French Brooch Necklace

 This new necklace is a fun recycling project!

 On one of my annual trips to Paris I came across this group of brooches in a department store sale bin.  The $3 Euro price tag had me scoop up the pile.  They were so unique and appeared to be handcrafted.  I knew I could do something with them.

 My first task was to cut away the back and remove the stuffing.

 Then I cut a new felt back for each piece.

 The brooches look so much better shown as a group.

 I hand stitched the backs and then joined all the brooches together.

An interesting gold chain completed my project.

Now I have a necklace I can wear this April in Paris!

Sunday Links

My Spiderman pendant on Resin Crafts blog this week.

CRAFTY BLOGGERS AND BEADBLOGGERS!

Resin Crafts Blog

Sometimes it is best to just use resin as a glue!

Art Bead Scene

Have you always wanted to try Kumihimo? Try out guest blogger Ema Kilroy's handy tutorial for combining Kumihimo and art beads!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Stamping on metal, Andrew created a series of pendants that have a positive message with the newsprint letter set from ImpressArt.

Downton Abbey Inspired Earrings & Bracelet

Truth be told, the set wasn't inspired by Downton Abbey. The earrings were inspired by a moonstone ring for which Eileen couldn't find matching earrings. The bracelet was a recycling project of a filigree link removed to tighten a belt. But don't they look quite Edwardian?

Snap out it,Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean reviews the fascinating jewelry design book, Soutache & Bead Embroidery by Amee K. Sweet-McNamara

Mixed Media Artist

Dryer sheets? DRYER SHEETS?? Yup...they're great!

Beading Arts

Cyndi shares part one of her tutorial on how she integrated soutache braid into her bead embroidery.

Carmi's Art/Life World

There is a truly exciting way to create a scarf that does not require you using knitting or crochet needles. Take a peak at what you can make with water soluble stabilizer.

Crocheting and Playing

Tammy takes a look at a relatively new book from Running Press that has some adorable baby and young children's projects.

Mixed media quilt project

Cherie continues the middle squares of her anniversary quilt.

Kumihimo Love

 This new kumihimo necklace and bracelet has a colour palette designed to match my special pendant.

 I filled my Instant Glam by Fernando bezel with all sorts of items; charms, chain, broken jewelry components and a frozen Charlotte vintage doll.  I featured this on Resin Crafts blog earlier this week.

 I used a unique assortment of stringing material to create the braid.

 It was an absolute pleasure to make. 

  It took be about an hour and a half to make a braid long enough for my necklace and bracelet.

 Here is a closer look at the braid itself.

 John Bead has some truly beautiful hook and eye end caps to choose from.  This one worked beautifully because my braid was very thick.

The bracelet is especially pretty with the end cap set!

No Knitting Scarf - With Water Soluble Stabilizer

One of the reasons I have not learned to knit is because I enjoy using a special technique that allows me to achieve the look of knit without using knitting needles.

 This is my new and I might add, fabulous scarf!

It began with me cutting many thin strips of sari fabric.  I actually purchased the saris in Vancouver's little India area.  This is my pile of strips.  I also gathered some other wools.

The only other item you need is water soluble stabilizer.

I used Sulky's water soluble stabilizer for this project.  

It’s like magic! The perfect stabilizer and transfer agent that dissolves in water. Use as a design template, as a pattern guide and as a stitch support. Ideal when you to not want any stabilizer to show on top or bottom.

 On my ironing board, (you might not be able to see it)  is about five feet of the water soluble stabilizer.  It is white and I have dropped my sari strips onto it.  

Note sleeping studio dog.

 Then I gathered some pretty wool.

 You can see how I randomly placed wool throughout the piles.

The next step is important.  I placed another full strip of water soluble stabilizer over this whole project.  

I created a sandwich:  stabilizer, wool and sari strips, stabilizer.  

I pinned my sandwich together.

 Here is my sandwich being sewn together.  

I sew the sandwich many, many times in this fashion.  The goal is to catch as many fibers as possible with the machine stitching thread.

 Then I fill a sink with warm water and drop my sandwich into it.

 In moments, the stabilizer is dissolved and you can see my fibers.

Isn't that magic!

 When it is dry, this is what it looks like!

 I then go to my felting machine.  This machine only does one, thing, felt.  It took me a very long time to felt the entire scarf...but it was a lot quicker than attempting to do this by hand.

 You can see in this picture that the bottom is felted....the t0p half has yet to be done.

 I choose to line my scarf with felt.  

This will give me some extra warmth and the felt is less scratchy than the sari fabric is.

 My finished scarf is one of a kind!

 It will be stored rolled.

 The edges are still free and I love how the fibers look.

Throughout my scarf I have achieved so many textured colours.  I could not be more pleased with this special project!

Inspired Sunday Links

A Bead A Day

Tweet Me Valentine! Lisa found the cutest group of charms that are perfect for Valentine's Day.

Chipboard Heart Bracelet and Earrings

Eileen made this heart jewelry set with Valentine's Day in mind, but loved it so much, she wore it early. Her friends asked where they could get one. She said, "Make your own." Eileen wasn't being snide or nasty. These are fun and inexpensive to make. Check it out!

Take 2

When you don't succeed the first time, try again! That includes crafting of course.

Carmi's Art/ Life

There is nothing like a fabulous bezel to inspire an equally fabulous felted collar.

Resin Crafts Blog

This week I had an opportunity to experiment with a new medium, Powertex, which allowed me to turn crocheted doilies into bezels I can pour resin into.

Snap out of it, Jean!

There's beading to be done! Jean has a giveaway of a fantastic book, Simple Soldered Jewelry & Accessories by Lisa Bluhm ! Comment on her blog and get a chance to win this classic! It is truly a terrific book!

Mixed Media Artist

Maleficent the Dragon is joining Disney's theme park parade this spring, and Cyndi's daughter had (more than one) hand in helping to construct her!

Beading Arts

Cyndi has ventured into the exciting world of working with soutache, and has worked up some practice exercises to sharpen our skills!

Postcard: Thanks to the Lord

Cherie works on postcard art for June's mail exchange.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Happy Valentine's Day! To celebrate, Andrew created some polymer clay heart pendants.

Powertex and Jewelry Resin - Part Three The Brooch

This is my second finished project featuring a resin filled bezel I created with Powertex.

My first post explains how I made two special bezels.

The second post shows you the felted collar I created to showcase one of the bezels.

These were the original bezels.

 For my felted brooch I pulled out some felt, roving and fibers.

 I machine felted them until I had a pleasing brooch shape.

 I added sari ribbon with my sewing machine too.

After sewing my bezel to the new felt background I felt I needed just a little bit more embellishment.

This hand spun curly artisan wool is so special.

I sewed it in place and then added my bar pin.

Powertex and Jewelry Resin - Part Two The Collar

Here is the first of two projects I created so that I could show off my new Powertex bezels.

 Yesterday's blog told you how I made these two interesting pieces with Powertex and Jewelry Resin.

 I gathered some felt and wool roving.  

I hand felted the first round of fibers.

 My collar was starting to come together.  

Hand felting is for me a temporary fix.

 When I really want my felt to be secured I use my felting machine.

 After my first round of machine felting was completed I noticed this gorgeous crocheted sample I received from Nancy Donaldson.  I wondered how my bezel might look nestled into this.

 Of course, I just loved it.  My felted collar colours however no longer worked for me.  So I pulled out green sari ribbons and more felt.  I did some additional sewing and felting.

 Now it definitely looked better, but I felt that I needed to bring out the pink in my bezel more.

 I sewed on bright pink sari yarn and was very happy.

 My final step was to hand-sew some rhinestone chain and buttons to the collar.

 The pink totally changed my collar!

 Here is the back of the collar.

The front is soft and gorgeous!