Thursday, May 25, 2017

Tutorials for a Turquoise Bracelet, Necklace and Earrings


Did you know that Turquoise is a major trend in jewelry for this summer!  The greatest thing about making jewelry is that you can make your very own unique accessories to fit your personal style.  Or you may want to make something as a gift.  Handmade gifts are always treasured because they're a labor of love!

So here is a great free tutorial-  Let yourself be inspired:
Bracelet with Chalk Turquoise Gemstone Beads, Glass Beads and Metal Beads
Also, I want to let you know that often I promote my own jewelry and other crafts I might design, but my blog also contains affiliate links.  That means, if you happen to click through them and make a purchase, I would be compensated for advertising them.  Thanks for looking!
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Here is another free tutorial you might enjoy-  

Single-Strand Necklace and Earring Set with Cultured Freshwater Pearls, Turquoise Gemstone Beads and Swarovski Crystal.  Click here for the tutorial.


Happy Jewelry Making!  
Thanks for stopping by!  

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Sixty Six Bracelets Later





I finished the bracelets I talked about in the previous post! I'll admit it was not easy! My finger tips have yet to recover from handling the metal and sliding the waxed cord knots. I've been applying vitamin E oil repeatedly, which is quite soothing. I hope I don't develop huge calluses on my fingers... well, at least they'll match my unsightly nails!! The sanding did a terrible number on my nails.

So, after all that whining, I'll share with you some pictures of what started as basic pieces of metal and cotton string...



...is now this:



I really like the blue, waxed cotton (reminds me of jeans); I just love it!




All of the little bracelets have been neatly tucked away in cute, shiny, gift bags and ready to be shipped.

Although the project (66 handmade bracelets) was a bit daunting at times, especially when I would need to restart a piece because of an engraving error (this happened quite a few times because of a little mishap with my engraving machine. Although it set me back a bit, I powered through and was successful in completing the project without being overwhelmed. And I have to say, at the end of a project like this, I always feel happy to have given my all.






Saturday, April 22, 2017

66 Personalized Bracelets to Make

I've got a large order of 66 personalized bracelets. How can I make all those bracelets without being overwhelmed and losing my mind?? One bracelet at a time. Being constant is the trick for me.

The first step was to take my template and mark the sizes on my metal and then "cut each one by hand with metal sheers." I know!! Who does that?

The strips in the pile you see in the 1st photograph, have all been cut and roughly sanded into shape (I use an electric power tool for that job). Because I'm using a power tool, the strips get hot! hot! hot! I cannot hold them without a thick cloth to protect my fingers.

Also, you'll notice I drilled the holes in the metal strips. I love drilling the holes! Because I dip the tip of my bit into beeswax, there is a lovely honey scent in my studio! Oh! And check out the wood piece in the top photograph (the bottom left corner). See the holes? Those are the holes I leave behind after my drill bit goes through the metal and into the wood. Better to do that than ruin my table surface!

My next step is brushing my metal for a nice finish!

I'll keep you posted of my progress!

Thanks for dropping by. If you enjoyed my post, please share.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

What Can You Make with Washers?

I purchased a bunch of small washers and was wondering how to use them in my jewelry designs. So, after playing with them a bit, I decided to drill them and dome them with an abstract brushed surface.

Wow!!  I am so pleased with how they turned out!  You can't even tell these were "washers."

They actually inspired me to make these "Summer Earrings" with "Purple Coral.





Thursday, October 13, 2016

Vibrant Fall Leaves


“Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.” ~Faith Baldwin, American Family 

Soaking in the beautiful fall colors while taking a drive around the Matapedia, QC area

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Awesome Shell Fragment



While spending a fun filled day at the beach with family, I found this beautiful seashell fragment!
What I love about it is that it's only a sliver of the clam shell which inspires me to make a necklace; I haven't started the work yet, but I think I will keep the design simple in keeping with the clean lines of the shell itself.  

Not sure if I will make it out of copper and silver combo or perhaps I'll go with brass and gold filled ...  Still mulling that over...  I will add the progress to my blog.

**We welcome customs orders.  If you have a vision and would like your stone, wood, shell or other turned into a piece of jewelry for you or for a gift, please contact us.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Clay Caterpillar


My little granddaughter's clay caterpillar creation!
She is quite creative for her age and comes up with the cutest 
little clay creatures!  

A child really doesn't need much to have fun:   a bit of colorful
play dough, a flat surface and their imagination!

Although she is quite well equipped with play dough tools
I remember my children having just as much fun by raiding my 
kitchen drawers!

Friday, August 12, 2016

Turquoise and Pearl Bracelet


Multi Wrap Bracelet in Sterling Silver with Turquoise and
natural pearls.  The bracelet has lots of sterling silver in its design.  The Oval is handcrafted by wrapping thin wire around a thicker oval wire and then soldered closed.  I wanted to add hearts and decided to compliment the design by adding a heart clasp hook as well.  

I love the pearls in contrast with the Turquoise!  These pearls are naturally colored in these gorgeous
shades of peach, lavender and off white.  I am in love with these pearls!!  

Each link of the bracelet is hand twisted.  I am a big believer is handcrafting all of my components whenever I can.  

Thursday, August 11, 2016

How to Patina Copper and Sterling Silver



How do you turn a shiny copper ring to a beautiful copper ring covered with a dark patina?

There are different methods, but I use a product called Liver of Sulfur-

Please Beware:  This product has dangerous fumes and should be handled only in a well ventilated area.  Do not handle the product with your hands.  Wear gloves or use tweezers to hold your piece.  Another thing you should know is that it smells of rotten eggs!!  That's right... rotten eggs!!  :)


The pictures below will show you  my method:  

1st thing to do is to clean your piece of jewelry or metal with pickle solution (please don't reach for the pickle jar from your refrigerator).  When I mention pickle solution I mean an acid base mixture used to remove dirt, oil or fire scale.  You can make a basic pickle solution with citric acid which works very well for copper and silver (I'll post an article about it in the future).

*As mentioned previously, make sure to not handle your jewelry with your hands, after you've done pickling it in your acid solution.  The oil from your fingers will interfere with the patina.

Secondly, I use a small Crock Pot (they're quite inexpensive, but I got mine as a bonus when I purchased my large Crock pot for my kitchen).  

I add a bit of water, no more than about 1/2 cup to my crock pot put it on and wait for the water to get hot;

Once water is hot, add a thumbnail size of the Liver of Sulfur to the hot water and stir until it dissolves (use a junk piece of metal to stir);

You can also add 1 tsp of ammonia (I didn't do this thus far, but it's advised to this in order the deepen the patina);

*Dip your piece of metal quickly, rinse it, check to see if the color is to your liking and if not, dip it again and repeat the rinsing process.

You can use a brass brush to sort of polish it up and repeat the dipping and re-polish.

I hope my method was helpful for you beginners out there!