carnivàle sparkle sunglasses +diy

So if you frequent my blog you obviously have already acknowledged my obsession with gems. I've embellished shoes, hats, shirts, nails and more - but never sunglasses. Well, my friends, now is the time.



These faux Prada glasses (find them here) were kind of plain - and I needed a way to dress them up.So after receiving some of this great sapphire rhinestone chain from Pandahall,  I first thought of using it in a jewelry tutorial. But, why not change it up a bit? It's ability to lay flat and bend/turn made it great for gluing on these frames.



I also added Cousin M'bellish flat backs to fill in some spots, and add more glitz. You can grab these or any other flat backs at Michael's, JoAnn, AC Moore and Walmart.



So totally luxe-looking, they definitely stand out - feel free to mix up colors here. I stuck with clear crystals, but using multicolors would make for a total Carnivale-type look!



Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are sunglasses -you can get the SAME ones I used (faux Pradas) here!-, E6000 glue, a toothpick, rhinestone cup chain (mine from Pandahall here) and flatback crystals (mine from Cousin's M'Bellish line here). You could also use Swarovski flat backs, Crystazzi flat backs or other similar styles.



Step 2: Start gluing. It's super simple - with the toothpick, place a small dab of E6000 glue at the edge of the glasses frame (I started at the center of my swirl). Lay the first rhinestone on this glue- then, simply keep adding dabs of glue, and laying your chain down. Because of the shape of my frames, I did this swirl in one separate piece.



I added another piece to fill out the arms of the glasses. Repeat with other side.



Step 3: Embellish. I again glued down crystal flat backs with dabs of glue, adding a fan-like pattern to the edges of my glasses. I trimmed just the top of the lenses with another length of rhinestone chain. I cut all my chain after gluing it, to make sure I wasn't too short or too long with my cuts.



Are you digging them? I'd pair these with denim skinny jeans, a graphic tee and sneakers. Add a crystal bib necklace if you want to go all out!



I love the blue / silver combo here, adding a modernity to otherwise retro-type glasses. A black / gold combo would create a very luxe, more goth vibe. What colors would you choose?!



All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling. DO NOT post or use photos without linking to me and crediting me.

If you use this tutorial to make your own pair of glasses, post a pic to Instagram and tag me @quietlioncreations - I'll repost you!

Crystal Eclipse Mobile

C H E C K.   T H I S.   O U T.

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I've made a dreamy, crystal-encrusted and high-shine mobile from old abalone coasters - yes - that I grabbed from the Kane County Flea Market. When I first saw the stack of these I had no idea what they were; but the shiny, milky white shells with flecks of blues, pinks and greens grabbed my attention and I knew I could use them for something.

This is not necessarily a "diy" post, as I was too lazy to take pictures of individual steps. But, I will take you through the basic steps I made to make this. Starting with these round coasters (which had cork on the back that I had carefully removed), I cut them into half and crescent moons. I layered these and connected them with chain, mirroring the moon pattern to replicate a moon's cycle. 

I had to be careful not to break these thin shells, using a sharp Xacto knife to cut the shapes here. These were rimmed with a gold metal rim, which I removed to cut then crimped back on the shapes, having to cut and bend to fit. 

There was one large shell in the pack that wasn't cork-backed, so I used this large piece as a focal point, making it the "queen moon" in my mobile!

What I did to this one was encrust it with crystals. I used Cousin Corporation Crystazzi Aurora Borealis flatback crystals… and wow! I used E6000 glue to glue these on, and did a random pattern to mimic the shadows and highlights of a moon, so it looked realistic.

The multihued shine of these super high-quality rhinestones really just brought out all the opalescent tones within the shells themselves!

Using Cousin Corporation gold cable chain and gold jump rings to connect the shells, and then finishing with a feather and crystal dangle, just tied the mobile together.

This is surprisingly lightweight, even with the metal and beads used. Those rainbow acrylic bead (that I love!) I got from Fire Mountain Gems, and the crystals from Cousin Corporation Jewelry Basics.

Doesn't it look like the moon?!

And of course,  the feathers are cruelty free, just like the ones in my Free Bird Necklace tutorial. I used a single white feather here for just a little bohemian touch! 

I glued three of the crystal flat backs to the feather for added sparkle. 

There is that acrylic rainbow bead again - and a large crystal Crystazzi pendant from Cousin Corporation. 

This just has such a cool, mystical vibe about it, which I dig. Of course you knew that.

Looks great hanging in the room, next to my cool Moon light fixture (from Ikea!)

My inspiration for this was a mobile I saw at Urban Outfitters - which included moon shapes.

It was also a great excuse to use up those flat backs I had laying around, which, even though they were Hotfix stones for fabric, worked great with the E6000 glue here.

That ending crystal dangle though … love! I love the prismatic coating on the beads and crystals.

You could switch out my shells here for heavy card stock (maybe glue two or three sheets together, spray paint it gold or metallic, and cut out the shapes)- just an idea. Or, create large charms from shrink plastic and use those. So many options! 

I hope to have inspired you to create something cool! Sometimes, just looking through "junk" will spark ideas. 

Dream on,   D R E A M E R S

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ALL photos and text copyright Allison Beth Cooling. Do NOT post pictures without linking to me and crediting me!

Creepy Cute Felite

This creepy little guy loves Halloween! This tutorial will teach you how to quickly sew a "feltie" complete with fangs and crystal eyes. My second Halloween tutorial is great for kids (leave the sewing/needles up to the parents!) because they can draw out their creatures and create felt versions of them!  

Basic shapes come together to create this character. Have kids draw their shapes on paper, cut them out, then trace with the felt to create customized creatures. Aliens, goblins, witches and more! The techniques are quite simple, and stay true to any type of feltie you want to create. 

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are felt pieces (in brown or black, pink, white), sewing thread or embroidery floss, two small 3mm black crystals, E-6000 glue and quilting stuffing. I am using super strong thread, the kind meant to go through leather or vinyl.

Start by cutting the pieces you will need. Two oblong black ovals for the head, two mismatched white eyes, two black ear pieces, one pink nose and two white fangs. Don't worry about making the shapes exact; the unevenness adds to the quirkiness! Just make sure the two head pieces are the same size. Glue the two eyes to one of the head pieces.

Sew on the crystals for eyes. On the other head piece, dab a little glue on the bottom of the ear, and stick on top, making sure about 1/4" of the ear overlaps the top of the head. This way, the ears will be caught inside and sewed on as well, which is what you want!

You will have two head pieces; Start sewing them together with your string, using a back and for the sewing motion. Get your stuffing ready.

Continue to sew back and forth, and when you reach about 1" from where you started, fill the "pouch" with stuffing. Just enough to plump him up, don't bloat him!

Sew closed and cut the string. Glue on the nose and teeth!

This little guy can be just a toy, or glue on a pin backing to make him a pin. Or, make him a  necklace pendant. The results are endless! You can also color the bottom of his fangs with red Sharpie to make him more evil. I liked his cuteness though. 

All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling. Do not post without linking to me!

Barcelona Earrings

I'ts time for some Chainmaille.

I never, EVER usually do anything associated with Chainmaille. Reason 1: I never have any jump rings. Reason 2: I never really knew how to do all that complicated hooking and threading and twisting and what have you. 

Well, there is a first time for everything.

This is an easy Chainmaille pattern I've created for beginners and advanced 'maillers to try. I've added the addition of faceted gemstone drop beads to give a more bohemian look to an otherwise very industrial look. To prevent tarnishing, I've only used Cousin brand Elegance Metals jump rings; these are either gold or sterling plated so that you won't worry about them losing their shine. I recommend these for use in any Chainmaille pattern.  

These are great everyday earrings that aren't super heavy, but are great quality because you've used great metals. These agate faceted drops and small garnet drop add pops of color. I've used mixed metals here because I'm going for a hippie-chic look. If that's not your thing, use just one metal color. I call these Barcelona earrings because of the eclectic mix of colors, and the fan pattern that forms when you link the jump rings!

Let's get going!

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are:

4mm Faceted Gemstone rounds (purple mix here, gemstone mix here, Swarovski here)

Garnet 3mm Rounds from Happy Mango Beads (optional)

Cousin Elegance Metals 6mm Jumprings (Gold, Rose Gold and Sterling Plated)

Cousin Elegance Metals Gold Headpin (or other gold headpins)

Cousin Elegance 14k Fishhooks

Flatnose Pliers and Wire Trimmers

To start the chainmaille pattern, open each of your jump rings packages and separate into like colors. Then, halve those groups so that you will have separated piles for each earring. 

1. Starting with the silver, open and attach a rose and gold. Close silver ring.

2. Open another silver and thread through the rose and gold. Don't close.

3.  Add a silver, rose and gold ring to the open silver. Close.

4. Open a rose. Thread through the rose, gold and silver. Don't close.

5. Add 7 rings, in alternating pattern (rose, gold, silver) to the open rose ring. Close rose ring.

6. Open a silver ring. With the leftmost rose and gold ring, thread silver through these rings and close. There should be 5 empty rings still hanging.

7. Open a gold ring. Thread through the gold of last step and the silver to the right of it, making sure to thread over the last ring (so the new ring lays on top of last). Close ring.

8. Continue this pattern; with a rose ring, thread through the silver of last round and then the rose next to it. Keep repeating, threading through two jump rings only each time, one being the rightmost ring of the last step. You should use 6 rings to finish.

You should have a "fan" of sorts, each jumpring laying beneath the other. MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS ADD EACH JUMP RING IN FRONT OF THE LAST ONE YOU ADDED, to keep that clean fan pattern. 

Simply add gemstone wrapped-loop charms to each of the 6 empty jump rings at bottom. If feelin' groovy, add a small garnet charm to the top jumpring, and finish by adding a fishhook to this ring as well.

The gemstones lay next to each other, creating a cool fan-like pattern.

These would also look great in all silver metal, with turquoise rounds for a southwestern look. Or, try all gold metal with pearl drops for a totally traditional vibe.

Maybe I'll try Chainmaille again in the future. It has served me well up to this point. What do you think?

All images copyright Allison Beth Cooling. DO NOT post images/tutorial without crediting and linking back!