Last Crafts Fairs of the Season!

One last plug for any locals out there--I've got my two last craft fairs of the holiday season this weekend! Come see my stuff  (IMHO it's much cooler in person :) )

Sat. Dec. 5 from 9 am -3pm: Fox Mill Elementary, 2601 Viking Dr, Herndon VA 20171

Sun. Dec. 6 from 10am -4pm: Herndon Community Center, Craft Fair Brochure with list of juried crafters

Mention that you read about it on my blog & get a chain for free with the purchase of any pendant!

Last Crafts Fairs of the Season!

"Mustard Seed" Bamboo Bead Pendant

This is so cool--my artist friend Vanessa commissioned me to make six of these bamboo bead pendants using an image of her very own artwork ("The Mustard Seed")! She's a mixed media artist with her own etsy store--check it out: TheHeARTGallery

After sizing the image, I printed them out and coated them with Mod Podge so that the ink wouldn't run. Then, I just cut them out and glued them on the beads. I hope Van doesn't mind, but I took a little creative license by adding some of Stampin' Up!'s Champagne Shimmering Paint sparingly on top. I've really come to rely on that stuff to add a little sparkly oompf to the images I use. Finally, I drip Colores Doming Resin on top. With the waxy & rounded surface of these beads, it works best to use the very end of your resin batch after it's thickened up some & use it sparingly. The resin really tends to drip off of these babies. If that happens, a hobby knife can be used to cut off the excess. I had to do that on a couple & then add a little more resin later where too much had peeled off in my effort to "fix" things.

I use wire to add decorative beads (the bamboo tile beads come from a placemat so they already have two holes drilled lengthwise through them--have a batch of them for sale in my etsy shop if you want to try this) and make a basic loop at the top. Finally, a bail is attached by a jump ring and threaded with a black satin necklace.

"Mustard Seed" Bamboo Bead Pendant

Monogram Charm Pendants

Here's one more gift for one of my jewelry party hostesses--a leather cord necklace with three pendants with the initials of her kids. These were made from the same silver 5/8" buttons I'd made the charms (in the charm bracelet post) from. The initials are stamped from Stampin' Up!'s Calendar Alphabet and embossed in silver on black cardstock. Then, I just had to show the backs so you could see the cute flower bails that they're glued onto.

Monogram Charm Pendants

Monogram Mah Jong Pendants

Some of friends of mine threw me a jewelry party last weekend so I made them these monogram pendants from mah jong tiles as a thank you. (They just "happened" to be on "Joker" tiles--heh).

These mah jong tiles are from an American Travel Mah Jong Set, which are thinner (1/8") than the regular chunky mah jong tiles. I really love working with them because I can stamp on them just like I do with dominos but the nice shape lets me fit bigger images. I've also found them in two sizes--these (which are ivory) & about 1 3/8" x 1" and smaller ones that are about 1 1/8" x 7/8" (mine are white).

For these pendants, I first colored them with chalk inks--a light coat all over, heat set it, then edged it with a darker shade & heat set. I used a makeup sponge to dab the ink around the edge, pouncing until it blended as I wanted. Then I used Staz-on for the images--a little flourish from SU!'s retired "Frames with a Flourish" at the top & then the initials (the "S" is from Stampin' Up!'s "Lovely Letters" set). It's hard to tell from the pictures, but I also went over the letters with a black glitter pen to add a little bling.

Finally, I added Colores Doming Resin for a waterproof seal, a large bail and a rhinestone embellishment to complete the pendant. It looks great with a black satin cord for a funky statement. :-)

I welcome custom orders so if anyone wants one or any of my other creations, just let me know and I can create a custom listing for you in my etsy shop.

Monogram Mah Jong Pendants

Altered Art Charm Bracelet Set

Charms are such a fun way to personalize a bracelet. I've made tons of charms using Japanese Washi paper (as well as other kinds of specialty paper) sealed onto the flat side of silver buttons for people to choose from at my upcoming shows. To make the buttons into charms, I had to clip the loop off the flat side with a wire cutter & then sand smooth with my Drexel hand tool (came with a mini-sander tool--really cool). Then put on the paper, sealed with Mod Podge & then covered with my Colores Doming Resin. Finally, I glued the buttons onto the flat charm pads & attached them to the bracelet.

To make the ring, I just glued a charm button onto the ring blank. The pendant uses the same coordinating paper on a Sudoku tile (much like a Scrabble tile).

Altered Art Charm Bracelet Set