A Jewellery Making Challenge

On my recent trip to the US, good friend, shopping guide and wonderful host, +Helen Bradley, took me to some wonderful bead shops whilst in Cotati. At our first stop, she threw down the gauntlet - a jewellery making challenge. She picked a bead that she knew I would never have bought and that is out of my comfort zone.

OK, a peace symbol is definitely not my style. It's not even even in one of my favourite colours. But....... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Teaming it with a leather lace band is a pretty hip look and so on trend at the moment, but that's been done before and it seemed like a cop out to go down that road - this is a challenge after all!

However, I did think it would make a great bracelet so I pulled out lots of green beads to see what I liked and this is the selection I made.

I love the handpainted square and round beads in the bottom row: the flowers are the pefect motif for a peace bracelet. And a couple of hearts won't be out of place either.

I started off by cutting a 45cm (17 3/4") length of 0.5mm Stretch Magic. Even though 1.0mm fits comfortably inside these beads, the elastic needs to run through the beads twice so the narrower elastic works better for this design. It's always a good idea to pre-stretch the elastic which will help minimise overstretching once it's been worn a few times, so I gave it several good tugs before placing a bead stopper on one end.

My stringing pattern is really simple: 4 milky white and 4 green flat ovals with the colours alternating. This is the bottom section of the bracelet.

 All the pretty beads are strung in the top section, along with the challenge bead.

On the other side of the bracelet I've strung a second bottom section, in reverse order to the first one. So now I've got two bottom sections. You'll see why in the next few steps.

By threading the end of the elastic through the beads in the top section....

and exiting out the bottom of the second square bead, the bracelet is now circular.

Now it's time to remove the bead stopper from the other end and thread it through the last three beads in the top section, creating a double strand of beads along the bottom of the bracelet.

Now the two ends are together and ready to be tied off.

I usually tie a half knot followed by a surgeon's knot, stretching both the cord and the knot tightly in between every knot I tie. I tied an extra double knot on this one to make sure it would hold.

And even though my knot is tight, I like the added security of a dab of GS-Hypo cement.

With the adhesive dry, I trim away the ends.... and slide the knot up inside the hole of the square bead where it can't be seen.

And here's my Flower Power Peace bracelet. I kinda like it...

and I might even be enticed to wear it so I think that I can say, Challenge successfully completed!

'Til next time.....

XOXO for Valentine's Day

Hugs and Kisses abound on Valentine's Day! And this darling little bracelet says it all - XOXO - how adorable!

On my recent trip to California I came across a number of great bead shops but one of the best shops I visited was Legendary Beads. Their selection of beads and jewellery supplies is excellent and I found lots of goodies to bring home with me. But it wasn't until I was at the cash register finalising my purchases that I saw the fabulous little XOXO bracelet kit. It was very smart placement to have it at the counter - like lollies at the checkout in the supermarket! The display was so cute that I couldn't resist bringing one home with me.

You only need some basic jewellery making skills to put it together but it didn't come with any instructions so here's a few photos that should be helpful.

The wirework XOXO is already preformed for you so you don't need any wireworking skills at all.

Firstly, you'll need to tape the end of the mouse tail. Cut the mouse tail into two 15cm lengths - a little more if you have wider wrists and a little less if you have narrow wrists.

Thread the taped end of the cord through one end of the loop and then remove the tape.

Place the end of the mouse tail in a cord end and fold over one flap at a time to encase the cord securely. For a neater finish, you can use the end-hole of the Mighty Crimper to round the cord end. Repeat on the other end of the cord.

Open a jump ring and hook on the two cord ends. Complete the other side of the bracelet in the same way but add the clasp to the jump ring as well.

And there you have it - such a lovely way to say "I Love You"!

Happy Valentine's Day!

'Til next time.....

CHA Designer Showcase - Concept to Completion

If you follow my blog, you would have heard me mention CHA and the Designer Showcase before. But have you ever wondered what a Designer Showcase actually is?

Well, it's anything that the Designer wants it to be.

In the past, I've always displayed my work so that Showcase visitors could get a feel for my style and what it is that I do. But this year, I decided to take a different approach. You see, CHA provided us with a gallery-style pedestal instead of a table, so I created a very minimalist display. And unlike past years where I've had lots of my designs on display, this year I had just ONE finished piece. But, that piece is the hero of my display. I hope it will all make sense by the time you reach the end of the post.

In the meantime, follow the pics to see how my Showcase took shape.

Let's start with the props for the display. I wanted three round, white boxes which nested inside each other. But having left it until just two days before jetting out to the US to put this together, I had to take whatever boxes I could find, no matter what the colour. With a can of gloss white paint in my shopping basket, I was on my way.

Six coats of paint later, and I had my round, white boxes.

Whilst these were drying, it was on to making the jewellery that would be on display: a Faux Barbed Wire Wrap Bracelet.

You can see how to make the Faux Barbed Wire here. I made about 2.5 metres all up. Some was for the bracelet and the rest was to be used to tell the story.

At this point, it was time to pack my suitcase and head to the airport. The rest would have to be completed in my hotel room once I got to LA.

Once I was settled in my room it was time to start putting it all together.

That faux barbed wire I had made was to become writing around the outside of my three white boxes and it needed to be painstakingly applied so the adhesive didn't show. I ran into a spot of bother here because the quick drying adhesive I had chosen for its strength was solvent based.... and so was the paint on the boxes and it immediately began to dissolve the paint. Yikes! No need to panic though because I came prepared with three adhesives and one of them worked nicely.

Progress was slow, but the words were starting to take shape.... and to my relief, it was readable!

I found these wooden pedestals at the same store as the round boxes and they were already painted white. They just needed a touch of colour to brighten them up.

With all the components completed I was ready to set up my Showcase. And here it is!

The theme of my Showcase was Concept to Completion and I wanted it to illustrate the design process in a visual way, showing how a spool of simple beading cord could be transformed into a Faux Barbed Wire Bracelet. The cord runs in one continuous length from the spool on top of the first box right to the end of the word "completion" on the third box - it starts out as just plain cord and is progressively transformed into barbed wire as it moves from box to box.

The bracelet sits on top of the last box propped up on a rose.... such a contradiction - but it's a pretty cool bracelet! Most people actually think it's wire and not cord at all and they're surprised when they pick it up and discover that it's soft to the touch and completely wearable.

I love how my Showcase turned out.... and I love that it told a story. It turned out to be a real talking point!

'Til next time......

CHA Preparations..... It's Time to Make Jewellery!

Preparations for CHA always brings a last minute rush in the studio to complete things and this year is no different. To say I'm organised (the word I'm trying to live up to for 2014) would be stretching the truth out of all proportion..... it is absolute chaos in my studio at the moment! I have a book deadline to meet, a Designer Showcase to design (and create!) and jewellery to make to wear at CHA. All before Tuesday morning. Let's just say that there's not a lot of sleep programmed into the next three days!

But today I'm setting aside the time to make those special pieces of jewellery to wear during the show. Here's what I've been up to this morning: punching, threading, rolling and gluing.

I wish I could share the finished piece with you 'cos it's kinda cool but that's a definite "No-No" before the show. What I can tell you though is that it's gold and it's leather. But, hey, you could tell that from the photos, couldn't you? Anyway, I do hope to share it with you later on, but right now, it's nose back to the grindstone for me.

'Til next time.....

Rosary Chain Jewellery Repair

Every girl has a special relationship with her hairdresser and I'm no exception. Mine has been doing my hair for 20+ years and in that time our relationship has become way more than that of  hairdresser/client - each salon visit is like visiting an old friend.

Her work wardrobe consists of a lot of black - black shirts and blouses, black pants, black skirts, black dresses - it's mandatory workwear in the salon. But the one place she can add her own style is in her jewellery and accessories.

When I visited her this week she told me she had somehow managed to get one of her newest necklaces wrapped around the handle of her shopping trolly and with one almight tug, it broke into about 20 pieces. She was devastated because it was one that many clients had commented on.

I told her not to fret and that it was something I could easily fix for her.

So she bundled it all into a ziplock bag and I brought it home with me.

Luckily, the rosary chain loops in this piece are made of a pliable metal and even though they had been stretched open, the metal isn't brittle so it's a straightforward repair.

For the loops on the ends of links like this one, round nose pliers are the go: just insert the pliers into the loops and reform them.

Securely closed loops like this one won't come open again unless there is another major shopping trolly incident!

Loops like this one where the gap is 1mm just need to be closed properly with a pair of chain nose pliers.

Grab the open end with the pliers and inch it into position by pushing it inwards whilst moving it backwards and forwards (as if you were opening/closing a door) until it's aligned with the stem of the loop.

So here it is completely reassembled and as good as new!

One last thing before I go. With a store-bought rosary-style chain like this one, it's better to check the eye loops on every single bead to make sure there are no places the necklace could fall apart again in the future..... you'll have one very grateful customer!

'Til next time.....

Sparkle Trees - Twelve Days of Christmas Earrings Extravaganza - Day 12

If you've been following my Twelve Days of Christmas Earrings Extravaganza, you might have begun to wonder if you had missed this post. I know, I know, it is 2 days after Christmas but I just couldn't manage to complete it on Christmas Eve. Nevertheless, here it is - the 12th and final pair of earrings in 2013's Christmas Collection - Sparkle Trees!

This is another design which combines Silver Creek Leather and Swarovski Crystals for lots of shimmer and sparkle.

Here's what you'll need to make them:

• Silver Creek Leather - Gold Leather Trim piece
• Approximately 50 3-4mm flatback Swarovski crystals in assorted colours
• 2 10mm silver star beads
• 6 4mm silver bicones
• 2 3mm silver spacer beads
• 2 4mm silver daisy spacers
• 2 6x9mm silver cone bead caps with a flattened top
• 2 60mm silver head pins
• 2 silver earring wires
• leather cement
• EK Success Swarovski Crystal Glue Pen
• Embellie Gellie Tool or fine tweezers
• Gold fine tip permanent marker
• Chain nose pliers, round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, flush cutters, rotary hand sewing leather punch, scissors
• Circle punches and a piece of scrap card stock - 10mm (3/8"), 16mm (5/8") and 20mm (3/4")

Punch each of the circles in the cardstock to create a template. Place the template over the back of the leather, trace two of each size circle for each earring.

Cut out all the circles.

Neaten the cut circles by trimming away any furry edges. 

You'll have six circles for each earring.

Apply a thin layer of leather cement to the back of one of the large circles and then place it on the back of the other circle. Press them together firmly.

Repeat with the medium and small circles.

Set the hole punch to the smallest hole. Find the centre of each of the disks and punch a hole in each one.

String the daisy spacer, cone bead cap and 3mm spacer bead on the head pin.

String the large disk, a bicone, medium disk, a bicone, the small disk and another bicone. 

String the star bead and then grip the head pin just above the bead with the chain nose pliers. Bend the head pin at a 90° angle.

Place the round nose pliers in the bend and wrap the head pin around the jaw to create a loop, making sure the wire crosses over.

Grip the loop with flat nose pliers and the tail of the head pin with chain nose pliers and wrap the tail around the neck of the head pin, creating a wrapped loop. Trim away the excess wire.

Apply a small dob of Crystal Glue to the cut edge of one disk.

Pick up a crystal with the Embellie Gellie Tool or tweezers and position it over the adhesive. Continue applying crystals evenly around each circle. You will need approximately 6 for the small circle, 9 for the medium circle and 10 for the large circle.

Attach the Christmas Tree to the earring wire and make a second earring to match.

I hope you've enjoyed this year's collection of Christmas Earrings. It's been fun coming up with so many different designs. I'll be back with another collection in time for Christmas 2014 but in the meantime, I hope you'll join me wherever our creative adventures take us throughout 2014.

'Til next time....