Goodbye...

I would like to thank everyone who enjoyed and commented on this blog. I have closed all comments; the spam finally became too much. I will be deleting much of it, but leaving the tutorials for current and future readers.

It's been a fun journey. Thanks, guys.

In the Garden, Part 4: Making Stuff With What You Have

I don't know about you guys, but I am sooo glad to see April- it's almost gardening time again! 

Today, I thought it might be fun to show you some of the things we made last year.
Most of these things were just from crap laying around the place, or in the garage.

F'r'instance, take this, our Baby Buddha installation: 

In The Garden, Part 3: Some of the Best Things In Life Are Free!

When spring fully arrived last year, things began to get a little wild.

It was time to think about boundaries.

I know that there are lots of folks whose motto is, "Don't fence me in!" 

While I do love my surprises- volunteer plants, pets, etc., I like having boundaries, too. 

Especially when they're free.

(It's almost an oxymoron- free boundaries.)

In the Garden, Part 2: Small Changes, Big Difference!

Welcome to the second installment. I took the liberty of fast-forwarding through a bunch of boring, dreary stuff (namely, the months of March and April), to show you the first steps that we (and Mother Nature) took to improve our lot. (Yes, the pun was intended!)

In the beginning of May, we began to make the first changes:

In The Garden, part 1

I haven't posted much in the last year. There was a solid reason, and that was The Garden.

We speak of it in Those Tones still, even now. 

Thing One & Thing Two are pining for it, as am I. We spent our summer in it. We're still dining on its bounty. And like many things, it started out...well, ugly. Let's see just HOW ugly...

This was our yard.

Updates, and a mini-tute: Roll-Up Storage for your Crafty Tools

Howdy! I have a brief tutorial for you today, a quick, easy, inexpensive upcycling project. These are a great way to store your crochet hooks, scissors, or even your kids' felt pen collections! First, though...

Speedy Upcycled Earring Stands

These came in really handy, for the sale last week! Thought you all might like to know how to make 'em- they're my favorite kind of project: upcycled, fast, and effective. Plus, you get to upcycle THREE things, when you make 'em- pretty cool, eh?

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!

EEE! Designer Profile on AllFreeJewelryMaking.com!

This is so cool! Kelly Spence, the editor at AllFreeJewelryMaking.com, has graciously created a designer's profile for moi. I am seriously humbled. I've had a look at all of the other profiles, and I must say, I am deeply honored- there are some amazing artists on there- many are people whose work I've admired for years. Click HERE to find an incredible assortment of talented people and their work, plus links to their tutorials- Heather Mann from Dollar Store Crafts, Amy Anderson from Mod Podge Rocks, Beverly McCullough from Flamingo Toes, Jenny Barnett Rohrs from Craft Test Dummies, Marilyn Gardiner of Marilyn Gardiner Design, Pearl Blay of the Beading Gem, Portia Lawrie (a.k.a. Miss P), Vicki O-Dell, the Creative Goddess, and Zoraida Bros of Art-Z Jewelry- all of these people are stars, as far as I'm concerned! Thank you Kelly, and thank you AllFreeJewelryMaking.com- now I gotta go and MAKE something!!!

(You can see my brand-spankin' new profile HERE.)

Happy Sunday, folks!

~

Swingin' Leaves Earrings- a new wirework tutorial

Good morning! 

Got another wirework tutorial for you- this one doesn't take much wire, and requires only minimal skills- it's pretty forgiving, thanks to the use of hammers. (Yeah, I really do have a thing for hammering!) These earrings are very kinetic- lots of movement, and any color of wire will do. 

Get your tools and wire ready- these are fast, fun, and easy!

Simply Swirled Earrings- a new wirework tutorial!

Got some new pretties to make! And this time, we're going to make the earring findings for them, too.

New wirework tutorial: Hammered & Bound Two-Tone Dangles

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was a busy gal this weekend...

These diminutive pretties are part of the reason why! Wanna make some? This is a way-less-than-an-afternoon project, but the results...well, they speak for themselves! Plus, we're gonna play with hammers!

Easy stacking bracelets- simple sparklies for the working woman!

 

So what do you think...would you like some of these?

They're fast, easy, and fun to make. They're also durable, don't catch on things, and can be sanitized- perfect for work! (It was working in industrial laundry, and then in healthcare kitchens, that inspired their creation.)

Let's make some!

A wirework tutorial- oldie but a goodie!

I originally published this tute on Craftster.org, but thought you guys might like to see it, and see how it's made! The tutorial may seem long and complicated, but once you have the hang of it, it goes PDQ!