Etch a St. Patrick's Day Necklace

Hi all,
It's almost time to wear some green, so I thought I'd create a new necklace in time for St. Patrick's Day.  I'm using etchall® dip 'n etch to create some soft, muted green beads to mix in with the others that I have.

Here are the beads that I will etch.  I have strung them to make them easier to get in and out of the etchall® dip 'n etch.

I found a small plastic container in my stash and taped the bead strands to the sides.

Add the etchall® dip 'n etch to cover the beads and time for 15 minutes.  Lift the beads out and rinse. Pour the dip 'n etch back in the bottle.  You can use it over and over!

I rinsed them off and noticed that only half the beads etched.

The top beads have a nice muted etched surface, but the harder dark green crystals did not etch.  There is some hard glass that will not etch with dip 'n etch.  But, I like a mix of etched and unetched glass beads in my designs.  (See this necklace where I combined etched and unetched glass beads.)

Here's the necklace I created:

Wearing 'o the Green

Etching the beads adds another dimension to this necklace with the contrast of the etched beads against the sparkling facets of the originals.  And, it's so easy with etchall® dip 'n etch!

We're All Ears - Chandelier Earrings

Hi all,

Having a little fun today with the February challenge on the Earrings Everyday site.  This month's challenge on We're All Ears was chandeliers.

To find out what kind of chandelier style appeals to me, I took the short quiz from Hudson Valley Lighting.  You should take it - it's quick and fun.  I got Classic Heritage, which suits me perfectly.  Choices that appealed to me included a country farmhouse kitchen, wingback chair, footed bathtub and an airy white bedroom.  It said I like Neoclassic, Gustavian and Victorian styles.  (I had to look up Gustavian; it's a restrained version of the Louis XV and XVI styles.)  And, if I were a city, I would be Williamsburg, Virginia.  It also said I liked finding a good antique.  Pretty accurate, all around!

So, I decided to delve into my stash of Victorian-style components and create some chandeliers from those.  Easy enough, since I still have lots from the book I designed a few years ago.

Here's what I created:

Regal Chandeliers

I think that I can wear these to the opera!  Check out all the other fabulous ideas on the Earrings Everyday post.  Thanks for the inspiration, Erin!

Sharing the Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a little canvas that I did for JOY Iron-on letters.  You can find the all the details on the Creating with Joy blog.

You can hang it up:

Or, place it in a stand:

Or, arrange it among the pillows:

It's so quick and easy to make and you can choose among many fonts and sizes to personalize your own canvas.  Joy letters can be found at most large craft stores.

(I am a member of the JOY design team and receive compensation and materials from them as a member of the team.)