My daughter Riley designed this necklace. She designed it to give to a school friend for his birthday. Change the pendant to give the necklace a more or less masculine feel. The original necklace sported a very cool wolf pendant, in honor of the favorite animal of the birthday boy.
Because this was designed for a [...]
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Since the 1950s, the charm bracelet’s made a lasting impact on the American scene. While this decade didn’t see the first charm bracelets in history, it became the must-have item for many women, teenagers, and little girls. Pair that trend with the glamour of Hollywood and the celebrity of the Rat Pack, and you pay [...]
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Many people are fascinated with history. Whether it’s their own genealogical history, that of their town, or of ancient cultures across the world, many people want to feel a connection with the past. You can blend your jewelry-making hobby with an interest in history. Current trends in jewelry design use ancient components (like stones, beads, [...]
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Wire wrapping is one of my favorite jewelry techniques for home decorating.
Photo Wine Charms
Wine charms are those little beaded strands that hook around your stemmed glasses. They serve to identify your glass when several people have the same glass at the same party. Often, a set of charms will share a theme, like wine [...]
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A cane is a rod that’s made up two or more colors of clay. When the clay is cut crosswise, a multi-colored design is revealed. Canes are the basic components of the clay, male fiori—style bead. Mille fiori means a thousand flowers. These beads are known for their stunning multitude of patterns and colors.
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Papier-mâché literally means chewed paper. It’s a crafting technique that requires you to take a basic form (like a foil ball, a balloon, chicken wire form or just about anything else) and cover it with a mixture of paste and sculpting medium, usually newspaper. Papier-mâché is great for making lightweight sculptures and other items like [...]
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Like any papier-mâché project, you must create a form for your beads and pendants. Aluminum foil is an excellent choice for bead forms. It’s lightweight and easy for kids to work with.
Here’s how you create a basic foil form:
1. Take pieces of foil and wad them up. Start with roughly a 4-inch by 6-inch square [...]
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This project is great for the budding archaeologist in your family. I recommend using light brown and dark brown polymer clay mixed fairly well to simulate a piece of sedimentary rock.
Tools and Materials
Oven
Clay working tools (optional) Oven-safe glass container ounce light brown or tan polymer clay ounce dark brown polymer clay
One jump ring
20-inches of leather [...]
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Italian link charm bracelets are one of the hottest trends in jewelry. Whether it’s personalized pencils, shirts, or backpacks, kids can’t get enough of their own names. Here’s an easy way to bend to trends and create a quick personalized bracelet for your kids. You can choose your children’s initials or their full name. Add [...]
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Barrettes are part of the official uniform for childhood for just about every girl with long hair. Many girls take great pride in coordinating their barrettes with their outfits. Help them out by customizing prefab barrettes to wear and share. Buy plain barrettes at your local drug or discount store and decorate them with your [...]
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