Monday, June 25, 2012

Where did she go?

Pin It

My guess is that's what you are all wondering. I know. Bad blogger. You know who I blame. Pinterest. And TV. And kids. And life. And possibly me. Forgive me? How about a tutorial to smooth things over?


Let's make some cheap and lovely earrings!  These are very, very easy to make. They make excellent gifts and you can make them in any colors you want. Ready to start?

Supplies:

Wooden shapes- craft stores sell many different kinds, some with holes some without
Earwires and jump rings
Acrylic paint, or even nail polish works too!
Painters or masking tape
A liquid resin- I used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (very simple to use)

First things first, if you bought the wooden shapes without holes. Drill some. I'd suggest doing many at once. Trust me, you'll be making lots of these once you start. :)


Next start taping off where you want to paint your first color. I did some with multiple colors and some just half colored. Depending how skilled a painter you are, you can just draw lines and follow them.


I also used stamps on dried paint which looked lovely also. I don't have pictures of the steps where I added the resin. Its very simple with the Dimensional magic. Cover a sheet pan with foil and place your pendants on the foil, this protects from any spilling. Make sure the paint is dry and then make a border with the medium, using the filling technique for icing cookies. I use a stick pin to pop any bubbles that appear. Don't worry about the holes for jump rings. You can easily poke through the resin after it has dried. Follow the directions for drying/setting time. I like to cover mine with a shoe box to keep stray dust or pet dander from landing in my work!



Once its all dry slip your jump rings in and add earwires or a chain and wear you art! Did I tell you it was easy!? Here's some photos of my finished masterpieces! To see more of what I make, follow me on Facebook and Pinterest!


Thanks for your patience and loyalty!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Fabric Flower Brooch


So here's what I've got for you today...a easy to make brooch! You've all seen the fabric flowers with the burned edges, right? Well, I made several of those last winter for gifts. I decided to get a jump on spring and make some in bright colors. Well, silly me, I bought the wrong fabric. This stuff went up in flames!! And smelled horrible to boot! This led me to try something new. Necessity is the mother or invention!
Supplies:
Polyester Fabric cut into a strip 1 inch by 20 inches cut with pinking shears
Matching thread
Matching felt
Hot glue gun
Blank pin
After you've cut your strip sew a running stitch along the bottom of the fabric. No need to be even or neat. As you can tell by my picture. ;)
After you've sewn to the end begin to pull your thread gently to cause the fabric to bunch. You want it to be tighter at the beginning and then looser towards the end. Tie off your thread.
Cut 1 1/2 inch circles out of your felt. One will be the base of your flower and the other will be for your pin.
Put a dab of hot glue in the center of your felt. Place the tightly bunched end of your fabric in the glue.
Continue glue and placing the fabric in a circular pattern until you use all the fabric.
Sew your pin blank on the remaining piece of felt and sew the two pieces together at the edges. All done and beautiful! Not too difficult right? I did some experimenting. The longer your strip of fabric is you start with, the fuller the final flower will be.
Thanks for following and reading!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Making it up

So here's what I've been up to, sweetheart. I haven't all the time to write today, so I'm going to blast a bunch of photos to you. Eye candy if you will ;) Enjoy!!






I'll be back with a complete post soon!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2012!!

Happy New Year!

Whew! Its been an exhausting few months for me. I am glad to be putting the last year on a shelf. Do you ever feel that way? Sometimes it seems as if all the rough stuff happens at the end of the year.

In October my maternal grandmother passed away. It was a painful time and her death hit me harder than I had expected. She was 95 and an extraordinary woman. Someday I will dedicate an entire post to her life and what she taught me.
November, things got crazy! I did two craft booths and those can suck up the time, ladies! They are a blast, but exhausting. It feels so good to meet people who enjoy my work and want to talk about making things.
December we all know is madness. I had a booth scheduled at a local bazaar. This event was awesome. Lots of local artists in one place, a handmade mall. Over 600 people passed through the doors! Plus, my sister had her baby! We welcomed my nephew, Dexter, on the sixteenth. Both he and his mom did great and I am one happy aunt!

This month the boutique that I sell my items at is closing its doors. Hopefully temporarily. I'm staying positive and have some new opportunities on the horizon. I'll check in with new tutorials as often as I can! I love you all, and am looking forward to sharing all the new changes of 2012!