The Crafting Frenzy . . .

Most of the week has been spent making jewelry for Crafty Wonderland on Sunday . . .


Like these memory jewelry pendants with bird collages . . . I still need to add beads on some of them.


And these recycled rubber bicycle inner tube bracelets . . . a few of them are printed with my own designs like an octopus . . . and another with a tree . . . I've been doing some of my own drawings and getting rubber stamps made of them. I'm also using a few stamps from angel companies - those that allow you to hand-stamp items using their images and sell them. I think a few of these may need some metal studs to finish them out.

I'm excited to see what kind of response I get - it's been a long time since I've done a big craft show! Cross your fingers for me!

Double DEMO!: Part 3, Recycled Bike Inner Tube Earrings

EARRINGS

You will need: bicycle inner tube, sharp scissors, masking tape, StazOn Opaque ink, rubber stamps, two kidney earring wires, two small beads, Bead Fix glue (optional), 1/8" hole punch or sharp craft knife, small pliers.

Visit Part One of this DEMO for more information on finding materials and preparing your inner tubes for making into jewelry. This is just one of the many techniques I cover in my Junk Drawer Jewels class, and is the project I demonstrated recently on AM Northwest - click here to see the video.

Start by picking out a couple of rubber stamps - for this earring design, I chose two text patterns - one sort of big and loose (below) and another one that was much smaller and more dense.


Take a clean piece of rubber - one that's about 4" wide and 5" long will work well, though you can use almost any size. Tape it down to your stamping surface using masking tape. Stretch it a bit to get it to lay flat. For my stamping surface, I use a piece of friendly foam stapled to cardboard - fancy! Ink up your stamp with StazOn Opaque ink, and stamp away! Tip: The interior of the inner tube will provide a smoother stamping surface, but the exterior is generally a darker black, leading to higher contrast. You can also stamp both sides for a reversible bracelet!


Next, I made some leaf-shaped templates from paper. You can also cut one free-hand, and then use it as a pattern for your second one.


Either way, you need to end up with two leaf shapes of about the same size and shape. These are about 1 1/2 " long.


Next, cut some diamond/fountain pen-tip shaped pieces from the contrasting stamped rubber. This piece features a stamp of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Again, you can use a template or cut them free-hand. I made these shapes about 1" long.


Now, you should have two larger leaf shapes and two smaller contrasting shapes. Hopefully, yours aren't as blurry!


Next, stack the shapes so that the small shape is on top and the shapes are aligned in a pleasing way.


Using a 1/8" hole punch, punch tiny holes in the top of the rubber shapes. If you do not have a tiny hole punch, you can use a sharp craft knife to cut a tiny hole in the rubber.


Next, trim the tops around the hole. I like to round the edges, and leave only a narrow border around the hole.


Now slide the pieces onto the kidney wire.


And slip the pieces to rest in the notch loop at the base of the kidney wire. If it doesn't fit, trim the edges a bit more.


Using small pliers, crimp the notch loop closed.


Now, slip a bead on the kidney wire, ending so that it rests on top of the rubber pieces and the notch loop.



You can put a drop of Bead Fix glue inside the bead to hold it in position, or you can just let it float.


And you're done!

Option: Why not add the rubber bands from your produce into the mix? It's a whole new reason to buy fresh broccoli!

Be sure to visit Part Two of this DEMO to learn how to apply these techniques to make bracelets!

Double DEMO!: Part 2, Recycled Bicycle Inner Tube Bracelet

BRACELET

You will need: bicycle inner tube, StazOn Opaque stamping ink, rubber stamps, scissors, masking tape, snap setter, snaps

Visit Part One of this DEMO for information on where to find materials and tips on preparing your recycled bicycle inner tubes for jewelry-making. This is also one of the many techniques I cover in my found object jewelry-making class, Junk Drawer Jewels.

Start by picking out some fun rubber stamps - I tend to like ones that create textures, broad patterns, or have an image that can be easily repeated, like these birds (and the swirls that appear later on) from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz collection.


To start, take your clean piece of rubber and make sure it's big enough to fit around your wrist with about an inch of overlap. You want it to be a little loose - tight rubber is generally not that comfortable (unless you're into sweaty wrists!). I find that starting with a piece that's about 3" wide and 8"-9" long works very well. Tape it down to your stamping surface using masking tape. Stretch it a bit to get it to lay flat. For my stamping surface, I use a piece of friendly foam stapled to cardboard - fancy! Ink up your stamp with StazOn Opaque ink, and stamp away! Tip: The interior of the inner tube will provide a smoother stamping surface, but the exterior is generally a darker black, leading to higher contrast. You can also stamp both sides for a reversible bracelet!


The ink will take about 5 minutes to dry. Once it's dry, trim the edges and get a good fit around your wrist. Remember that you'll want about an inch of overlap.


Now, get your snap setter ready to go! I recommend using Dritz prong snap size 25, Snap Source prong snap size 16, or other similarly sized snaps. Instruction for setting the snaps will be included in the package.

Details: There will be four pieces that make up each snap - two pieces that form the male, bottom, or attaching part of the snap; and two pieces that form the female, top, or attaching part of the snap. The female, or top, part of the snap will be the part with the decorative cover. The two parts of the male snap and the two parts of the female snap each sandwich one part of the material that you will be connecting. If that was confusing, here's a nice snap tutorial - I'm using the ones with prongs!

I start by putting in the male, or bottom, parts of the snap on first. You will want the little "stud" that forms the snap connection to be on the same side of the rubber as the image.



Once your snap parts are in the setter, position the snap setter on the rubber and squeeze to set the male, or bottom, snaps on the bracelet!


Do this twice, and you have two male, or bottom, parts of the snap attached to your bracelet! Now, you want to attach the snap tops.


Now, wrap the bracelet around your wrist to get a feel for how much you want it to overlap for a good fit. Take it off, close it up, and use the studs from the snap bottoms pressing into the overlapping rubber to mark where the snap tops need to go. As you set up your snap setter, you will want the decorative part of the snap to be on the topside, or decorated side, of the rubber bracelet. Tip: You can use a silver Sharpie to make visible marks for snap placement, as well as to add freehand decoration to the bracelet!


Center your loaded snap setter over the marks you've made, squeeze, repeat, and you have closure!


Next, trim the corners so that they're rounded and don't poke you as you wear the bracelet.

And you're done!


Option: You can also tape the rubber down to a cutting mat and cut patterns out using a very sharp craft knife, as I did with the bracelet in the center.

Now, go to Part Three of this DEMO for ideas on using these techniques to make earrings!

Double DEMO!: Part 1, Recycled Bike Inner Tube Jewelry

Today, you're getting a double DEMO - Bracelets and Earrings - broken into several parts for easier loading (though I couldn't seem to get them in the right order)! And, yes, they're both made from that most lovely of bike repair discards - old inner tubes. Got a flat tire? Make jewelry!

This DEMO includes the step-by-step for the project that I demonstrated yesterday on AM Northwest - you can click over to watch the video. Diane over at CraftyPod was also kind enough to highlight this project, along with the projects of some other great local crafters appearing on the show this week!



Part Two includes the instructions for bracelets, while Part Three includes all the instructions for earrings! Included in this post is all the info you need to gather and prepare your materials.

MATERIALS

I gather my raw tubular materials from local bike repair shops (usually happy to see good use made of their discards - the folks over at City Bikes Coop were kind enough to donate this batch!). Sometimes, you can also find them at SCRAP.

I also make good use of StazOn Opaque stamping ink in Cotton White. Locally, I get them at collage, but it looks like you can get them on-line here (disclaimer: I've never ordered from these folks!). No matter which project you do, you'll want a pair of sharp scissors.

For the bracelet, the snaps and snap setter I'm using are from one of my favorite local fabric stores, Fabric Depot (though they don't carry them on the website). Any local fabric store should have a good assortment - I recommend using Dritz snap size 25, Snap Source size 16, or other similarly sized snaps. Instruction for setting the snaps will be included in the package.

For the earrings, I'm using kidney wires and small beads, both available on-line from Rings & Things. You'll also need a small pair of pliers. Bead Fix glue (also available from Rings & Things) is optional.

GENERAL PREPARATION

No matter which jewelry project you do, some basic preparation is in order:

Start by cutting the tubing into manageable chunks. I find that 6" to 12" pieces make a manageable start. 9" is about all you'll need for a bracelet, and by 12" it can get really tough to lay the rubber flat for working.

I cut my tubes open along the outer edge, though you can also cut along the inner edge. The pieces will lay differently each way, and I just find that they lay a little flatter if I cut along the outer edge.


When you open it up, there will probably be a whitish powder inside. Wash this off with dish soap and a scrubby sponge. Let the pieces dry flat on a towel, or wipe them dry, and you're ready to go! Visit Part Two to make bracelets, or Part Three to make earrings!

Nest Head

I've certainly had days like this. Fortunately, today was not one of them. The ennui is fading, and I'm starting to feel energized again! I'm not teaching at all during January - I've got too much work scheduled for the Other Part of my Brain - so the drawing a day (along with some classes I'll be taking) will serve as my creative accountability.

And, I've got a few cool links to share!

For you Portland folks, the main library downtown is featuring a mail art show! I didn't pull it together to participate (it wasn't juried, making it a great opportunity for the entire community to participate), but am excited to visit - Diane over at DIY Alert talked about it on her Cool Places Alert blog this week, and gave some great links to learn more about mail art.

I'm also very excited about the up and coming jewelry exhibits at The Museum of Contemporary Craft here in Portland - Touching Warms the Art and Framing: The Art of Jewelry. Both look like they're set to open January 19th, but get this - visitors get to touch and even try on the jewelry created for the Touching Warms the Art exhibit - I cannot tell you how much this thrills me. I am thinking about becoming a member of the museum just so that I can crash the pre-opening gala! (Although it's not really crashing if I'm a member and have an invite, is it?) It also looks like the jewelry is made from a lot of found, recycled, and non-precious materials - something that appeals to me. I'm going to be reworking my Toolbox Jewels class into Junk Drawer Jewels - incorporating more different types of found objects into the workshop.
And last but not least, my friend Mark Silver of Heart of Business publishes an e-newsletter that is full of wonderful information for the spiritually-minded entrepreneur, folks who want to "make a difference and a profit." His newsletter this week was about creativity - and he hit on a really important point: it takes quiet time in order to turn around and have productive time. You have to allow yourself times to be fallow or to simply be quiet and reflective in order to be creative. If you want to read the whole article, go here.

And perhaps that is part of the purpose of post-holiday ennui: my mind forcing me to rest, to contemplate . . .

Dealing with Disappointment

I found out a few days ago that I did not get into Junk to Funk. And, my Toolbox Jewels class on Saturday didn't get enough registrants to run. (added: though I must say thank you to Sister Diane for mentioning it - along with a lot of other great classes at DIY Lounge at Collage on her most excellent blog at DIY Alert!)

That said, I got to go on a lovely walk yesterday, and do a bit of shopping at Trillium Artisans instead of teaching. And as much as I love teaching, it was nice to spend a laid-back day with The Sweetie. . . . And I'm thinking about switching up Toolbox Jewels, maybe calling it Junk Drawer Gems, and incorporating more found object elements . . . making it two days. I've been inspired by the book Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects by Marthe Le Van, and I've always loved the work of Susan Lenart Kazmer. Maybe the class needs to be more challenging . . .

And, I'm planning on attending Junk to Funk wearing the outfit I made, and it'll be fun to be there just as an observer . . . of course, my brain is whirring about a bigger, better, more intensely recycled ensemble for next year . . . perhaps inspired by the lushly draped designs of Poiret?

This is from the Catalog of the Poiret Exhibit at the Met earlier this year . . . Ah, Joy. One of my all-time favorite designers . . . Here's a video from the exhibit . . . and here's a bunch of goodies from the Met website.

So - how does a girl deal with disappointment? Shopping, reading, hanging with The Sweetie - and dreaming about jewelry and clothes, of course! Shoes - now that's pulling out the big guns . . .

(added: Of course, another way to deal with disappointment is to remember all the things that are going really well! Sometimes, this is tough for the artist/control freak . . . but Gretchin and I have sold out the upcoming Creating Wordwear workshop . . . we may need to run another one before Valentine's Day! Let us know if you might be interested . . . )

Toolbox Jewels

These are a few of the pieces I finished up yesterday as new samples for Toolbox Jewels - the first one actually uses little bits of a crushed headlight that I found on my street when I was walking up to refill my Diet Coke at Taco Del Mar. The first two both incorporate spiral paper clips (a little one and a big one) that I got at Collage, as well as a nylon washer-thingie that I can't remember where I got! And the big fender washers aren't really rusted - alcohol inks!
This one is a slightly more traditional interpretation - a little bit delicate even - some glass and stone beads from Beads at Dusti Creek mixed with tiny nuts and washers . . . . I'm thinking I may make myself one that mixes turquoise beads with nuts and washers . . .

The Sweetie is here for the weekend, and dragged me out of the house for a walk, which turned into driving to check out a sale at I've Been Framed - a great discount art store here in Portland, close to 50th and SE Foster - no web site per se, but here's some shots of what they have . . . I was very excited about stretched canvases on sale - especially the ones that are extra deep so that you can put niches in them, like I learned how to do in Diane Down's Art and Soul class . . . hmmmm . . . I feel a series coming on!

Papel Picado

Hola! Last night for Day of the Dead, my crafty campadre in crime, Jojo came over and we made decorative Mexican paper cutouts - Papel Picado. (Thanks again for the research and the patterns, Jojo!). We both started out making cutouts from a pre-made pattern, and then, for our next batch, we adapted the designs and made our own! I made a pattern with birds and a skull . . . two of my favorite things. The challenge was to look at the negative space, and figure out how much paper to leave so that the little banner held together - they're made from tissue paper which is pretty delicate . . . today, it's back to work making more samples for my upcoming Toolbox Jewels class . . .