Category: DIY

3 Necklaces, Endless Options: My Gem Miners Show Creations

Last month we went to the Gem Miners Show when it came to a local fairground. I was like a kid in a sparkly candy store and picked out a few strands of beads and some pendants… with no specific plan.

I just wanted to make something that felt both beautiful and wearable. It’s pretty low risk, since I can just cut them back apart if I don’t end up loving them (or changing my mind in the future). So, here is what I came up with for my first few creations:

Beads: Crazy lace Agate (disks) and Rainbow Jade Burma (circles)

Pendants: Shattuckite (left) and Sunstone Iolite (right), both in sterling silver

A set of three necklaces that can be layered together, mixed and matched, or worn alone. I also added a fun detail – the silver clips. I was inspired by a necklace I purchased in Arizona with a small carabineer looking clip that holds charms. For my necklaces, the silver clip can be worn to the front as part of the design, turned around for a more streamlined look, or you can add on one of the pendants. As an added bonus, I have some little clip-on charms from other necklaces I’ve collected over the years, and they can be clipped on here too when I want to mix it up!

There is something really satisfying about making jewelry with your own hands. I love the way these first few necklaces turned out and I have so many plans for what to do with the rest of the beads…

The Absolute Easiest Way to Adjust an Elastic Waistband (NO Sewing Required!)

You know I love a good thrifted find. However occasionally when I find something I love, it needs a little adjustment to fit my body. In this case, I thrifted a beautiful vintage skirt in Arizona, but the elastic waistband was a bit too roomy.

But here’s the thing: I didn’t want to permanently alter the skirt. I wanted it to fit me now, but also be forgiving if I fluctuate a little in size. Whether it’s weight loss, gain, or just that time of the month, sometimes your waist size needs a little flexibility.

And I know some of you are a little intimidated about the idea of getting out a sewing machine. So here is the ABSOLUTE easiest way to adjust an elastic waistband with NO SEWING.

Easy AND fast. It literally took me longer to write this blog post then it did for me to check this task off my list.

What You’ll Need

My skirt had elastic sewn into the top with two lines of stitching going through it. I just took my scissors and made two little cuts where I wanted to drawstring to poke out. You can do this on the outside (where the drawstring and bow will be seen) or on the inside (where only you will know its there). I choose the inside.

Then, I grabbed the drawstring threader and stuck my drawstring through one of the holes.

Poke the other end of the threader through the channel in the middle and thread it all the way around the skirt, pulling the drawstring through as you go.

Once you get to the end, detach your drawstring from the threader and THAT’S IT!

Now, I can tie my skirt a little tighter so that it fits my body every single time I wear it. I can tighten the waistband when I need to, loosen it when I don’t, and it won’t change the structure of the skirt. It’s completely reversible and super comfortable.

I love easy hacks like this, especially when they give new life to a piece of clothing I thrifted or already owned. No need to pass on a too-big skirt just because the waistband is loose and no need to stress about the fit fluctuating!

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

How to Back Up Your iPhone Photos the Free & Easy Way

It’s time for some tough love and a little PSA. If you’ve been following along, you might remember that my son’s iPhone recently disappeared. And while that was a whole adventure in itself, it really got me thinking: What would I do if I lost every single photo in my phone?

I have both my calendar and my notes app backed up on my Google gmail account, but I refuse to pay Apple to store my photos on the iCloud. However, I’m also not going to chance losing 100 adorable photos of my kid. Or the dozens of mountain photos we’ve taken on our adventures. So, I’m going to do it the free and easy way. Obviously.

I make a note (in my phone, of course) every few months to do a quick back-up on my PC. I just completed this month’s chore, so I figured it was a perfect time to share the reminder (and some quick and easy instructions) with you too.

And guess what? It just took me five minutes to back up 323 photos to my laptop. That’s it. Five minutes. If you’ve got five minutes (which you do), here’s how you can do it too.

Step 1: Grab your iPhone charging cable and connect your phone to your PC. You will most likely have to tap “trust this computer” on your phone.

Step 2: On your computer, open the Photos app (just search for “Photos” in the start menu if you can’t find it. Sometimes my iPhone is an overachiever and it opens it for me as soon as I hit “trust this computer”.

Step 3: Click import. On my PC, there is an “import” button on the top right corner. Just click it and select your device.

Step 4: Pick which photos to import (I usually just select them all and then sort later) and TAKE NOTE OF THE SAVE location. Mine wants to import it to my C drive under Users and then Pictures. You need to know where it’s saving so you can find it once it’s imported!

Step 5: Wait a few minutes while it copies over all your photos. Then, search out that saved location and drag and drop the folder to where you want it to live. I like to drag the new folder onto my desktop and then make smaller folders to file groups of images (ex. 2024 Spring Break, Jack 2025, and Ollie Being Cute).

THAT’S IT.

Now you can go through and delete photos that don’t really have to LIVE on your phone, since you have them backed up elsewhere. While we all hope we won’t ever lose our phones – or accidentally drop them in the toilet – it’s always best to be prepared.