END RESULT: My fingers were very sore. My poor needle was dying a slow and painful death from erosion. And I had only finished two rows.
I don't think I'm ever going to try that again.
One thing about tiny towns is that you can't find craft supplies... you are therefore forced to make your own. Case in point: S hooks.
These are perfect for all your jewelry. They can easily be clasped with one hand (think bracelets) and aren't a pain to attach (think lobster claw clasps). Use with jump rings.
These little fellas are really helpful. They make a perfect hook and eye clasp when used with an S hook. They can also be used to make chains, chain maille, or dangling things. :)
Your materials:
Your materials:
More pictures of stuff I made! A butterfly neecklace and an Elvish hair clip.
This is the butterfly necklace. I used floral wire and seed beads to make the butterfly. I used these instructions to make the beaded chains that attach the butterfly to the colored hemp cord. For a clasp I made my own jump ring and S hook.
The hair clip! Perfect to go with an Elvish or fairy costume! Now, if only I had one of those... :) The leaves are Czeck glass. Basically I just took some 20 ga and floral wire, twisted some beads in it, and tied it onto the clip.
This is the butterfly necklace. I used floral wire and seed beads to make the butterfly. I used these instructions to make the beaded chains that attach the butterfly to the colored hemp cord. For a clasp I made my own jump ring and S hook.
Hooray!!! I have some new materials!!! Thanks to small towns like ours, it can be very difficult to find beads and wire... A friend suggested I look online, so I spent some of my birthday money on the most beautiful beads and a ton of wire.
I've wanted some leaf-shaped beads for making Elvish jewelry. After some reasearching, I discovered these awesome Czech glass beads. They are a bit pricey but very good quality. And pretty. Most sites have a pack of 24 for $4. I found a site called BrightlingsBeads selling them for $2. They have free shipping (no minimum order!) and had a great Labor Day sale.
For the wire, Mom found a website called Our Lady's Rosary Makers (OLRM). We also got a pair of round-needle- nose rosary making pliers from them. Ben fell in love with it and has already finished half a rosary!
I've wanted some leaf-shaped beads for making Elvish jewelry. After some reasearching, I discovered these awesome Czech glass beads. They are a bit pricey but very good quality. And pretty. Most sites have a pack of 24 for $4. I found a site called BrightlingsBeads selling them for $2. They have free shipping (no minimum order!) and had a great Labor Day sale.
For the wire, Mom found a website called Our Lady's Rosary Makers (OLRM). We also got a pair of round-needle- nose rosary making pliers from them. Ben fell in love with it and has already finished half a rosary!
What a boring title. Rings. Well, this is all about rings, and only rings. :) Hence the unimaginative title.
The first two are the same design with different beads, the third is on of a myriad "okay" designs.
Ear cuffs aren't your typical peice of jewelry. To wear them, you push the 'hook' part over your earlobe and then slide it into place. Once the ear cuff is on, you can gently adjust it by pinching or pulling the part that wraps around your ear. The wire will not stand up to repeated bending, so adjust it once and leave it. (in other words: Do NOT open and close the ear cuff every time you take it on or off. Slide it over your ear.)
This is how they are worn:
The design of this particular one allows you to wear earrings, too.
And a picture of another one I made, so you can see its shape:
