The anatomy of a Bridesmaids Necklace

For the last few months I've been "sketching" if you will the layouts for a necklace for one of my own bridesmaids' weddings, Kelly, and her sisters, her bridesmaids. The wedding is this weekend, and I must admit, I am just now getting around to making the necklaces (thank you parents month long visit). It's not for lack of intent or interest, it's actually because I have been thinking and re-thinking the designs in my head over and over. And with little time left (I leave for the wedding tomorrow), I finally had to settle on a design and stick with it! Let's start with the bridesmaids necklaces. Kelly sent me this picture of what her sisters will be wearing and literally said to go to town and create whatever I wanted. I loved the color of the dress and it's strapless quality, and immediately thought that something like this necklace I made for my own rehearsal dinner outfit would be a good match, only in blue and pearls. When shopping in Chicago for beads, I stumbled across a ton of blue crystals and Czech glass beads. Then when shopping at my new favorite store in Chinatown, I found some SUPER cute (and affordable) teeny tiny pearls, which I figured would go GREAT with the ensemble (I'll be talking about them next week when I blog about the bride's necklace). A few things were going to be different with this necklace compared to it's inspiration piece. First, the components were much smaller than the red and black crystals (I am pretty sure these bridesmaids aren't as into funky chunky as I am). On the first piece, I used crimp beads to space the crystals out on a silver wire stringing thread (crimp beads are little silver beads that, when smashed on a wire, stick to it and can thus sandwich beads into place and give them a "floating" appearance). Since the beads I would be using for the bridesmaids necklaces were so small, I feared that the crimp beads, being around the same size as the beads themselves, would be a distraction. I thus invested in some illusion cord, which is essentially teeny tiny fishing wire (my first beading medium before I discovered Artbeads!). And since crimp beads were not an option, I invested in some jewelry glue, which I had never used before. (Thus the waiting until the last minute to make the necklaces - I was a little nervous about how they would turn out since I have never tried this technique before!) So, my materials included:

• pearls (which measured 1-4mm each)
• the blue crystals (3-5mm each)
• the illusion cord (cut at about 20" each strand)
• crimp beads and a crimping tool (to secure the ends of each strand)
• the cement
• sterling silver clasps and wire rings
• and a paper bag on which to work (don't want any of that out-of-control cement on my dining room table, do we?)

First step was getting these bad boys glued on the super clear and super small string. This wouldn't have been so hard if 1.) the glue didn't come oozing out at an unstoppable force and 2.) if it didn't take a whole hour for the glue to dry! I put a drop of glue (well, that which I could contain) onto the string and then slid the bead over it. This made measuring the distance between the beads an additional challenge, but after awhile I was able to do 4-5 beads at a time before setting the strand down and repeating the process on another. After letting them sit overnight, I then crimped the ends of each strand so as to have a way of hanging them from the end clasp. To crimp, you simply place the crimp bead near the end of the stringing material (give yourself at least 2 inches), loop the string in the crimp bead, close the loop to measure about 4-6mm, and, with the crimping tool, smash the bead down. You then have a nice little and permanent loop (there is a way to make the crimp bead smaller and not as flat looking by folding it over on itself and re-smashing, but I have had terrible experience with that and only end up breaking the bead and losing the whole strand). Make sure the strand measures to your desired length before crimping - in this case, I made the necklaces 15" each, which means they will fall right on the collarbone. At first I had planned on doing many layers of these strands of pearls and crystals for each necklace, like the inspiration piece. However, the combination of the crazy amount of time it took for these things to dry and their delicate nature made me kind of fall in love with the simpler 2-strand look. So I took the two strands, looped them onto a spring ring, also looped a sterling silver clasp on a spring ring, and closed them off. Next thing you know - I had a necklace on my hands! I like the way they came out, even if it wasn't what I originally had envisioned. I think they will be subtle enough yet lovely enough to add just a touch of adornment to what the bridesmaids (who are both very slender gals) are wearing. I will of course take TONS of pictures this weekend and show you how they turned out! I posted this item on Etsy, too - though next time I will be better prepared to work with the crazy glue and it's delayed drying habits!

I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away. I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. Dear faithful readers: I am totally aware that it has been well over a week since I have blogged about anything jewelry related. "Why, Christyn." You may be thinking. "I thought this was a jewelry blog. WTF are you doing blogging about all this other stuff?" Well put, dear reader! I had put some serious thought into this, too, and promise that the next post will be about the handmade wedding jewelry I have been working on all week (though I am also making a birthday cake tonight and just may have to blog about it's fabulousness, too. Just sayin'). Anyway, I couldn't let today go without our I love you, Wednesdays post, now could I? I started taking dancing lessons at the age of three. My mom loves to remind me how I lead the "Booley Bear" jazz troupe on stage in our yellow tutu's and brown fur on our tummies. I only remember throwing my tap shoes off at the end of each practice and melodramatically yelling "Whew, I am beat!" at the ripe ole' age of three. My mom also loves to remind me how I came home mortified one day after practicing on the ballet bar. The girl practicing behind me kicked me in my rear, which was apparently reason enough for me to quit dance all together. Silly three-year-old logic (though seems like drama doesn't really change the older we get, eh ladies?). Cha Cha Cha print is from BluLima's Etsy shop! Love it! Anyway, my love for dancing never died, though my talent for it never grew. The outlet I found that best suited me in my love for movement was cheerleading - dancing alone kept me rah rah'in' from grade school through college. I am totally fascinated by all that is dance of any genres, and am currently looking into taking Ballet and Zumba classes here in LA (so long as they are not on Saturday mornings - a girl's gotta sleep in when she can!). Here are a few pictures of me dancing in the ballet slippers I wore on my wedding day - our first dance was what I like to call an improv-ballet-contemporary-piece-of-work. If nothing else it sure did entertain our friends! In the meantime, I'm getting my dancing fix via TV through Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance (which I got to see LIVE last Thursday! So totally breathtaking!). I have found that working on jewelry when I am watching either of these shows really sparks my creativity and helps me get in touch with movement in a new way. As a jewelry designer, I am always aware of how the things I make will "wear" on someone, ie how it will move, fall, lay, or dangle on the wearer. Not only does watching how these artists move their bodies inspire me, but it's quite a lesson in physics to watch how their own clothing and jewelry work with their movements! And, let's be honest - isn't some of the jewelry the contestants and hosts wear on these shows absolutely amazing? They are the source of many, many inspirations. Of all the genre's of dance, I am especially fascinated with the beauty, timelessness, and class of ballet. I also especially love toe-shoes (I WILL one day buy myself a pair of real ones, if nothing more than to play in them around my house). I'll admit, though, it was quite hard finding beautiful ballet items on Etsy this week - but the few I did find... stunning. Inspirationally stunning.

Be sure to check out their Etsy sites! patriciao82173, Doodleberg, AngelinaMoon, ImagineStudio, emporium51, Emmalynne, CatherineDay.

So, what inspires you today?

Goodness comes in 3's!

I've said before how much I am fan of what I call "Blog Lovin,'" i.e. when blogs give shout-outs to other blogs with awards, links, comments, give-aways, etc. Well, wouldn't you know, today I was surprised to see not one, not two, but three blog awards bestowed upon this lil' ole' blog o' mine! So awesome! The first is by my buddy and co-worker Cheryl, who just started her own CUPCAKE blog (insert salvation here)! I was honored to help her in the graphic formatting of the blog and have already had some of my own cupcake work featured - sweet! Cheryl took the initiative to create the "Golden Cupcake" award ... and gave it to me :) I am going to bestow it, in turn, to my other cupcake sister, Chrissy, who is working on creating her own cupcake catering business! The next is from a customer I met through this blog, actually - which is the best kind of connection! Karen lives in wine country, Nor Cal and we have recently discovered we have a lot in common (ie love for So You Think You Can Dance, which I saw in person last week and will be blogging about very soon!). The award is called "The Lemonade Stand," and it's rules of acceptance are to "Choose seven ladies who according to this award show an attitude of gratitude." Awesome! Here's my list of seven lovely ladies!

• My first bloggin' buddy, who gives invaluable encouragement and is ever so patient with me, Nilsa of SoMi Speaks
• My first give-away winner who blogged about her love for the necklace she won, Regina of Creative Kismet
• Sara, who posted pictures of the necklace she bought from Bead Up that she wore to a wedding! NoTeaForYou
• A high school classmate, Lindsay, who is embracing her creative urges and starting her own Etsy shop! Krafty.Kolby
• Fellow Knitter who makes the most precious cozies and has provided a lot of positive feedback, On A Roll
• And two Sorority Sisters, Rachel and Lindsey, whose blogs about their babies truly reflect an attitude of gratitude! When A Duet Becomes a Trio and Baby Webb Site

Lastly, another gal who I met through Bloggin, RedRubyonFire, (who did an interview about me on her website a few weeks ago) bestowed upon me the "Honest Scrap Award." I have seen this award floating around the bloggin' hemisphere and am glad it finally found it's way to my site, as it's rules are awesomely interactive!: - I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it - I must list 10 honest things about myself - I must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog. - I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers & list their links (see above) - I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above requirements. Which means, Bloggers who I listed above, feel free to embrace this award for yourself, too! Ok, 10 honest things about myself. Here go's: 1.) I feel quite guilty that I have turned my obsession of scrapbooking over to jewelry making. I sometimes just sit there looking at all the supplies I have accumulated over the years and sigh with remorse. Will I ever get my outstanding scrapbooks done? 2.) I majored in Chinese language and Philosophy in college. I got my Masters in Christianity and Chinese religions. Now I work at a movie studio. Your guess is as good as mine! (picture is of me climbing the Great Wall in 2004). 3.) My favorite two musicians are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mozart. I literally listen to them all day long (in random order)! 4.) Though the hubs and I have made our second guest room into my craft room, I hate working in there. I feel secluded and away from the action that is usually happening in the living room. For that reason, I make most of my jewelry on a card table in the corner of the living room or on the ottoman. 5.) On that note, I am afraid to admit that I can't even contain all my supplies in the craft room (especially when we have house guests living in that room!). Here is a picture of all my Etsy mailing supplies and products stuffed into our linen closet! 6.) In light of #4 and #5, I am quite OCD about clutter and tidiness. Ask my poor husband. (Example: I can't leave the house without first cleaning out the sink of it's dirty dishes. Seriously.) 7.) I have had over 500 stitches in my body. And I hate needles. 8.) I've been a vegetarian for 11 years. Though I would gladly make a series of Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches part of my maternity diet if totally necessary. 9.) Guilty pleasures: Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List and N'Sync. Along with spending large amounts of money on unnecessary items at Target and Forever XXI. 10.) This blog makes me happier than you will ever know!

Whew! There you have it! Thanks again to Cheryl, Karen, and Yini for the awards! Made my day!

Non-Jewelry Craftiness

Ok, so I know that this is a jewelry blog and all, but I just had to share with you what I was up to craft-wise this weekend! Last week I said that I would rather spend the 4th of July cleaning my craft room than doing anything "patriotic." Well - rather than cleaning, I got to craft all weekend long! First I got a call from a friend in Kentucky saying that she saw a necklace on my Etsy site that she said perfectly matched an outfit she was planning to wear for a wedding this weekend... BUT - she needed a matching bracelet and earrings. No problem, let me whip one up in time to mail it out by Friday morning! I think the end product looked pretty good, considering the short time I had to create the trio. The best part, between you and me, is that all the beads I used for these pieces were given to me by a friend who bought them in hopes of really enjoying jewelry making, only later to discover she was really a quilter instead. Hooray for free supplies! Next on my list was to re-wire some necklaces for my mom (who is STILL in town, which means I still don't have access to my craft room! More on that later this week!). After that, I was pretty pooped with jewelry making for the weekend (though I still need to finish those necklaces for the wedding in Minnesota I am attending this weekend). The Hubs reminded me that I promised to bring the mid-west game of Cornhole with us to a 4th of July cookout. He had already handmade the cornhole board (if you are reading this thinking that cornhole is a food, I don't think you are alone. Read up on this mid-western/Southern/Great Lakes regional pass time game o'fun here), now all I had to do was to make the beanbags. "Sure, honey, I'll just sew them together really quickly." While this might sound like a "no biggie," let us not forget that, though I have had a sewing machine for over a year now (thanks to my friend Erin), I have only used it to make the Hub's and my Halloween costumes (Tinkerbell and Peter Pan - only I was the later!). And those were pretty rough. But, I saw this as a good chance to get to know my sewing machine a little better and also use some of the fabric I have recently accumulated in hopes of claiming my inner Project Runway (RIP until next month, dear friend!). So, with 4 bags of pinto beans and a lonely sewing machine ready on my craft table, I got to work.

I first had to decided which fabric to use, especially since I needed two differing shades/designs/prints, etc for each team. After going through my huge storage bin of fabric, I found this awesome upholstery piece I got from the As-Is section at IKEA. I think it's some sort of ottoman cover, but for $5, there seemed to be enough fabric to salvage.Next I found 4 sections that were large enough to cut from them 2 6"x6" pieces of fabric. I used a totally scientific method - a school ruler and a jelly pen. I also did the same with some upholstery fabric I got for $5 in the same As-Is bin at IKEA (the rest of it is acting as a valance in my living room). Next, I approached the project as I would a pillowcase (though I have never actually made a pillowcase...) and began sewing from the inside out.

I only sewed 80% of the exterior so as to leave room to turn the bag inside out and add the beans. First we turned the bags inside out and then the Hubs filled them up with 1/2 a 4 pound bag of Pinto Beans (courtesy of a coned-up piece of paper). Next I hand-sewed the rest of these bad boys one-by-one. And by the end of it, understood the worth of investing in a thimble (upholstery fabric, people!).But the end result was worth it. Hello, designer bean bags!The Hubs pointed out that the contrast in our projects - he was proud of his rustic, simple, utilitarian cornhole board, while I was proud of my designer-like bean bags! That's why we make a great team! I am totally not going to let that board stay plain wood - as soon as I get a chance, I am painting it in my beloved Marimekko print! It's going to look SO GREAT with those black and white beanbags!

No sooner was I done with my beanbags did the Hubs remind me that I promised to make cupcakes for the party. No creative rest for a gal who has lots of jewelry to make! I figured if I had to make cupcakes for my ::ahem:: favorite holiday, I would at least make them in my preferred 4th of July color scheme (hint: red, white, dark and light blue).

(I added 2 packets of Crystal Light instant flavoring to the Funfetti mix to add some color and flavor, in addition to using XXL cupcake tins. The whole box only yielded 12 cupcakes! My kind of dessert!) Whew! Now, on to a jewelry making frenzy of a week!

I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away. I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. The following confession may mark the end of your readership, but I need to be honest. I have never liked the 4th of July. Now, let me be clear - I don't dislike it because of what it stands for. Au contraire. I love America and the freedom we have gained from events such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But what I don't care for is what the 4th of July has turned into for many Americans - a chance to get drunk and sunburned while roasting animals on the grill (there's the vegetarian in me coming out!). I think fireworks are a waste of money and aren't all that great for the environment. And I have never been one to dig the American eagle or any other airbrushed on leather or thin white cotton t-shirts representation of what my freedom apparently means. I really hate the feeling that I am required to engage in any of these activities on the 4th of July when, in all honesty, I would rather take a nap or clean my craft room (which of course would mean I am un-patriotic, right?).

::stepping down off the soap box::

Whew. There, I said it. Moving on. That said, I DO like stripes... and I do like stars. And, as seen by last week's post, I love red polka dots... and I do like light and dark blue. Thus I LOVED these candles and napkins I bought from the TAG outlet store in Chicago. Here is a picture of them on my desk at work. I especially love the star, stripe, polka dot, and light blue modifications! Now this is a 4th of July decoration that I enjoy!

Seems like fellow Etsians dig the combination, too... look what I found!

Check out what else they have up their sleeves!

paperandcake, steppie, KMThomasDesigns, meganbalaban, LolaFalkDesigns, jennysbakeshop, NinisHandmades, SeaPinks, mooshoopork, mamax2, simplyserra, Itybitybags, thenook, thelab, wburley74, NinjaBowTique.

I must admit, I am LOVIN' that super cute rabbit card at the top, and the Sofie Clutch is hip! And the "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake" print - my kind of 4th of July celebration! And can I give a thumbs up for the "American Ninjas," too? And that "Ellie the Elephant" clutch - how did the artist know I had a stuffed elephant named Ellie? I want them all! If these things can be part of my celebration, I guess I can't dislike the 4th of July after all! In fact, to prove that I am not a 4th of July Grinch, I have an announcement to make. ::mike check. testing 1-2. ah-hem::

FREE SHIPPING from now until July 5th! Let's celebrate our freedom with FREE shipping on all items in my Etsy shop! (discount will be reimbursed after PayPal payment). Get it while it's HOT!

Let's just say the 4th of July - no, our freedom - inspired me :) So, what inspires you this 4th of July?

The anatomy of a Cluster Bracelet

One day I was looking at all the beads that were accumulating in my craft room and noticed that I had ALOT of lime green beads. I originally bought them for this project, but never really sold enough of the item to justify having as many green beads as I (optimistically) purchased! Looking at my massive supply, I got an idea for a bracelet that would not only look fun, but also help me use up the daunting supply of beads! The result: my Green with Envy Cluster Bracelet. Though I was happy with the end product, I was even more happy with it's reception! The item sold right away, and soon thereafter people were asking me to post it again! I was hesitant at first since it took me 2 full nights to make the cluster bracelet, but, seeing how many of these beads I still had laying around, I caved and listed it again. And again. And again. This time around, I figured it would be a good opportunity to show the steps behind the bracelet, since I think it looks more complicated than it really it! Hopefully this can inspire you to make something new with materials laying around your craft space, too! First I had to empty out my Beadsmith design board (it's amazing how I allow stray beads to accumulate on this thing!). I really like this extra long felted workspace as it allows me to see all my supplies for any given project while keeping them organized. It also works as a tape measure and ruler, which I will admit I don't use as often as I just eye things :) I bought all these green beads from a variety of sources, including a flea market in Beijing, Michael's, Beadnicks, and Ritual Adornments in Santa Monica... 5 types of seed beads, several shell beads, glass beads, and even some green pearl beads. I wired each bead on bright silver Beadalion stringing wire. All each of these tools (crimp tool, nose pliers, cutting pliers, bent chain nose pliers, flat nose pliers) came in handy, too, as you will see below!

I first cut a 7" piece of Beadalion wire. To secure its end, I put a 2mm crimp bead (image 1) on one end and looped in through itself (image 2). Then I took my crimp pliers (image 3) and flattened the crimp bead until it was secure and tight on the wire. The loop will later serve as a means to connect the strand to the ending clasp. (sorry about the blurry images - I was working on my ottoman in my poorly-lit living room!) Next was the most tedious part - beading (image 5) 15 of these strands! Thankfully my husband was close at hand to help me pick up many of the beads I accidentally dropped - those little seed beeds can be frisky! I ended each strand the same way I started them with a loop and a crimp bead (image 6).

Next I needed to create a means to hold all the strands together. Since I was going to use a long bead cap at the end, I couldn't just end with a standard jump ring. I therefore decided to make my own jump ring with some 22 gauge silver wire. I started by taking my nose pliers and clasping the wire toward the bottom of the head.

Next I turned the pliers 360 degrees until I had a bit of a circle at the end of the wire.

Nice, smooth end - but I needed to even the remaining wire out.

I took the same pliers and forced the remaining wire to turn 90 degrees. The result: a perfect eyepin (these things can sell for $.25 each - how much more fun to just make them yourself!

Next I took the 15 strands of green assorted beads and strategically (in terms of texture and color) ordered and strung them on the headpin.

I took my nose pliers and smushed the end of the eye pin together so the strands can't go anywhere. Stay put, little guys!

After repeating the process on the other end, I was ready to attach the bead caps and toggle clasp.

I got these filigree bead caps at Michael's for $.50 each. Bead Caps are great for covering up ugly finishings and ends!

I cut off the extra wire I didn't need, leaving about 3/4 an inch of wire in which I would create my end loop.

My nose pliers finished the eye loop.

After making the eye loop, I opened it up with my flat nose pliers in order to get the toggle clasp on.

I used the same flat nose pliers to smush both sides of the eye loop back together and thus secure the toggle clasp.

Repeat on the other end. Viola! The super fun finished product! I might just have to wear it for the day before I send it to it's buyer, my buddy Nilsa! (Thanks again for your patience with this product, friend, you're the best!)