Let's Make a Necklace!

Some of you may know (most of you may not) that I have tried my hand at MANY different crafts - from painting and drawing to cross-stitch and clay. As it stands now, I have settled on stamping/card-making, scrapbooking, and jewelry-making. So since I've already shared card and scrapbooking techniques, I think it's high time we tried some jewelry!

Today I will be showing you how to make a hematite necklace (and show an alternate at the end). All of the following supplies were purchased at Michael's, but I'm sure could be found at other locations. Here's what you'll need:

Beadalon Supplemax Soft Illusion Cord/Clear .012 in/.30mm/12 lb. (or equvalent)
62 hematite 4x4mm cubes
4 hematite 13mm diamonds
4 multi pearls 6mm round real fresh water pearls
3 silver metal spacer beads
8 silver jump rings
2 silver closed jump rings
1 lobster-claw clasp
2 round crimp beads - size 3
2 cylindrical crimp beads - size 1
(Tools: 2 pair needle-nose pliers, crimping tool, scissors)

Step 1: Thread 31 hematite cubes onto the cord.

Step 2: Thread cord through one side of a hematite diamond, then through a pearl, then through the other side of the diamond, so the pearl ends up in the center of the diamond. Thread on one silver spacer bead. Repeat this step 3 more times until four diamonds and pearls have been added. Leave the spacer bead off the end of the fourth diamond.

Step 3: Thread 31 remaining cubes onto the cord. Leave about 2.5" of cord free at the end. Cut the other end of the cord off the roll with 2.5" of cord free at that end as well.

Step 4: Open a jump ring by holding it between two pair of pliers, with the opening facing up and in the center, and twisting one hand toward you and one hand away from you. You don't want to pull the ends apart to the left and right because that will weaken the metal.

Step 5: Loop 2 jump rings onto the one you opened. Close the jump ring the same way you opened it. Repeat steps 4 & 5, attaching four more jump rings and then a CLOSED jump ring to the three you already have, until you have a chain of eight rings - making sure the close ring is at the end.

Step 6: As in step 4, open and attach a chain of two jump rings to the lobster claw clasp, making sure the ring farthest from the clasp is a CLOSED jump ring. Onto one end of the free cord, thread a round crimp bead, a cylindrical crimp bead, and the closed jump ring (the one with the clasp at the other end).

Steps 7 & 8: Take the end of the cord and thread it through the crimp beads and through one of the hematite cubes. The second image shows the cord thread through the first crimp bead. Making sure the other end of the necklace cord is secured, pull the end of the cord snugly through the crimp beads and cube until the closed jump ring comes up against the first crimp bead.

Step 9: Using a crimping tool, crimp the first (cylindrical) crimp bead to secure the cord (refer to crimping tool directions for details on how to use). Trim excess cord from under the cube bead.

Step 10: Repeat steps 6-9 with the other end of the cord and the chain of jump rings, making sure the cord is thread through the CLOSED jump ring on the end.

Now you've created a gorgeous hematite necklace (hematite is my favorite)!

You could easily adjust the length (this creates a 15" - 16.25" necklace) or the type of beads, or the number of focal beads (use 3 diamonds instead of four). I made this second necklace by using 5mm hematite rondelles, 12mm hematite loops, and 6mm round turquoise stone beads:

One thing to note - always hold the unfinished/uncrimped necklace up to your neck BEFORE crimping it to make sure it is the length you want and it lays the way you want it to. You may want to add more beads or take some out - and that is MUCH harder to do once you've finished it!

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and I hope you decide to try your hand at jewelry-making! You may find that it's your new favorite hobby! Have fun!

How'd They Do That? Part 4

I just viewed this technique recently on Close To My Heart's CTMH TV episode of Art & Soul entitled "Eclectic Elegance". During this episode, we learn how to make a twisted ribbon flower, and it is so pretty, I just had to share with you how to do it.

First, start with a 1.25" punched circle (this will yield a 1.25" flower - if you want a larger flower, use a larger circle). Secure one end of your ribbon to the center of the circle using a brad (hot glue or a Glue Dot will work as well):

Next, take your ribbon and start twisting it around and around - like you would twist paper streamers to hang for a party. Twist the ribbon until you have it pretty tight:

This next part takes a little bit of patience, but the result will be worth it. To make this step easier, I secured my circle to my workspace with a piece of removable, double-sided tape. Using Glue Dots or a hot glue gun, apply a small amount of glue around the center of the circle. Start wrapping the twisted ribbon in a tight spiral, around itself, starting from the center:

Continue applying glue and wrapping until you've covered the entire circle:

When you've reached the edge, wrap the end of the ribbon underneath the circle and secure with hot glue or a Glue Dot. Trim with scissors:

And that's how you make a twisted ribbon flower! You can dress it up any way you'd like - I put a decorative brad in the center of mine:

This flower is sure to dress up any project you're working on! Try experimenting with different widths and types of ribbon - CTMH says, the heavier the ribbon, the better. And remember, on the road of Life, don't forget to stop and smell the flowers! Happy wrapping!

How'd They Do That? Part 3

I've had some really fun and popular card-making workshops where we do cards with "fancy folds". There are so many beautiful and fun ways to fold paper to create one-of-a-kind greetings for your friends and family. And in this segment of "How'd They Do That?", I'm going to show you how to make a folded frame to showcase your favorite stamped images or embellishments (designs from "Susan's Journal of Paper Engineering Secrets", by Susan Cobb).

Close To My Heart's 2-sided Background & Texture paper is perfect for this project, however, if you don't have 2-sided paper, you can take two different pieces of patterned paper and glue them back-to-back.

Start with a 3" x 3" piece of patterned paper. Lightly mark the center of the square.

Fold in each corner to meet in the center:

Fold out the point of each corner, even with the outer edge:

Next, fold the point of each corner inward, even with the inner edge (at this point, try rolling the corners up with your finger - it's getting very hard to fold up because the corner is so small!):

Now, fold each outer corner point inward to meet the inner fold:

Take this folded frame and adhere it to a piece of the same patterned paper (the size of the new square is 2 1/8"):

Now that your frame is complete, you can adhere it to a square of coordinating cardstock, embellish, and adhere to your card for a fun & unique focal point! Have fun with it!

How'd They Do That? Part 2

There have been so many times when I have opened an Idea Book or magazine and had to study the artwork for a long time to try and figure out "How'd they do that?". Today, I am going to show you how to make Punched Circle Flowers, as shown on page 12 & 13 of the Close To My Heart Summer 2010 Idea Book. Here are the two ways this flower is shown/used in the Idea Book:

Really pretty, right? Well, let's see just how these flowers are made - it's really simple!

Step 1: Punch nine 1.25" circles out of patterned paper (CTMH B&T Duos are best for this because they're double-sided). You can also stamp on the circles to give them more depth.

Step 2: Fold 8 of the circles into thirds, only folding two edges up and overlapping.

Step 3: Adhere the 8 folded circles to the ninth circle with all of the points meeting in the center.

Add a large brad or button to the center and you've got yourself a beautiful flower! The partial flower used on the card above only uses three folded circles and a brad. They're just so pretty. Experiment with different patterns and colors - and what a great way to use up some of those paper scraps!

Have fun!

How'd They Do That? Part 1

Many times, I have had people call me up and ask about artwork they've seen in our Idea Books. "How'd they do that?" is the most commonly asked question. So, let's start a series on tips & techniques, and hopefully answer some of those burning questions.

Today, I'll be taking a page from Close To My Heart's newest Idea Book - literally! This image can be found on page 8 of the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book. It's the peacock image from the "Circle of Love" stamp set - only it's stamped in several different colors (Pear, Lagoon & Pacifica).

This technique is referred to as "variegated stamping", the steps of which are as follows (you can follow along on page 9 of the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book):

First, start with your lightest color ink and apply the ink to your stamp in select areas with a sponge dauber.

With the next lightest ink color, apply ink on adjacent areas of the stamp, blending with the first color. Repeat with your darkest ink color.

Then, stamp your image. Note: when working on an image with multiple colors, it helps to "huff" on the stamp to "refresh" the ink before stamping.

You may need to practice this technique a few times before getting the results you want. Start small & simple and work your way up to large and elaborate - like the image above! Try this technique to put some flair in your flowers, trick out your trees, and spice up your sentiments!

Jump For Joy!

Have you heard about Close To My Heart's newest promotion? It has hostesses Jumping for Joy! That's because during the month of October, Hostesses who hold a Gathering with $450 in sales or more, will Jump to the next level of Hostess Rewards! To see exactly what that would mean for you as a hostess, check out the Jump For Joy flyer HERE!

October is already filling up FAST, so contact me as soon as possible to schedule your Home Gathering! Then get ready to receive even MORE Hostess Rewards than ever before!

A Cool Link to a Fun Program

Hello there!

I just came across a FREE Trial of a screen-capture software called "SnapIt". I downloaded it and tried it out, and it's pretty cool! Unlike the "Print Screen" (PrtScn) button on your computer's keyboard, which will take a screen shot of your entire monitor screen, "SnapIt" allows you to drag a box around just what you want to capture. As soon as you do, the image you captured goes straight to your clipboard, so you can open Word or a photo imaging software and just paste it into a new document. Save it in whatever format you need for blogs, web pages, presentations - whatever!

I am thinking of all the fabulous projects and inspiration that I come across online that I would just love to have a copy of. Just "SnapIt", save it, and start your own personal catalog of creativity! You can download a FREE TRIAL of "SnapIt" by following this link: http://www.digeus.com/products/snapit/snapit_screen_capture_3_5.html and scrolling all the way to the bottom. Here, you will also find a full description of the product, and a link to download the full-version of the software (if you really like it).

Just thought I'd pass that along! Have fun!