Braided Leather Bracelets

I recently bought some swatches of leather in cherry red and beige from a reuse store because I had some craft ideas in mind. I cut the leather into 1" by 9" or 10" strips, and in each strip made 2 slits so I could "magic braid" them. Here are some photos of the bracelet-making process.

special thanks to my sister, the hand model

  
With some leftover leather I had, I also made a little bow for my hair by pleating and sewing a rectangular strip onto a barrette.

<3 Mandy

Sharpie Mugs

At school, we had a floor event of decorating plain white ceramic mugs called "Mugs and Hugs". After drawing on our designs with Sharpie permanent markers, we baked our mugs at 350°F for 30-45 minutes. The colors slightly changed, with the yellow changing to a burnt brown color, for example, but I don't mind the different look; I actually think it makes the mugs look more homey and less preschool-scribbly. We washed the mugs with soap and hot water, and even scrubbed with them with a sponge, but the designs still held out. Here are some of the designs my friends and I drew!

Here are two mugs I made:

 

 

  

 
Christine:

 

Amanda:

 

 

 
Sequoia:

 

We love sipping tea from our handicrafts, as it feels especially special to put something we made to good use.
<3 Mandy