Realeather Jewellery

As a jewellery designer, I'm always on the look out for new materials to work with and earlier in the year I came across Silver Creek Leather and their recently released Realeather Jewelry collection. When I first saw these components, it completely stopped me in my tracks. It was one of those moments where you catch your breath and think, "Wow! How clever! ". This collection is different to anything else you've seen. These are quality components: contemporary and very cleverly designed. They bring together leather crafting and jewellery making in a really unique way. Here are some of the things I like most about the collection. The focals and slides - sterling silver plated and interchangeable. These have a screw backing so that you can screw out one focal and replace it with another for a totally new look.... how versatile! They work really well with the leather bracelets which have pre-punched holes perfectly aligned to accommodate them. I also love the mag......

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BCC Art Bites Update

Newsflash! Here's an important update about the BCC Art Bites Resin Workshop. Due to renovations at the original venue, the workshop has been moved to a new location. The workshop will now take place at the Mt Gravatt Community Centre at 1693 Logan Road, Mt Gravatt. I'm really excited to share some other news about the workshop too; we will be joined by a camera crew who will be filming a segment for Channel 10's Totally Wild ! I don't have specific details yet, just that they will be filming. Let's hope we don't all get camera shy! It's just 5 short days away, so let the countdown begin. For those of you who managed to secure a booking, prepare yourself for some very resiny fun! 'Til next time..... If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs ...

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A New Year's Resolution Check Up - How Long Can I Keep this Up?

How quickly this year is flying past! Everyone you talk to makes the same comment. Each and every year seems to fly past more quickly than the last. But I've been so busy lately, that I'm not even noticing time is passing. Days and weeks are now such a blur it's almost like there is no separation in time - no night, no day, no weeks or months - it's almost like it's one continuous day!! With very little spare time on my hands these days, I'm grateful that I made a New Year's Resolution back in January: " To procrastinate less". It's really helping to keep me on track . When I made that promise to myself (and said it out loud on my blog), I felt a little nervous because it meant having to be accountable and really striving to achieve that goal. I knew I would never have been able to completely stop procrastinating but by quantifying it in terms of procrastinating less , it has made this goal achievable. And here we are, three months into t......

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Luck o' the Irish - Good Fortune, that is!

Want to be lucky this St Patrick's Day? Then why not make yourself a bracelet from a lucky Four Leafed Clover! Here's what you'll need: Flattened bottle caps  or if you'd like to flatten your own, Crown caps  and a hammer Magic-Glos UV curing resin Jasart Four leaf clover stickers - these are real four leafed clovers on a clear background so the background can't be seen under the resin Crystals, rub-ons or other small embellishments Green striped scrapbook paper 1" circle punch 1mm drill bit and drill UV nail lamp (sunshine will cure the resin if you don't have a UV lamp) Use the hammer to flatten the bottle caps to give them a nice border. Punch as many circles from the scrapbook paper as you need. My paper didn't require sealing but some papers do. If yours does, then use Translucent Liquid Sculpey . Do not use Mod Podge for this project -  it's not compatible with Magic-Glos . If you're not sure if your paper needs sealing, the......

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Kokeshi Dolls... so sweet and adorable!

Aren't these little Kokeshi style dolls adorable? Kokeshi dolls are originally from the northern region of Japan and were handmade from wood. They are instantly recognisable; their simplistic design includes a rounded trunk, enlarged head and a lack of arms and legs. They are also painted brightly with very simple detailing. Traditionally they were made by master craftsmen but these days they are mass produced as souvenirs for the tourist industry. I got these from Beads Online . And whilst they are not strictly traditional, they are really cute. Cute is not a style I work in very often so it will be a challenge to see how I can incorporate their quirkiness with my style. From time to time it's good to step out of your comfort zone and work with an unfamiliar product or style. That's exactly what I did this weekend with these Kokeshi pendants. I found them so very appealing, but I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them. And so there I was, confront......

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Razzle, Dazzle, Opalescence!

Not quite an Opal and not quite dichroic glass, but it's certainly eye catching! This is one of the techniques you learn in my Resin Jewellery Workshop . One of the fun things about working with resin is the myriad of items that you can embed. Whether they be found objects, charms or iridescent mylar as in the sample above, resin will allow you to create your own really unique focal pieces. This piece is made using Krafty Lady Art Mould AM282 . It's quite a large piece, measuring about 5.3cm x 4.0cm, so it gives you a lot of surface area to create a really interesting design. Such a stunning cabochon needs very little in the way of decorative elements so I've kept it simple and just wired it to a filigree stamping. Filigrees are wonderful decorative elements and despite their lacy and elaborate appearance, they can compliment even a busy piece. This one does a great job of holding the cabochon in place without detracting from it and yet, when you turn it over, the f......

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Siren of the Sea

I can't believe how quickly this necklace and earring set came together. My original idea for the Czech Glass seashell beads was a much more casual design but when I found the lapis lazuli and pyrite beads I could see something quite different. But the silver filigree dictated that this design would be much more structured than what I'd originally had in mind. It works really well with the very platinum coloured pyrite or fools gold as it is known - gold that is not quite gold and yet not quite silver! When I laid the lapis beads out on my bead mat around the filigree, I liked the way the eyepins were radiating out from the filigree but I wasn't sure that they'd sit at that angle once they were attached. But what I discovered was that because the holes in the filigree were a long way from the edges, gravity couldn't make the eyepins fall straight down but instead they sat at the angle I wanted. Dare I say it, but I've defied gravity! For the earrings though......

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Auntie's Beads

Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to receive some goodies in the mail to create with and yesterday it was this little bundle of goodies courtesy of Auntie's Beads . Aren't they gorgeous? The seashell strand is Czech Glass and I fell in love with these the moment I saw them. Sometimes, a bead just talks to you and you know you have to have it. But this strand wasn't just talking; it was shouting at me! I couldn't get it into my cart fast enough. I think I was secretly worried that if I didn't, there'd be none left by the time I got to the checkout. But now that I've seen them in real life, I'm wishing I had put 2 strands into my cart! I really LOVE them! When I was looking for beads to pair them up with I had in mind a beach theme and I was thinking turquoise, sand, sea green.... you get the picture. I was looking for something a little shabby chic. But in wandering through the Auntie's Beads site, I came across these beautiful lapis laz......

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