Daily Craft - Some earrings!

This weekend, I threw a baby shower for a good friend of mine who will be having a baby girl in September.  It's really had my creativity flowing but, of course, I've not been able to post anything about it previously for risk of giving anything away to those that would be in attendance!  I'm going to start with my earrings though, which were part of the prize bags for the various games.

The theme for the shower was pink and brown, on account of the mom-to-be's last name being Brown, and her having a girl.  I immediately knew that I wanted to make some pink and brown jewelry for the prizes.  I picked up some glass pearls and fished around for antiqued brass findings in my stash.  In that there would be a variety of different age groups being represented, I was hoping for something somewhat classic.  I packaged them with lotion, a compact mirror, and a magnetic notepad.  I'm hoping the winners enjoyed their haul!

My co-host found a polka dot card stock that she used for the invitations, which then became part of the theme, so I was happy to make some nifty packaging with that card stock too.  (More on the packaging to come later.)  I actually love this color combo, so thinking I'll make some more with the supplies that I have left over.  Watch out for those!

Daily Craft - Playing with wire

While all my craft stuff was packed away and mostly out of reach, the one thing that I did have access to was my jewelry making supplies.  It all started with a tutorial for half herringbone wire wrapped beaded drops.  That resulted in me attempting the technique on several different beads.  My best efforts were a pair for myself, and a variation that is now in my shop.  I just love how simple but elegant the design is, and how the wire really highlights the beads.

A pair for you?

A pair for me!

Of course, this got me started with admiring other wire wrapping online, which led to checking out hammered wire pieces, and....well you know how it is when you start down the rabbit hole.  Next thing you know, I had to order a hammer, steel bench block, and more wire to play with.  Those supplies arrived last week, which resulted in a copper bracelet (photos to come in a future post), and yet another supply order for some items with which to give the wire a beautiful patina.  Yup, I've lost myself in yet another crafty vortex; however I'm thrilled that I'm going to be offering some fun new jewelry in my store soon, once I've perfected some new techniques!  In the crafty world, does it ever just stop with one thing?  

Daily Craft - Blood Lust!

With Halloween only a week away, my posts seem to be developing a bit of a theme!  Sunday night, a friend of mine commissioned me to make her a custom jewelry set (earrings, necklace, bracelet) for Halloween.  Time permitting of course, I'm always up for the challenge of a custom order and I knew this one would be fun given the theme.  We agreed upon red and black, and I wanted to make something that suggested Halloween, but can be worn year round.  Here's what I came up with!

My inspiration began with the red crackle glass beads, which really suggested blood drops to me.  I'm also a big fan of the black/grey ombre as the beads look different from every angle!  At first, I was torn between mixing up black and silver wire to connect the beads, but after playing around for a little bit, decided that the silver was going to be a cleaner look.  I'm calling the set "blood lust" seeing as it has a certain vampire glam (although I guess vampires wouldn't want to be wearing a ton of silver).  Hoping the recipient will find many uses for these pieces beyond the upcoming 'holiday'!



In other news, while shopping for beads, I noticed that Joann was getting rid of their Halloween costumes at 60% off.  I will admit that the last couple of years, I've been a complete slacker with preparing my costume and this year, haven't come up with any ideas whatsoever.  Now, while I didn't find any costumes that I could just buy, I did find a pretty amazing mullet with mustache wig set....and now I'm inspired.  Stay tuned for more on that!  :)

Are you dressing up for Halloween?  Do you have your costume ready, or just slacking like I am?!

Daily Craft - Some recent ventures!

The problem with having so many crafts at my disposal is deciding what to make on any given day.  Some things can be made pretty quickly, allowing me the chance to hop between crafts in a single sitting.  Other things are a much larger time investment.  Recently, I've been tempted by the quicker items - instant gratification for sure.  I've also been trying to build a decent inventory for my online shop, so it can be hard to find a balance between bigger pieces and a nice offering of smaller things to enjoy.  The most important thing though is that I'm still enjoying what I'm making as I'm of the opinion crafting shouldn't be a chore.  My most recent offerings were made in the same night, and are very different, but each fun to make in their own way.

First up is this pair of cluster/dangle earrings.  I'm a little obsessed with these cluster-type earrings.  It allows me to play with different beads that compliment each other, and they're just so cute!  I used a collection of glass beads, each with a slightly different color, shimmer, or size, all hanging from a silver chain.  

I named this pair Brenna, which comes from my Welsh heritage and love of Welsh names.  I find the names so lyrical, therefore decided to keep the Welsh theme for all my jewelry pieces.     

Then I made these quilted coasters using fabric scraps.  I'm not usually into floral prints, but this particular print is so bold - with the pops of bright red for contrast - that I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.  The only thing I'm sad about is not having much more of the fabric at hand seeing as it was a remnant to begin with.  The coasters are a simple but effective design and there is something very therapeutic about creating the quilted design for each.  

Not sure what I'm itching to make next but it's like a food craving and changes from day to day!  Are you multi-craftal (yes, I'm making up words)?  How do you find time for each of your crafts?

Daily Craft - Shiny things

Where have I been you ask?  I was well and truly hit by my first cold of 2011.  Urgh!  It never really settled in my face (which I appreciate because there's nothing less attractive than looking like a puffy sniveling mess for days on end) but decided to inhabit my chest instead (as if coughing like a walrus is much better).  With it being husband's birthday this week, my primary goal was to not get him sick, seeing as that would have been a horrible birthday gift.

What I did manage to do, while recuperating in the house, is a bunch of crafty business!  I borrowed a couple of quilting books from the library last week, one of which was Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.  I decided to give the coasters from the book a shot with some random fabric laying about from one of my thrift store hauls.  These are so quick and easy to do and a perfect way to stash bust / make quick and easy gifts.  I think I'll be making many more of these.

Yesterday, in an attempt to get out of the house for a little bit, I went off to investigate a local Indian Grocery store ( for which a Daily Dish feature may well appear shortly...)  On the way back, I decided to check out the Michael's sale and snatched up a ton of jewelry supplies on sale and clearance.  I am now a fan of a couple of newly discovered component lines - Blue Moon "Orient Express", and Plaid's "Forged".  I just love some of the things that these lines offer and will definitely be buying more.  I'm a total earring addict so that's always my first thought when deciding to make jewelry.  Here are my efforts from last night with my new purchases.

Have you tried either of those component brands?  Would love to hear your opinions.  Also, which of the earrings are you favorite?

Daily Tip - Simple earring storage

I'm going to admit that when it comes to earrings, I'm a bit of an addict.  While I like them, I've found that necklaces always end up feeling a bit like a noose that I'm inadvertently strangling myself with at some point during the day, and bracelets always seem to be clanking on something (probably on account of my desk job where I spend a lot of time typing).  Earrings on the other hand go in my ears and look so pretty but don't get in the way of anything I'm doing.  The problem for me has always been storage of my little dangling friends.

Recently, I was rummaging through my bookcase and realized that the answer was staring me in the face.  I have two metal mesh book ends that aren't currently in use which are perfect for earring storage on account of the little mesh holes.  Plus they match my minimalist decorating style!  So, next time you're in Office Depot and probably not thinking about jewelry, keep in mind that that pencil holder just might be what you need to keep your baubles neat and tidy.  :)