The Magpie's Treasure

DIY Pinterest Project - ...and Then There Were Two Beaded Wrap Bracelets

These bracelets are so much fun to make! I spent two quiet evenings making this one while watching the latest season of Downton Abbey. Ahhh... the recipe for making a girl happy.

A Pinterest photo led me to the Ruby Mines photo tutorial for making Chan Luu Wrap bracelets. I chose this gorgeous filigree button from As Cute As A Button for the clasp. And I wrapped Amazonite beads and green satin Czech druk beads around brown leather cord.

For the first wrap bracelet I made, I tied my beads around Irish Waxed Linen Thread - and I now prefer to use the leather cord. The Linen Thread knots more easily than leather cord, but it is not as firm and has lumpy profile. The leather is nice and sturdy.

This project was a great Pinterest find. If you're thinking about making one of these wrap bracelets for yourself - go for it. It's easy and gives instant gratification.

Pinterest DIY Project - Beaded Wrap Bracelet

I've finally caught onto the Pinterest craze. I feel like everyone else has known about the site for a while, and I'm a bit behind the crowd. Maybe that's a good thing -- it's mesmerizing. All the craft projects and tutorials make my heart race! I've printed out so many of the How-to's that they fill a huge three-ring binder. 

I've been dreaming about creative projects -- and while the Little One has been nappin I have actually made a few Pinterest-inspired projects. This Chan Luu-inspired bracelet is one of them. It was easy to make and so relaxing - and it was VERY satisfying to know that I'd be wearing a bracelet that celebreties--like Lady Gaga & Julia Roberts--paid around $300 to aquire.

On Pinterest, I found the inspiring photo of the Beaded Wrap Bracelet which linked to the tutorial by Tracy Statler on the Make Bracelets! blog. Then I invited a few friends over to join in the fun and gathered the materials. My time is very limited these days, so I took advantage of the Internet to order supplies -- beads from Rockin Beads, buttons from As Cute As a Button, and Irish Waxed Linen Thread from Royalwood.

The video tutorial was very well done and I took notes to share with my friends. There's also a photo tutorial for a similar bracelet on the Ruby Mines blog--and I printed that one as a handout for my friends. With the two tutorials as a guide, we were able to make some really pretty bracelets. It was fun to see the different variations we came up with using different beads and buttons.

I have more projects pinned on Pinterest, and can't wait to try some and share them with you. I hope you have a great week pinning (if you go that way) and hope you have a great week!

Hey there! Long time no see. I've been away for a while and working on the most incredible project ever... She's tiny and sweet and fun and makes me want to sing! I hope to begin posting on this blog regularly again - now that the Little One is no longer a newborn. Thanks for waiting for me to return!

Art Journal: Inspired by Waves and Sunshine

Summer has begun, and I'm planted in a chair at the seaside with my hubby.

  

Even here--er, ESPECIALLY here--I'm inspired to grab paint and brushes. The sun, sand, waves, and peace & quiet make me long to do something creative. I've broken the "no Internet while we're on vacation" rule to post these pictures, but wanted to share the good vibes with you!

This is the view of the beach from the cottage we've rented--yeah, now you can see why I'm so inspired!

I dragged my poor hubby off of the beach to go buy paints and a sketch book and then I got to work... I hope you enjoy the pictures.

 

Sunshine Replaces Snowflakes

It's sunny and warm these days, and the view from my studio is lush and green now--sunshine and blossoms have replaced the snowflakes. While I enjoyed the snow this winter, it sure is nice to be able to open this window and smell the grass & flowers while I work. 

I hope you're enjoying spring, too!

Up to My Ears in Snow: The Blizzard of 2010

It has been a very snowy week here in Northern Virginia! In the past, I've lived in NY & Michigan, so I know that in other parts of the country life goes on as usual when it snows, but here measurable accumulations of the white stuff are not common. So we make a big deal of it!

Before the storms arrived, my husband & I headed over to our Wegmans grocery store and stocked up on all kinds of good foods. And when the snow finally started falling, we were ready to cook as if it was a holiday. Hearty German dinners with spatzle and red cabbage came out of our kitchen--as did pots of tomato sauce with cheese ravioli and homemade meatballs. And there was chocolate... 

 

I baked outrageously good Double-Chocolate Espresso Brownies. (Download My secret recipe)

 

While I was waiting for the plow to come, I also dove in and made a few snow angels! And I kept busy in my studio. I'll share some photos of what's on my workbench in my next post. 

That's the scoop for now. I hope you're staying warm!

Started the Week With My Torch Ablaze

It was a lazy and snowy weekend here in Virginia. My husband built a rip-roaring fire for us and we spent Saturday afternoon watching movies and snowflakes falling. (Did anyone else cry when they watched "Up"? What a sweet movie, but I needed to keep the tissues close!)

 

 

 

 

It was a perfect way to rest up for the new week and when I returned to my studio yesterday, my mind was clear and my hands were ready to work. I ended up with two projects going at once. 

 

 

 

 

(Click this image to see more photos of this work in progress.)

The first was a silver and brass pendant I've been working on for a few days now. It has a hinge and ball latch that have been soldered and then melted apart more than once. I've been working on positioning the parts correctly--and am afraid that my Little Torch is too hot for doing this work. We'll see... 

 

 

 

It's a learning piece for me--now that it's been melted so many times. I'm keeping track of what goes right so I can recreate a piece just like this one--with less re-do's and re-soldering. Although it is taking longer to finish this pendant than I'd expected, I'm actually enjoying the process and am really happy with how it's turning out.

 

 

 

The second project was an experiment with polymer clay and button making. Have you noticed any of the pieces of button jewelry  that people like Grainne Morton are making? Well, I was thinking that if you could make your own buttons or cabochons from polymer clay, then you could have a lot more control over your design and color scheme. So I grabbed a few vintage buttons and pressed them into Sculpey Mold Maker clay. In about 40 minutes, I had a handful of cute little buttons cooling. I love polymer clay for just that reason--it's so versatile and easy to work with. You can make just about anything you dream up!

 

 

 

 

 

Before I go, here's one more affirmation for you. It's not always easy to face days when nothing gets finished in the studio, but we need to trust and keep showing up to create. When we log in hours dreaming, experimenting, constructing, and learning, we are actually using the special gifts that God has given us, and few things feel as satisfying and right as that.

Friday's Affirmation for Artists - Remember to Take A Bow!

It's Friday and I have another affirmation for you.

Today it's all about taking a bow when we complete a work of art. When performing artists finish their acts, we expect them to take a bow--without hesitation and with a big smile on their face. But for me--standing in front of an audience and wearing my pride on my sleeve is not something I'm comfortable doing. Remember--I'm a woman who decided to spend most of her time working alone in a basement studio.

But while I was composing these affirmations, I came across a quote that changed my perspective on taking a bow and showing off my work (I wish I could remember who said it)... The gist of it was that when we create something that comes from our heart, we serve others by sharing it. By doing so we can make people laugh, make them remember, make them empathize... Christine Kane used Jerry Seinfeld to illustrate this concept--he makes most of us laugh 'til we cry and we need that laughter and are grateful for it.

So today let's give three loud cheers for the Internet!! It is possible for all of us to share our creations from the security of our own studios and without the aid of a gallery or store. We can serve others--with one click of camera and a few more clicks on a mouse. Hurrah! Let's take our bows!

That's it for now. I hope you have a great weekend!

When the Going Gets Tough--The Tough Reach for Their Affirmations

Here's an affirmation that most of us can use. There are those things that we do over & over again even though we know they don't get us closer to our goals. Sometimes it helps to have a reminder that once we let go we'll be on our way and so much happier.

More Affirmations for Artists for 2010

Here's one more of my affirmations.

Be. Do. Have. 

I borrowed this one from artist coach Christine Kane. Even though the success of a business is measured in monetary terms, the rewards that really keep me fired up are rewards for the heart--like the great feeling I get when I make personal connections with others through art, or the personal satisfaction I feel when I master a new technique, or even the swell of pride I experience when I finish making a piece that I think is really beautiful. 

So when I repeat this particular affirmation to myself those are the kinds of "emotional" rewards I'm hoping to see accumulating around me. 

Here's another:

 This is an affirmation that I conjured up because I've always been impatient. I want instant expertise and don't like spending time mastering things. In fact, as a child I dropped out of flute lessons, piano lessons, karate lessons, and more--all because I didn't want to spend time practicing the basics. Somehow I expected my piano & flute teachers to help me play songs by telling me where to hold my fingers. I didn't understand that I needed to train my eyes to read sheet music or train my fingers to instinctively know where the keys were. 

It took a long time for me to understand that, but then I took a typing class and trained my mind and hands to type words without the aid of my eyes. And later on in life, I took pottery classes and spent weeks playing with mud before my hand-muscles developed a "memory" and could make stable pots without my thinking about the individual steps my teacher had demonstrated. 

Even with these experiences behind me, I'm still impatient with myself. There are times when I see the work of other amazing artists and think "Wow, I never would have come up with that" or "Hmmm, I'm never going to be THAT good." But I do know better. I know that those artists spent lots of time mastering their trade. They weren't born with those skills. And I know that I'm on my way, too. This affirmation card is a reminder that it takes time to grow and master skills -- the rewards are slowly coming my way.