I'm not feeling so well this week, so I'm going to make this short. I made these earrings for my cousin's birthday, and they're so pretty and fun for Valentine's Day/Spring, I thought I would share them. For those who know how to make jewelry, here's a list of ingredients:
2 Earwires
2 12mm Rose Quartz Heart shaped beads
2 Faceted Garnet Teardrop Beads
2 Faceted Rainbow Moonstone Teardrop beads
2 Faceted Rainbow Moonstone rondelles
2 Faceted Garnet rondelles
6" of Sterling Silver Cable chain
1' of 26ga Sterling Silver wire
If you would like to see a larger view of these earrings, click on the image. The details will be more clear and easier to replicate. I get most of my materials from abeadstore.com. If you are unfamiliar with making jewelry, you can learn the simple wire wrapping techniques used to make these earrings in "The Basics of Beadstringing", which is sold at the aforementioned store. Enjoy!
I wasn't going to do a post like this, but I was recently perusing Etsy.com, and I saw a rash of 'Upcycled' slip 'dresses'. First of all, 'Upcycled' is a cute word for recycling and reusing useless junk, simultaneously (as I understand it), while altering it's purpose.
Where this term gets lost on me is when people simply hand-dye slips, and call them 'dresses'. Sure they changed the color, but, to me, it still looks like they're just encouraging you to wear your underpants on the outside.
Here is a slip I turned into a dress:
Mind you, I don't think this is the best 'upcycling' job ever, but I did change this slip into something resembling a dress and less similar to underwear. I started by hand-dying this slip and finding a vintage scarf that looked good with it. I then took the slip to JoAnn and matched some ribbon to it. I sewed the scarf to the slip right under the bust and sewed the ribbon on top of it, leaving a lot of extra ribbon and some of the scarf loose so it couldtie in the back (and it's adjustable).
I also recycled this bag I was given. Since I only embellished it, and didn't change it's purpose, I call this recycling.
The offender that inspired this blog...this pink slip. The price was marked at nearly $40, and it's called a Ballerina Party Dress. I don't think I need to go into the details as to why I wouldn't consider it an 'upcycled' slip.
I haven't been making too many things lately, but I did manage to pound out some 'love' this weekend. If you like this necklace, here's what you will need to replicate it:
1 finished sterling silver chain (you can find them at Target or Walmart for <$10) OR 18" of cable chain + 2 jump rings + one clasp
2" of 20ga copper wire (can be found at JoAnn)
2" of 22ga Sterling Silver wire (abeadstore.com sells it by the foot ~$2.25)
Stainless steel bench block
hammer (jewelry and a household)
Set of Jewelry Pliers
1 jump ring (optional)
Take the copper wire and form into a heart. To form the heart, (using round nose and flat nose jewelry pliers) I started with the bottom (the point) at the center of the wire fragment and shaped it up from there. This allows you to edit exactly how big you would like the heart while you're shaping it. Cut off excess wire (there should be excess wire).
Then shape the silver into the word "Love". I did this by trying to remember cursive. Be sure not to double over the wire too much. This may mean you write it out on a piece of paper before you begin, like this:
I started with the top loop of the 'L' and looped it to the 'e'. After you're finished shaping the heart and 'love' take it out to the sidewalk (make sure the sidewalk is relatively smooth), and smash them with a regular household hammer. Then smash them on top of your bench block with a jewelry hammer. Keep pounding and flipping them until you've gotten out all the debris you may have pounded in when you initially flattened it on the sidewalk. If you don't like the more textured look, you may simply flatten your 'love' and heart pendants with the jewelry hammer and the bench block. Your heart may have gotten a little pounded out of shape, so reshape it! Be gentle as wire becomes more brittle as you bend it and work with it. Now you may take the jump ring and string the 'Love' pendant and the heart on it and attach to your chain, or you may simply string the 'Love' pendant and heart directly on the chain as shown above. You're finished!
Ever wonder how to package jewelry for sale or as gifts? I did. I did some price comparisons on jewelry cards and boxes on Firemountain, Jewelry Supply, Art Beads, etc. and decided I didn't want to purchase them in the quantities that make them affordable (who has the space) or pay their prices. So I got to thinking, why can't I make some? A novel concept for someone who just finished making some complicated jewelry...
Here's what I came up with:
Ingredients:
Handmade Jewelry
Card Stock
Tack
Plastic Baggie (I prefer 3x4 inch bags for necklaces, and 2x3 inch bags for earrings.)
Organza Bag
1. Cut your card stock into a rectangle ~1/2" smaller than your bag (eg for a necklace, I cut a piece ~2.5"x3.5")
2. Cut diagonal slits about 1/2" wide about a 1/2" down from the top of the card to hang your necklace on (for earrings find a tack and poke 2 holes in the card).
3. At this point I write something about the jewelry on the back. For this necklace + earrings I wrote "Amethyst & Sterling Silver necklace and earring set Made Especially for ________ by Morgan with Love" (you don't have to write "especially for" or "with love". This was a birthday gift.)
4. Hang the necklace on the card and center it. take a piece of Scotch tape and tape up the excess chain on the back of the card.
5. Slide jewelry card into plastic bag and slip entire package into organza bag (~$0.20/ea)
Now you've got a professional looking, personalized finished product. If you would like to make the writing and such look even more uniform (I primarily use Sterling Silver and Semi-Precious stones in my jewelry, so mine could say "Sterling Silver and Semi-Precious Jewelry Made by Morgan with Care" or some such), you could always make a stamp with your company name/signature on it!
Also, I always make it clear to the customer/recipient that storing your jewelry in plastic bags keeps it from tangling and tarnishing (Use less harsh and expensive cleaning chemicals? Yay!), and allows you to reuse the bags.
Since October, I've been making gifts for Christmas. This collage is merely a sampling of all the jewelry I made this season, and holiday burn-out is upon me. I've officially made too many necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. I plan on focusing my efforts on clothing for the next few weeks.
I was perusing handmade/crafting/sewing/jewelry making blogs and decided join the multitudes. Lately (the past 6 months or so...a lengthy love affair for me), I've been obsessed with jumpers. I love fashion and handmade clothes. In response to my recent infatuation, I've purchased this pattern. As soon as I receive it in the mail, the adventure will begin...
