A hello and a "metal" necklace how-to

Happy Saturday to you!




Try not to faint as you see there's a new post. A lot has been going on and this poor blog has been so, so neglected. I had some people recently tell me they missed my posts and then I got a message via Etsy (Hi, Mary!) saying she'd read my whole blog and I thought...holy cow I haven't written anything in a long time! So you all can thank Mary for making me post something.
I admit a lot of my lackadaisical approach to blogging has to do with all the changes to blogger. I worked so hard to learn all the tricks and now everything is different and it gets exhausting; I am no computer genius.

Halloween has come and gone and I thought I would share his year's "costume." I don't care how old I get, I will absolutely grasp at any opportunity to "dress up," however, I work in an office and my costumes have to be fairly subtle.

Last year I was the Doctor from Doctor Who and this year I decided to be Sherlock. So two years in a row I've dressed as a British man. I'm not sure what to say about that.

For Christmas last year a friend bought me a "detective hat" and I bought myself a blue Pashmina style scarf which I believed was essential to the BBC Sherlock look but I knew the two elements together wouldn't necessarily scream Sherlock (I did look a bit Dickensian to be honest) so I decided to make a necklace to try and pull the look together.




Here was the final outcome. My coworkers exclaimed over the fact that I'd made it and that it looked like "real metal" which I'm taking as a good thing?

What you'll need:



Black paper (a sizeable scrap will do)
Metallic letter stickers
Small, sharp scissors
Tweezers
Two pair pliers
Chain
Metal jewelry frame (not shown)

The metal frame comes as the metal edging with two slides of glass. It has a hinge of sorts and you open it to removed the glass slides and can place whatever you like inside. I first cut my paper to fit the slides and then made sure I had enough room for my stickers. I would almost suggest waiting to cut the paper after you've placed the stickers on it, and then you can use the slides as a guide and make sure your design is centered. I ended up having to cut mine and placing a secondary piece of paper behind to frame it.

Cut your letter stickers out with the scissors and make sure you have enough room for them all. The frames come in a variety of shapes and metallic finishes so pick what will work best for your project.

I then peeled the stickers from their paper using the tweezers and was able to line them up and lay them down easily using the fine point.

Trim your paper as necessary, and place between the two glass slides and put back into the frame and close the hinge.

If you don't have unsoldered chain you will need wire cutters and some jump rings to connect the chain, but my chain was unsoldered so I was able to simply open the links and attach directly to the frame loop. My biggest pet peeve about "gold" jewelry supplies is that none of it matches which is why it is so rare to see anything of gold tones in my Etsy shop. I don't think it was too noticeable but I knew it didn't match perfectly.

And you're done! Talk about a simple project!

I did have a person ask me if there was significance to the numbers on my necklace. It was almost as depressing as the time I asked a library assistant for help and she didn't know who or what Jane Eyre was. Argh.

If you haven't seen BBC's Sherlock I highly recommend it. I believe they are on Netflix...
The Basil Rathbone films of Sherlock Holmes are also good.
I liked the Robert Downey Jr. version, but the sequel I did not enjoy as much.
And of course there's The Great Mouse Detective, an animated feature that is one of my favorites as well.

I've been reading the stories but am only 3 or 4 in so far. Have you read/watched any? What are your favorites?


 

Made it for me - eclectic necklace tutorial

I decided the other day that I wanted a blue necklace. I'm going through a blue color obsession right now and don't have nearly enough accessories in that color to satisfy me. I bought some chain for the project and looked through all the beads trying to find the perfect shade....to no avail. Since I have eleventy billion beads I thought I'd save myself some money and just use what I already had. As luck would have it, I didn't really have any blue beads at home either. My solution was to make an eclectic, long necklace with multiple colors so I could wear it with an assortment of clothing options.
Want to make one for yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Tools - wire cutters, needle nose pliers, round nose pliers.

Materials: Spooled wire, chain, and beads of your choice.

The beads I chose are all glass and have similar shapes and finishes for a little continuity.

I started by watching season one of Sherlock - again - and making my beads into links using [this] method. I love watching TV and movies while doing this sort of project because making a bunch of links can be a bit tedious.

The chain I chose is unsoldered - meaning the links can be opened. I randomly selected lengths of chain to go between my bead links so that there is no symmetry. I also made the necklace long enough that I can slip it over my head and don't need a clasp.

The length and asymmetry of it means I can twist the necklace around my neck so that any beads are in front. It's like having several new necklaces in one!

I wore mine today with a red shirt and already got compliments. Tomorrow I'm going to try it with a black and blue shirt combination. Oh the possibilities...

Now it's your turn! And I'd love to see photos of your completed necklace.

Old suitcases make a great show display

The last weekend in October I packed up my bits o' shine and headed to Bauman's Farm for a vendor event. They put us in an empty greenhouse with an apple tasting booth (and lots of corn stalks) so we got to stay dry and still had a lot of people walking through.

When plotting how to display my wares I wanted something with a vintage look. And by using an old suitcase I had, it worked as my display and carried all my display items!

I had a bracelet display but only two bracelets, instead I removed the foot off the base and stuck the stand into this candlestick - it was then the perfect height to display necklaces.

I still have no business cards *hangs head in shame* so I made these with the key stamp that comes on the box when you order from my etsy shop and had my shop address on the back. A few people were tickled by the fact that I am a "pirate.

The suitcase lining had a stain on the pocket so I covered it with this doily. And you thought I was just trying to make it look pretty! ;)

Strands of jute string in two levels allowed me to display most of my earrings at a height that was easy to see.

I had a great time selling (and spending money at the vendor next to me - cute fabric pumpkins and cup cozies!) and chatting with lookers and buyers. Even got a chuckle out of the chicken who kept coming into the building to find dropped bits of apple.

All in all - a success!

Japan Quake Appeal - sakura earrings auction

 This auction is now closed.

Get some goodies for you and do good at the same time!
100% of the proceeds go towards the relief because your "bid" will be a charity/aid/relief donation.

Up for auction are a pair of my Simple Sakura earrings. These earrings are made from Czech glass flowers in a milky pink. They have a beautiful glowing opalescent look in direct light. Flowers face outward so everyone can enjoy their happy faces! Earrings measure just a teeny bit short of 1 and 1/2 inches long. Flowers are approx. 5/8 of an inch wide. See additional photos here.

Auction rules:

1. Auction ends at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26th (U.S. Pacific time).
2. Leave a comment to this post stipulating your bid amount.  The highest bidder on March 26th wins, so keep checking those comments throughout the week to make sure you are not outbid.
3. Bids are to be made in US dollars. 
4. Starting bid is $5.00 - please make your bid increases $1.00 or more and remember this is going to charity! :)
5. The winning bidder will be announced and contacted after the auction closes on March 26th.  The winner must donate the amount of their winning bid to Global Giving or any other organization of their choice and send me proof of payment within 48 hours.  If proof of payment is not made within 48 hours then this purse will go to the second highest bidder.
6. I will ship to you, or anyone else you wish, anywhere in the world.

For help with donations to Global Giving, you can refer to Jo’s very detailed post at [here].

This auction is being held in cooperation with Jo at A Bit of This and a Bit of That.  Participants are not affiliated with Global Giving or any other aid organizations, they are just our chosen method of getting funds safely to the affected area.  Thank you for bidding and please see all the other lovely items up for auction or raffle listed on Jo’s blog.


Remember all you have to do is leave your name, bid amount and an email address so I can contact you should you be the winning bidder. Remember to use (at) and (dot) instead of the actual symbols so the spambots can't find you.

My friend Janine is also hosting an auction. Click here to visit her site.

Vintage ring storage doubles for art

My mom was thinking about getting rid of these old things she's had for years. Originally the frames were gold and she painted them black - so that's where I get that! ;)


But the black paint was getting a funky patina

And the art is pretty dark for a springtime project. It's actually decoupaged onto the glass so it's a good thing I didn't need the glass anyway!

My brother sells Mac Tools and gave me these cool kiwi pliers for Christmas (so called because they look like kiwi birds) - they have amazing grip and because they are angled it's much easier to see what you're getting at since your hands aren't in the way.

Once I was down to just the frame I spent some time cleaning it up and decided to use the rest of my paint from my birdcaged books project.

While I was letting that dry, I used the oval glass as a template to cut a piece of lightly patterned scrapbook paper and a piece of cardboard from a cracker box. (Glue paper to cardboard.)

These rings were all made by my great aunt Ellen sometime between the 1950's and 1970's. Read more about these and her beading here. I have treasured them for years but was wanting a way to display them so they weren't tucked away in a jewelry box.
I figured where I wanted them placed once I got my middle together...

Then traced loosely around the widest part of the ring onto the back of the cardboard.

I tell you, most of the time I'm crafting I fly by the seat of my pants so if this seems weird...it probably is, but it totally worked.

Once my circles were drawn I cut an opening in the center of each using a craft knife.

 

How it looks from the front. These gaps will be covered by the main part of the ring.

From the front, they tuck into the opening and then the ring is held securely with no risk for damage.

I like how the paper's pattern mimics the ring design. :)

So much better than hidden away! Being a beader myself I appreciate the artistry but I also love how the pops of color make such vibrant art.

Speaking of pretties a friend has just opened an [etsy shop] full of floral brooches and belt bags, I'm sure she'd be thrilled to have you stop by and visit!

Linking to:

Be Mine - a giveaway from my heart to yours

It really warms my heart that 300 sweet souls have joined me and my adventures here at A Bit O' Shine.

I certainly never expected to make so many long distance friends when I started.


And since today is a lovey sort of day...


Where people share bits of themselves out of the fullness of their own heart...


Let me share a bit of my heart with you.
It helps that my love language (for giving love) is gifts. ;)


So here is a little giveaway for you dears. A pair of chocolate cupcake earrings - calorie free! ;)


All I ask is that you be a follower of my blog or a fan of my shop on facebook. Both would be twice as delightful of course so you would have twice as many chances to win. Just leave a separate comment letting me know which (or both) you follow.

And if you don't have pierced ears don't fret! I have non-pierced findings available just for you.
Giveaway is open internationally and ends Friday the 18th.



Thanks for coming along with me! I'm really glad you're here.