Rose Blush Necklace-Rose Quartz Statement Jewelry Tutorial

Jul 252017
 

I had prepared a completely different project for you this week: something involving handmade lampwork beads, lots of dangling wire wrapped components and a variety of interesting features to accent a large glass focal.

However, when it came time to sit down and record the video I just didn’t feel like it!

rose blush necklace cover

Instead my mind turned to a photo I had just come across on Pinterest of a very simple, yet elegant necklace. I then went digging through my stash to see if I could find two connector pieces to hold the multiple strands together. The ones I had in mind ended up not working, but I came across these pieces left over from another project.

As I mentioned in the video I recently re-organized all of my beads and findings, sorting them not only by color as they have always been, but also by type.

It’s only been a week or so since I’ve finished and I’ve already found the system to be much more useful in finding what I need and also seeing all the different sizes and variations I have of any one type of bead, such as these rose quartz beads, I found to my surprise I had them in 8 mm, 6 mm and 4 mm faceted (which I ended up not using in this project.)

You can add as many strands as you like to this design, just be sure to test out the lengths before you finish up your connections so that everything drapes nicely inside each other.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Rose Blush Necklace-Rose Quartz Statement Jewelry Tutorial video at YouTube,

Jewelry Box-Organizer-Travel Case-Lockable-Friday Findings Product Review

Jul 212017
 

Songmics asked if I would like to review another of their products, and since the jewelry box I previously reviewed for you wasn’t quite your traditional one, I chose this box, which looks a bit more like what you’d expect from a jewelry box.

ff jewelry box review

I also chose it because of the intriguing configuration. I really like the way so much storage is tucked into this fairly small space. The miniature travel size jewelry box is really cute, too!

This is their Amazon description: Songmics Jewelry Box Girls Jewelry Organizer Mirrored Mini Travel Case Lockable Black. I guess that says it all!

Although I’m not quite sure why they stopped at “Girls,” as it could work very nicely for women or men as well.

This case is off to some special who is having a birthday soon. I hope she likes it!

Enjoy the video review and happy creating!

Watch the Jewelry Box-Organizer-Travel Case-Lockable-Friday Findings Product Review video at YouTube.

How to Alter & Customize Jewelry Findings-Altered Feathered Fringe-Jewelry Tutorial

Jul 182017
 

I love how creative ideas multiply! It’s really true what somebody once said that as long as you are working with your creativity you can never run out of ideas. The more you work in the creative arts trying to express what it is you want to convey the more ideas will come to you.

altered feathered fringe cover

As I’ve mentioned before, this has helped me to recently understand why artists work in series. It’s because one idea truly does beget another. As creative people we are always asking, “What if?”

A  couple weeks ago I shared with you my Feathered Fringe  Earrings. I wasn’t totally in love with them when I finish making them, but I have found since that I do really enjoy wearing them, mostly because of the dangle factor. But as I mentioned in the video, I found myself questioning when I started writing the descriptions about boho and gypsy. With all that bright silver were they really?

Then I remembered a technique I learned some time ago from a card and paper crafts artist, Jennifer McGuire. She showed how to use embossing powders to alter metal charms which she mostly used for decorating cards and scrapbooks.

The key to using these embossing powders successfully in jewelry is to make sure that they are fully melted.

If you are using an embossing powder that doesn’t melt to a smooth shiny finish it can be tricky, so always test them by rubbing firmly with your fingers. If the embossing powders come off then you need to recoat with sticky ink and try embossing again, perhaps for a slightly longer time, but being careful not to scorch.

To continue the boho and gypsy style my funky altered feathered fringe pendant was hung with just a simple lark’s head knot on 1/8 inch suede strips . I suspect this one is going to get a lot of wear this summer!

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the How to Alter & Customize Jewelry Findings-Altered Feathered Fringe-Jewelry Tutorial video at YouTube.

Girl’s Purple & Aqua Jewelry Box Review & GIVEAWAY!-Friday Findings

Jul 142017
 

I hope you all are enjoying the jewelry box reviews that I have been doing lately. Since my channel focuses on making jewelry, I figured that we all need places to store our precious things.

ff girl's jewelry box review

 

Today’s video is for a jewelry box in sweet shades of lavender and aqua.

Honestly, I love it enough to use it myself! However it’s going to be a birthday gift for my granddaughter. Of course I will tuck in a few pieces of jewelry for her as well. Couldn’t give a jewelry box to somebody without adding a bracelet or a necklace, could I?

purple box c

One thing I noticed that was different about this jewelry box compared to the other two that I reviewed is that the drawers seem much sturdier. As I mentioned in the video the dividers don’t come out like they do in the other two boxes I reviewed. Instead the purple divided sections are each filled with an interior box that is wrapped in the aqua fabric. This reinforces the dividers and I think is an excellent idea for a piece intended for a child.

Note that the Amazon listing says that this jewelry box is lockable, but it is not. There were no keys included and there is no place on the latch to insert a key.

Here are links to the jewelry boxes I have reviewed so far.

Songmics has generously agreed to give away one of each of these two jewelry boxes!

One person will win this lavender and aqua one and one person will win the Stackable Jewelry Boxes. 

jewelry box giveaway

To enter to win, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The contest ends at midnight, July 20, 2017 and is only available to those in the continental United States.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Girl’s Purple & Aqua Jewelry Box Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Summer Gyspy Earrings-Dangle Boho Jewelry Tutorial

Jul 112017
 

summer gypsy earrings cover

The bright, cheerful colors of these earrings put me in mind of steamy summer days playing in the dazzling sunshine. And those endless swingy dangles seem like they need to be paired with a long, swishy broomstick skirt in bright clashing shades.

Can you tell that summer is my favorite season?

As I mention in the video these earrings are were inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest. It was of a pair of earrings that are no longer in the Boho Style Me Etsy shop. You should check out her shop! I absolutely Love everything in it. There’s not a thing I saw that I would not personally wear.

In the video I show you some ways of looking at your supplies with new eyes so that you can use things in interesting and unusual ways, rather than always having to run out and purchase a specific thing you think you need. I found it very satisfying to find a way to use bead cones as chandelier earring findings!

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

You can watch the Summer Gyspy Earrings-Dangle Boho Jewelry Tutorial at YouTube.

Unboxing Beads & Jewelry Supplies-Friday Findings June 2017 Bead Box

Jul 072017
 

ff june 2017 bead box

In today’s video I go through all of the goodies in the June 2017 Dollar Bead Box and Bag. In case you missed it, last month I reviewed this monthly subscription service which brings Czech fire polish beads, an assortment of other beads and jewelry findings to your door.

I love this kind of service because it challenges me. I find when I go to buy beads I often will skip over things that I’m not sure what I would do with or things that at first glance I just don’t care for. These assortments are great because they make you think in different ways, challenge you to get creative with the supplies you have and therefore make new discoveries.

By the way, last month Dollar Bead Box was kind enough to send 3 bead boxes to winners of a drawing on my YouTube channel! If you were one of the winners we would all love to hear what you think of your boxes, and would love to see what projects you’ve made with the supplies.

The bracelet I mentioned in the video that I was thinking of when looking at the dagger beads is the Damselfly Bracelet designed by Cynthia Kimura at Artbeads.com. After looking it up I found that what I thought were daggers on the edges are actually Rizo beads, but I think the daggers would work just as well

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Unboxing Beads & Jewelry Supplies-Friday Findings June 2017 Bead Box at YouTube.

Heart Toggle Pendants-Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial Part 2

Jul 042017
 

Today we have the second video in a two part series, if you missed it here’s How to Make the Heart Toggle Pendants in Part 1.

heart toggle pt 2 cover

This kind of a project is a fun challenge. I knew going in that I wanted to use a heart shape with a hole in it as a toggle. I also knew that I wanted to have some kind of dangles. My initial thought was to have the dangles coming down from holes near the tip of the heart.

It took a little bit of engineering and figuring to make it all come together, this is why I didn’t make any holes in the piece (except for the one for the toggle bar, of course!) until after I had it figured out. In the end I’m really pleased with both necklaces.

My favorite part are those chain dangles that flow down from the center of the toggle bars. 

Btw, don’t forget that if you are one of my patrons I have template of these heart shapes for you available on my Patreon posts page.

heart toggle pendants cover

If you missed how to make the polymer clay hearts and toggles check out the part one video.

Tools and Materials:

  • polymer clay heart toggle pendant
  • french wire
  • crimps
  • crimp covers
  • bead stringing wire
  • beads for necklace
  • bead stoppers
  • flat nose pliers
  • wire cutters
  • chain nose pliers
  • crimping pliers
  • One Step Looper
  • One Step Crimper
  • awl
  • 1/16 drill bit
  • chain & clasp for necklace
  • chain for dangles
  • head pins

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Heart Toggle Pendants-Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial Part 2 video at YouTube.

What is Sodalite? Learn More About Semi-Precious Gemstones-Friday Findings Tutorial

Jun 302017
 

ff sodalite cover

Recently I sorted through ALL of my beads and jewelry findings. Phew, that was a big project! I had them in 12 14″x15″x 2″ Super Satchel Slim containers, as well as 4 smaller containers, not to mention bunches hanging on hooks on the wall AND some tucked away into a drawer.  

They were organized by color, but they weren’t sorted very well in the storage bins, so I took the advice of Marie Kondo in her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and also sorted them by type within the bins.

I’m a naturally organized person, and have written quite a lot on organizing myself, so I found her book to be neither life-changing nor magic, but I did pick up a couple helpful ideas:

  1. To gather together all of the things of one type in order to sort them
  2. Decide what you are going to KEEP, rather than choosing things to throw out, by discerning whether or not the object “sparks joy.” 

Lots of cheap acrylic beads were discarded because, nope, no joy there. They just made me say, “Ick,” every time I looked at them.

So, back to my box of blue beads.

All of this is a long-winded way of letting you know that when I sorted the blue beads by type, I realized that I had quite a few examples of sodalite beads, hence, today’s video all about this pretty, bright blue semi-precious gemstone.

It has some interesting characteristics!

Such as “tenebrescence.” Huh?!

Click on the link to see examples of sodalite stones changing color in the sun! (And read the interesting article, if you like.)

Want to use sodalite beads in your jewelry? They come in lots of shapes and sizes. At Amazon you can find:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the What is Sodalite? Learn More About Semi-Precious Gemstones-Friday Findings Tutorial video at YouTube.

Heart Toggle Pendants Pt.1-Polymer Clay Jewelry Findings Tutorial

Jun 272017
 

It’s always fun to break the rules, or at least stretch them or bend them a little! One of my favorite ways of doing that is to find new and unusual uses for jewelry findings.

heart toggle pendants cover

In a recent video I showed how you could make your own polymer clay toggle clasp findings. I decided to bend and stretch, quite literally, that concept to make these heart toggle clasps that function not only as the closure for the necklace, but as a focal pendant.

Although I used a heart shape, you can make your pendants any shape you want. Use any kind of clay sheet you want to create them, decorate them with anything you like. In short, use this idea as a jumping off place for your own creativity!

The flower and leaf canes that are used are very simple and basic.

Here are links to tutorials you may find useful if you are new to polymer clay caning. If you’d like me to make a video showing how I made my leaves & flowers, leave a comment & let me know.

In next week’s video I will show you how to add beads and dangles to turn this clasp into a necklace.

Tools & Materials:

Learn how to turn your toggle pendants into necklace in Part 2.

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Heart Toggle Pendants Pt.1-Polymer Clay Jewelry Findings Tutorial video at YouTube.

Watch the Heart Toggle Pendants Pt.2-Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial video at YouTube.

Stackable Jewelry Box-Organizing & Storage Product Review-Friday Findings

Jun 232017
 

ff stackable jewelry box cover

Where there’s jewelry there needs to be some way to store it! 

In today’s video I show you a rather interesting style of jewelry box. It consists of a set of trays that stack neatly one on top of the other. I really like this style as often I will pull out entire drawers just so I can dig through them to find what I need.

The folks at SongMics (pronounced ‘sɒŋmiks) sent me their Stackable Jewelry Box to review, but I can assure you that all of the opinions are my own honest thoughts on the product.

When I first chose this set of stacked boxes to look at I was thinking of storing things other than jewelry in them, like my polymer clay bits and pieces. I have those sorted into trays from the craft store, but the collection is fast outgrowing its storage!

Now that I have more carefully looked over this stackable jewelry box, I think I may make room for it on my vanity table. We’ll see. Lots of rethinking and reorganizing coming up!

Speaking of organizing, here are a few videos on how I currently organize my jewelry and studio:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Stackable Jewelry Box-Organizing & Storage Product Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

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