Fun Swag Crafts…

soooo … I have been doing a Blog Block Party with RRBC (Rave Reviews Book Club)… great post by bloggers, authors, and all manner of peeps… and I wanted to offer something new as a prize this time… over course I have some of my bracelets and earrings to pick from, but I wanted to add some new fun swag…

I broke out my tools, added some keychain rings and some chain…. and wha-la…

so far I have five keychains with various charms… I just need to add sayings in the bottle cap charms…

so that has been my art project this month… if you guys want a chance to win a keychain or bracelet/earrings, I am scheduled as one of the stops on the RRBC block party on the 29th, over at my book blog Finder’s Keepers Series … I will have a character interview with Marin from my Finder’s Keepers Series… Makayla (also from the books) did an interview on the 5th over on my author site Finder’s Keepers – Author Tracey Clark …

but I’m not the only one will cool prizes and posts… check out the RRBC Block Party line up… there are stops every day this month… alright guys… that’s all for now…

Best Earrings Yet…

these things are sooooo dang cute… by far, my faves…. they have a hoop of beads with a dangly flower in the middle… mom suggest I do this with some of the baby bling… I immediately pictured one of the strollers dangling in the middle… like  rock-a-bye baby earrings… 😛

most of ya have probably seen what I needed to make these earrings, but I thought I would throw it in here again for anyone new dropping by… you need wire (not too soft), wire cutters and rounded pliers, charms & beads, and the post of your choice… woo who…

see ya later guys, tracey

Pretty in Pink

muhahaha… I am not usually a pink gal, but I found these big marble pieces to work with… but I didn’t want to make bracelets made only of them… so I used them as connector pieces…

the hole is big enough that I could thread the string through the hole when I finished the first strand, and started on the second…

later guys, tracey

Adult vs Kiddie

sad but true… most adults prefer a more plain look to their clothes and jewelry … lol… kids are still experimenting… deciding what they love to look at and wear… by the time we reach adulthood, most of us have our favorites… mine is purple, but I also love mixtures of color…

that’s part of the reason I love crackle glass beads… or the ones that have a marble top look… I call this my MS bracelet… 😛 orange is the Multiple Sclerosis color for ribbons… it isn’t my normal go to color, but this is one of my favorite bracelets…

Kids bracelets are always fun to make… sometimes more so than the adult versions… with the kid bracelets you can be as crazy as you want, like working on an abstract painting… lol… those are great…

always mix and match your beads until you have a look that works for you… later guys, tracey

Soothing Creations

I love for my beads to have that marbled look… it opens up the possibilities to mix them with both light and dark colors… each bracelet I make has some element that speaks to me… if it looks cheap or boring to me, why in the heck would I expect someone to buy it… I wouldn’t… and if I wont wear it, and no one else is picking up for a gift or for themselves, then I am just wasting my time…

always makes something that you love… I know that everyone has differing likes and dislikes, but I can only make what appeals to me on some level… it’s like a chef… if they love food, they want it to taste delicious, and their best dish will be something they have been making over and over again for themselves… know what you like, try to branch out, and always try new things… in the end you will make something that you and everyone else will love…

keep it simple, mix and match, add some connector and decorative items… playing with your beads can be stressful or soothing, hopefully more soothing than anything else… make sure you have enough light to work by, cause low lighting makes those tiny holes a pain in the arse to get your elastic string through…

have fun, and create … later guys, tracey

Making the most

okay… you guys are probably tired of my beaded bracelet posts… lol… but they are my go to art project when I want to relax… after this one, I promise… just one more on beaded bracelets this month…

this one is about making the most out of the beads you cant see making an entire bracelet out of … hmmmm … why would you even buy these??? especially when you can make simple and easy???

those bracelets are beautiful, but having something a little different can be just as inspiring… plus… different stands out… if you can make something that is different and beautiful, you have made something great

I took beads that I would choose to wear by themselves… but once I mixed them with some other beads and used them as connectors, I had bracelets that I loved and would be happy to wear…

later guys, tracey…

Preggo Bling… :P

I am still working on (@$#^%^@W%#$ – its a secret… muhahaha) but I wanted my cuz Erin to have some Preggo Bling so I came up with these… there are some really cute baby charms out there… but these are two of my faves…

if you look hard enough, and price shop, you can find just about anything … I tend to get sucked in, with no hope of ever stopping, when I start searching for charms… lol…

okay… this is a short one… check out the Ear-ring post to see how I made these… it is easy if you have patience and a steady hand… two things I usually have trouble with… later guys… tracey

Mix and Match

Mix and match your bracelet designs… if you have been to your local arts and crafts store, you know that the variety of beads is heady… there are so many to choose from… mom wanted a simple feel, but look at the wavy clear beads… those are so cool, and yet very simple… since these bracelets were made for mom’s taste, there isn’t a lot of varying beads thrown in, and still they look great…

when you work on your bracelets, just remember to have fun with the beads… like this one…

get the wild, the plain, the sparkle, and the solids… and mix them until you see something you love… later guys…tracey

Ear-ring

making these dangly earrings was both hard and easy… the concept is simple enough… it is the steady hand and patience that might make you want to scream… okay…. make me scream…

first you gather up your tools and materials… you need wire (not too soft), wire cutters and some rounded needle nose pliers… pick out the type of post you want to use, and some charms … and I added some beads…

I did my best to make the wire tight when is circled/knotted through the circles of the post and the charm… and wow was that a pain in the arse… but if you have time, a steady hand, and the ability not to get aggravated… you can make your own jewelry, no matter what type of pretties you want to accent your outfit… even better, you can find post in different shades of metal, and (not 100% sure) I think you can find gold/or gold plated posts… very cool….

I have another piece in the works, one that is a little more complex, but it isn’t done yet… I may have to finish it next week… right now it is driving me crazy…

later guys, tracey…

beware the dragon… muhahaha

some time ago I went to DragonCon… one of the venders had a necklace with a pendant that I just had to have…

it is a little hard to see in this photo, but it is a dragon in a circle… I would love to learn how to make something similar…

lol… I told you all my horrible first attempts at working with polymer clay… who knew that overcooked clay will blacken and grow, looking like large lumps of clay-coal… very frightening… and the smoke/fumes… omg… I am just happy that I thought ahead and started my project in the garage…

so here is my first successful attempt at making my own little dragon…

lol… I love him… but I would have used different colors if I knew that it would work this time… or maybe tried to have him in a different position… frankly, I thought I would end up with another clay-coal-rock… but now I just need to coat him in a clear resin to make him sturdier… but I think I will keep him for myself, not making him into a pendant … 😛 kinda like pinning my first dollar on the wall… woo who… later guys, tracey