Thrift Store Blog Hop Reveal!

I hope you all had a good time with my first blog hop. I think I might try running another in the not too distant future so keep your eyes peeled!

For my item I bought these from a Cancer hospice shop for 50p each. They are little ornamental masks I found in the junk bin.

I have no idea why I bought these. For a start I am scared of clowns and these sat in the kitchen staring at me creepily until I gave them a few coats of acrylic paint.

I painted one a deep rusty brown, and the other a very dark green. They both needed a few coats to cover the clowns face paint.

Then time for a design! I thought of a few different themes. A green man seed beaded bib style necklace, a voodoo shrunken head style wall plaque.

But ended up going with HR Giger.

And my meek little sketch in comparison? *laughs*

So next I drilled holes using my pin vice. I've used one of these on a silver art clay course before and knew I needed to have one "just in case" but this is the first time I'd used mine at home.

I drilled 4 holes through the mask which is made from a white plaster of paris type substance. I went fora  small hole to begin with, and then kept increasing the size of the drill bit until it was 2.3mm so fit my 2mm aluminium wire.

I threaded the wire through the holes and made spirals using the lovely nylon jawed pliers which I was bought for Christmas. And promptly broke off one of the nylon coverings. Oops!

Then with some silver wire, wire wrapped Czech glass AB faceted emerald glass and some pale green Chinese crystal rondelles down each side piece.

After finishing both side pieces, I wrapped the whole item around a lynx deodorant can to get it's shape!

Hope you like the finished piece. I most certainly do!

Don't forget to visit everyone else who is hopping today to see how they have got on with the challenge. :)

And as a thankyou for participating, I'm going to send a special bead soup type challenge pack out to someone who took part. I'd love it if you blogged about what you made though. If you are hopping and would like to enter my giveaway, shout out! (open internationally)

Sarah - www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Deb - http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/
Kimberley - http://goddessesandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Ambra - http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/
Beti - http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
Emma - www.apolymerpenchant.com
Shelley - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Tammie -  http://ttedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com
Keri Lee - http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com
Rochelle - acreativechelle.blogspot.com
Pam - http://pamelas-studio.blogspot.com/
Ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/
Audrey - http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/
Julie Anne - www.thepeacefulbead.com
Sharyl - http://www.sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com
Micheladas - http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com 
Lo -   http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/
Kala - http://maybejustperhaps.blogspot.co.uk
Jo - http://jobunkum.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Edited to add: http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/thrift-store-blog-hop.html

So sorry I missed you from the list!

Thrift Store Blog Hop

I was at the Charity shop yesterday to buy some supplies to make some more thread wrapped bangles for my shop as I only have a couple of them left now.

And whilst I was at the store I realised how amazing some of the stuff there was and how fun it would be to turn some of the finds into jewellery. You can choose whatever you want as long as it is in budget from a thrift store. You can buy a piece of jewellery and take it apart, or a piece of clothing for the buttons or fibres, or something else. Just use your imagination.

So here's my blog hop challenge.

Thrift Store Blog Hop

• Sign up for the Blog hop here leaving your name and your blog website address
• Go to the thrift store/charity shop and buy an item for less that £1 ($1.50 approx at at the moment)
• Take a photo of the item when you get home 
• Take an "in progress" photo
• Take a photo when you have finished making your item
• And blog about it on Saturday August 4th.

Don't forget to include links to everyone else taking part in the blog hop so that we can all blog hop together :)

Participants so far:-

Sarah - www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Deb - http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/
Kimberley - http://goddessesandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Ambra - http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/
Beti - http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
Emma - www.apolymerpenchant.com
Shelley - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Tammie -  http://ttedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com
Keri Lee - http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com 
Rochelle - acreativechelle.blogspot.com
Pam - http://pamelas-studio.blogspot.com/
Ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/
Audrey - http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/
Julie Anne - www.thepeacefulbead.com
Sharyl - http://www.sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com
Micheladas - http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com 
? -   http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/
Kala - http://maybejustperhaps.blogspot.co.uk/

Creative Chaos Blog Challenge - Geek Inspired!

Skye at Creative Chaos Blog set a challenge at the end of May in Honour of Fathers day.

"Raid the tool box, the junk drawer, or visit the hardware store to use up some of your pocket change ;) Then make a piece of jewelry out of your toolbox find / hardware store purchase and share it in your blog on June 16th."

 I asked G for some random "manly" junk I could upcycled and he gave me a grip-seal bag containing this.

 

My first thought on this bags of goodies was to make a rainbow bracelets but when I looked in to my stash of findings, none of my ribbon clamps were the right size.

Then I checked out the resistors but I couldn't get them clean enough. They were a bit rusty and dark in places. I'll look into how to clean them for the future though as I have some idea of what to make with them.

So I carried on with the bit of circuit board. I found I could cut it with my wire cutters which was a good sign and it didn't leave a sharp edge either. Bonus! So I even off all the edges and cut it in half so I could make two pieces from it.

I glued on a vintage escutcheon that I bought from a  vintage shop then wired on round tigers eye beads and some bronze tone butterfly connectors. 

I improvised a way to connect the cord by making spirals from the same wire that I made the eyepins from and clamping the cord ends in place.

Then onto the next piece of circuit board! I just love the patina on these keyholes!

And I thought I'd see what a similar pendant would look like with a chunky vintage style curb chain.

These are nice simple earrings using what I think may be LEDS? I've threaded patterned bone beads onto the wires that came out from them and used them like ball ended headpins for a quick fix pair of earrings.

Etsy is down at the moment but I'm hoping to get everything listed later today when I'm sure the glue has set properly and when Etsy is back up again after it's scheduled maintenance.

 Other Participants doing this blog hop challenge are:-

Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com/

Marlene Cupo - http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com/

Pookledo - http://pookledo.blogspot.com/

Julie Anne - http://www.thepeacefulbead.com/

Shelley Graham Turner - http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/

Leslie Wayment - http://www.aabeadsonline.com/blog/

Sherri Stokey - http://www.KnotJustMacrame.com/

ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell - http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com/

Keri Lee Sereika - http://pinklemonade.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/06/something-from-his-world-blog-hop.html

Shaiha - http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/

Check out what they have done for their fathers day inspired challenge!

Vintage Inspired Bead Embroidery - The Beginning!

I made a bead embroidery piece a couple of weeks ago for a feature in a magazine (Coming soon!) and decided that I fancied making another in a similar style.

I found a cabochon from a broken piece of jewellery which was a small portrait of a girl in sepia tones decoupaged onto acrylic.

I found a piece of board to use as my backing stiffener. It's a piece of hardboard whcih was the base of a jewellery stand I bought on ebay. When the stand arrived in the post it was smashed to bits bit I managed to salvage the unbroken base.

Next step was sketching out a rough design.

And choosing a colour palette.

Then getting started!

More to follow when I've got some more completed! I still haven't decided what the final item will turn out to be. Any ideas?

Challenge Bracelets #13 and #14

Beige Recycled Button Cuff Bracelet

I still haven't forgotten about my challenge to make and document a bracelet a week in 2012. I am a little behind on taking photos though as I'm also trying to get up to 100 items in my Etsy shop too. (71 so far!)

I've got a couple of craft fairs coming up, the next one being at an Eco centre, so I thought I'd make a few more obviously recycled items.

Pale Turquoise and Peach Recycled Cuff Bracelet

And I'm part way through a free pattern tutorial for these too which hopefully I'll get posted in the next week or so.

Recycled Shell Wearable Art Necklace

Wearable Art Necklace

I've got a collection of these shell piece in my stash. I just can't resist damaged or broken items when they come my direction. Obviously shops can't sell broken or damaged items as new so a lot of the time they are just thrown away. I like to think of them as nature pushing you towards a design plan.

The top of this shell was broken but the rest of it was fine so I used seed beads to make am asymmetric freeform peyote feature bail.

Next I had some sari silk from Stef Francis which was just crying out to be used. A little wire with seed beads threaded on to it held the silk tassel in place.



It took me a while to figure out what to hang the pendant on. I'd just been focussing on one step at a time. Letting my ideas flow organically from one step to the other.

With my pink and purple palette of beads still laid out in front of me I figured I'd make a piece of seed bead rope until an idea came to me. Duh!

I threaded the rope through the bail and it hung beautifully.

Voila!

Patchwork Bookmark

I love recycling waste materials into items that are usuable again so when I saw the Recycle Me Swap1 on Swapbot I joined in.The dark purple material used to be my favourite skirt. In fact I had two identical ones as I found another in a charity shop years after I bought the first and had virtually worn it to death. It was my standard going to a night club mini skirt. Indian embroidered fabric dyed in a gorgeous royal purple.

I'm still using parts of it in projects now and again. So far I can remember making a book cover from it as well as using it in this bookmark.

My clubbing skirt lives on!

I had a browse for photos of my wearing the actual skirt but no luck. but I did find this one of when I used to be out nearly every night!

Patchwork Heart Experiments

Sorry I've been a bit quiet. I've been making a few prototypes and trying to figure out which direction to take to try and and get my shop up and running enough to start making me an income. Feel free to pimp out my facebook page and my Etsy shop if you like my work. I'd be greatly appreciated.

This week I've been having a play with some multimedia pendants. mainly using patchwork, embroidery and beading.

The pendant is only 4cms across so you can imagine how small the embroidery stitches and materials strips are. I've embellished it with seed beads and a Swarovski pearl on the tip of the heart.













This is the other side of the pendant. Instead of adding beads, I kept it more simple with patchwork, embroidery and a bit of couching.

I think I prefer the one without the beading, but G prefers the one with.

Which do you prefer?

Blankie!

I'm not what you would could call a yarn snob by any means. I love my acrylic yarn. Nice easy to care for snuggle acrylics in bright colours.

And I'm addicted to making blankets in one piece. This is the first finished blanket of the year. I only usually finish one a year I love making them. They are so relaxing for me to make. Just the same stitch over and over again. No need to weigh yarn to see if I have the right amount. I use any amount. From 6" to a full 100g ball. I don't mind at all. And I recycle yarn from whoever and whatever I can to make them. Unpick items and give them a good clean sometimes. Or ply up cone wool to a DK thickness. or swap other items for it. If I run out, there is always some than soon comes my way to add to the stripes.



Please Excuse the messy bedroom! :)

Necklace Time

I realised that I don't have many "found art" mixed media type pieces in my Etsy shop at the moment. It was the perfect excuse for dragging out my bead soup box. I don't know if other beaders have one, but I have a box where I put all my lonely beads. Single beads from nearly used up strings. beads I have reclaimed from vintage jewellery and broken pieces.

I love my bead soup box. I sometimes buy boxes of broken jewellery, sometimes get given bits and pieces from friends having a clearout, buy end of sale items to dismantle, and trade for things on Swapbot. So last night I start sorting out focals and co-ordinating beads and ended up with this.

 

I think I might be keeping it myself :)

Chrysocolla

Chrysoprase

Foiled Glass

Quartz

Ribbon

Mother of pearl shell

Fabric

Vintage clip on earring

Glass Pearl

Silver plated Rounds

Silver Chain

Bracelet Challenge Week 1

The lovely people at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have set a challenge of making a pair of earrings a week. As I don't wear earrings, I thought I'd have a go at making a bracelet a week as I wear bracelets all the time

My first bracelet is going to be a swap gift for my partner on a Swapbot swap entitled "Something Selfmade of Recycled Materials 2"

 
I'm sure you can tell what I made it from! I found a picture of a design like this a while back, but with no credit to the designer that I could see. But at the time I was looking for a way to use up my stash of bugles and it helped with my button stash too. I forgot how much fun these are to make and wear, and how quick they are to make up too so I might make a few more in the next few weeks.