Jewelry and Gems

Hello!  I've explained that I have tendinitis and I still do, but this is the first time in my life that I've ever had a brace.  I've never had a cast or a sling or anything.  The wearing of a brace seems to have made me very aware of the appearance of my hands.  So I started painting my nails again and for the first time, became interested in some finger jewelry (I hear this type of jewelry is commonly referred to as rings).

The first thing I normally do is go online and look at all the great stuff I could buy.  After that, I remember that I have a child and a small income and also that I like to make things.  Then I start thinking of all the jewelry I could make and that's when I realize I don't actually have the skill set needed to produce the things that I'm thinking of.  So yeah, then I either compromise to reach my vision or I start learning.

 This is the result of my recent finger decorating excitement; an assortment of purchased and DIY sparkly goods.

 

 

I've been saving my daughter's teeth ever since they started falling out because, what do you do with them?  You pull them out from under the pillow, stuff a few dollars in their place and stick them in a drawer, right?  Okay, but then what?  She got braces recently, but had to have 6 teeth removed before they could go on.  Not all of these were baby teeth.  Suddenly I had a wonderful selection of natural items to work with. Woo hoo!  Of course, I have no idea how to make a ring setting and teeth can be hard to work with.  Um, I tried.  I have not been successful yet.  So the ring above represents a compromise.  I found someone who makes ring setting that I like and I asked her to do a custom ring.  It's amazing.  Thank you Sarustar.

What else did I get??  Knuckle rings from Ollie Jays.  They don't appear to have more in stock right now, but these are nice and were very affordable.  They're really comfortable and that was a nice surprise

The other rings in the first photo are my DIY experiments.  I made a few rings using a tutorial from A Pair and A Spare and a few by cutting up clay. --More on all that later.

xoxo,
B

Late night in the lab...

Barracuda ring set on Etsy from Evidence Jewelry

Alright, somehow I got all  obsessed with black manicures, pointed, nails, and knuckle rings.  I want bad ass hands that  look like this.  I thought I could start simple enough with some DIY chevron rings.  I followed this tutorial from A Pair and A Spare.

Photo from A Pair and A Spare

Her rings are nice and it seemed simple enough, but...

Crop top, Eastern star, and bra strap added for dramatic effect

It didn't quite work out.  Ummmm, all I can say is that wire is not my friend and I think the wire I purchased was to thick for me to bend properly.  I had to test my theory and I grabbed a different package of wire to see how that would work and then the wire was too thin.  It was a total Goldie Locks moment (this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold...).  I'm going to call it a fail.  For one, that isn't even a V shape is it?  Aaarghh, I'm still blaming the thickness of the wire so I'll be searching for something in between the two tonight.  I will conquer this!  Or maybe I'll just make plain bands.

experiments in clay

I also got experimental with the air dry clay.  Trying out some gems.

Sized ring blanks from Etsy

This looks promising.  I have two pronged and sized handmade ring blanks from Etsy.  I can't think of how to make them work hold teeth so they get clay gems.  Oh, experimental times in the world of making; sometimes it gets rough.

Ah, Tardar Sauce!

I've developed an addiction and it's nerdy as can be.  I love Grumpy Cat cushions and looking at those little kitties.  They look so tiny compared to my kitty cat and their faces are so expressive.  I want to squeeze them, but they live in Arizona so I'll just continue to squeeze my own kitties.

I lived at Brooke's house once.  It was awful.

This is my new throw pillow.  I couldn't stop though, I ordered a couple more and I already know where they're going to live.

I will be calling this a throw pillow.

Something for the bed, to tie the room together.

I don't believe the kitty is grumpy, but I do believe it's very cute.

x's, o's, and kitty scratches,

Ms.b

I fell in love...

...with the jelly planter.  It's amazing right?

It's in Australia though and the shipping fee is almost as much as the planter itself.  I've been a little plant hungry lately and so I've been perusing what's out there in the world of hanging plants.  I found this one on Etsy and thought it was ceramic.

It isn't.  It's track lighting and it comes with the succulent inside which is nice, but not exactly what I'm looking for.  So it gave me an idea, what would happen if I punched holes in a tin jello mold and gave it a coat of spray paint?  The wheels are turning!  I ordered a few tin molds from eBay today and I should find out within a week.  Woohoo!  Still though, I love that planter.

xoxo,

b

Faux Collar and Other Stuff

I jumped on the faux collar wagon...

..and it felt good.

I'm not sure why I finally took the leap, but I think it had something to do with seeing some super pointy, super silly, kitty cat greatness popping out of a sweater.  Ooooooohhhh, they're wearing cats.  I should wear cats.  So I'm on it.  I haven't sewn a collar yet.  Right now I'm doing the type that come in pieces.  My favorite pattern so far is the one above from Honestly WTF.  I'm working on some patterns of my own and hoping to do some sewing collars this weekend.

Dino collar- I'm wearing this one today.

Finished collar in brown leather.

I took out all of my scraps and went a little crazy.  I even made one out of stiff felt (not pictured).  I have a leather painting experiment in the works at home and this was a great excuse to finally buy a leather punch.  The original directions call for a button and ribbons.  I used a bead on the brown one and a metal chain.  I also didn't sew my buttons, but instead held them in place with a twisted jewelry wire.  This method seemed to work best for me.

This was a very craft-tastic weekend.  I finished my Halloween costume , took in a custom Etsy order, and I made a 'farmer's market style' pizza (best pizza ever).  I love fall/ Halloween.

xoxo, 

B