Continuing my new found love of epoxy, I made some barrettes out of metal stampings that I bought waaay back in February during MLK weekend. I had plans to make one really complex thing out of all of my leaves, but I couldn't figure it out aesthetically. I guess that leaves me free to make lots of little things.



To test out the strength of my new favorite glue I wore this barrette to the water park. It survived six water slides, three rounds of the wave pool and one frantic lazy river swim and went home intact.

Labels: hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 8/30/2009 09:32:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Project #132 - Circuit Board Barrettes

My I bought my iBook in 2001 and it functioned perfectly until I broke the charger port on the side of the computer sometime last year. So, I was left with a functioning laptop, but no way to charge it.

When I had Dustin pose for the Hermit Tarot Card I gave him my broken laptop as a prop. Serendipitously, Dustin knew exactly how to fix the broken part and a few weeks later brought me a chargable laptop and he gave me the broken part as a bonus. We paid him back with beer and fried German meat.



Happily, the piece was easy to break apart and and use as new pieces for my nerd barrette collection. Man, rainbow wire is the best.

Labels: hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 5/20/2009 11:25:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Project #34 - Capacitor Barrettes

Okay, I haven't made any progress in learning how to use capacitors without shocking myself. I still think they're pretty, so I'm going to continue to use up my supply by gluing them to things. Today, I'm going to glue them to some barrettes because that is about the girliest thing possible to do with them other than gluing them to a tampon case. (Future project?!) I already have a million barrettes of various persuasions, so these two are going to find a new home.

I'm also using epoxy for the first time. Usually, I would use silicon glue, but it doesn't always work so well with the smooth sides of electrolytic capacitors. Epoxy is my mechanic dad's glue of choice for heavy duty jobs. When I broke my car mirror, he glued it back on with a generous coating and it hasn't budged since, not even on the highway. Perhaps the same magic will work for these pretty hair things.



My tube of epoxy for this project looks a little less heavy-duty than the glob holding my car mirror in place, but it seems to do the trick, especially when it comes to gluing myself to various household objects. The applicator also mixes the glue and activator at the tip so there isn't any need for the usual hand mixing.



I always groom my capacitors carefully for this kind of task by clipping off all protruding wires as far as I can and folding in whatever bits are left. Then I just glue them to a barrette in whatever order pleases me.

Labels: electonics, hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 2/04/2009 11:27:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Monday, February 02, 2009

Project #32 - Leafy Barrette

There are all sorts of shopping experiences that are one of a kind in New York, especially for those who are always in the lookout for unique crafting items. One of my favorites is Metalliferous, a purveyor of all things that are both metal and crafty. It's a favorite of jewelry makers.



The store is located on the second floor of a building just off Times Square. Inside is a wonderland of metal items, all arranged from floor to ceiling in plastic bins. There is a dizzying array of metal chains and cords, jump-rings and doodads. I'm mostly in it for the doo-dads. I grabbed a bunch of metal leaves and I'm kicking myself for not emptying out the whole section. I also renewed my supply of metal alligator barrettes.

There is a particular way of shopping at Metalliferous that can be a little confusing. Just go ahead and step behind the counter to the stock room, that's where the good stuff is and any customer can go there. Be sure to grab a permanent marker on your way in, you'll put what you want to buy in a little baggie and you'll need to write the quantity and price on the bag itself. This store operates on the honors system. You can also write down the stock number if you want to re-order from the catalog later.



I made a barrette from two of my purchases, a brass leaf and an alligator clip.



I didn't have any sandpaper in our hotel room, so I scored both pieces with a pin from my sewing kit so that the glue would have a better chance of holding.



Why didn't I buy more of these?!

Labels: craft, hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 2/02/2009 11:40:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Monday, January 12, 2009

Project #12 - Locket Hair Pins

My hair has grown very long and I wear it in a bun most of the time. I almost never have my hair down when I leave the house and certainly not while I eat. So I always have hair loops or hairpins at hand to keep it out of my way. I wore my hair the same way when I was a tour guide in DC. A ponytail would be a mess after just one walking tour, but a cinnamon bun on the back of my head would stay perfect for an entire shift.

I keep losing my hairpins so I make more every few months. I usually use 3 inch jumbo bobby pins and add something pretty. I've shown something similar before on this blog with the set of hair accessories that I made for my wedding reception.



I put together this set to look a little old-timey so that they will coordinate with the vintage-style dresses that I usually wear when it's not winter. The round things are tiny, 1 centimeter in diameter lockets; they are real, functioning ones that you can keep a picture inside. Mine will carry pictures of my grandmothers, I even know what pictures I'm going to use, but I'll need to borrow them from my mom, scan and shrink them.



The construction for this project is pretty easy and will take you about 10 minutes with luck. Just take a length of wire, I usually start with one about 8 inches long, and wind it first around the leaf piece and securing it in place. Next, twist a length of wire to form the stem locket 'flower'. To keep the locket in place, wind the wire around a second time. I usually do a pretty messy job, but through a little experimenting you'll probably do a lot better.

The locket and metal leaves came from one of my favorite online craft supply shops, the Canadian papier valise. There is a lot of stuff to wade through, but there are a lot of curiosities that I've never seen anywhere else. You'll have to pay in Canadian dollars, but the rates are much better now than when I did my purchasing a year ago.

Labels: hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 1/12/2009 11:19:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Thursday, January 01, 2009

Project #1 - 10 Minute Headband

I squandered most of this holiday watching movies and cutting out patterns, but never quite mustering up the energy to actually sew any of them together. So today's project will be quick and simple. It will be a headband - one that can be made in less than 10 minutes.



Ingredients: 5 inches of elastic
~21 inches of ribbon
Thread

I first snipped the ends of my ribbon with pinking shears to keep it from getting too frayed.

The idea is to make a narrow hem with one end your ribbon and trap the elastic inside. I turned my ribbon down once, inserted the elastic and turned it down again. Holding it in place, I sewed a narrow zig-zag. My feed dogs don't react well to things this small, so I guided the ribbon through with a pair of scissors.



I sewed another line of zig-zag to reinforce and to get the elastic to lay well.

Next, I wound the ribbon and elastic around my head to measure for the best fit. I ended up chopping off about 2 inches of ribbon.



Finally, I sewed the other in the same manner as described above.



Now I can declare my love of robots without having to talk about them and show people on the bus pictures of my favorite robots.

Labels: craft, hair accessories, projects

posted by Alison 1/01/2009 11:35:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Thursday, October 04, 2007

Tryin' to Get the Pretty

The one bad thing about getting married on a Sunday is that all of the independent, super-fancy-pants salons are closed. (Rats! No temple massages!) I wanted to give all of my ladies a chance to get their hair done, but that would be impractical time-wise if we hired someone to come to us for hair and make-up. Despite being a DIY bride, I knew that I was too incompetent to even do my own eye-liner, so we turned to a local chain for our prettification needs.

Here are the final results. Photo credit goes to my Maid of Honor and her fashion photography skills.


We used Philip Pelusi on the South Side of Pittsburgh. I did a hair trial there and was happy with the results. For both my trial and the wedding day my beautician was Christina, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a hair and makeup artist. She got married the month before me and had plenty of war stories to share, including a summer storm that caused so many downed trees that her rehearsal almost had to be canceled.

The back also turned out wonderfully. However, my stubborn hair only lasted this way for an hour and a half, but I wanted to do something out of the ordinar because our wedding guests would be staring at the back of us for most of the ceremony.


Mr. Lollipop was obsessed with my hair even after it de-curled itself. It stayed poofy (but not in a bad way) for the rest of the evening and he liked touching it.

Labels: hair accessories, wedding

posted by Alison 10/04/2007 10:46:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Thursday, July 05, 2007

My DIY Hair Combs

When it comes to clothing or hair accessories, I usually know what I want. When I go shopping I search for the things that match the picture in my head. If I can't find what I want or the closest match is too expensive, I'll make whatever I need myself. Usually, I'm able to make what I want with acceptable results, but it often takes a considerable amount of time.

I knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding hair accessories: I wanted them to be in gold tones to match my dress, I wanted something botanical with leaves, and I wanted two hair combs instead of a tiara. Not that there is anything wrong with wearing a tiara; they just aren't my style.

After shopping with grim determination I couldn't find anything approaching my ideal combs. Even distant matches carried a $100+ price tag for rhinestones and brass. Instead, I resolved to make my own.

My supplies came from Fire Mountain Gems, but I purchased them through a local store called the Rock Shop so I wouldn't have to put in a bulk order to get the maximum discount. I bought gold filled wire, AB Swarovski crystals, citrine drops (my birth stone), and marquise cut topaz (also a birth stone). To fill in the background and add a botanical look, I added metal leaves.

My camera is broken, so the resulting pictures are less than optimal. The resulting combs, however, turned out well. They sparkle a lot in the light and make my inner magpie happy.




I also made a tiara for one of my bridesmaids, just 'cause she wanted one. I posed it on top of our fan:

Labels: hair accessories, preeety, shopping

posted by Alison 7/05/2007 02:47:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Friday, June 29, 2007

Pittsburgh's Secret Jewelery Abode

There is a special building in downtown Pittsburgh called the Clark Building. Instead of being filled with accountant's or lawyer's or optometrist offices, the first four floors are occupied by nothing but jewelery stores. I've never been a woman who craved jewelery, but there is something about that building that makes me happy every time I go there, and this is despite the fluorescent lighting and drab carpeting. I really like the idea of having all of one type of store in one place. We were able to peruse the whole range of quality and price in just an hour, too short to get bored or sick of looking at the same thing.

Both my ring and my fiance's came from stores on the third floor. I wore mine secretly on the bus ride home after picking it up alone. I've never worn a ring, but I found mine to be instantly comfortable. We are each holding one another's rings until our ceremony to help me resist the temptation to wear mine prematurely again and again.

There is also one store in the Clark Building that sells amazing Tacori hair accessories. Unfortunately, they only sell ones made of silver. I can't justify spending $325 on something that won't match my dress.

Still, I want one!

Labels: DIY, hair accessories, Pittsburgh, preeety, shopping, wedding

posted by Alison 6/29/2007 08:47:00 PM : (0) comments : splink