simple Analogy

Bracelets on Parade {Day 4}

I pretty much felt the need for another color of the simple leather bracelet.  Tutorial here.  These are another of my favorite bracelets to wear! 

Hope this parade gave your jewelry making creativity a nudge!

Bracelets on Parade {Day 2}

This one was made for a customer.  My husband's friend requested two bracelets.  The specifications...

1.  something turquoise

2.  for a woman with a big wrist

That's not much to go on.

Made with distressed metal pieces and medium size turquoise beads.  Oh, and it's adjustable!

Bracelets on Parade {Day 1}

I've been playing with my jewelry supplies.  When I don't have a lot of time to be creative but feel the need to create, I break out the beads.  And wire.  And leather.  So this week I'll show you the bracelets I've been making.

This is my absolute favorite bracelet to wear.  Vintaj antiqued brass creative hoop with an organic glass focal bead.  It's simple and understated.  I can wear it by itself or add another bracelet with it.  I've worn it with jeans and a tee.  I've worn it with my Easter dress.   It goes with EVERYTHING!

DIY: Simple Leather Bracelet

Isn't all the leather jewelry that's out there just beautiful?  I especially like it mixed with metal.  In all my jewelry making I've never really worked with leather, but there's always a first time.  You know my affinity for all things Vintaj...  I mixed turquoise colored leather with antiqued brass findings for a perfectly simple leather bracelet.  Here's how.

***Note:  Please forgive my dry, snarly hands.  I know I need lotion, but I can't stand the slimy feel of it.

Supplies:

Four 9" lengths of 1/8" wide deerskin leather lace (Hobby Lobby) or other very soft leather

One 2mm circumference hammered ring

small lobster clasp

2 small jump rings

Two 9mm  crimp ends

beading glue

ruler

beading pliers

Directions:

Start with two of the leather strands.  Find  the middle of both and center the middle over the middle of your hammered ring.

Pull the ends around the back of the ring and through the loop of leather on the front, making sure that the shiny side of the leather (not the suede side) is the side you see.  Pull tight.  Repeat with the other two strands of leather on the other side.

Now center your brass ring, which is almost an inch wide, on your ruler.  Measure from the ring about 2 3/4" and cut all the strands.  This measurement is for a 7 1/2" bracelet.  Adjust your length here if you want a smaller/larger bracelet.

On one end of your bracelet, gather all four ends of the leather into a nice neat stack.

Place your stack shiny side down into the crimp end lining up the ends of the leather with the top of the prongs.

Add a little bit of glue to the sides and top end of the leather/crimp end.

Using needle nose pliers, crimp one end down tightly over the leather.  Then crimp the other end over.  Give it a good squeeze and add a jump ring.

Repeat with the other end attaching the lobster clasp along with the jump ring.

This bracelet is so lightweight you'll hardly even know you have it on.  Looks perfect with jeans and a t-shirt or more dressy attire.  I'm pretty sure this will be my go-to bracelet for the spring/summer!

The Great Necklace Re-Do

 
My sister made me the greatest necklace for Christmas.  I had been admiring hers for a few months, and lo and behold I got my own!  I love the choker version on her, but me...  I just kept fiddling with it every time I wore it. 

Eating dinner - fiddle, fiddle.  Folding laundry - scratch, scratch.  Watching a movie - adjust, adjust.  I guess I'm just not a choker kind of girl.  So, I re-did it into a longer version.

  
I used the same silk ribbons, just attached them a different way.  I added a few jump rings to make one of the frames a bit longer.  Before it was a lariat; now it ties around my neck in pendant fashion.  I can also change out the cord.  I wore it the other day with a gray knit cord.  I have plenty of knit cords to choose from nowadays.

  
For those who are wondering where in the world to get the frames, she got them at Michaels.  A new line they are carrying.  So far I have not been able to find them at my Michael's, but I'm keeping my eye out for them.

And speaking of great necklaces, over at SYTYC they are giving away two gift certificates for Lisa Leonard Designs.  LOVE!  Make sure you check out all the ways to enter!

Favorite Things or I Have a Lot of Friends With M's

 
Back in the summer Megan and I thought this sounded so fun!  It would be the perfect Christmas arrangement for our craft day group.  Give a gift that is one of my favorite things and keep it under $6.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Not for someone who has a hard time making up her mind on what is her favorite thing.  I have a lot of favorite things, but I finally narrowed it down to a mixture of three:  jewelry, knit material, and blogging.

 

Blogging is one of my favorite pastimes.  Not only writing my own blog, but also reading others.  So how can you give blogging as a gift?  Artful Blogging is one of my treats to myself.  I don't read every issue, but when I need some me time that is what I go for.  After reading the ENTIRE issue, I usually cut out the pictures I like and put them in my card making loot.  The pictures are just so beautiful!  I went through them and picked out some of my favorites.

 
 
Jewelry.  I love making it!  (And wearing it!)  You know my fetish for Vintaj, so of course that had to be a part of this undertaking.  This is the part where the $6 comes in.  The pictures were cut and placed into blank Vintaj pendants using my new Diamond Glaze skills.  I also bought some elongated silver blanks and made each girl an initial pendant.  Note all the M's.

 
Knit.  I am really enjoying my knit necklace.  I wear it all the time.  It's so soft around my neck, and I like the bow in the back - especially when I wear my hair up.  I have lots of knit scraps hanging around here from previous projects.  I used black and red knit to hang the pendants on.  The red is not pictured here, because I took the pics before making the red cords.  Did you know if you cut knit into thin (1/2 inch) strips and pull on both ends, it will roll up into a nice cord?  Thank you Natalie Chanin! 

 
Let's add one more favorite thing - the friends these presents are going to.  Each and every one of them a jewel!  Love you girls!   

Bridget's Pendant

 
One of my favorite cherubs had her second birthday.  What does a two year old have a right to that a one year old doesn't?  The right to have her very own initial necklace.  Gotta start that jewelry habit early, right?!

That's where the diamond glaze came in.  I followed these instructions and it worked like a charm.  A perfect little gift.  Happy birthday, Bridget!

Did You Think I Could Resist?

Well, I couldn't.  The pull of the necklace in the tutorial for the fabric flowers (plus the fact that I had everything I needed on hand) sucked me right in.  The black knit, which used to be an old shirt, wasn't quite long enough to tie around my neck, so I added extra length to both ends and tied it in a knot to cover it up.

It may look a little bit Halloween-y, but it goes perfectly with the outfit.  The flowers are removable so that I can change it up to match other outfits.  Love that!

Mother's Day Gray

Mom and I spent a few hours together Friday afternoon.  We had Chinese, we shopped, and she came with me to get my new silverware.  Mother's Day present from my guys along with a trip to Yia Yia's - and yes, I asked for the silverware!  I love spending time with my mom.  She's just the kind of person you want to hang out with.

For her Mother's Day present I made a bracelet:  Vintaj, gray, almost black.  This is one that she can wear with everything, even her new ruffled skirt and gray leopard sweater that she found on our shopping trip.  I must have had an inkling about your new outfit, Mom!

Oh, speaking of Yia Yia's... the 15th Annual Festival of Greece is this weekend.  If you live in Houston and love Greek culture and food (especially the food) you should go!  We went for the first time a few years ago after studying a semester on ancient Greece.  It is there that I fell in love with Greek food.  We ate and ate while watching traditional Greek folk dancers perform.  This is what I recommend:  souvlaki, spanikopita, greek salad, kourambiethes (don't ask me how that's pronounced, but it's good - really good), and baklava.  You can click the link above and go to the menu section to see what all of that is.  Go hungry, because you'll want to keep eating.  It's sponsored by Niko Niko's.  Admission is free on Thursday!

 

Just Listed

Morning Dawn just listed in the shop.