DIY Monday: Dreaming up a design

One of the hardest things to do in creating a design can be visualizing how the finished design will look. Some are gifted with a clear vision while others can only see the full picture when the design is finished. Some people buy architectural or design magazines and tear out pictures that they like. Others may search the book aisle at their local home improvement or the design section at Barnes and Noble to find inspiration. Still others may go straight to the source - the cabinet maker, the tile store, the appliance section, or even a craft fair - to get that spark that fires design.

I recently found a site that's helped me with a design. It's called Houzz. My husband and I have been arguing over a project. I see clearly how it should be done, but no matter how much I've drawn it out and explained the steps, he can't see enough to be comfortable to move forward with the design. So I've spent some time perusing the pictures on Houzz, adding to my photo ideabook to somehow convey that this design idea will WORK in our space. It's a wonderful tool to get design ideas and get comfortable with your design ideas. Now on to trying to convince the husband that this dream can become a reality on our DIY budget! You'll know soon!

Working Tuesday: Incorporating Vintage Jewelry Into New Designs

I'm having quite a bit of fun incorporating old pieces into new designs. There's a challenge to taking a fixed design and making it into something new. I've had to re-think a few things, but so far I'm happy with the results.

The latest challenge was to take a vintage rhinestone pin and make it into a small hair comb for a fancy event. I'm a bit of a purist. If a piece of jewelry is in working order, I can't just cut off a piece of it to suit my purposes. So I've had to work around keeping pin backs and figure out ways - other than soldering - to attach the vintage pieces to the larger design.

For this piece, I used a silver plated comb that was wider than the actual pin. I cut the comb to the proper size with wire cutters and then filed down the place where I cut to make it smooth. I then used sterling silver wire to attach the comb to the pin. The back side will lay flush against the hair, so the wire doesn't show from the front.

The end result? Vintage glam in modern form.