little wooden set above were an eBay purchase, and the larger set were a present years ago from Not On The High Street.

If you add a variety of coloured inks to your collection then even better - metallics can look great to personalise wrapping paper, and bright colours are perfect for birthday cards.
It can take a little practise to get used to working with the stamps, but I've never found wonkiness an issue - in fact, I think it just adds to the charm of the hand stamped look :)

Do you have a crafty product that you can't live without? We'd love to hear about it!

Skye

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PinTest: Hama/Perler Bead Spinning Tops

The inspiration for today's PinTest came from various Pins including this one which show how you can easily make your own colourful spinning tops with just a few Hama beads and a cocktail stick - perfect for a Christmas Eve crafting session! I love using these beads as there's so many great little projects you can create with them from simple toys like this to jewellery, decorations and more - the possibilities are endless!

All you need to do to make your own spinning tops is create your design on a circular peg board, cover with ironing paper and iron to fuse the beads together. Whilst still warm, carefully push a cocktail stick through the centre of your beads and trim down the other end to use as a handle.

This quick project is not just simple but is also a lot of fun to make and would be perfect for a rainy day!

We'd love to hear from you if you try out this or any of our other DIY projects - use the hashtag #eightandsixteen to share your photos with us.

Erin

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