Ways To Follow e-elise etc!

Yep, another post about switching to Bloglovin! 

I'm sure you guys all know what's going on with Google Reader by now and like a lot of other bloggers I would suggest moving over to Bloglovin'. You've only got a couple of weeks left before Google Reader is no more but don't worry, the layout of Bloglovin' is simple to use and if you currently use Google Reader its super easy to import all of the blogs you already follow with this handy little page. You can also now download the Bloglovin' app for iOS or Android to keep up with your reading on the go!

If you would like to continue reading my blog you can find me on Bloglovin' here. 

I'm also trying to be good and keep up with regularly tweeting about new posts and sharing my DIYs on both Tumblr and Instagram.

However you choose to follow and read blogs in the future I hope to see you there!

Bloglovin' | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

Sunday DIY: Braided Hex Bracelets

Since both my Washer Necklace & Ring tutorials seemed to go down well I thought I would share another hardware jewellery project with you this week. These tiny little hex nuts are great for using as an alternative to beads for a more unusual bracelet and look great against brightly coloured cords.

To make your own version you'll need - small hex nuts, 1.5mm waxed cord, strong glue, cord ends, assorted jump rings (2 small, 1 large), a lobster clasp, scissors, jewellery pliers, sticky tape



Cut three lengths of waxed cord each one approximately twice the length you want the finished bracelet to be

Knot the cords together at one end and secure to a surface using sticky tape (or attach onto a clipboard if you have one!) and start braiding. Your initial section of plain braiding should be around 1/1.5 inches



Then its time to start adding on the hex nuts as shown above and continue braiding them into the design



For my bracelet I used 44 hex nuts in total, 22 on each side.

Once you have braided them all in and are happy with the design add on another 1/1.5 inch section of plain braiding



Check the length of the bracelet is correct by wrapping it around your wrist or measuring it against another bracelet that fits then add a small amount of glue where you want the bracelet ends to be

Once that is dry snip off the ends so that the bracelet is the correct length and glue on your cord ends to secure everything in place



Once the glue on the cord ends has dried you can attach a clasp.

I added a small jump ring onto each cord end followed by a lobster clasp on one side and a larger jump ring on the other



If you want to make sure your bracelet is extra secure take your pliers and clamp down slightly on the cord ends so they are tight around the end of the braid where you applied the glue earlier and your bracelet is finished!



& if you don't fancy making your own these multi-coloured bracelet designs shown above are now available to purchase over at Sawyer & Scout!     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    As always I'd love to hear from you if you try out this or any other project from my DIY Archives. Don't forget to use the hashtag #eelisediys on Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr so I can find your pictures!  If you have any DIY requests or challenges for me please leave them in the comments below.    If you enjoy my DIYs please subscribe to my blog via Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss any posts!   Happy DIY-ing!  

Fast Food Baking! (Father's Day Inspiration)

When I saw this post over at Bakerella I just knew that I had to give the idea a try myself and make something similar for my dad this Father's day!

I kept the original ideas of a brownie 'burger', sponge cake 'buns' and sugar cookie 'french fries' and even though I thought her little burger cupcakes were very cute I changed things up a bit and made mine more burger-sized as well as adding in some marzipan elements too.

Here's how I did it:

The Buns - for the burger buns I used a sponge cake packet mix in a deep bun tin and added on sesame seeds with a little dab of water to make them stick as suggested in the Bakerella tutorial

The Burgers - these are again a packet mix, this time brownies rather than sponge to get that dark colouring and texture. I baked the brownie mix in a square tin and used a cookie cutter to get the burger shape

The Fillings - the first layer of filling was the cheese which is made from thinly rolled marzipan made brighter with a touch of yellow food colouring and cut into a square. Next I mixed up red and yellow icings to act as ketchup and mustard. I piped these on just using plastic bags, for the red I made the piping quite thick drew a circle around the edge of the burger shape and then gently spread the excess into the centre. With the yellow icing I decided to cut the piping bag differently to make just a small line so that I could swirl it across the top of the red icing. Finally I added more thinly rolled marzipan, this time tinted green and cut more roughly, as lettuce leaves.

The Fries - I used a really basic cookie recipe for the fries, just butter sugar and flour, but added on extra sugar just before and after baking to look like salt, again as suggested in Bakerella's post



Here you can see a little better how I layered on the marzipan 'cheese', and the icing 'condements' for the filling before I added the top buns...

  Find my other baking posts in the DIY Archive! If you enjoy my DIYs please subscribe to my blog via Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss any posts!  

Midweek DIY: Washi Wires

As shown in another recent DIY post, washi tape is one of the most versatile craft supplies in any collection. Wrapping it around wires prevents tangles, helps to distinguish between them & even makes them look pretty too!    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    As always I'd love to hear from you if you try out this or any other project from my DIY Archives. Don't forget to use the hashtag #eelisediys on Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr so I can find your pictures!   If you have any DIY requests or challenges for me please leave them in the comments below.     & If you enjoy my DIYs please subscribe to my blog via Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss any posts!    Happy DIY-ing!

The June TBR Pile

After spending the last couple of months catching up on my Netgalley reads I decided it would be a good idea to try and stick to a planned out TBR pile in June.

First up on the list are two library books that I actually started reading back in April (major fail...) but set aside to catchup on my May eARCs. I waited a really long time to get Lord Of The Flies from the library so I'm determined to get that finished this month. I also made a start with YA psychological thriller Pretty Girl Thirteen and although the first few chapters didn't really capture my attention I've decided to give it another chance before returning it to the library.

City Of Bones has been in my (mental) TBR list pretty much every month since November so I thought it was about time I actually read it, especially since the August film is release date is quickly creeping up on me.

For Kindle reads this month I have eARCs of YA novel Shallow Pond and Letters From Skye (both c/o Netgalley) which several of our Blogger's Bookshelf team have been kindly gifted to use as the subject of a group review, something that we have never done before on the blog.

Since we're 11 days into the month I have actually already crossed off one novel and one novella from this month's TBR list. After reading both The Selection and sequel The Elite in May this month I read accompanying novella The Prince which I briefly reviewed on Goodreads. Tomorrow I will be posting a full review of new release Insomnia by J R Johansson over on Blogger's Bookshelf, so keep any eye out for that!
 

Find me on Goodreads here


What will you be reading in June?