Knotted Necklace

A while back, I took a knotting class. I only made that one necklace, initially, but I saw these knotted bead necklaces with tassels all over and thought, I can make that for a Christmas present. (You remember them from November?) Except for the time part. I got halfway round and stopped.

Well, I finished it tonight.

The beads are hot pink dyed jade with a layer of gold on them. The necklace is continuously knotted (no clasp). I needed a refresher on tying it off. You can find one here.

Well, here it is night one and I'm up past my bedtime blogging. I hope this isn't a long month. 😉

Small Business Saturday

Today I headed to The Bead Garden and started my tassel necklace. (They didn't have the right beads for the daisy, but let's face it, I'm a woman who knows how to substitute. Once I saw the size of the beads the instructions called for, I lost enthusiasm. It just wasn't as delicate as I thought it would be.)

I realized I'm always making pink and green for my aunt, so when I saw these pink and gold beads (dyed jade) I chose them. I also stuck with the extra large tassel, even though I picked smaller tassels for the sodalite (blue) and druzy agate beads (purple/green with sparkly insides). Speaking of, the tassel for those is army green.. (I have to wait for the silk cord to be restocked to start the latter two.)

Here's the sodalite. The photo of the druzy agate didn't come out well enough, but you can go here to see. Go! They're awesome.

How are your weekend plans progressing?

Five Pinterest Crafts I Hope to Do This Weekend

I'm so looking forward to the Thanksgiving Break. I know...I had a three day week last week, but when all you can do is sit on the couch while you hack up a lung...not the same. This is what I hope to accomplish/start.

Now don't rush out and buy up all the vintage Santa head mugs! I saw this cute idea in Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts. (The one with a felted snowman in a bell jar on the cover; I tried to find the issue on their website for you but, why would they sell that on their site? Here, get it on Zinio.) I may not do much more than start to gather the items. Depends on how gung-ho I am to get out to the vintage shops in the inevitable traffic.


On Friday, I plan to make cards. Two of the ideas I have are pictured here. The first example is the non-specific holiday card for my friends who do not necessarily celebrate Christmas. I am going to use a cool blue instead of the spring-y gold to make something generally winter-y. (Find this card at Magical Scrapworld.)

I'm also going to use Warm Wishes stamp set that I love to make this sled. The original idea came from Stampin by the Sea. I might have to wait to finish these until I go to my Friday night stamping party again. I can't remember if I have the embossing folder for the background or not. (You know you have too many crafting supplies when...)







On Saturday, I plan to shop small at the Bead Garden. I am thinking about making two necklaces, pictured here. Tassels are all the rage, and I know how to make them! (Finally, a reason for that useless skill!) The pink and green necklace would be a perfect gift for a certain aunt. I would link you to the origin, but it is a piece that was sold on etsy, by a seller that didn't make sure a permanent link went back to their store. The item is unavailable--that's all I know.

Finally, that same aunt would love this daisy necklace. I think it will also be pleasingly complicated--not too easy, but not too difficult either. You can find the instructions for this piece at Pandahall Tutorial.

What are your plans?

String and Beads

Even though I hadn't stitched much this summer year, I did stop by The Bead Garden a couple of times. I took two classes where I picked up a needle. (One had to be a makeup class because I totally forgot I had signed up for the bracelet. Sheesh.)

First, we have the "Himalayan Brick Stitch Necklace." I have no idea what makes it Himalayan. This will become a necklace once I add the chain. As I wondered around the shop, I got the bug to do something. There is something about seeing a lot of color in one place that makes me want to create! 

I also took the Super Striped Herringbone Bracelet class, well, I had a private tutorial. I'm about 2/3 of the way through this one, but it's been so long I fear I might have forgotten when I was doing.

The good news is it was during these trips to the shop that I found someone help take care of Stella! Since I started working outside the home almost four years ago now (!)--actually since, about a year into the job when Stella got semi-kicked out of daycare--I have been racing home at lunchtime three days a week to let the dog out. She could probably hold it all day, but that seems so cruel. (There were some times I just had to do it, and she was fine but I was not!) This racing home did put a crimp in my lunchtime--it's 18 minutes each way. Plus I only had two days a week to have lunch with my friends. Fortunately, I met Nicole, an uber-beader,  who lives and works in my neighborhood, and lets dogs out at lunchtime.

When she came over to meet Stella, who is a really amazing guard dog, it started out a little rocky. So we took a walk; this always has a remarkable effect on Stella's ability to understand who a person is and how they belong. After the walk she was giving Nicole kisses and being an angel. It is such a great relief to have my lunchtimes back and a caring person looking after the pooch. Now I just need to figure out what to do with that hour!

Some Things You May Not Have Seen

The last six weeks or so saw me holed up and churning out secret crafts. So glad to be able to share.

First, I finally finished one of my mother's Christmas gifts, a brag book, yesterday. I had hoped to make the twisted cord several days ago, but do you know there are no directions for making three color twisted cord on the internets when you need them? I may remedy that in 2015. 

At the end of November, I was crafting my butt off to get the 12 Days of Christmas gifts prepared for Beth. You may have seen some of them on her blog. Or maybe you're averse to clicking away from my blog. Or lazy. Or busy. I'm going to do a little recap here in case you missed it. (Be forewarned, I didn't take pictures of everything. I was busy!) This ornament was made by applying heat to crayons in a glass ball. Easy-peasy, and I used the crayons left over from craft day with my niece. Fortunately there were lots of blues which is Beth's favorite color. Having a heat gun and a device with which to hold the glass ornament while you heat it are key.

You've seen the "tinsel spider ornament" before in one of my March Craft Madness posts. But this time I chose colors Beth would like. I also wrote up the story because, let's face it, none of us have ever heard the legend of the tinsel spiders.

The glittered dino was something I saw on Pinterest and loved and wanted to try. I found a dinosaur for dirt cheap. (Since I had put a lot of money into the necklace below, I needed the savings somewhere!) It turns out that this can be interpreted as a Firefly reference. Yay! I used decoupage medium to "glue" the glitter to the dinosaur, which I think has held it on better than regular glue. I don't know, maybe I'm sniffing Mod-Podge fumes. I want some of these guys for myself now.

I made a stack of cards. There were birthday cards and thank you notes as well. I made these on such a gray day. They cheered me up then, so I think they can't fail to cheer up someone about whom you are thinking.

I also made this necklace. Beth had admired the one I had made in boot camp (that I gave to my cousin for Christmas), so I did one for her too. The agate slice is a deep blue and I paired it with sodalite, which has nice meaning for writers and people who suffer from digestive disorders. (Like astrology, gems have a sort of catch-all, helps-with-everything-depending-on-how-you-read-it thing going on, but let's just focus on the relevant.) I sunk a lot of the budget here but I don't think that was a bad thing.

I also knit a basketweave cowl (L40005) from the Lion Brand website, finished the Dr. Who ornament, and made a magnetic bookmark. But I didn't take any photos of those. You really do have to go to Beth's blog to see the rest. This all kept me delightfully busy at the end of November and beginning of December. So glad to be able to share the secret projects with you now!

Freeform Vine

Last night's beading class was about freeform wirework. I enjoyed this but I'm that kind of go-with-the-flow crafter. I think this came out a little too "branchy" but I think it still looks pretty good.

Remind me, in the future, when they tell you you can use small beads or chips, use the small beads. Stringing the chips on the necklace part was a huge pita. But they did match the agate slice the best. And they were cheap! Inexpensive, this was an inexpensive necklace to make. I didn't think it was going to be because the pendant was $6.95. I thought everything was going to go up from there, but that really was the main cost.

The first, or maybe second, time I took Beading Boot Camp, I made the most expensive piece in the class. Every week. The problem is that I love color so much, I am often unwilling to compromise on a good match. I don't know what's happened in the intervening years. Maybe my classmates just don't compare prices?

I hope the recipient likes it!

Fit to Be Tied

You're going to get tired of the tie jokes, I suspect. I already think you're tired of hearing from me every day with no word on stitching! I do have some stalwart commenters, though, and they are helping me get through this. I had some bad news yesterday and had buried my head not in the sand but rather in the six hours of Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't sure I could abandon him for crafting. But I'm so close to the finish line, I couldn't throw in the towel just yet.

Solve this equation for X:
$1 thrift store tie + yogurt container + snap + button = X

Algebra not your thing? How about a photographic answer?

If your local thrift store has some great ties, and you eat yogurt, make your own cuff with these directions.

Upcycled Ties

I started the day by making these chicky Easter cards for my nieces. I won't see them next Sunday since they will be in Maine. But I wanted to be sure to give them some candy-cash. That's cash for candy, fyi, since they will no doubt head to the mecca of candy, Yummies.

I didn't have a tutorial, just a photo. I did my best to replicated it. I think they're cute!

Then I lolled about. Should I make something else? Should I rest on my laurels? I went with something else, since I have a pile of ties I intend to craft with this week.

So what do you get when you cross a tie with some wooden balls?

It's love! Here's the tutorial. I've got a collection of ties, and a week left of craft month...where shall we go from here?

Fe-men-ine Wiles*

I made am "Anthropologie knock off" cuff bracelet for my cousin for Christmas last year using these instructions. (Given without photographing. I know, I know.) I ended up in my bead shop before I had bought the pin I was going to use, so I bought an extra wide cuff and a smaller cuff. The extra wide floated around my craft room for a few months.

I planned to use the leftover materials to make another. I still needed a brooch, so I took a trip to the "consignment" shop looking for pins. I bought several, and ended up using none. But all was not lost. I found a pair of size 10 Coach incredibly underworn rainboots for $25. I happen to have a niece who's a size 10. Very convenient. Saved her mother $100. But I digress...

I saw these flowers at the bead shop and thought they'd be perfect. Even though they aren't pins. But this is the joy of crafting. The first time you follow the directions, and thereafter you play!

* I am going to be playing with menswear for a few days. Get it?

Caught in a Trap

I know I promised one last fabric flower--this kind--but my trip to the local craft store proved fruitless. The reason I bought the wrong gauge wire on the last trip was that it was the only wire they had wrapped in white fabric. There were green wrapped and brown raffia wrapped wire in 18 gauge but no white. I may return to this, or I may abandon it. Depends on whether I feel moved to try the craft stores a bit farther afield.

Instead, I made these earrings last night.

The frame is made by Beadalon and you can get them...well, you can get them from my bead store, but for the life of me I cannot google anything that comes up with these little notched circles. Sorry, I do not know their proper name. Trapped inside is a olive green crystal.

I was so pleased with them, I wore them today to take my sister to see the Titanic Exhibit at the Franklin Institute. But first we went to Dandelion for brunch. Somewhere between my house and 18th street in Philadelphia, I lost one. Good thing I took photos before we set out.

By Popular Demand

Yesterday on Facebook I asked what my friends thought I should make. Everyone wanted to see the sea glass necklace. (Well, there were dissenters but there are 24 days left!) So I found a piece that was mostly even (the woman who made the tutorial "cheated" by using purchased sea glass). This is part of my collection that comes from England--either from our visit to Seaham or to the um...someplace in Norfolk. The glass has a very light greenish blue tinge, not sure it shows up in this photo. (Speaking of, sorry about this horrible headless shot of me. I  took a bunch of pictures of the piece on a black jewelry form, but they came out blurry and the color of the glass is totally washed out. This was the only one that came out, but I hadn't showered or put on my face yet.)

I had thought of using one of the sexier colors I have like deep blue or red, but I was worried about ruining them. So I started with a piece I was less worried about. There were moments when I was scratching the glass, but I haven't left permanent scars. The wire, on the other hand, was quite soft and does have some tool marks where I was tugging it into place. Still, this was quick and simple and is definitely the type of thing you could make for...say, people you spent summers at the beach with. Directions here.

Along Came a Spider

Yesterday I could not get motivated. Almost every craft I planned was lacking a material or two but I did not feel like running errands. I finally forced myself out the door and into Michaels (among other stops I had to make). When I got home, it was time to cook. By the time I finally turned my attention to crafting it was 8:30. Using this tutorial, just over an hour later, I had this:

It was fun. Except when I dropped one of the pink beads and the dude and I were down on all fours looking for it and Stella decided she could be most helpful by licking our faces since clearly we needed to play.

The big bead is a rhodochrosite. I scrounged around for things that would match. (I needed to buy the wire; I've got plenty of beads.) If I did it again, I'd go darker with the bugle and seed beads. But I still think it looks pretty nifty.

I think I might give it to my hairdresser who had a run-in with a wolf spider that she told me about at my last visit. This seems like a good souvenir.

Next up: Tea Bag Wallet

Day 16: Bead Store Inspiration

When I was at the bead store, I saw some Raku beads and was reminded of some pieces I had picked up at a Gaea trunk show a while back. I wanted a black silk ribbon for these (for now*). This one didn't use too many of my jewelry making skills, but I like it. Now I just need somewhere to wear it.

I did try to take a photo of myself wearing it, but trust me this one is way better and much less embarrassing!

*I'm starting to wonder what these might look like with black chain.