How To: Pearl Headband

Hello all! So it's been a while since I've done one of these. But I was just checking my blog stats and it appears that you all like my How To's best of everything on the site! Thanks a lot to all of you who have read so far; hopefully I will be able to tame your crafty appetites will all the little tutorials I have planned.

I LOVE making headbands, namely because they are really easy, cheap and can lift an entire outfit if you match them right. I've never really been one for these massive floral garlands (they make my head look huge) but I did notice a key trend at the festivals this summer for the embellished jewel headband. Whether they be adorned with gems, cat ears or spikes, a bit of hair accessorising clearly never hurt nobody.

If you fancy something a little more ladylike, understated and suitable for day to day wear, have a go at my pearl headband tutorial.

You Will Need

• Plain headband (I bought two of these simple black plastic and elastic ones from Primark for 50p, although any plain headband or Alice band would work)
• Pearl beads (Mine came off some old pearl bracelets I had lying around, although you should be able to pick some loose ones up from a haberdashery or market stall)
• Scissors
• Elastic Cord (thin enough to thread through the beads but thick enough to stay strong)
• Needle and Thread

1)Assemble your materials and de-string your pearls, making sure you have enough for the length of the headband

2)Thread the pearls onto your elastic cord and know at either end

3)Knot the cord through the hole at the end of your hairband, or if using a more solid headband, stitch or fabric glue it into place

4)Copy on the other end. You should now have what looks like two headbands tied together.

5)Using a thread in a subtle colour, do a few loop stitches at intervals along the headband to keep the pearl layer in place

6)Snip any loose threads and voila!

Jenessa gets published!

Hello everyone! You see this magazine I'm peering out from behind all creepily? Well, it contains my FIRST EVER NATIONALLY PUBLISHED MAGAZINE ARTICLE!

Now I've calmed down a little, I should probably explain. As some of you will know, I am on a Music Journalism degree, but during my second year I got really into fashion and homewares and crafts and ended up inventing HaberdasHer magazine for a magazine assignment with some of my coursemates. During the research phase, I read a lot of similar titles and discovered Homemaker, an amazing monthly mag that covers baking, homeware, thrifty living tips, interviews with crafters and great tutorials all within it's lovely designed pages. I got talking to their lovely editor Lizzie Hudson via email, and found out she went to the same uni as me! Small world. But very encouraging to see that someone who did a very similar degree to mine at the same institution has gone on to such great things.

To cut to the chase, over the year Lizzie helped me grapple with the wonderful world of magazine design and was a great help towards my project, which I ended up getting my best ever uni mark for. After showing her the finished product, I guess she must have liked it because she asked me if I'd like to do an article for her magazine! So without further ado, here is my very first Homemaker 'Home Store' page, which you can buy in Issue 9, out now!

I also did a couple of similar pages for Homemaker Issue 10, which should be in shops next week, and have just been commissioned for my first feature piece for Issue 11. It's a crazy feeling seeing your name in print - I even spotted an old lady in Sainsbury's this morning having a peer at my article. I thought it'd be a bit weird to point and shout 'that's me!' but I am sat here with a glowy feeling nonetheless. It's great to feel like this journalism lark is finally working out in the 'real world' rather just in University theory, and even better that it's for one of my favourite magazines. Thanks Homemaker, and thanks very much Lizzie!

How To: Frilly Lace Socks

I love socks, I love frills. Inevitable combo for a tutorial? I think so. Ever since Topshop introduced the various beauties you can see above, plus plenty more besides, frilly socks have been a must have accessory  Jellie Shoes, Mary Janes, Wedges, Heels... you name it, they work with it. Teamed with a cute dress and satchel, they are the epitome of schoolgirl chic that manage to cover up those pesky holes in the toes of your tights with ease.

However, I for one refuse to pay £3.50 for one humble pair of socks. Sorry Topshop. Call me a tight wad, but I am a student, and £3.50 is equivalent to two ready meals and half a malibu and cranberry on student night.

With that in mind, and having been inspired by various sock DIY's on blogger and pinterest, I thought I'd try my hand at making my own whimsical foot friends. Armed with some plain coloured socks from Primark (£2.00 for 5 pairs in assorted colours) and a bit of lace I had knocking around in my sewing box, here is what I came up with.

Not bad eh? Without further edo, here is my step-by-step tutorial. Geddit?

You Will Need:

• 1 pair of socks (whatever colours you fancy, I went with a bluey/purple to complement the blue lace I was using)
• Lace trim (The lace I used here was just what I had in my sewing box, and with hindsight, it would have looked better if it was a bit fatter. Aim for lace trim that is about 15-20mm wide. Crochet trim would also work well. You will need less than 50cm but buy a metre, because these are super easy to make and you will get addicted!
• Pint Glass (to stretch your sock around to make sure you don't rip the seams when you put the socks on. If you are sewing the socks using a sewing machine, skip this step - you can use the sewing machines built in arm)
• Needle and Thread/Sewing Machine
• Pins - to keep your lace in place (in the face space base... the rap career starts here)

1)Gather your material together for an instagram worthy 'before' picture

2) Stretch the sock over a pint glass - this will keep the ankle nice and wide whilst you attach the frill, which will help it bunch nicely when you wear the socks, without splitting the seams.

3)Pin the lace into place (still rhyming!) - you want to get it perfectly in line with the top of the sock, with the frilly scallops facing downwards.

4)Use a simple loop stitch to sew the lace onto the sock, making sure to pull the thread nice and tight. Sew all the way round and fasten

5)Repeat steps 2-4 until you have two matching socks

6)Pull 'em over your tootsies and get wearing! Can't say I'd go out wearing these colours socks with my red Topshop shoes (clash overload) but you get the idea.

So, as you can see, there are only three real steps to this and the whole thing takes less than 20 minutes by hand - hardly brain busting. With eBay boasting crazy amounts and types of lace, ribbon and crochet for next to nothing, and trusty Primark offering a myriad of multi-coloured multipack socks, there really is no excuse to skip the high street versions. I love Topshop even more than the next person, but when the alternative is this easy, I'd rather have creative control over my ankles.

How To: Make A Simple Hair Bow

Seen as I'm off uni for the summer, but am pretty skint, I thought I'd start trying out some small, easy and cheap craft tutorials to share with you all on here. I'm definitely no Kirsty Allsopp when it comes to sewing just yet, but in my experience of crafty blogs, it's sometimes nice to see a tutorial that actually makes you think 'I can do that...right now!' without having to rush out for loads of materials you'll only use once or any complicated techniques. So here goes, with hopefully the first of many...

You will need:

• A rectangle of fabric, whatever size and pattern you like or have. I thought gingham would be cute for summer and you can make loads which will all have exactly the same print. For a small bow, I used a rectangle approximately 15cm long and  8cm wide
• Scissors
• Needle and Thread
• Kirby Grip to attach it to hair. Or else a brooch pin/ hair elastic will work just as well depending how or what you are wanting to attach it to.

1)Cut a rectangle of fabric to relevant measurements.

2)Fold the fabric in half longways, and then fold each end in on itself until you have what looks like a garden gate- two flapping 'door's. This will make a smaller, shorter, tighter rectangle which will form your bow. Stitch up the middle to seal this into a small package.

3)Pinch the rectangle in the middle and loop a few stitches to tack it into place

4)Using a spare scrap of fabric or bit of ribbon, sew a simple band around the middle to keep it in place and hide any ugly stitches. This could look quite nice if you used a contrasting fabric too - get creative!

5)Slide a kirby grip into place, or loop some elastic through the band.

6)Wear away! This could also look nice pinned to a cardigan or attached to a ribbon to make a  simple belt to accessorise a plain belt.