Category: Holiday

Christmas Spiders

12/12/2019

We're always learning something new here! The Legend of the Christmas Spider is an Eastern European folktale which explains the origin of tinsel on Christmas Trees. There are many versions -- Here is one:

A widowed mother and her children were too poor to decorate their Christmas tree, so friendly spiders spun elaborate webs on the evergreen. When the family awoke on Christmas morning, they opened the curtains and the sunshine hit the webs, turning them silver and gold.

Recently a customer was in who wanted to make one -- and we thought "what fun!" and started making them too. Now we have them hiding around the shop. See if you can find one when you come.

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Dressing Up the Holidays Part 2

12/12/2016

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A caller recently asked if she could make a Christmas themed bracelet at the shop, and naturally we answered "sure". That got one of my staff thinking, and soon enough she'd put together a braided criss-cross bracelet that sparkles with holiday colors.

Looking for other easy holiday jewelry? Thanks to the internet (and Pinterest), inspiration is near at hand.

As we say with some frequency, it's hard to go wrong with Swarovski. Using their margaritas in graduated sizes, with a 3mm light siam bicone on top, is a classic design and a staff favorite. We also have margaritas in peridot and crystal AB, but this is our favorite.

Swarovski margaritas stacked to make a Christmas tree

Angel earrings are another favorite. Easy to design and beautiful to wear.

Angel earrings

Angel earrings in blue

Cruising through Pinterest I found another easy design -- Christmas bulb earrings. Using 8mm Swarovski pearls and 6mm crystal rondelles, put them together and you're ready to light up the room!

Christmas bulb earrings

All you need for Christmas light earrings: pearls, rondelles & headpins

Wear a whole string of bulbs!

Another Pinterest inspired pair of earrings uses acrylic leaves and 3mm round beads for some festive holly & berries.

Happy holidays and festive jewelry making for all!

Leaves and holiday berries

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Honoring Dia de los Muertos

10/24/2016

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We had fun this past weekend helping people design their own Day of the Dead pendants during the Arts District's fall festival, Art on Harrison. If you didn't make it in, here are tips for creating your own.

Antonia earrings

The basic materials you'll need include:

2" or longer headpin (and an eyepin for a boy)
Various glass beads for the body, about 1" to 1 1/2" total in height
Angel wings
Skull beads
Bead caps or other small beads if desired for a hat or halo
For a boy with pants legs you'll also need two beads about 1/2" to 1", and two seed beads or drop beads for the feet
Earwires if you're making earrings
Remember to get two of everything if you're making earrings.

Suzy Q design

Keep in mind the following:

If you're making earrings, use smaller skull beads and avoid especially heavy beads.
Remember to leave at least 1/2" at the end of each headpin or eyepin for making the end loops.
When making larger pieces, cut longer lengths of craft wire for the body section, or use multiple eyepins to create two or more sections for the body.
Look for beads that remind you of a special family member -- perhaps a lot of sparkle and color, or round or thin. Attach charms or link more beads to the top loop to create a decorative headpice.

Uncle Stu design

Basic Assembly: when you have the beads arranged as you want, place them on the headpin (for a girl) or eyepin (for a boy) and make a loop at the top as you would for earrings. See below for a quick refresher on making loops (or go to my Free Tips & How To's page for a tip sheet you can print).

Suzy Q all assembled

Make a right angle bend above the top bead

Use round nose pliers to shape the loop

Make the loop and cut any excess wire

Use chain nose pliers if necessary to straighten the loop and make sure it's closed

Pants Legs for a Boy: For the boy, the body beads are place on the eyepin, and the headpin us used for the legs. Place one "foot" and one pants leg bead on the headpin. Bend the headpin so you have an upside down "V". Bring the headpin through the loop of the eyepin.

Bring the headpin through the loop of the eyepin

Place the remaining pants leg and foot bead on the headpin, and use pliers to make a loop around the foot bead. Use wire cutters to trim excess wire as necessary.

Finish getting dressed: add the other pants leg and foot bead, trim wire as needed and loop around foot bead

Give your person a name (OK, not really required, but it adds personality, and you are finished! Wasn't that fun?

Keep scrolling for a look at some of our other creations.

Uncle Stu ready to go. Looks like he's going to a ball game -- a Cubs fan do you think?

Violet Crawley: The Dowager

Auntie Mame

Blue Girl

Betsy

Birdie

Ginny

Miss Scarlet

Sally

Elegance

Green Girl

Party Girl

The Seamstress

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Snowflake Ornaments: Tips & Techniques

12/7/2015

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'Tis the season for snowflakes, both from nature and those from the imagination. Snowflake ornaments are one of our most popular crafts. They're simple, beautiful, good for all ages and fairly quick. Wondering how to start? Here are our tips for successful snowflake designs.

Snowflake ornament with pearls, gold and red beads

Work on a bead mat. These are a soft fabric that doesn't shed and keeps beads from rolling off flat surfaces. They're inexpensive and last for years.

If you're choosing your own beads, buy in multiples of 6 or 12 (the snowflakes have 6 spokes -- this allows for symmetrical designs).

Work on a bead mat to keep beads from rolling

Start each spoke with one or more size 11/0 seed beads (metal beads work great -- they have slightly larger holes than many glass beads). This keeps your beads from "bumping" into each other by being further up the spoke when they are added.

Also, have bead stoppers or rubber earring backs on hand to keep beads on the spokes while you are designing.

Start each spoke with small beads like these size 11/0 metal seed beads, and use a bead stopper or rubber earring back at the ends to keep beads in place as you design

Don't forget to leave enough wire at the ends for turning -- at least 1/2 inch.

If you're working with very young children, have them finish one spoke at a time and turn the end before they begin the next spoke.

Finish each spoke by turning the end in a small loop

You can use any pliers to turn the ends of the spokes, but if you are making a lot of snowflakes you may want to invest in Round Hollow Pliers. The indentation on one jaw of the pliers takes a lot of stress off your wrist when turning these hardened wires.

Round hollow pliers are a big help when turning the ends of a lot of snowflakes

Snowflakes are wonderful tree ornaments or window decorations. But they are also lovely as package toppers, hostess gifts or teacher gifts.

We carry three sizes of snowflake forms: 4 1/2 inch; 6 inch and 9 inch. Click HERE for a printable sheet of these tips. Happy Snowflaking!

Besides decorating your own windows and tree, use snowflakes as package toppers, hostess gifts or teacher gifts

Snow Angel

Vintage Holiday

Light Rose Angel

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Christmas Spiders

Dressing Up the Holidays Part 2

Honoring Dia de los Muertos

Snowflake Ornaments: Tips & Techniques

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