Monday, October 31, 2011

Moonlight and Pearls - A chance to win!

I mentioned "earrings to match" in my last post and with so many beads left over from the re-stringing project I was able to get a little carried away creating a variety of variations.... don't you love it when you can indulge your creativity that way?!! So here's a selection of earrings to suit whatever your style is. But I promised Mum a simple pair of earrings to match her new double stranded necklace and together we decided short and simple with no dangles was more appropriate to a woman of her age. She picked the Moonshine earrings below. We both liked the pearls but because the moonshine beads were the focus in the necklace she thought that they would work better with the outfit she planned to wear this set with. And as for the rest? Well, I thought I'd have a bit of fun and describe what style I think these would suit best. Pearl Drops - For the woman who likes simple classics, you can't go past a pair of pearl earrings.... sophisticated...
Friday, October 28, 2011

Moonlight and Pearls - Double the Strands for Impact

Regular readers of my blog will remember the remake , remodel and restyled jewellery posts I've done recently. My Mum loved them all and they were a great gift for her birthday. This week she was visiting again for my son's 21st birthday and she brought along some more jewellery for a makeover. Yippee! I'm loving this! The latest piece is a re-string. She had bought four strands of moonlight and pearl beads. Photographing the moonlight beads was a little difficult. It's like photographing the moon; I just about needed a moon filter to get rid of the glare!   Anyway, what she wanted was a double strand necklace. And with a beadboard, this was easy to do. By simply laying out the strands of beads in the channel it was obvious how many more beads were needed in the outer strand. I also added a few more to the inside length and eliminated the extension chain. I'd measured this on Mum beforehand to make sure I'd have it the right length for her. This ...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop - A Ladies Boudoir

Thanks for stopping by this leg of the Sizzix Vintage Fresh Blog Hop . It's week 5 of the 6 week blog hop and Designers on this leg of the hop are using the Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Bag, Suitcase (Item #657124) . I got to have a little play with this die a while back and created bonbonnières for my Dad's 80th birthday party. You can see how I put the suitcase together in this post . This time around, I've created a jewellery gift box for a pin made with a Katiedids component, one of the supporting manufacturers of the blog hop.   The box is constructed from an offcut of velvet matt board which I found at a local framers. Matt board is  such a sturdy material but the Sizzix ScoreBoard dies have no problem handling such a thick material and cut through it like butter. The instructions for assembling the box are very simple and you can download a step by step pdf from Sizzix . I didn't use the handle or the lid tab for this project. I've decorat...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Bangles and Rings Galore - A fun session in the studio!

What a fun day in the studio yesterday! I was joined by one of my very enthusiastic past resin students who brought along a friend for a day in the studio casting bangles and rings. She just can't get enough of working with resin!  Their mission for the day was to create as many OOAK resin bangles and rings as they could. And they came prepared..... moulds, resin, objects to embed.... these girls were on a mission, and they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve. Here's just a small sampling of what we created during their session. Bangles and Rings Galore We embedded feathers, coffee beans and chilies. We also marbled, swirled and coloured. And we glittered and sprinkled too. By the end of our marathon we had cast more than 35 bangles, rings and jewellery pieces between us! So if you've done one of my Bangle and Ring workshops before and you'd like to get really productive like these two ladies, why not join me in one of my personalised studio for...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011

7000 Bracelets for Hope

Calling all jewellery makers!  Here's an opportunity to use your jewellery making skills to put a little hope into the lives of families living and coping with rare childhood diseases whilst doing something you love at the same time . The Global Genes Project volunteer group is working to bring hope to families of children with rare diseases and they need your help. By creating a bracelet in the cause's colour of denim (think blue jeans), you will be showing your support for the family of a child suffering from a rare condition or disease. The GGP volunteers are aiming to collect 7000 handmade bracelets to distribute to the families in December 2011.   It's easy to participate; all you have to do is create an adult-sized bracelet in blue, attach a little note of hope to it and then visit the Global Genes Project website for information about where to send your bracelet. And you'll get a double feel-good sensation; you'll be showing your care and conce...