Hacked

Hi there everyone!

I apologize for the long gap in posts; that is not the best etiquette for a new blog, right? My email address associated with this account was broken into and I was unable to access the blog until all of that was resurrected. So here I am, back to dust off the blog pages and get back into swink mode.

I also realized that my most recent tutorial got removed from YouTube for being too long. I guess that's technology's way of asaying I talk too much! I will fix that and get it all back to good very soon.

Thanks for hanging in while I've been out; it is all smoothing out now!

Pretzel Knot Bracelet

heyy everyone! i am in love with these chic fabric bracelets i've been seeing at the mall. only thing is, i hate the feeling of traditional bracelets as they press into my wrist when i'm typing or making blueprints or any of the stuff i have to do all day. fortunately, these upcycled t-shirt bracelets adorned with a pretzel knot (aka josephine knot) are comfortable and soft and even washable!
check out the video for a how-to!

How to make an origami star

hello there :)

here is a video tutorial for an easy way to make origami stars.  i like to use them in place of bows on packages (especially because they can be made out of junk mail or recycled paper) but i've also strung them together to make year-round garland.  my friends have asked a lotttt about these stars, so follow the video tutorial here to learn how they're made!

i'm sorry if the image quality and audio isn't great....i will use my better webcam next time around :)



enjoy!

hello friends!

hi everyone :) :)

i'm really excited about starting this blog because i love to make stuff and i love to show others how simply it can be done.  i'm not a bullheaded anti-consumerism person but i do love it when i don't have to buy new stuff because i can simply make really awesome things out of old stuff.

so a bitty bit about me...
i'm gabrielle (long a, short e) and i love things with character.  this includes: kittens, chocolate, architecture, people, and summertime.  i love to laugh and have a good time, but i never have a good time in a room with a spider, john mayer music playing, or the smell or taste of garlic.

and a bitty bit about the blog...
swinkery.  well...i love words.  i stumbled upon the word "swink" which is a very old and seldom used word meaning "hard work."  don't get me wrong, i have my couch potato moments, but i also tend to feel really fulfilled when i'm working hard at something.  usually, when i am working hard, it has something to do with making or creating or doing something DIY or artsy.  swinkery itself is not a real word but i'll take the liberty to define it.  swinkery is, according to the dictionary of gabrielle, a collection of items born from a little hands-on labor.

let the fun tutorials begin!