Leather bracelets........

Oh yah! Leather bracelet love!  I've been busy with my newest obsession!

If you want to grab one for yourself head on over to:

Honey Girl Studio Jewelry 

April Showers......

Did you get an April Fool's joke played on you today?  Well, this is no joke.....the April Showers kit is in the Hidden Vintage Studios shop over at Deviant Scrap.

I made this collage with the elements from the kit.  The watercolored background is from Holliewood Studio's "Enchanted" kit @ Deviant Scrap.

This is a physical piece I made with the kit elements........

Speaking of rain.  I call this necklace "the rainball".  You can find it here.

You can also find this leather distressed bird here.

That's all for now.......spring has sprung!

Skeleton Key Bracelets......

I love old skeleton keys......big ones, small ones, flat ones....it doesn't matter, I like them all!  I use them in my jewelry in a sort of melding together of the new and the old.  I've used them in necklace designs now for a few years and always wanted to make them into bracelets.  Finally I got the chance! There are many steps to bending and polishing one of these babies! My wonderful husband torched, bent and drilled them for me.  I polished and beaded them.  

 Here are the steps:

 Step 1:  Gather your materials...a Nap Gas torch, a piece of metal pipe about the size of your wrist, a bucket of water, a Dremel Tool,  fine steel wool and a flat head hammer, drill with small bit, and two sets of long nose pliers.

 Step 2:  Hold one end of the key with the long nose pliers and heat the middle of the key until it turns RED then quickly place it over the metal pipe and tap one end of the key to make it slightly bend.

 Step 3:  Switch pliers to the other side of the key and heat the middle to the end until it glows RED then quickly place it over the pipe and tap it with the hammer until it slightly bends at the other end.  I don't need to tell you to not to touch the key as it is super hot....."don't touch the key"!

 Step 4:  Repeat Steps 2 & 3 if you need more of a bend.  If you are happy with the bend in the key then drop it into a bucket of water to quench it.  Leave it in there for about 5 minutes then take it out and dry it off.  At this point you will notice that the torching has left a grey scale all over it.

 Step 5:  Take your Dremel Tool with a grinding nub and sand/grind off the grey scale until it is shiny. I left some areas dark in the creases of the metal to give it a patina.  Next buff with fine steel wool.

Step 6:  Drill a small hole in the end of the key where the little hickey sticks out (the part that goes into the key hole).

Step 6.5:  Bead as you see fit!
These babies are over at Honey Girl Studio Jewelry if you'd like to call one your very own!

Summer 2011 Jewelry Is Here!

It's here! Summer 2011 Honey Girl Studio Jewelry!

Just a little sneak-peek! Go to my Honey Girl Studio Jewelry to get the particulars.

Girls on vacation........

Feeling crabby? Then you need a leather, shell and glass bead necklace!

Her real name was Violet but her friends called her Poppy!  Art pendant on glass bead and coral bead necklace.

Many Peppers & Still More Summer!

I don't like to brag or anything but my peppers I planted in my pots are beating Gary's peppers in the raised garden bed! Yahoo! Check out these Cubanella peppers.....

How about these hot banana peppers? I planted four plants in this pot and I counted 32 peppers with still more blossoms! These are so good stuffed with spicy turkey sausage.

Here comes August!!!! We still have more summer left and as August the month for beach vacations so in honor of August, I broke out the sea glass. You can find these wire wrapped sea glass necklaces over at Honey Girl Studio Jewelry.

I found this short poem about August that I really like by R. Combe Miller

August
Fairest of the months!
Ripe summer's queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleem with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear

This charm bracelet is made with new teal batik fabric I got last week. I love the deep blue color.

I think Shakespeare put it best with this quote, "Summer's lease hath all too short a date". Enjoy the last one third of summer!

Driftin' Toward Summer........

Memorial Day is next Monday and I'm driftin' into summer with my newest Beachy Bohemian Jewelry creations.

This bracelet reminds me of the ocean with floating green sea glass and white fluffy clouds floating overhead.

Another braclet inspired by the colors of water and sky. It has glass seed beads, shell, fresh water pearls, an aqua square ceramic bead and handmade fabric cord.

This necklace has been created with 3 fiber cords, a suede cord, tiny seed beads are sewn onto one of the fabric cords. The danglies hanging above the shell are wood and bone beads along with orange sponge coral beads. This one is my favorite!

Fibers.........fibers...........fibers...........fabric..........seed beads.............

I wire wrapped this antiqued metal cross with silver wire and stone chips and nestled it into a shell.

Can't you just picture this necklace with a cute sundress? or tank and shorts?

If you're interested in any of these pieces, they are available, just give me an email shout!

A Filing Cabinet Brain.....

I've been experimenting with fiber and making my own cord out of strips of material. I don't know about you but I have a "filing cabinet" type of brain, meaning that I see something I like and I file it away deep in the inner recesses of my brain only to have it resurface at some strange time, sometimes even many years later.......Such is the idea for the fabric cording! I remember seeing a fiber art display at a modern art museum many, many years ago with a necklace made from about 50 fabric cords and last week while I was driving to work that memory resurfaced.
Suddenly I'm driving down route 82 designing a necklace in my mind!

And, this is the end result of my filing cabinet brain, resurfacing ideas, a long drive to work!
The necklace is made up of 2 plain fabric cords, one cord with tiny seed beads sewn on it, one cotton string with antiqued bone beads, one knotted cotton string with wooden beads on it, a leather hand painted heart, silver metal charm, tiny shell and orange fresh water pearl. It measures 16 inches.

Does anybody else out there have a filing cabinet brain? :-)

Wishing Upon a Retro Star.........

How would you like to sit on a star...........

If I could wish on a star and have it come true, I'd wish for a tiny studio like this one. Isn't it cute? I think my head would just clear the top of this door (I'm 5'8"), it's that tiny!
This is my newest creation.......a cuff bracelet made of material with a snap closure embellished with lace, fibers, glass beads, and antique buttons. I really like the unusual shape of the shell button.


How about that antique button that looks like a diamond? I got it with 6 others at an antique show.
More pendants in the Jingle All the Way Home Shop..................These ones have a retro feel. There's just something about those 50s and 60s Christmas illustrations that I love. You just don't get the same look in present day Christmas illustration.

Little flat backed glass marbles embellished with glitter! Are you an elf lover?

Have a happy Thursday!