New Jade Floral Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings

My favorite bead shop, Crafter's Choice, closed down a couple of months ago- the owner retired, much to my (and many other peoples') dismay. On my final trip in, I ran across many treasures, and found one- ONE!- small string of the prettiest little pressed-glass flower beads. They remind me of antique jewelry from around the turn of the century. (Not this one, the one before that. You know, back when the dinosaurs- er, when my grandparents were born.) But I wondered, what I could do with only 25 one-half inch beads?

I also found a lovely string of "new jade" beads, and a baggie of tiny, smooth bead caps. As it happens, those bead caps fit a 3/8" bead perfectly- just right for the little jades. I knew there had to be a way to stretch those 25 pressed-glass beads just enough to make a full jewelry set- and I made it, just barely!

I'm not going to give a full tutorial on this, because most of the work was just stringing- but I will share some nifty little tips for making your strung jewelry long-lasting, and more professional-looking. Grab your tools, some beads, and your findings, and take a walk to the craftroom with me!

Bubbly Dip-Dye Sci-Fi Stationery- cheap, fun kid craft!

When I was a kid, in the 70's, I was surrounded by...strange things. All of us Gen X'er's were. (Don't believe me? Watch some H.R. Pufnstuf, or the Banana Splits for awhile.) The world was weird and wonderful, for us kids. Technicolor bright, and utterly nonsensical. Grownups, in particular, didn't make sense, but they seemed pretty happy about it, most of the time. And how could they not be? Everything was so colorful! Kinda like this:

Bubble-dyed envelope

In the 70's, fantasy and sci-fi stuff was HUGE, from books to movies, and from home decor to clothing. To get in the mood for this project, you might want to watch Fantastic Planet. (Netflix has it on DVD now- totally worth 73 minutes of your time!)

Bubbly Sci-Fi Dip Dye Stationery

This project reminds me of that. Aren't these cool? 

Trippy bubble dip-dye

This is a cheap, easy, messy project, and the results are amazing! It's a lot of fun for kids- how many times have you told them not to blow bubbles in a beverage with a straw? Now they can (but don't let them drink it. Ingesting dish soap gives the term "the scours" a whole new meaning.) Plus, the finished writing paper will go through a printer with no problem- even your grocery list can have that groovy 70's vibe. 
This is how we do it!