A Winner and a Bit of Whimsy!

Howdy folks! Man, I just love it when I can start the day giving away something! Today I get to draw a winner for the About Art Accent stamp featured in Last Tuesdays blog post and with the help pf Random.org the winner is Cindy Roberts!!! Woo hoo! Congrats Cindy, check your email for details;)

OK, last week I told you that I got a spool (French) knitter, well, it was so beautiful out the other day (too nice to be hold-op in my art dungeon) so I sat on the porch and tried it out, I made this nifty bracelet.

I used gold crochet cotton (Royale) and “E” glass beads. I wanted my first try to be with inexpensive materials in case I messed it up but still be kinda elegant if it turned out OK. 😀

I used the 6 peg top on my Clover french knitter. I did not bother with the directions because it works just like a knitting loom. I strung on pink, champagne and white beads in the same pattern until I had a lot on there because you don’t want to run out and because 3 is a multiple of 6 so the pattern worked out. If you want a pattern just string on the beads in a multiple of the number of pegs your spool has, easy math yay!

All was almost lost though when I went to make this into a bracelet, I put the string ends through an end cone, then through a clasp and went to knot it (I could glue the knot and slide it under the cone, or so I thought!)  I made such a mess of it that the knot was too big and I could not shove it in the cone and I was all like “Epic Craft Fail!” but then I was all like, “wait, get the scissors” but I did not have enough string after cutting to use a matching cone so I got a smaller one, slipped it on, I tied it off and glued it after it was snugly inside the cone, I literally filled that cone with glue, it is never coming apart LOL! To deal with the mismatched ends I added some bead dangles and wire wrapping and slid a heart frame on to (secured with a jump ring) for good measure so it looks like it is asymmetrical on purpose.

And that’s how you deal with an Epic Craft Fail LOL! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Dress Form Display & 50% Off!

Howdy folks! First up I want to let you know that Everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 50% off today only, yay!  Next up I want to share a dress from display I made:

Guess what, I made it from an empty dish soap bottle. When I saw this tutorial on Beansie Babbles blog I knew I had to try it! Of course with my housekeeping {or lack there-of} style I don’t empty a bottle of dish soap that often (everything, I mean EVERYTHING gets crammed in the dishwasher so I rarely use the wash-by-hand soap) but when I did happen to empty a bottle this week I had to try it!

I think if I make another one I will use a bottle of JOY or AJAX because the bottles are slimmer. My Nature’s Place all natural bottle is a bit full-figured…well, I guess the old adage about every piece of art being a self-portrait is true LOL!

After covering the bottle with tape I painted it:

I used up my matte decopague glue on my jewelry display board last week so all I had left was glossy Mod-Podge, I’m not crazy about the shine, I should have used watered down glue I think…

The decorating is the fun part, I used some papermart tulle and elastic to make a removable tu-tu, and added scraps of lace and plastic bead strands. I think I will use it on my craft fair table to hold a sign or hand jewelry off, I’m not sure.  I decided not to have a pedestal under it because I did not want it to be tipsy but I bet an old candle stick would work if you wanted one.

Tacky or classy? What do you think? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Make a Statement {Necklace!}

Happy Saturday folks! First I want to apologize to all of my papercrafters out there since my current jewelry obsession has taken over my blog (as it does whenever I am preparing for a craft fair) but I have some stamping to do today so I am planning on posting a card tomorrow. You see I imagine all of my readers are just waiting with bated breath to read my posts HA HA 😀 ! I had a burst of creativity yesterday morning after coming across a tray full of glass pebbles I had altered months ago (while looking for jewelry price tags) and I was inspired to make this:

It’s a statement necklace and it is super fun! basically you cut a “bib” from felt and you glue anything you like to it such as flowers, buttons, gems, anything! I used silk flowers and the flat backed glass marbles I had altered. Then I added some raveled rose ribbon and added ribbon crimps (see how to video here) a bit of chain and a toggle clasp to the back.

Quick, Easy and Fun and one more item for my craft fair table. I can see myself making more of these. They are eye-catching and a fun accessory! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

a Pipe Knot Pendant and Spiral Wire Earrings!

I learned a new skill today! I was idly drinking my coffee this morning and I decided to see if there was anything new to learn in the realm of you-tube jewelry tutorials and indeed there was…pipe knots!

So I watched this video, grabbed a spool of macrame cord and a Pandora style bead and went to town!

It was quick and easy, my type of project, I will totally be whipping up a bunch of these for the craft fair! I made a pair of simple spiral earrings to match. Nifty!

After I made the pendant I knotted the loose ends under the bead but it looked too gaudy (and I should know!) so I untied it and decided to secure my bead with my trusty Gorilla Super Glue…That bead is going nowhere!

I made an adjustable knot cord for the pendant to live on. I have a video tutorial here. and everything was fine-and-cherry-wine 😀 So, what did you learn today? Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: Talkin’ ’bout beads!

Happy What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday folks! I have to report that the Easter Bunny was very good to me this year (imagine that, 36 years old and the Easter Bunny still leaves a basket for me at my parents house, I must have been really good this year…no wait, that CAN”T be it LOL!) I got a basket full of beads and 2 more Ultimate Stackers to start filling! With new beads comes sorting and that is what I have been up to:

I also have to send out a lovely hug and thank you to Ginny who saw my WOYWW post last week about my new-to-me sewing machine that did not come with any accessories and low and behold she had spare parts for that model and she sent them to me, for free! She is such a  sweetie and a talented artist as well. Thanks so much Ginny!

So as I was sorting (and beading) I got tot thinking about my upcoming craft fair and remembered all of the questions people had about selling at craft fairs last winter so I decided to answer them in a video blog…I’m thinking about doing a video blog every week and talk about random crafty stuff, what do you think?

I held some of my current projects up to the camera but it is hard to see in a video so here are some photos of this weeks projects so far, basic stringing but it great for showcasing unique beads!

Well that’s it for me, I still have all of those boxes of beads to put away LOL! I get so distracted by them…I’ll just make a few little pretties before I pack them all up, famous last words right? They will probably still be on my desk next week! If you want to see more crafty desks hop over to Julia’s blog for more WOYWW fun and til next time happy crafting!

Birds Nest Jewelry Video tutorial!

Darn it, every time I go to put away my beads I end up making more stuff! To add to my wire wrapping obsession of making trees I am now making nests.  These nests are quick and easy, it take less than 10 minutes to make one and they are so cute:

You can use the nests for rings, pendants, pins, earrings-you name it! This is a great use of natural stones such as turquoise, jasper, pearls and other semi-precious stones that can otherwise be dwarfed in a jewelry design. It is also great for using up leftover beads for other projects.

Here is a video to show you how.  I went on the hunt for inexpensive, good quality wire (my current obsession had me using my wire stash up like it was going out of style!) and I found some deals. I talk about that, and review types of wire and tools a bit at the start of this video so if you know all that and want to get strait to the tutorial skip to 3:00.

Easy huh? Be warned, this is addictive! I am planning to sell these at the local spring fair this year, I think they will be lovely Mother’s day gifts. I will sell them for $5-$15 depending on the cost of the beads I used 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Felt Flower Hair Barrettes {easy tutorial!)

Howdy folks, I have been toying with the thought of selling at a spring or summer craft fair or festival since my Christmas craft fairs have gone so well. When I started making these cute felt flower hair clips I knew they would be a hot seller. Best of all the alligator clips I used from Papermart are a steal! You get a package of 100 for $5!

I packaged them in 4 1/4″ square clear pillow-boxes with hanger holes so I can hang them on my display rack. The flap with the hole can be folded down for gifting too!

Here is a video to show you how to make these easy flowers:

But wait, there’s more! I had so much fun making these that I came up with more ideas:

Not bad for some inexpensive craft store felt, eh? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Haberdashery…

Do you hear that? Ahhh, quiet. February vacation is over, the kids are back at school and hubby is off to work. I am enjoying a nice cup of coffee, the dog is napping and all is peaceful. I will have to spend a little time peeling Nerf targets off the wall, deflating air mattresses and disassembling forts but all of that is easier to do without the kids running around and protesting. The kids were not the only ones to have fun over vacation. We (hubby & I) went to a friends 40th birthday party this weekend and here is the card I made her:

I made her centerpieces too, I’ll share those in a day or two. The stamps I used are from Hero Arts (background), Crafty Secrets (Happy Birthday & 40) and the dress form was a freebie that came in my new issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. The ribbon, tulle and rhinestones are all from Papermart. After making the centerpieces I had a 2″ wide scrap of the polka dot tulle laying on my counter and rather than throw it away like any sane person would  I kept it and tucked it in my scrap ribbon jar. When I went to make the card it was perfect and it will match her party theme, bonus! I also like to make my envelopes match my cards so I placed a stencil (crafter’s workshop) over my envelope and sponged on the same color ink I used on the card.

I couple of years ago I picked up this stamp from Judikins, it is so cute to stamp on the flap of an envelope:

Well, I better keep it short and sweet today, I just realized I have some laundry to catch up on and it is bright and sunny today so I am noticing how filthy my house really is 🙂 time to bust out the pine-sol! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Make a pretty key-chain…

Howdy all! here is a project that will stretch your options with your jewelry making supplies and make a great gift of craft fair item:

All you need is a key ring, flexible beading wire (like Tigertail or Accuflex) a large focal bead (I used a bobbin bead-see yesterday’s post for a how to), a charm and a  coordinating bead and two #4 crimp tubes.

How to build the key chain:

1. Cut 12″ of wire. Slip a charm (or a bead) to the mid-point and fold the wire in half.
2. Slide the wire ends through the hole in the large focal bead (the first bead with keep the beads secure.)
3. Place on another bead then slip on 2 #4 crimp beads (both wires in both tubes.)
4. Put the ends of the wires through the key ring and then back through both crimp tubes.
5. Feed the ends of the wires back through the beads if there is room. Trim any wire sticking out past the focal bead.
6. Squeeze the crimp tubes closed using crimp plies if you have them (they will give you a nicer look and a more secure hold) or needle-nosed plies if you don’t.
7. Tie a scrap of ribbon around the crimp tubes. Done!

A pretty key chain can be used to hold your keys (of course) but it can also be clipped to a purse, luggage or a backpack for decoration or identification. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!