Giveaway - Belle Armoire Jewelry Autumn 2015

The Belle Armoire Jewelry Autumn 2015 issue

is as spectacular as ever!

 

I'm excited that my Roman Relic necklace

is a part of this issue!

Look how pretty it looks on the model

Belle Armoire Jewelry does stunning photography work!

(All of the photos in this post are scanned from this issue.

They look even more beautiful in the magazine!)

As a contributing artist in this issue, the wonderful people from Belle Armoire Jewelry are providing me 

with a copy of this issue to give to one of you! 

I'll give you more info on how to win this special gift below,

but first I want to show you some of the

fabulous work that this issue showcases.

I'm in love with these pendants

by Sophia Hu

And talk about the perfect mix of rustic and beauty!

Linda Bucci's cuff is amazing!

I'm fascinated with the process of enameling with words

that Laura Guenther shares!

Staci L. Smith teaches how to create beautiful pendants
by encasing stones with wire.

(I'm thinking this process could also be used with found seashells or beach glass
to create a favorite vacation memory pendant.)

You won't want to miss this amazing technique called faux embossing that my good friend, Cat Kerr shares!

These are just a few of my favorites but the
Belle Armoire Jewelry Autumn 2015 issue has so many more
techiques and incredible pieces of jewelry that
I know you'll want to see!

To enter for a chance to win a free copy of this issue
just leave a comment about this post. 
Next Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, I will randomly draw a winner.

I will need to email the winner so please, if you are a non-reply blogger, leave your contact info in your comment
or you can go to my contact page and sent it to me privately.

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Tennis Party!

I've been playing league tennis for over 15 years and somehow, throughout that entire time, I've managed to avoid becoming a team captain. Well, this year, I decided it was my turn to take over that duty and with a team of amazing women, I'm sure this season will be a lot of fun!

As team captain, I thought we should start off the season with a PARTY! This time of year, what better theme could there be than Autumn?!... with a little tennis mixed in, of course!

As with most of my decorating, this party began with a trip to the thrift store. I bought two wood racquets for a $1.99 each. I knew I would need a way to display the racquets so I bought a wood crate, also $1.99.

My next trip was to a local farm. It happened to be the last day of the season they would be open so with amazing discounts, I purchased all the colorful gourds I needed for less than $6!

I propped the racquets up inside the crate. The addition of a few gourds held them securely in place. Then I added a few fresh flowers for a bit of color and life. These tennis ball vases are super easy to make. I cut a slit into the top and bottom of a tennis ball (the bottom slit is only necessary if the water tube is longer than the ball is tall) and then inserted a water tube with a flower.

I wanted to give everyone a captain's gift and a Good Luck Penny Charm seemed to be the perfect thing!

 

I hammered the heck out of a penny (hopefully I didn't hammer the luck out of it! teehee) I used a disc cutter to make a small brass circle. I stamped an initial into the brass circle and hammered around the edge for texture. I drilled a hole in each side of the brass circle. I then laid it onto of the penny for alignment and drilled holes in the penny. I cut a short length of dark annealed steel wire which would become the staple to secure the two circles. I filed and hammered one end of the wire and then inserted it through both circles with the hammered end at the front. I used pliers to bend it into a staple to attach the two circles. I trimmed the wire at the back and filed it smooth and hammered to secure. I drilled a hole at the top and then slightly domed the entire piece. To finish it off, I brushed a small dab of Novacan Black Patina onto the brass circle and then wiped it off to darken the initial and then inserted a jump ring.

So far, my Penny Charm seems to be working. I've won a couple of matches and it even helped out my bowling game!

I was trying to come up with an inexpensive and fun way to package the Good Luck Penny Charm and thought a Tennis Ball Gift Bag would work quite well! Old tennis balls are free and easy to find at my house.

I used a serrated knife to cut the top off a tennis ball. It's a bit tricky, so be very careful not to cut yourself. I drilled a hole into each side of the ball near the top opening. I inserted a steel wire through the holes and secured to form a handle. I hammered the wire handle for texture and to add strength. I tied a fabric ribbon and silk leaf to one side of the handle. I then used raffia to tie the charm onto the handle.

 

 I filled each ball basket with yummy treats!

For the final arrangement I placed the crate with racquets in the center of my table with more gourds and the ball gift bags around it.

It was a super fun party and the ladies loved their gift!

Thanks for stopping by!
 
 Sharing at: I Gotta Create!: Wildly Original Party , Distressed Donna Down Home: Make It Monday, That DIY Party: DIY Show Off, Ginger Snap Crafts: Wow Me Wednesday, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo: Anything Goes

Vintage Book Cuff

I'm sure by now most of you know that I'm a thrift store junkie and that I love finding ways to re-purpose some of my thrifty finds into jewelry.

One of the things I'm always picking up at the thrift stores are vintage hardcover books. Many of them have beautiful artwork on the covers and along the spine. I decided instead of just displaying them on a shelf, it would be fun to wear some of that beauty. A cuff seemed to be the perfect way to do just that!

 

Some recycled suede, used jewelry and a few easy steps was all it took to create these unique cuffs.

supplies:
vintage book
recycled suede
heavy duty snaps
used piece of jewelry
fabric glue
wire
wire cutters
scissors
bead reamer

Rip the cover away from the pages.

Carefully rip the spine from the cover.

Apply a layer of glue to the front of the spine. I used my finger to spread it out evenly. It gets tacky very quickly so work fast.

Let dry completely.

Tear a piece of suede that is slightly larger than the spine.

My wrists are small so I did not need to add any extra length.

I suggest you measure your wrist and add extra length

to the suede piece if necessary.

Apply glue to the back of the spine and lay it over the suede piece.

Let dry completely.

Decide where you want the piece of jewelry.

Attach it to the cuff with wire. I used a bead reamer to poke the holes.

Trim and secure the wire at the back.

Cut a piece of suede a little smaller than the one used for the cuff

and glue it to the back of the cuff.

Follow the manufacturers instructions to

add the snap to one end of the cuff.

Wrap the cuff around your wrist to line up the placement for the other half of the snap and follow the manufacturers instructions to add it.

That's all there is to it!

Your finished cuff should look something like this.

 

Happy Creating!
 
 Sharing with: I Gotta Create!: Wildly Original link party, Funky Junk Interiors: Party Junk, Craft-O-Maniac: Craft-O-Maniac Monday

From One Accessory to Another - Altered Couture Article

These shoes were made for walking and other things...

I must say I've had a lot of published mileage out of my "A Girl and Her Shoes" series. Biker Chic, Geometry, Butterfly, and Spider were the first to show up in the Summer '12 issue of Jewelry Affaire . Dressed Up Pearls soon followed with an article in the Autumn '12 issue of GreenCraft.

And now Autumn Leaves has found its way into the Winter '13 issue of Altered Couture.

I guess this gives this girl one more reason to love her shoes!

There's another reason why this issue of Altered Couture is so special to me...

My Sister-in-Law, Susan from Second Chances by Susan, also has an awesome article in it! She shows you how to transform a pajama jumpsuit into a beautiful dress.

How fun for us to be together in the same magazine!

Thanks for stopping by!
 

Halloween Charm Swap

Remember my Charmed Halloween series? It all started when Thespa from Vintiquities Workshop invited me to join in on her very fun Halloween Charm exchange.

I made 15 charms. Three each of five different styles.

You can find a tutorial on how to make each one:

"Watching Eye"

"Potion No. 9"

"Mummy"

"Spider"

"Caged Skull"

 

I sent my charms off to Thespa and in a few days received 15 awesome charms back. I was amazed at the variety...all so very cool and with the added bonus of fun and creative packaging! I almost hated to remove them from their tags!

 

 

I didn't want to make a bracelet that had every single charm on it - my wrist are very small and couldn't pull it off. My solution was to create a bracelet that I could add a few of the smaller charms to. It will be very easy to swap them out and use some of the other charms for a different look. It's like getting several bracelets in one!

 

I plan to use some of the larger charms for necklace pendants.

Check out Thespa's Halloween blog hop link party 

to see what everyone else created!

Happy Halloween!

 

Winners of the Mixed Media Jewelry E-Book GIVEAWAY

I put all the entries into a hat and asked my husband to draw out three winners for the Volume 1: Mixed Media Jewelry E-Book.

 

The winners are:
Thoughtfulhands
Beetique
Cathy

Congratulations to Thoughtfulhands, Beetique, & Cathy! And thanks to all who took time to participate.

For another chance to win this E-Book, visit my friend Tina at PatinaMarie as she is also giving away a couple of copies. Her drawing will be on October 20th.

Volume 2 of this E-Book is now available and I will be having a giveaway for it within a couple of weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Shabby Chic Cuff - video tutorial

I created this Shabby Chic Cuff using ICE Resin, fabric and very thin copper sheet cut from a Spellbinder's die.

My video tutorial will give you step-by-step instructions for the creative process. You can also get the written instructions and supply list here on my tutorial page.

I hope you enjoy the video!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 Sharing with: Not Just A Housewife: Show Me What Ya Got, Southern Lovely: Show & Share, Happy Go Lucky: Shine On Friday, Funky Junk Interiors: SNS, Craft-O-Maniac: Craft-O-Maniac Monday

Key To The Past

I had never used a die cutting machine until just recently when ICE Resin and Spellbinders partnered up and I was asked to create a few projects using the Grand Calibur machine and some of their dies. It was fun to be given a chance to experiment with it. One of the projects that I've created was featured on the ICE Resin blog yesterday.

Key To The Past

My inspiration for this piece came from the smallest die in the
Labels Fourteen series. It reminded me of a keyhole.

I first used the 2nd largest die in the set to cut the shape out of thin copper sheet  and then added a keyhole with the smallest die in the lower portion. I then folded the piece into half and added a patina to enrich the color of the copper and to give it some age. I placed an image of a Victorian era woman that I cut from the Belles Dames Francais image book and covered it with ICE Resin. 

 

I embellished the piece with some chain and vintage jewels

and wire wrapped a skeleton key to it.

I used two styles of vintage chain to add some interest to the piece.

I made a hook clasp from copper wire. The keyhole piece that I cut out at the beginning of the project became the perfect closure once I punched a hole in it.

It was fun creating with the Spellbinders products. I've created a few more projects but I will have to wait awhile longer to share them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing with: Here Comes the Sun: Fabulous Friday, Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Funky Junk Interiors: SNS, Knick of Time: Knick of Time Tuesday