Most Wearable Earrings

My mom sent me a package. Inside was a pack of these marbles that she had baked so they had a cracked look, and the silver 'toppers'. I was so excited, as any crafter would be, to get surprise crafting materials in the mail. I immediately glued the marbles to the 'toppers' (forgive me, I have no idea the word for those things!). But I had a hard time figuring out what to do next. Then it finally hit me to put a chain on it and make a simple drop earring.  Little did I know that I would create the most wearable earrings ever!

I find I am reaching for these earrings almost daily! They match everything, and are a little showy against my dark hair with all the crackles, which I like. Thanks Mom!!!

New Diaper Tote

When the diaper bag from the hospital ripped on me yesterday, I  knew I had a little project to do. I whipped this up with some fabic from my stash that my sister had handed down. It took less than one hour from start to finish, with some telephone talking in the middle to a friend. Fast, easy and so functional to keep these two necessities neatly tucked away...and can easily be left with him in the nursery!

Garden Spoons

I saw this project a while back, asked for some metal stamps for my birthday last year, and finally got them done for my garden this year. I really like the rustic look. They were so easy! I struggled with how to get them flat, until my Mom advised me to use a vice. So I went out to my husband's shop, put the spoon right into the vice and tightened it until flat. Then 'stamped' them with the names of some of my herbs and put them out. They are not too visible, so they don't make my garden look junky, but just visible enough for guests/kids to see what we have.

My New Favorite Earrings

Somewhere in my stash of earrings I have from all my years of wearing them (and I'm talking some pretty tacky 80's & 90's styles!) I found these two fuschia colored leaves. I removed them from their original earrings and put them in my bead box. When I had the urge to create some new earring yesterday, I paired them with this turquoise colored bead and knew I had a good combo.

But it needed something else, so I got out my wire and made a little curly-q, pounded it with a hammer onto my steel block and attached it to the front of the leaf. And my new favorite earrings were born!

I really like the little wire addition and think I'll be doing some more wire-work soon.

New Jar Labels

 I have these jars that line my kitchen counter, which I love! Some are old, some are new. I've tried to mix up the lids a little, so the one with the red lid is actually plastic (though I don't think anyone can tell) because the lid won't fit a glass jar. I love the convenience of them, and that it creates more cabinet space for me to have these things on the counter. And I love the look...well almost. I didn't love the labels.

So for Christmas, I added some of that chalkboard contact paper and a chalk pen to my wish list and hoped someone would help me get started on this project. My sister-in-law did! Today I got them out (a cold, rainy day with a stomach bug working it's way around the children) and changed the labels to this:

I love them even more now!

Valentine Cameo Earrings

For this pair of shrink plastic earrings, I decided to try the cameo effect that was shown in the book I got from the library (Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk! by Kathy Sheldon) this week. She had some cute cameos, but I wanted something I could wear for V-day, since it's coming up. So I punched the first two shapes and free-hand cut the heart. I colored them white, pink and white, and shrunk them up.

I glued them all together with some E6000, added a jump ring, and some earring wires. Here they are all completed:

I didn't realize how small they would be, and originally thought I might could make these into necklaces, but you can see they shrunk right. The heart is barely a half-inch across!

Shrink Plastic Earrings

I found a really fun book from the library last week about shrink plastic jewelry! I had seen many a kids crafts from this plastic, but this book was full of cool, trendy, grown-up jewelry. I was inspired. I followed their instructions (almost) and made this pair of rectangles:

I drew the circle design with the permanent marker, then colored it in with a redish pencil taht came with my daughter's Shrinky Dink kit. Then I made them into these:

I must say, I was not impressed with the lack of straightness to the sides, but like the organic look of them. What do you think?

Earrings

I went to my Mom's last weekend and we worked two nights on some new earrings. These are three of the pair I came home with:

I wrapped wire around these yellowish brown square beads and hung a sliver loop on the bottom.

These snowmen turned out SO cute! Two pearls with a red bead between. Then on top a black sequin and a black bead. So simple! Wish we'd get some real snow so I could wear them in it.

I had been wanting a cool pair of turquoise earrings, so I put together two beads in different shades of turquoise and love the way they turned out.

Crocheted Stockings

When we got out the Christmas stuff this year, we did not have enough for all four of our kids to have matching ones. So we have two pairs of two that match, displayed alternatingly. Then we have the issue of Curt wanting to use the one that I crocheted for him back in our first year of marriage (green, white and blue in pic) which never matches and that only bothers me! I decided to try to make a matching set for all the people in our family, so I bought red, off white and green yarns. Then I searched online and found a pattern to help me get started...and though it was not the same, it was helpful. Since the green was not the same color - figures! - I decided to introduce some deeper red scrap yarn I had too...that way the one I made years ago doesn't stand out as being totally different. I made three, but have two more to go. And just over a week to do it.....

Quilled Christmas Scene

I made this a year or two ago, but I realized I don't think I ever showed it to everyone! I had a little frame that was a shadow box type, no spot for glass, just a back. I put paper on the back of the frame that had just a bit of pattern to it, then put it back in place. Then I made a few Christmas quilling items to fill the spots. I knew I wanted a manger scene on the bottom space, because of the size of it, long length & short height, but had no idea waht to do with the rest. I decided to fill it with other traditional Christmas things: stocking, wreath, and poinsettia. Last year I remember not having a spot for it and feeling like I was frustrated by that, but this Christmas I cleared off my photo shelves and piled them with lots of decorations, and this was the perfect spot for my quilled Christmas scene.

Earring Holder

I made this earring holder back in 2009, and have loved it! It hung in such an easily accessible place (I pass it on the way to my bathroom) so I was wearing them a whole lot more than I used to, and I could see what I have so quickly. But my earrings have grown bigger, and my collection is bigger, and I had outgrown this rack.

SO, I went by my local hardware store this morning and bought some 1/4 inch hardware cloth and cut it to size with my hubbies wire clippers to fit a frame I'd picked up at a thrift store. I used the tabs that were already in the frame and folded them down to hold the hardware cloth in place. Then I hung it on the wall. I was on the phone with my mom almost all the way through this project, and it still only took about 30 minutes to do!

It's bigger, holds the earrings in place better, and I have room to grow! :)

Chandelier Earrings

I was looking online for inspiration for other types of earrings to make and saw some that were made with chain on either side, I thought "Why not?" So, I put in  Burn Unit - season 5, with my old Caboodle (I was recently telling my mom how we got our money's worth out of that baby!) full of my beading supplies in front of me. This was the result:

I started with a piece of chain that I cut in half, and then hung from the middle on earring wires. Then I put 4 red beads on a pin that I made loops on either end of and hung it from the chain. I played with it for a while before figuring out what beads to hang, then put the iridescent white and red beads on headpins and formed loops to hang them between each red bead going across. I used all glass beads, because I like the look and feel of glass over plastic.

Necklace & Earring Set

I had one of those dollar store necklace and earring sets  that I was not crazy about. I loved the beads, great purple color, nice weight to them, everything. But the necklace was set on multiple strands of fishing line and I didn't like the look. (I know I should have taken a before shot!!) And the earrings were one drop bead. Very plain, and barely showed up. So I decided to take the beads off and start over.

I took the beads off, added a few more purples and the white spheres that I had and liked it ok, but it needed something else, so I put silver spacer beads between each bead, and then I loved it! I made the back very simple but used some silver sead beads and some more of the spacer beads to make sure it still sparkled.

Then I got to work on the earrings. The largest purple bead was the original. All I did was add a jump ring above that bead, and put some matching beads on their own head pins, added those beads to the same jump ring, and now it shows up great and has some character!

Hoop Earrings

I am on a jewelery kick. I love making new things to wear to update my wardrobe.

Someone had given my daughter some beaded bracelets with memory wire a few years ago to use for craft projects, and I can't wear memory wire bracelets because they drive me crazy with the tightness on my wrist. (But can't stand to throw anything away that I might use later!) So, I thought of a use for it! I cut the wire smaller and strung on gold and orange beads. I added loops to the ends, and an 'o' in the middle and hung them from earring wires. The finished hoops are 1 3/4 inch from top to bottom, and the memory wire keeps them in a tight strong loop, so they're not floppy like string would be.

They are great fall colors and I wore them yesterday with a sweater that matched perfectly! Now if I could only get our 11 month old to stop yanking on them, I could enjoy them a lot more!

Long Beaded Earrings

I made these along with the last pair, and thought they needed something else, but wore them yesterday and decided to leave them just as they are. I used a length of chain that I already had, which I connected to earring wires. Then I put each bead on a pin, created a loop and attached each loop to a link in the chain. I had enough to do matching beads on every other chain link. They move around randomly, and don't look like a perfect "every-other" pattern, and I like it that way.

I had thought they might need another bead too, you know three's a charm, but don't want to add the weight or the bulk to them.