Giveaway Time!

Today I finally won my first giveaway!
(When I get it in the mail, I will disclose what it was!)
Also, my last giveaway went over so well...that I thought I'd do another!

My personalized wire name hangers have been a real hit on etsy! I've made over 60 in the last two months!

So why not make one more :)

Here are a few of the ones I've made lately!

The winner will get whatever they would like written in wire for their own personalized hanger! I make the wire, (For this giveaway I will also send it attached to a hanger!) and ship it to you!
(normally I only sell the wire portion with instructions on attaching to save on shipping...but of course I will make it special exception for my followers!)

So here is how it works!
Leave comment for one, or all of these!

1. Tell me you're a follower- (manditory)

2. Add a link of a favorite craft you've seen lately (or a craft you have done yourself)

3. "Heart" my etsy shop- LawStudentCrafts

Once again- I'll leave this open for a week!

Also- I'll add another 20% off code this week at my shop! Just use the code ILOVELAW

Vegetarian Sushi

Cooking is not one of my talents (trust me!) And raw fish is not something I usually enjoy. But ever since my trip to Japan... I love sushi.
One interesting fact- sushi does NOT have to contain raw fish. It is the idea of cooked sticky rice, usually rolled with seaweed.

If you want to make some veggie sushi grab some of this:

Short grain white sushi rice (asian markets are the best place to get this, or Walmarthas Jasmine rice...which will suffice)
Veggies- I used avacado, carrots, cucumber and some cream cheese...yum!
If you want to add meat, use some tuna, or crab meat! (since my two vegetarian friends wanted to try this, I left out the extra meat!)
Raosted Seaweed (Nori)

I use a rice cooker to make my sticky rice. Rinse it out a few times first. If you remember (I often forget) put in a couple tablespoons of rice vingar, and a pinch of salt and sugar. I always add an extra cup of water to the rice as well. While it is cooking, chop up your veggies into long thing strips.

When your rice is done, lay out your seaweed, and start spreading the rice on top

Lay in your veggies

And roll it up!

Simply cut it into thick slices

And you've got yourself some sushi!

If you want to make a japanese meal out of it. You can also pick up "Miso paste" at the asian market for Miso Soup (and tofu if you like tofu) and my all-time favorite part....edamae! (soy beans) You can find them in your frozen veggie section typically.



To Live or to Craft?

We had a “lock down” yesterday after classes because a man with a gun was seen in the building next to ours. However, law students didn't really seemed to care, they all basically live there…so most weren’t planning on going home after classes anyway. (pathetic right?)

But I had a dress to dye, so I may have snuck out the back of the building. In hindsight…maybe not the smartest move.

You know you have a problem, when you risk your life for crafts

On another related note…I finished my dress!

Sorry for the awful picture. Its snowing outside now, and I won’t be home until dark…so last night’s picture will just have to do!



I even did a test piece becuase EVERYONE told me I had to :)



Went with the stovetop method!

 Thanks so much for the comments and encouragement on how to dye the dress. It worked PERFECTLY! I am absolutely thrilled!

I cannot believe the semester is about halfway over. That means I am about ¼ of the way done with last school!!! (I think I did my math correctly on that one!) I cannot believe it.

However, I have very little to show of it besides a depleted bank account and those little baggys under my eyes.  



Infinity Dress

For the past few weeks, I've been debating on making an infinity dress!

Well I finally did!

I decided that since I'm not BUYING clothes for a year...that I should MAKE clothes :) Haha more like just 1 item of clothing...I'm not great at this!

But thanks to my Grandma V, she rocked it!

Sorry Grandma, I know you didn't want to be in this but I couldn't help it!
(also how awesome is that Singer?)

Incase you've never heard....infinity dress (or convertible dress)  is the best thing ever. I found it a year or so ago with my roomie Kayla! We were looking through bridal magazines and she thought they would make awesome bridesmaids dresses. (for those of you who know Kayla, and are doing the math...no she wasn't engaged yet. lol But that didn't stop us!) Anyway, they were $200+ so we knew they were pretty much out of the question!

Here is a picture of one for those who havent seen it.

The idea is that its a dress, that has SUPER long straps, so you can wear it alot of different ways. Still confused? Just google it...it will make more sense!

Well, I've decided it would be the PERFECT dress to have, if you arent allowed to buy any clothes for a year...because it isn't like having just ONE dress! (see how I am getting around these rules!) I especially wanted it, because I wanted something fun to wear to weddings this summer!

Since I have never sewn a dress, I decided to go cheap. I found an ebay member selling 3 yards of jersey fabric for $10 including shipping. The problem...it was white.

1. White can be...shear

2. White can be unflattering

3. You CANT wear white to a wedding

But I bought it anyways. (I'm a sucker for a deal!) I figured it would be a tester!

I know the photos arent great, but I did this in a hurry!

I'm not going to put a whole tutorial up...because it wouldnt be good. (plus I forgot my camera when I went to my Grandma's) But I did check out a few here and here

I would like to add atleast one picture to prove we actually worked on it!

Although I dont have a tutorial, please allow me to add in my two cents:

1. DO NOT even THINK about cutting the waist even CLOSE to what your waste actually is. This stuff is SUPER stretchy! I cut mine 3 inches smaller then what my waist is...and it was HUGE. If you're about my size, try 8-10 inches. You can always make it bigger...but smaller is more difficult

2. Three yards of fabric isn't enough. We used two pieces for the straps because I didnt have enough fabric. (which I think worked fine...but if you want it to be one whole piece, get 4 yards) The straps need to be 1.5 times your height and you have to remember you are taking a pretty big chunk of that three yards for your skirt.

3. When drawing a radius for your skirt, just grab a pen and a string. It worked awesome!

Pinterest/ Gawker

2 new favorite things:

First is Pinterest

Its basically just a site, where when you see something cool you “pin it” (like cutting out a magazine picture and putting it on your cork board) to your board. You can follow peoples pins, make different categories of boards…and find some awesome stuff!

I even checked to see what things people have “pinned” from my blog.

Pretty fun right?

So check it out. (I think you have to sign up, and then wait a few days to be get access if I recall)

 I’m a newbie, so mine isn’t as cool right now but there are some great ones out there! I love Kelsey’s And Rachel’s!

So when you are sitting in Civil Procedure at home with nothing else to do…it’s a great way to spend some time

My second new love is Craftgawker!

Actually all of the “gawkers”

It’s a place where you submit your own pictures for people to “gawk” at. Some have instructions for DIY, some are just cool photos to promote business are just to share with others! So for those creative folks- its a great way to get your stuff out there, and for you non creative, but love to look at neat stuff...check it out too!

There is also one for weddings, food, dwellings…if those are more your thing!

Thanks to Jessica for showing me craftgawker a while back :)

So when you are sitting in Civil Procedure at home with nothing else to do…it’s a great way to spend some time



T-shirt Flower Headband

I found this awesome tutorial showing how to make tshirt flower headbands! Also, I’ve heard the soft t-shirt is great for those itty bitty baby heads. So all you mommy’s out there should certainly try this!

Plus for all you big headed (I prefer big brained) people out there like me. This stays in SO much better then any headband I’ve used…and it doesn’t give me a headache!

After making the headband, I decided it just wasnt very "me" and thought I would change it a bit. So the "Kitty Version" Looks a little something like this.

A very simple change to something a little more fun (in my opinon!).

I wont put up the actual headband tutorial part (you can find it in the original blog entry above) but basically cut out a chunk of tshirt (wider then you think, it will stretch and roll) and meaure the size of your head. Make sure it is very snug, tshirts stretch! Then sew it together.

Now for the flower part. I sew the flower right on to wear I made the stitch in my headband. That way, the ugly part is covered up! For this, I took the extra materials, folded it in half, and cut out a sideways "B" along the fold.

In other words, when you open it up, it should look like a butterfly shape. (click on the pict to enlarge it)

Just like all my other crafts...you do NOT need to be exact on this shape! Mine were all different sizes and funny variations of this basic shape.

Once you have 2 cut out, overlap them in different ways, and stitch just the middle sections together. Really, it is hard to mess this up. I cut out about 14 (7 sets). I sewed them on the headband in two different strips.

By that, I mean it made the flower fuller. In other words: Sew two sets of the butterfly pieces together, push them down on your thread, sew two more, and do that with about four to five sets. You will end up with a string of pieces, that looks like the petals in the picture.  

Then sew it to your headband.

If you like that look, great! I wanted a fuller flower, and did that again with another 3 sets to make it bigger and sewed it next to the original strip.

It ends up looking like a mess of fabric, like the petals from a flower!

Week of Photos

And I thought it was hard to focus on school when the weather was yucky?!
Psh...I'm a goner now!
This week, I had an awesome bike ride downtown

Yeah, thats me :)

On the topic of bikes...how much do I want this bike?!

You're right, he is riding a unicorn :)

Anyway, I also had a few amazingly productive days at the Coffee House.

I love this place. Not just for the coffee, but for the large tables, lamps, study area, and no music in back study room. Its amazing!

Oh and I've also still been doing ALOT of these on etsy!

I even met a lady at starbucks who is having me make a bunch to display her jewelry on for her business!

Friday night I creeped on good ole Tom Osborne at Red Mango

(its the guy sitting, not standing...duh!)

Oh, and of course hung out with these guys :)

Last night I celebreated a friend's birthday with a bunch of law school kids (its way more fun hanging out with us then it sounds)

Alex came over today, and we had sister bonding time shopping (window shopping for me!)

And taught alex how  alex watched as I made her a matching headband!





Also, get ready for a super great tutorial on Monday for these awesome t-shirt headbands!!

Trust me, they look way cuter when you wear them right!

Ruffle Necklace

It's GMAT weekend, and what am I doing? Meeting an etsy customer at starbucks...and crafting. Judge me.

So I’ve been seeing this Anthropologie inspired necklace around…and decided I MUST have it.

Well, more like “I must MAKE that!”

Ready for a tutorial?! I found a great tutorial, and decided to change it up a bit so I didn’t have to go to the store!

I had a bit of chain lying around (but not enough to make a necklace)

And some elastic

Extra fabric

Needle and thread

And no clasp.

So I went with the no-clasp-stretchy necklace.

For me, it was free. However, the cost will be SUPER cheap even if you don’t have any of the material. I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t know how cheap 1/8^th of a yard of fabric is. (around .29 cents) and while you’re hitting up hobby lobby, pick up some elastic and chain. It should be less than $5! (or, you can always simply attach the ruffle on a piece of ribbon you have lying around and tie it with a bow in the back! Very simple…and very cheap!)

I would suggest- pick a fabric that “melts” that is, has some polyester in it. Just ask the fabric ladies and they will show you what I’m talking about!

So I used about 29 inches of fabric, which I estimated…but found it to be PERFECT! I used a little less then 1/8^th yard wide (because I had already cut the fabric for making other crafts!) But fold your material in half (length wise) and cut it to be about as long as you want your ruffle to be!

My 1 regret- Now is when I should have singed the edges of my fabric. I did it afterwards

Before

After

But it would have been easier prior to finishing.

You can leave them unfinished…but I don’t like the look as much.

Sew a loose stitch about a fingers width away from the crease of the fabric. This is where you will put your elastic piece. Don’t knot it yet at the other end.

Now thread your elastic piece into the “tunnel” you just made. Adding a safety pin to the end will help you get it through all the way. Then start scrunching it to make the ruffles. As you scunch, pull the thread as well, to make it tighter. However…don’t pull it too tight. You can scrunch it without making the thread as taught. That way, your ruffle can stretch with the elastic to pull it over your head.

Anyway, once you’ve got the thread pulled as tight as you want, go ahead and knot it in the end and cut your thread! Measure your elastic to be the same length as your ruffle (plus a little extra on each end to tie) Then measure your chain with your ruffle, so it is the right length to sit where you want it! Go ahead and tie each end of your elastic to your chain.

And you are done! All you have to do is pull your ruffle up over the top of where you knotting your elastic to your chain, and slip it over your head!

So cute right?! And So cheap!



And I had to wear it that minute!

Everyday Paper Envelope

First thanks to CraftoManiac for my feature yesterday! I loved the opportunity to be a guest blogger!

Also, I have two big projects I am working on right now…and haven’t had the time to craft as much as I normally would, so instead here is another little trick for you!
You will never need another envelope again, simply fold paper you have laying around!

Start with a piece of paper, you can use magazine pages or square scrapbook pages…anything you’ve got!

1. Fold the sides to the middle, but overlap them a little.
2. Then fold the opposite sides in. I usually fold one side in twice far as the other. Just enough to get a good overlap

3. I like mine with rounded corners, so I round off the edges here

4. Then unfold, and cut out the “squares” it makes in the corners
5. Now fold it back up, and glue the folds together, and the shorts of the other folds.

And you’ve got yourself the perfect envelope! Just make sure not to glue it closed yet!
(also try not to make them square…or else that is just more postage!)

Earring Giveaway and Etsy Discount!

So....I've been entering giveaways like crazy in the blogging world and have yet to get any luck!
In order to stir up some karma, I've decided to do a little giveaway!

My new thing is earrings...so I've decided to giveaway TWO pairs of earrings, ONE PAIR to TWO LUCKY WINNERS!

You each get to pick a pair from my newest earrings post on etsy!

Fun right? I'm even wearing a pair today!

Also, for all of you out there who need some more crafts in your life...use the code "ILOVECRAFTS" on my etsy site and get 20% off this week!

To enter:

- one entry telling me you are a follower of "A Law Student's Journey"

- one entry for telling me your favorite thing I've blogged about

-and one linking me to your favorite craft that you've found online this year! (just to give me more craft ideas!)

The giveaway will stay open until Monday 2/21