Posts tagged ‘handmade’

Today while getting dressed, I decided none of my necklaces were quite right for my outfit.  So I looked through my beads and came up with this quickie.  It was just what I needed to de-formalize my dressy shirt.

Here’s how I made it:  I put the coral bead & flower bead cap on a head pin and made a wrapped wire loop at the top.  I strung it on the string, then attached the clasp with crimp beads.

My good friend Lauren stopped by last week for a beading lesson, and here’s the necklace she made.  It was her first time using beading wire & attaching clasps.  We had so much fun working together, and I think she’s discovered a new hobby!

If you need a beginner’s lesson on necklace making, you can read my tutorial on how to restring a necklace.  It teaches what tools/supplies you need, how to layout your design on a bead board, and how to attach the clasp & use crimp beads.  Or if you live in the Akron area, I teach classes & give private lessons and would be happy to work with you on your project.

For Valentine’s Day, Devona made heart-shaped crayons with a candy mold, double broiler, and broken crayons.  It inspired me to make the crayons with different colored chunks in them.  (Those were always my favorite as a kid.)  I made lots of mistakes & even ended up with ugly brown when everything melts together, but now I have lots of tips to share with you!

Supplies: double broiler (I used a pan & glass jar, but a tin can would be great as well), water for the double broiler, a mold for the crayons (I used a brownie pan with dividers, but you can use candy molds, soap molds, candle molds, or other make-shift molds), broken crayons, knife, cutting board, & a stove top.    Other useful optional items: towel (for drying the glass jar), spoon or popsicle stick (for mixing wax), and oven mitt. Read more »

All my yarn-addicted friends have peer-pressured me into dyeing yarn. I’m just dabbling, for fun. I’m not as proficient as Mary, Jenn, or Martha, but I did manage to make white yarn turn sherbet colored.

I used my ancient crockpot to keep the water at a consistent temperature, and Wilton dyes. To set the dye I used lemon juice. I didn’t measure anything, because experiments are for guessing. That’s probably why I ended up with sherbet when I was aiming for the same color orange as my kitchen walls.

I still call it success, because it is pretty, and I can knit with it. Hurrah!

I’m still playing around with Peacock feathers. I really enjoy the froofy aspect of a feather. They even dress up jeans when you wear a feather. But unless you are going for the Thanksgiving Pegent look it is important to shape the feather to the curve of your head.

You need a feather and a pair of sharp scissors that you don’t use for fabric.

Read more »

I wanted to do something lovely with my girls for Valentine’s Day. So I sent them on the scavenger hunt through the house to find all the purple, pink and red broken crayons. Then we put them on the stove in a double boiler made from a tin can, and we melted them down.

Colleen had just handed-down these candy molds to me. We filled them up with the melted crayon mixture, which had turned to a swirly pinkish-purple. The girls were really excited about the whole process. They had no idea what to expect for the final outcome.

When we ended up with these heart shaped crayons they were pretty surprised. I don’t know if they intend to use them for coloring or not. Next time we do this I’m going to make them a rounder, more sturdy shape. We already snapped one of our hearts. And no one wants to be broken hearted because of a valentine!

I’m getting signs, name tags, & refreshment plans ready for our Art Supplies Swap next Saturday (Feb 20).  And today I made this pair of fringe earrings for the handmade gift exchange which is after the Swap.

The gift exchange part of the event is completely optional, but if you plan on exchanging, you’re welcome to post a sneak peek in our Clever Nesting Flickr pool.  It’d be fun to see who’s coming too.

This is my first seed beaded ring.  It’s inspired by the circular square stitch used in this necklace (from Beadwork Feb/Mar 2009, pg 46-48).

I think I’ll like making rings because they’re fairly quick, and perhaps it’s a good way to try new patterns on a small project.

Since I don’t have a boy around to model for me, Cressida is playing stand-in.

I really have to thank Cal Patch for her book Design it Yourself Clothes for making this draft so easy. She gave me the rules to follow where I was taking educated guesses before. So although there are no youth patterns in her book the explanations included are pretty universal.

This is just a first draft of the romper. I did not take into account how big a diaper is, so the rise is about two inches off. I’m going to adjust my pattern and make one out of a men’s shirt I really like. Wish me luck!

A week from tonight I’m teaching a Fringe Earrings class at Craft Akron.  You’ll make two pairs of earrings (your choice of bead kits).  Cost is $15 for class & $10 for two bead kits.  Please preregister & prepay for class, as I have a ten space limit.

If you can’t come to class, you can buy a bead kit from me.  It includes beads for two pairs of earrings (tell me which two you’d like-the focal beads on the left pair are fire polished, center are blue/gray shells, and right are Swarovski crystals), step by step color instructions, ear wires (do you want silver-plated, gold-plated, or something else), beading thread, and two beading needles for $17 (includes tax & shipping).  Just email colleen@clevernesting.com & tell me which two sets of earrings you’d like to make, ear wire preference, and your address.  I’ll send you a Paypal invoice.