Antique Floral Necklace

Hi Crafters!
Head on over to Crafts 'n things Weekly this week and check out the free craft designs.  Every week there are new ones that you can snag for free for that week.  One of my favorites this week is this super cute wreath by Meggan Marravich.  It's so tweet!

Also available this week are the instructions for one of my vintage-style jewelry designs, an Antique Floral Necklace.

Here's the link for the instructions for this necklace:

http://weekly.craftsnthings.com/issues/v2/i45/cntw-h.html

It's just for this week (unless you have a subscription!), so hurry on over!

Happy Crafting!

Terry

Cousin's Slider Bracelet

Hi Crafters!
Each month we highlight a manufacturer by designing with their products.  This month we're highlighting Cousin.  Personally, I've been using their products ever since I started designing jewelry.  They have a wide range of products and come out with something new all the time. 

Leather slider bracelets are very popular and Cousin has come out with a new program where you can make it youself and inidividualize it to suit your personality.  They are super quick to make, too.  Cousin sent us a lovely goodie box filled with their great products right down to the glue that we needed to make the bracelet. 

Here's what you need to make a slider bracelet:

There's the leather band, a clasp, some sliders and the glue. 

As you can see, the band that I received is a bright white.  I wanted to change that to coordinate with the sliders I liked which have a vintage gold color, so I took a stamp pad and stamped the band to color it. 

Here's a close-up of the leather to show how it looks.  I like how the ink brought out the texture in the leather.

Following the instructions, I trimmed the leather to fit my wrist allowing for the length of the clasp.  Then, I slid the sliders onto the band and glued the clasp on the ends.  Here's the finished bracelet.

Here's another shot of the bracelet.

I can't wait to try another one!  I've got a few more ideas I want to try.  Hmm, maybe wire wrapping...or, some patina on the sliders...   You'll find more great ideas from the designers who are participating in this manufacturer challenge.  Just hop forward using the Designer Craft Connection!

Happy Crafting!

Terry



PS  If you need more help with putting it together, here's a link to the video on Cousin's website.  You'll also be able to see all the sliders, bands and clasps available.  They're available now in most Jo-Ann stores.

Designer Craft Connection - Handmade Flowers

Hi Crafters!

Welcome to another round in the Designer Craft Connection hop.  This month we are featuring Handmade Flowers.  And, to further challenge ourselves, we are making them with recyclable materials.  That is no problem for me; I just had to decide which of my fabulous collectibles I wanted to use.  I have been saving used dryer sheets for a long time and have built up quite a stash, so I decided they would be perfect for flower making.  They're sheer like petals and have a nice sparkle to them.  After looking around the internet where I found great ideas for layered flowers and rolled roses, I decided on carnations.

First I pressed my dryer sheets to get out the wrinkles, then I cut out circles with pinking shears.  If you have a cutting machine, you can cut them out with that.

You can cut them out in a variety of sizes if you like.  The biggest you'll get is about 5" in diameter.

Then, I dyed the circles in a bowl of water with a few drops of food coloring.  Leftover Easter egg dyes would probably work great, too.  After they dried, I made cuts into the circles to fringe the edges.  (Don't cut all the way into the center or your flower will fall apart.)

Layer the circles one on top of the other and fold them in half.  Pinch the center and twist it.

Wrap a floral wire or craft wire around the twist. 

Wrap the stem with floral tape.

Here's the finished flower.

Here's a flower without cuts or dye.

Here's a bouquet of them.

Have fun making lots of different variations of this flower.  You could use more layers, put different colors together or add a button or jewel in the center.  Make a corsage.  Or, add it to a card.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Happy crafting!

And, don't forget to click on the big blue DCC button to see all the other handmade flowers!