Why Should Christmas Have All the Fun?

by Kim

 I have collected a bunch of Christmas ornaments that look great in Girl World. It might be weird, but I do not decorate for Christmas. I leave my ornaments out all year. You could look at it that I decorate for Christmas all year long, or my ornaments are not Christmas ornaments. Or. You could just like it for what it is, like I do.


 I am really liking the branch-in-the-house thing right now. I have one in the living room and now I am adding one to Girl World. Here is my nice branch from Dad's backyard.


 I wanted to spray it silver. Santa Claus gave me this really cool spray can thing. It goes on the top of the can and you squeeze the trigger to spray. I love it. I could spray all day. And it makes a very even coat of color. My fingers don't get tired or coated with paint. You need one.


 Sprayed silver. It is very pretty in person.

 Wired to the ceiling in Girl World.....It isn't heavy, so I used a couple pieces of craft wire.


Holding my sparkly ornaments. I need more to fill it up!


P.S. If you are tall, you are going to have to duck a bit. :)


Use your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 3:09 PM 0 creative thoughts
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Free Project Instructions: Bird on a Branch Necklace

by Kim

 I have been playing with these simple, yet funky little birds. It makes you smile, right? Combined with a branch and a single leaf, they make a nice pendant for a necklace. The only technique you need to know is wrapping a loop. The rest are kindergarden skills.


Supplies you need:

  • lampwork beads: bird, branch, leaf (find them in sets on Etsy)
  • 1 yard plus 6" silver wire, 16 or 18 gauge (I used silver plate wire)
  • 6" lime green embroidery floss
  • silk ribbon or cord for necklace (mine is on brown silk ribbon)
  • size 8 seed beads: transparent lime green
Tools:
  • ruler
  • flush cutters
  • round nose pliers
  • scissors
  • pen or pencil

 Instructions:
1. Wrap a loop at bottom of 6" length of wire. String on the branch and the bird beads. Wrap a loop at top of beads.


 2. Wrap 1 yard length of wire around pen or pencil,  forming a long spiral. String bird/branch section on spiral. Wind it on wire to center of spiral.


 3. Knot leaf to bottom loop of bird/branch section using floss. Trim floss ends.
  
4. String several seed beads on both sides of spiral. Wind beads on wire to get desired coverage. Tuck wire ends inside spiral.


5. String ribbon or cord through spiral. Tie around neck at desired length.


Happy spring! If you do something else cute with this set of beads, let me see!


Take your Vitamin C...
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Posted by Kim at 4:24 PM 0 creative thoughts
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Spring Button Bracelet

by Kim

We have had the most disappointing winter this year. I have kept the hope alive for at least one awesome snowfall, but no such luck for me. So, Uncle! I am giving up and proceeding toward spring. My daffodils are up about 4", so spring must be here. Ridiculous.


So, I used some fun, flowery Blumenthal Lansing buttons to make a button bracelet. It was super quick and easy, using a technique that requires no tools. Go here to see video instructions to make one yourself.


Use your Vitamin C!
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/02/20/made-by-you-monday-88/
Tip Junkie handmade projects
http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/02/riverton-houseswives-round-up-5.htmlHookingupwithHoH

Posted by Kim at 5:37 PM 2 creative thoughts
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New Colors

by Kim

There has been a resurgence of beadmaking over here. And since it has been a dog's age since I bought glass, I treated myself to some new colors. Not new colors, but new colors for me. I got some nice grays since gray is an important neutral right now. And I am most excited about transparent brown and transparent hot pink. The turquoises are pretty too, right?


If you don't know about lampworking, these glass rods are the glass that is used most of the time to form beads. It gets melted in a flame, and a bead is formed while the glass is molten. The rods are about the diameter of a pencil.


To the torch!

Posted by Kim at 5:08 PM 0 creative thoughts
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Umbrella Day

by Kim

Today is Umbrella Day. Not kidding. Every February 10th. I like umbrellas. They are sort of mini cozy places. And, wouldn't you know? It is a good day for an umbrella here. We have snain (half snow, half rain).

I even have a pinterest board of umbrellas.

My gift to you today, probably the best use of an umbrella. Ever.  Enjoy!........



Or, maybe you like this tribute version better (with fake tap dancing, hahahaha):


Either way, I wish you the simple joy of a walk in the rain!
Take your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 1:11 PM 0 creative thoughts
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Trendy Seed Beads

by Kim

 Every couple months, I do some jewelry trending by going to Kohls and Macys. Both have enough national brands so that when I see the same thing across many brands, I know there is some trending!


As always, I see a handful of really obvious trends. On this trip, the trends included lots of pearls, tiny tiny chains, and sparkly crystals. But, for this post, I am focusing on seed beads.





 Earrings. We also see the tiny chains in two of these.


 Bracelets.  Seed beads glued on...


 Combined with lots of other things....


Stitched in a pattern...

 On elastic....


 On memory wire...



 Necklaces.




 Good news is that making seed bead jewelry is fairly inexpensive. And the color range is huge. 


Take a jewelry trending trip yourself and see what you find.


Take Your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 11:20 PM 2 creative thoughts
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In Other CHA Randomness

by Kim

 I started the day yesterday with a special guest at my make it take it table. Mr. Levinson, he company's Chairman of the Board sat down to craft with me. He is a very interesting man, and he had his own creative ideas in making his Valentine's Day card. The best part for me was the way the Blumenthal Lansing employees hovered with cameras to take pics of him.  So Cute they were!

 This is felt from Kunin Felt. Do you love it?


I like the variety of displays and booths on the trade show floor. Some are really creative. This one, so simple, caught my eye. I like its simplicity and doodley-ness. Doodles are trendy and at the same time have a retro look that perfectly fits the product being sold in this booth.

 I had the most fun with these sisters from Quebec. I told them my 11th great Grandfather founded their city. HOOT! I could tell they thought I was a nut. They were trying hard to respond politely when I told them his name was Louis Hebert, and there is a statue of him there. Both of them made the O shape with their mouths as their eyes went wide and then they asked if they could take my picture. hahahahaa!  You have to take your 15 minutes of fame wherever you can get it!


We had dinner last night in a new restaurant called The Ranch. The walls in the entrance area were covered in hundreds of belts.  It smelled so good. The hostess told us the belts came from all over the country and had to match certain size and visual standards to be included in the wall.

Then I caught the red eye home.  5 hours of sitting next to two people hyped up on a Hawaiian vacation..... They made it their mission to not allow me to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, they asked to be let in or out of the row, or they had some weird comment to whisper in my ear (Do you think they left the lights on in the Grand Canyon tonight?), or I got a beer spilled down my leg. Yes, I was so tired I was twitching when we landed. Going away is fun, but getting home is good too.

Take Your Vitamin C!

Posted by Kim at 10:02 PM 0 creative thoughts
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