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Mar
7
2012

The Martha Craft Challenge, Project 73: Basic Beaded Jewelry

by Beth on March 7, 2012

This is the third jewelry project in this chapter of the Encyclopedia, and, hilariously, this is the blurb you find at the beginning of the project:

The necklaces and earrings shown here were made using slightly different (and easier) techniques than the ones described on the previous pages.

Oh, Martha. Of course you would put the hard projects first.

In spite of this description, I didn’t find these projects particularly easy compared to the last. Probably because many of them didn’t really work.

First up: ribbon necklace. Using a kind of gauzy ribbon, you string beads onto it, using the ribbon as part of the design.

That’s the one I made. And I have to say, it was really difficult because stuff didn’t work the way the Encyclopedia said it should.

What you are supposed to do here is use seed beads, which are tiny, to anchor the bigger beads. Using a beading needle, you string the beads onto the ribbon.

Except the seed beads TOTALLY don’t fit onto this ribbon.

If you aren’t familiar with seed beads, here’s a little primer. They come in different sizes, but really, what everyone thinks of as seed beads are the 11.0 size. For reference:

I assume that Martha means standard seed beads, since she doesn’t specify. And I tried every different which way, and there was NO way those little beads were going to fit on that big ribbon, in spite of its gauziness. So I had to go up to the 6.0 size. Which worked ok, but please TELL US THIS, Martha. It looks like her team might have used the 11.0 size, and I have no idea how they did that. It seems to go against the laws of physics.

So I used the bigger size beads and came up with this.

The other issue was the clasp. You are supposed to “tie on clasps and connectors at ribbon ends using a simple knot.”

Problems here are that a) it doesn’t look great, and b) I’m not convinced this is going to stay connected. It’s just knots in slippery ribbon. How secure is that?

The other necklace is called a “bead-cord necklace.” Using the beading cord from the previous projects, you string a bunch of beads on. Done.

I used very tiny seed beads for this one; it’s kind of a layering necklace.

I had the same issue with the clasps, though. I tied at least 4 knots on each end, and I could actually see the knots unraveling after I tied them.

I’m not sure why, having already introduced the bead tip thing, they didn’t just tell you to use bead tips, which seem much more secure.

There were also some earring projects in this section. You are supposed to put beads on ribbon and then tie them on an earring finding. Um, yeah. That didn’t seem to work so well.

I mean, what is that? Here’s what it looked like on:

I didn’t even bother making the other one because this is… WHAT IS THIS? The ones in Martha’s book look kind of ok, but even still, not anything I’d want to spend time on.

TIME INVESTED

Ribbon necklace: About 1 hour

Bead cord necklace: About 1 hour

DIFFICULTY

Moderate

TOTAL COST

Ribbon necklace:

  • ribbon, $0.50 a roll
  • seed beads, $3.49
  • larger beads, $4.99
  • clasps, $1.99

Total cost = $10.97

Bead cord necklace:

  • bead cord, $1.55
  • seed beads, $3.49
  • clasps, $1.99

Total cost = $7.03

WAS IT WORTH IT?

Not really. I’d use the techniques from the other projects instead to make something more substantial. If you are looking for inexpensive gifts, these might work, but you can also use inexpensive beads, like seed beads, and use the more substantial techniques for attaching them to necklaces.

{ 3 comments }

Mar
2
2012

5 on Friday: My Polish Picks for Spring

by Beth on March 2, 2012

I’ve really been experimenting with different nail polish colors recently. Somehow I got the nerve up to try some crazy ones, I think they actually work really well. So I thought I’d put together a 5 on Friday of my faves I’ve used recently.

1. Navigate Her; 2. School of Hard Rocks; 3. Carey; 4. I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!; 5.Kennedy

I’ve got Rotterdam on my toes, and I’ve worn the rest on my hands. What are your favorite polish colors these days?

{ 4 comments }

Mar
1
2012

The Martha Craft Challenge, Project 72: Beaded Bracelets

by Beth on March 1, 2012

Very similar to the necklaces, these bracelets. But shorter.

I made two here, trying out two techniques. The first is quite simple: just string a bunch of beads onto the silk cord, add clasps, and you are done. I really wanted to do something ombré, and thankfully I found some gorgeous, tiny carnelian beads that were gradated.

So, I strung them on a tiny silk string and ended up with this!

 

This first bracelet would’ve been really easy had it not been for too short cord. Martha suggests cutting the cord off before you start; I recommend just stringing right onto a full cord because I had to do it several times since I cut the cord too short to adequately tie knots. The other tricky part was the gradations; the beads came already ombréd, so to speak, on a thread, so I had to keep them in the exact order when I put them on the silk cord. You would think there would be an easy way to transfer them, but if there was I never discovered it. I’d slide 5 – 7 beads off at a time, carefully keeping them in order, and then add them to the silk cord.

The other bracelet I made required both chain and wire wrapping. Wire wrapping is a PAIN. It’s very delicate; it’s difficult to get the wire to wrap in a perfect circle. For this bracelet, I took some beads that I got at Michaels, inserted a “head pin” (essentially a pin with a head on it to stop it from going all the way through the bead), created a little circle and attached it to the chain, then finished wrapping the wire around itself. To illustrate:

This was one of my crappier wire wraps that didn’t end up on the bracelet.

This is what you are trying to achieve with the wire wrapping. This photo looks pretty good; it looks wonkier in real life. Like, the circle at the top is never quite round.

And I could never get the end of the wire to wrap perfectly into itself, so that you can’t really see the end.

Anyhoo! Here’s the finished result:

TIME INVESTED

For the carnelian bracelet: About 1 1/2 hours

For the wire wrap bracelet: About 3 hours

DIFFICULTY

Moderate

TOTAL COST

For the carnelian bracelet:

  • silk beading cord, $1.55
  • carnelian beads, $28
  • bead tips, $0.75
  • clasp: $3.99 (a package of base metal clasps)

Total cost = $34.29

For the wire wrapped bracelet:

  • sterling silver chain, $8.99 (per foot)
  • beads, $6.99 (at Michaels)
  • base metal head pins, $3.99 (at Michaels)
  • clasp: $3.99 (a package of base metal clasps)

Total cost = $23.96

WAS IT WORTH IT?

Definitely. Making jewelry is one of those crafts that really pays, I think. You can make great gifts and custom stuff for yourself. It takes a little time to master a few skills, but once you have, it opens up a whole world. Honestly, this chapter in itself might be reason enough to buy the Encyclopedia (although you can get lots of jewelry making books that would give you more info, too).

{ 1 comment }

Feb
28
2012

Iron Craft 2012, Project #4: DIY Turquoise Necklace

by Beth on February 28, 2012

I’ve finally gotten myself together enough to post my first Iron Craft challenge of 2012. Yay!

This challenge was to make something that you saw for sale. And I knew just the project. It fits in perfectly with my most recent Martha Challenge chapter.

This is the Stella and Dot Threaded Turquoise Necklace, which I think is really pretty. You can buy it here for $49, if you are interested!

But I figured for my challenge I would try to make it. Turns out, it was a little harder than I expected, but I finished it. Here’s what you need to make it:

The S & D necklace is 38″ long, so I started by cutting a piece of the silk cord and a piece of the metallic thread to about 45″; I’ve had trouble knotting cord that gets too short, so I wanted to have plenty. The silk cord I used (and I linked to above) has a beading needle already attached, but since I also had the metallic thread I needed another needle for that. I tried several different ways to achieve the double strand, but the easiest ended up being simply having two needles, since the cord comes pre-threaded.

Once I cut the cords, I tied a double knot in the end and added a bead tip. If you are unfamiliar with bead tips, check out this video; if you start at about 2:25, she shows how to use the tip I used (just tie a double knot in the end; she’s using wire instead of thread). Then I threaded on one Swarovski crystal right up against the bead tip and tied a knot right next to it (more on that in a second). I added the jump ring that the clasp will grab onto.

To create the pattern, I chose to space my beads about 2″ apart, but you can choose whatever you want. Looking at the S & D one, I think mine are spaced a little farther apart, but I ended up having fewer beads than they did so it worked out fine.

To start, you create a knot in your thread in the place where you want to start your bead section. Then, you thread on one crystal, one turquoise teardrop, and one more crystal. Put both needles through the bead and slide it flush with your knot.

Now you need to tie a knot flush on the other side of the beads to hold them in place. Make a loop in your cords (1), drop the beaded section through this loop,just like an overhand knot (2), then insert your tweezers/pliers through the loose knot (3, 4) and grab the cord where you want the knot to end up (5). Pull the knot tighter (6, 7), and once it’s nearly taut remove the pliers and tighten fully (8, 9).

Now it’s time to start a new set of beads, so you need to put a knot in the cords where you want to start. First, you will want to twist the cords a bit; the cords are twisted slightly in the S & D necklace and it helps to keep them together.

I measured to make sure things were spaced evenly by simply lining up the previous bead set.

Then, you follow the same procedure by inserting the pliers into the knot, grabbing the cords where you want the knot to end up, and tightening.

Add the beads as you did in the previous step, and continue adding sets of beads until you get to the end of your cords (or until you reach about 36″ – 38″).

At the end, you will add one crystal and then the bead tip.

Then you will add the clasp (refer to the above video about bead tips), and then knot the end with a double knot. This part is kind of tricky since you need to get the knots inside the clamshell of the bead tip. Follow the same procedure as above, just grabbing the cord with your pliers as close inside the clamshell as you can. Then, cut off the cords close to the knots, add a little jewelry cement and close your clamshell.

Ta da!

Not quite as lovely as the Stella and Dot one, but for homemade it’ll do!

It only cost me about $25, so that wasn’t too bad, either.

Not too shabby, eh?

{ 3 comments }

Feb
27
2012

Decoupaged Paint Chip Wall Clock

by Beth on February 27, 2012

You knew I was going to get around to doing a paint chip project sooner or later, right?

And yes, I know the controversy surrounding these projects. What are the ethical implications of taking paint chip samples that you never intend to use to choose paint?! I felt kind of vindicated, though, since I spent about $50 on buying small amounts of paint to choose a color for our kitchen re-do recently. So, like, you can spare 5 or 6 paint chips for me, I think.

More on the kitchen re-do stuff soon!

We’ve been meaning to get the 5 year old a new wall clock for ages, since his Michael Graves for Target one pooped out about 9 months ago. I found this plain old simple clock at Ikea and thought I could personalize it for his room.

Tajma Wall Clock, $9.99 at IKEA

But then, I couldn’t decide on how to decorate it. I thought I’d decoupage it, considering my mad decoupage skillz, but I couldn’t settle on a design. I asked the 5 year old, and he wanted Mario Brothers or something, and I figured that wouldn’t be as interesting to him in 6 months. For some reason, in spite of the fact that this clock only cost $10, I somehow felt a lot of pressure to make it perfect. Maybe it was because I was going to put time and energy into it? I was almost paralyzed.

The 5 year old and his clock, awaiting decoration

That went on for months. RD Husband kept asking me if we should get him a new clock, and I kept saying, “I have a new clock, I just need to decoupage it.” Which made his eyes glaze over and was so foreign to him that he kept forgetting, so much so that on a trip to the drugstore in December he actually bought a new wall clock. He arrived home with it and I was all, “DUDE. I told you I already have one.” And he was all, “What?” And so he returned his.

And now, here we are, nearly at the end of February, and I finally made the clock. Maybe it was the repainting of the kitchen and the paint chips that inspired me. We (the 5 year old and I) decided to use paint chips in a rainbow-ombre pattern in circles and squares. Actually, I wanted circles only, but he wanted squares, too, so I’m like, “Good grief you are so demanding” but I did it anyway.

We had to go to the paint store for a few more chips… I already had the blues from the kitchen and a few other colors from a pamphlet of colors I had, but I needed a few more shades. The thought of the trip to the paint store was highly disturbing to the 5 year old. I suppose it was to me when I was 5, too. I had to bribe him with “you can play with my phone while we are in the store” in order to keep peace in the house.

We got all our colors and arrived home and cut them out. I designed it so that there were the darkest of each hue in a rounded square at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 points on the clock, and then the colors gradually got lighter in smaller and smaller circles approaching the next color.

Oh dear, that yellow square is kind of cattywampus. Oh well. That’s what gives it its handmade charm, right?

I figured I’d just decoupage it, but when I put the ModPodge on the pieces, they curled really, really badly. I did that for the reds/oranges and then figured I’d have to find a better way. I did some searching online and discovered that using spray adhesive to stick them on and then ModPodging them would prevent the curling. And it did!

I cut these shapes out with my Cuttlebug, but you could simply use scissors or get some punches, if you preferred shapes.

My main suggestion if you want to make this project is about how you apply the ModPodge. Attach all your pieces with spray adhesive, and wait about 15 minutes for it to dry enough so that the pieces don’t slide around when you paint over them with ModPodge. But then, since the chips have some depth to them, if you simply swipe the ModPodge from one side to the other, the first side you hit pools with glue and the second side is cleaner. Like this:

So I ended up slathering on the ModPodge, and then going over it by starting from the center of each shape and brushing outward to each side, like so:

That’s a little OCD, I realize, but in case you are OC, too, you might want to know.

Anyway, it was fun and now the 5 year old has a working clock. Yay!

{ 1 comment }

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