Shinyyyyy

I have been in desperate need of some new accessories for spring; if you can call the current wintry mix feels like 23 degree weather "spring", that is. I figured that something shiny might make me feel slightly better, at least.

I have been wanting to make Martha's Paillette Flower Headband for months now. I am an avid headband wearer, especially when I am way too lazy straighten my bands or when it is so wet outside my hair immediately fizzes us.

I bought a set of super cheap headbands at my local CVS for under five dollars (and even got bonus hairbands to go with them!). I had stringed sequins on hand from a previous craft, the Bold Bauble Necklace I made in honor of Mardi Gras earlier this month. Using a hot glue gun, I carefully glued the sequins onto the headband and let it sit.

Then, I made the paillette flower. My fantastic mother had picked up small paillettes from the garment district a few weeks ago, in a nice goldish color. For beads, I used some excess crimps I had lying around. I strung five paillettes, alternating with beads, onto a beading wire. I looped the opposite end of the wire back through the paillettes and beads, creating the center of the flower. I then glued together five more paillettes to create the base of the flower and glued the floral center onto the top.

I glued the flower onto the headband, and tada! I was done. I think it looks pretty cute. Next time, I'll try it with some larger paillettes to make more of a statement, but for now, I like what I have.

Instructions
 
Use paillette flowers for rings, headband accents, and shoe decorations.
Tools and Materials

• Silver embroidery thread
• Needle
• 10 paillettes
• 4 beads
• Magna-Tac glue

Paillette Flowers How-To

1. Make the flower center: Use needle and thread to string 5 paillettes and the beads, beginning with a paillette and alternating. Tightly gather thread to form paillettes and beads into an open book shape. Knot thread, and trim excess.
2. Make the flower base: Arrange remaining 5 paillettes in an overlapping circle, like petals; secure with glue and let dry.
3. Glue the flower center to the flower base; let dry.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: How to Make Paillette Flowers - Martha Stewart Crafts

Damn you, wintry mix.

It happens every winter: the dreaded wintry mix. How can something so pleasant-sounding be so miserable? It's the same every time - circa 29 degrees, but feels like 10, snow, sleet, hail, ice blowing into your face until it stings. The ground is covered not with soft snow, but hard, slippery ice that and intermittent puddles and only the best Hunter boots can prevent a klutz like myself (or a "fall risk" as they call us at the hospital) from flying face forward and taking an ice bath.

Aside from the traditional winter staples that I have slowly started to trust since my move east (i.e. floor-length mummy-sleeping-bag-like down coat, scarf, winter socks), there is nothing like a warm wool headband to keep the snow off your face.

Thankfully, Martha had just the knitting project to keep the wintry mix at bay. Less thankfully, my knitting skills were really rusty when I began. The project was a cabled headband (cabled matching mittens to come once I master this whole cabling thing). The whole thing took me 8-10 hours of hard labor and in the end, my fingers are definitely burning and probably will be for quite awhile. That said, I was pretty impressed at how easy it is to incorporate an I-chord and cables into a normal knit-pearl repertoire. For those of you who don't speak knitting, suffice to say that even an impatient knitter who always loses count can do this.

Although I definitely don't look like Martha's model (or Martha), I have to say that my project is pretty close to Martha's. Day 2... look at me go! More ambitious knitting to follow? It's a good thing.

Mine (tied to a chair):.....................................................And Martha's: