Friday Findings-What Is Cable Chain

May 062016
 

ff cable chain

How you ever seen descriptions of different types of chain and wondered what they meant? I have! Mostly they describe either how the links of chain are shaped or how they are put together.

In today’s video I’ll explain the most basic of chains, the cable chain.

Here are links to a few of my favorite cable chains:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Friday Findings-What Is Cable Chain video at YouTube.

Water Lily Hearts-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial

May 042016
 

water lily hearts

This is a simple cane to make, but as is always the case with my favorites, there are lots of possible ways to interpret and use it.

If you keep the canes uniformly round while slicing, (which I didn’t) keep them all the same thickness (which I didn’t) AND lay them out on the backing sheet evenly (again, nope, not me) then you’ll end up with a hexagonal pattern after rolling them flat.

Personally I prefer the organic look. I’ve always been more a fan of impressionism then precise realism.

water lilies 2 water lilies

Like Monet. 🙂

If you’d like to use my heart templates, you can find the pdf here: Heart Templates.

Tools & Materials:

Watch the Water Lily Hearts-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial at YouTube.

Ocean Waves Earrings Video Tutorial

May 022016
 

ocean waves earrings

I’ve had these turquoise hollow oval glass beads for over a year. They’re absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to do something special with them, but also felt it needed to be simple. No complicated designs they might get lost in.

These asymmetrical earrings with gold filled stardust beads and Swarovski crystal accents fit the bill perfectly. And, bonus, they go together super quick!

The hollow glass beads I used are no longer available, but Goody Beads has lots of really pretty blown glass beads to choose from.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Ocean Waves Earrings Video Tutorial on YouTube.

Friday Findings-Split Ring Double Loops

Apr 292016
 

ff split ring loop

Here’s another very basic technique for holding together your jewelry. It’s quicker than wrapped loops and more secure than simple loops.

All you need to make these double, or split ring, loops is a pair of Round Nose Pliers and some Wire Cutters.

It’s not something I use very often because I prefer the less bulky look of a single loop, but I’m sure there are times when it could be handy. 🙂

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Friday Findings-Split Ring Double Loops video at YouTube.

Polymer Clay Bead Flourishes Video Tutorial

Apr 272016
 

bead flourishes

This is a simple way to dress up any bead and make it into a focal piece. As long as your bead is stone, glass or anything able to withstand a 275° F. oven, you’re all set.

The amount of clay used is minimal and the techniques are easy. We’re just adding leaves, scrolls and dots. Of course, feel free to sculpt whatever you like!

I like to bake these beads on a bit of quilt batting (yup, it’s fine in the low oven) to keep from flattening out the textures on the back.

Some of the tools & materials used:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Polymer Clay Bead Flourishes Video Tutorial over at YouTube.

Olive Jade Teardrop Earrings Video Tutorial

Apr 252016
 

olive jade earrings

I just noticed that the shape of these earrings is sort of reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower. Totally unintentional, but I like the look.

The two-holed half tila beads give the structure and the olive jade teardrops add some interest at the end. If you aren’t familiar with tila beads, check out my Tila Beads video. They’re fun to create with.

This design goes together quickly, but crimping the two crimp beads at the top can be tricky. Next time I might string a few more seed beads above the last tila just to leave a bit more space.

Tools & Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Olive Jade Teardrop Earrings Video Tutorial over at YouTube.

Friday Findings-How To Choose the Right Wire

Apr 222016
 

ff choosing the right wire (1)

Wire comes in so many different sizes, materials and finishes, it can be tricky to choose just which one is right for your intended purpose. In today’s video I give some tips to help.

Also, this Jewelers Wire Gauge can quite useful for determining what size wire you have.

Here are a few of the wires I work with most often:

For more about wire:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!


Watch the Friday Findings-How To Choose the Right Wire video over at YouTube.

Tribal Canes & Necklace-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial

Apr 202016
 

tribal canes necklace

In today’s video I show you how to make three simple 2-color polymer clay canes. Making beads & jewelry from these is as easy as cutting slices and adding stringing holes.

You can also cut thin slices of the canes and use them as veneers on shaped beads. Don’t forget that you can use the scraps from cane-making as well. For the central piece in my necklace above I surrounded a slice of the squared swirl cane with some leftovers from the checkerboard cane.

tribal canes

Although I love the spiral cane, I wasn’t really thrilled with the way the basket weave came out. I think if I’d used five layers for the initial stack, with the darker color  on the outsides, the design would have been more clear. Also, wrapping it with a thin sheet of clay, like I did for the checkerboard, would have been good. Ah, well….

Have fun creating and experimenting! When you’re done simply string them together with some spacers and other beads and you have a fun, graphic necklace with a tribal vibe.

Tools & Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Tribal Canes & Necklace-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial over at YouTube.

Imperial Jasper Bracelet Video Tutorial

Apr 182016
 

imperial jasper bracelet (1)

This bracelet design is similar to ones I’ve done before, combining single strands of larger beads with smaller ones on multiple strands. It’s easy to do, and an interesting look. It’s also a great trick for stretching a few special beads to make an entire piece of jewelry. 😀

The silver stardust beads bring out some of the silvery gray color in the jasper beads. I’d considered using black beads as an accent, but thought they were too stark.

Tools & Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Imperial Jasper Bracelet Video Tutorial over at YouTube.

Friday Findings-What is Jasper

Apr 152016
 

ff what is jasper

It’s really quite fascinating to delve into the origins of the beads we use in our jewelry. It makes me much more appreciative of these beautiful objects and thankful we have such easy access today!

Jasper is a semi-precious gemstone that is available in a wide variety of colors and designs. In today’s video I show you several different types and explain a bit about this natural material.

If you’re interested in learning more Barlow’s Gems website has many gorgeous and intriguing stone beads and cabochons and they do a great job explaining where each comes from. I especially like the story about Deschutes Jasper.

Here are a few more examples of jasper beads:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Friday Findings-What is Jasper video over at YouTube.

Page 26 of 108 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108