Peacock Pearl Necklace-Jewelry Design Tutorial

Sep 252018
 

Have you ever looked at unusually shaped beads and wondered what in the world you could do with them?

Today I have a project that combines several intriguing bead shapes.

peacock pearl necklace cover

This necklace uses daggers, triangles and a trapezoid pendant, plus several other beads to make a unique statement necklace.

The stringing is simple but the beads chosen and the way they are used give this piece of jewelry a singular look.

Tools & Materials:

I used a 22 x 24mm Czech Glass pendant, but can’t find a link to the exact same one.

These are all the same size and shape:

Here are the rest of the tools and materials shown in the video:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Peacock Pearl Necklace-Jewelry Design Tutorial video at YouTube.

Why You Should Use Leverback Earring Findings-Friday Findings

Aug 172018
 

Do you ever find yourself realizing that a tool or supply you’ve ignored for years is actually one of the best things ever?

I don’t know if it’s as true for you, but I tend to scan past unfamiliar jewelry findings way too quickly.

ff leverback earrings

I’ll see them, not understand what they are for and thus not pay any further attention to them.

Silly me, right?

But lately I’ve discovered a supply that has been around for years and I’m so happy I did!

In today’s video I’ll show you what I’ve learned about leverback earrings findings, why I think I prefer them to fishhook or French wire style earrings and give a couple tips for using them in your designs.

Many thanks to BeebeeCraft.com for sending along the earring findings:

Here are links to a few of the other things shown in the video:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Why You Should Use Leverback Earring Findings-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

A Dozen Ways to Fill A Bezel-12 Creative Ideas for Using Bezels in Jewelry-Friday Findings

Aug 102018
 

I always find bezels intriguing.

It must be the endless possibilities for filling that they present.

ff 12 things to do with bezels (1)

Which explains why my imagination when into overdrive when Beebeecraft sent me all of these bezels to review.

oval bezel set

In fact, I quickly came up with over a dozen different ways you can use bezels in jewelry and home decorations!

sm bezel set

Here’s an overview of my list. Watch the video for more details:

  1. Photos
  2. Paper collages
  3. Scraps of special garments
  4. A lock of hair
  5. Seed beads
  6. Mini mosaics
  8. Create a pave
  9. Flat back crystals
  10. Polymer clay veneers
  11. Make Christmas ornaments
  12. Polymer clay sculpting

Watch the video for a 13th, bonus idea!

earring bezels

Clicking any of the photos will bring you to the product page at BeeBeeCraft.

Here are several of my videos that use bezels:

By the way, I briefly mentioned this rhinestone pickup tool, it worked great for sorting out those teeny nail art crystals.

Enjoy the video and happy creating!


Watch the A Dozen Ways to Fill A Bezel-12 Creative Ideas for Using Bezels in Jewelry-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Wire Jewelry Masterclass By Abby Hook-Book Review-Friday Findings

Jun 292018
 

Have you ever come across a book that perfectly suited your learning style, skill level and your taste?

This book, Wire Jewelry Masterclass by Abby Hook, has been that kind of experience for me.

ff wire jewelry masterclass review cover

If you are someone who enjoys learning from books, especially if you like going through them step-by-step, one page at a time, one project at a time, then you are going to love developing your wire wrapping skills with Abby.

In today’s video I will not only give you a taste of what is in the book and my opinions, I will also show you all of the jewelry that I have made using her tutorials.

It’s quite the pile. Even I was surprised once I gathered it all together.

wire jewelry masterclass earrings

Here are some earrings back when they were freshly made and still shiny. And a ring, which I didn’t like and took apart.

Here are a some of my favorite tools and materials to use in wire wrapping:

Have you tried wire wrapped jewelry? Is is something you want to learn?

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

P.S. I’ll be taking the month of July off from tutorials on my YouTube channel.  Don’t picture me lying on a beach for the month, though! I’ve rapidly filled up my schedule with all the things I’ve been putting off because I can’t seem to get to them in a regular week, lol.

Watch the Wire Jewelry Masterclass By Abby Hook-Book Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Glow Pebbles Hollow Beads or Necklace Pendants, Glow-In-The-Dark Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial

Jun 262018
 

If you enjoy my designs, then perhaps, like me, you love creating distinctive and unusual pieces to wear.

Today’s project combines a beautiful fanciful design with an unexpected element: It glows in the dark!

glow pebbles cover

My first thought was to make these into necklace pendants, but then I walked into a dark room and saw them glowing on the table and thought they’d be so cute:

  • Tucked here and there in a fairy garden
  • Placed in pretty bowls about the house
  • Positioned on a night table for a soft comforting glow (for a child, or anyone who needs a little gentle light in the night)

glow pebbles insta (3)

This is the chart provided by PolyClayPlay on their glow powders:

Color: Brightness: Endurance: Particle Size:
Green 10 14+ Hour Dust
Aqua 9 12+ Hour Fine
Blue 7 8+ Hour Fine
Purple 5 6+ Hour Fine

 

In my pieces I didn’t find that even the green glowed much longer than an hour. However, I did NOT carefully measure my powders or my clay. So it’s likely that if you add them in the correct ratios, you’ll get better results.

I’ll have to try doing that sometime, lol.

Let me know what ways you can think for making use of these sweet little glow pebbles. I just love having them around, they’re pretty and fascinating to look at.

glow pebbles insta (1)

These would also be fun to try lighting up from the inside with LED lights. That may be a topic for an upcoming Friday Findings video.

Here’s the article I mentioned by Ginger Davis Allman on conditioning Pardo Translucent clay.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video. Happy creating!

Watch the Glow Pebbles Hollow Beads or Necklace Pendants, Glow-In-The-Dark Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial video at YouTube.

Silk Ribbon Jewelry-How To Create Darling Embroidery Pendants, Tutorial Pt 2 of 2

Jun 122018
 

In part one of this series I showed how to design and create cute little scenes using silk ribbon, beads and simple embroidery stitches.

This is such a relaxing and fun pastime, I hope you give it a try.

silk ribbon pendants 2 of 2 cover copy

In today’s video I will show how to take your embroidered scene and fit it into a bezel so you can wear it as a necklace or other jewelry.

We’ll cover:

  • How to deal with round forms
  • How to create an easy miter for a clean finish on square or rectangular shapes
  • How I dealt with an usual style bezel frame.
  • **As a bonus I’ll show you my very first piece of silk ribbon embroidery! (Be prepared to wince.)

In case you missed it, you’ll find part one here: 

Silk Ribbon Jewelry-It’s Easier Than You Think! Simple Embroidery, Pretty Pendants, Tutorial Pt 1 of 2

Tools and Materials:

Those of you who are patrons, don’t forget that I have the sketches available to you for download at https://www.patreon.com/sandysewin/posts.

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Silk Ribbon Jewelry-How To Create Darling Embroidery Pendants, Tutorial Pt 2 of 2 video at YouTube.

Watch part 1:  Silk Ribbon Jewelry-It’s Easier Than You Think! Simple Embroidery, Pretty Pendants, Tutorial Pt 1 of 2

How Tool Magic Can Help With Jewelry Making and Polymer Clay Sculpting Tools-Friday Findings

Jun 082018
 

Have you ever bought a product for something, realized it didn’t do what you’d expected, set it on a shelf, then one day discovered it was actually quite for something else?

It happens to me all the time, lol.

ff tool magic (2)

The good news for you is, not only did I recently rediscover this jar of Tool Magic, I figured out lots of different ways (besides the main advertised one) to use it. 

Watch the video to see all of my ideas, and feel free to chime in the comments with your suggestions.

By the way, using this stuff to keep my plier handles securely in place?

It worked PERFECTLY!

I’m so thrilled to not have my tool sleeves slipping all over the place anymore.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the video for  a demonstration.

  • You can find Tool Magic on Amazon, and also in your local craft stores.
  • The beading project I show in the video is the Kalahari Oasis Lariat, from Carol Cypher’s African Helix Stitch 101 course on Interweave.
  • Ooooo, I just had another idea: What about coating the bottoms of things you want to be non-skid?
  • Please share your creative ideas!

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the How Tool Magic Can Help With Jewelry Making and Polymer Clay Sculpting Tools-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

How To Quickly Convert Your Pin To A Necklace Pendant With Brooch Converters-Friday Findings

Jun 012018
 

Although I had heard of brooch converters before I didn’t really think about them much until recently.

ff brooch converters

And when I started thinking about them more carefully I realized all the exciting new possibilities with just my own small collection of brooches.

Hope you find them as helpful as I know I will!

Here are links to the things I showed/mentioned in the video:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the How To Quickly Convert Your Pin To A Necklace Pendant With Brooch Converters-Friday Findings at YouTube.

Silk Ribbon Jewelry-It’s Easier Than You Think! Simple Embroidery, Pretty Pendants, Tutorial Pt 1 of 2

May 292018
 

I’ve enjoyed hand embroidery since I was a little girl of around eight or nine years old.

So when I first encountered the concept of doing those same stitches I had made with wool and floss, but instead using silk ribbon, I was intrigued

silk ribbon pendants 1 of 2 cover

This was about 20 years ago and I wasn’t into jewelry making then, but I sure did have fun embellishing lots of garments and home dec!

Then the kind folks at Thread Nanny contacted me and wanted to know if I would like to use some of their ribbons in my videos.

And so I took another look at the possibilities for silk ribbon, especially in jewelry as that is where my focus is these days. It was a lot of fun finding cute bezels and sketching out charming little scenes.

I especially delighted in adding beaded and embroidery floss embellishments.

Harlow hoop

By the way, here’s a secret I didn’t think to mention in the video: that blue oval hoop I use for embroidery? It’s the same one I used as a little girl!

In fact, it even has my maiden name engraved on it, lol.

I hope you give designing and creating your own little silk ribbon scenes a try, it’s fun, relaxing and very satisfying.

Be sure to watch for Part 2 of the tutorial, where I’ll show how to finish your embroidered pieces.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Silk Ribbon Jewelry-It’s Easier Than You Think! Simple Embroidery, Pretty Pendants, Tutorial Pt 1 of 2 video at YouTube.

Part 2 is up now: Watch the Silk Ribbon Jewelry-How To Create Darling Embroidery Pendants, Tutorial Pt 2 of 2 video at YouTube.

Inexpensive Jewelry Making Tools & Large Hole Beads-Are They Worth It? Review-Friday Findings

May 252018
 

Having an extra set of beading tools that you can easily bring with you is a great idea.

There have been a few occasions when friends or family members had jewelry that I could have easily adjusted or repaired for them, if only I’d had my pliers with me.

ff inexpensive tools & beads cover

This inexpensive set comes with its own carrying case and is easily tucked into a purse or car glove box. 

Of course, at under $20 for 10 tools, you can’t expect them to be top quality, but they do get the job done. 

In today’s video I’ll go through everything you get in the set, demo a few of them and talk about ways I might use each of the tools.

Speaking of inexpensive jewelry supplies, I am also reviewing a set of 60 large hole beads with accompanying bracelet. At $15 for 60 beads, they are quite the bargain!

Watch today’s video for the details and my honest opinion on all these products.

In case you missed it last week:

As a special favor to my email newsletter readers BeeBeeCraft is offering $6 off your order of $15 or more to the first 25 people to use the coupon code: SANDY6

(This offer is good until July 15, 2018.)

Hope you find the video helpful. Happy creating!

Watch the Inexpensive Jewelry Making Tools & Large Hole Beads-Are They Worth It? Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

These products were provided to me for free for review purposes; however, BeeBeeCraft has no control over my content and I was not paid for the review.  The opinions shared are my own honest views.

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