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!

Jewelry Design Gets Personal

Oh my gosh! The big brown UPS truck just pulled out of my driveway, and left behind this beautiful book-- The Penland Book of Jewelry: Master Classes in Jewelry Techniques.

 

It looks like it's going to be an amazing read. Each chapter is devoted to a specific jewelry artist.

The artist tells their own story--in their own words, and that gives this book a very personal feel. Almost like the feeling I get when I read artists's blogs.

 

 

Then the artists provide step-by-step "how to's" for their favorite techniques.

And, finally they share photos of work done by their favorite jewelry artists.

 

The content of this book seems so different from the usual cut and dry technique-based books. It looks gorgeous, too. I can't wait to dig in!!

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly And To Spread The Glitter!

Holiday shows are rolling around, and I need to have lots of packaging on hand. And ordinary packaging simply won’t do--no way! So yesterday, Carolyn and I teamed up and spent the afternoon handcrafting packaging and tags for our jewelry. 

I made this festive box wrap using a technique I found on the Bethany Actually blog. All that I needed to get the job done was: tissue paper, aluminum foil, Mod Podge, glitter, some fancy hole punches, and card stock.

It was so much fun--I am still finding glitter everywhere, though. Oh well, 'tis the season to spread the glitter!