Reminder by Beads

by Kim

 Being such a visual person, it is helpful to me to have reminders I can see. If I can wear them, it is even better.


 Remember that redeem is my word for 2012. Knowing myself, I know that reminders of my plan will be important, at least until I make the habit my own.


I made letter beads to spell my word, and put them into a bracelet. Colorwise, it is almost monotone, which is not my usual. But, the good side to that is that the palette is pretty neutral, so I will be able to wear it with most anything.

I found the twisted bugle beads and the bi-cone crystals (khaki AB) in the stash, and they were a great match to my letter beads. See the small disc beads on the bugle bead strand? The holes are larger than the bugle beads, so the discs slide back and forth in their sections. It adds some movement to the bracelet. I like that!

Do you need a helpful reminder of your new year's resolution yet?
Use your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 3:45 PM 0 creative thoughts
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White Heart Beads

by Kim

 Once in awhile I hit on something that is just fabulous. Don't you LOVE when that happens to you? I made these beads and a bracelet using them for Bead Design Studio Magazine. They featured the bracelet in the December issue, and there are downloadable instructions on their web site.


If you are following trends for fashion and jewelry, you will see fringe is definitely on the list. 




Most of the fringe jewelry I see is very hippie-like, including bead fringe, and I wanted something more up to date. So, I included the faceted, shiny metal beads and glow-y white heart beads.


For those of you making your own lampwork beads, the instructions for making the white heart beads are in the new February issue.


If you do not make your own beads, but would like to make the bracelet, head over to my Etsy shop for the beads. <------- Look over to the left column on this blog. I am offering the set of white heart beads not only in the featured blue, but in some other beautiful colors.  


Use your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 2:57 PM 18 creative thoughts
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No Tools Needed Button Bracelet

by Kim

Lately, I have been finding some gorgeous button bracelets online. If you search through Etsy and Pinterest, you will find some nice examples. I have made button bracelets in the past, and have not been completely happy with them. It is hard to wire the buttons close enough to the links so they don't flop around when worn. 

And then. It came to me. I present to you now, a super simple way to make a great button bracelet!

Part 1


Part 2


My mind is picturing all of the fabulous buttons available and how they would look in bracelets.  Hope yours is too.  


Take your Vitamin C!

Sumo's Sweet StuffSomewhat Simple Weekend Bloggy ReadingTip Junkie handmade projects

Posted by Kim at 11:48 PM 14 creative thoughts
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Miscellane-ick

by Kim


 Pronounced miss el ay knee ick. More on that later. The girls came over today. We knitted. It was their first time.  

 I admit, I am not a great knitting teacher. But, we managed. It was fun to see their progress.


 They did not get too far, but they did learn casting on, knitting and casting off, so they can go home and do it on their own.



After knitting, we dumped out a couple containers of horrible beads. I cannot say why I save the bead failures, but I do. My nieces used to like to pick through them. The rule is that you can take anything from the bad beads, but you are not allowed to say who made them. Hence, the not-close up photo. 


The best part of the process is that the bad bead collection has a new name. It is miscellane-ick...sort of miscellaneous but also a big pile of ick.


Share your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 6:09 PM 3 creative thoughts
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Plan B

by Kim

 Plan A hardly ever comes to fruition for me. So, when Plan B takes shape, it usually feels right. I had mental plans to make bell shaped flowers for my next column in Bead Design Studio, using cone shaped mandrels.  However, I could not get the mandrels in time. So, plan B stepped in.


I used a regular mandrel and these turned out more delicate than anything I could have created on the cone mandrel. And I like them! They look like little twirling crinolines. They are for the wedding issue, but I think in brighter colors, they would look nice for every day projects.


P.S. Check out my free project on Bead Design Studio: http://www.beaduniquemag.com/projects/index.shtml




Go Vitamin B! 

Posted by Kim at 5:34 PM 2 creative thoughts
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Fabric Bible Cover

by Kim

To help me remember my word for 2012, redeem, I did a little project tonight. It took me about 30 minutes.

 This is a pocket size Bible. I have carried it in my purse for years.  Looks like it, right? It is well used. 


 This piece of fabric has been calling me from the stash.

 Using Mod Podge, I covered the bible with the fabric. I applied one coat to glue the fabric down, and two coats to seal the fabric. Once the Mod Podge is dry, it is very easy to trim the fabric with a pair of scissors, at the edge of the cover.


Then I covered a small piece of heavy watercolor paper with another piece of fabric, and added a border of rick rack.


Using a glue gun, I glued it to the front. With a white paint pen, I wrote my word. It will be a great reminder every time I take it out of my purse. And, it looks a little better, I think.

Use your Vitamin C to help you with your 2012 resolutions, whatever they are!


Posted by Kim at 10:17 PM 0 creative thoughts
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I Hereby Resolve

by Kim

Guess we are all thinking, at least a little, about the year to come and what we would like to accomplish. It seems my thought process is different every year. Maybe, the difference is due to how tired I am vs. how much energy I have on the last day of the year.  Some years I pick one thing I would like to accomplish during the new year. Sometimes I make a crazy list of resolutions ...which maybe are more like dreams than real plans. Looking back, those end of year resolutions are a good roadmap to the status of my head and heart each year.

This year, I read this blog post by Quinn McDonald, and I have been thinking about it for a couple weeks. I don't think it is a new concept, but it makes sense for me this year. Quinn suggests choosing one word for the year that will be a watchword, a goal, a direction. She says it should be a chewy word.

My chewy word is Redeem, which came to mind when I read this verse about the same time I read the blog post:

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (KJV)

From a more modern version:
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

A quick search of the greek word for redeeming (exagorazo), shows it to mean "to buy up for oneself." So, this is how I see it. Everything I have is God given, and I have much. How can I use what I have been given to make the most of those opportunities? I have been given health, intelligence, experiences, skills, time, and more. My hope is twofold: that I will come to recognize all of the gifts I have been given, and that I will find great ways to redeem them.

I will be thinking a lot about this in the coming days, but for now, Happy New Year!!  I hear the fireworks in the distance and am glad I am not in Texas where they shoot guns.

How will I redeem my Vitamin C?
Stay tuned.

Posted by Kim at 12:01 AM 1 creative thoughts
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