Horse Hair Bracelets

My newest endeavor:  Horse Hair Bracelets!

My daughter's teacher had to put down her sick horse a few weeks ago.  She thought it would be nice to have a bracelet made from his hair as a memento.  She knew that Dria and I had been making jewelry together so asked  if we could help.  Let me tell you, it was quite challenging.  For one, we were used to working with beads and wire.  Doing some research I had found some tutorials on how to make the bracelets from horse hair.  Only, neither of us could braid a round braid.  That made it difficult as the end caps we had were circular.  Finally, after many less than terrific attempts, I found some end caps with flat rectangular openings---like the shape of the flat braid we were trying to fit into them.  Alas, some success.  Although this is not my finest work I am fairly pleased with the last one I completed (the one with the belt buckle clasp).

Steampunk Charm Swap

A quick blog post today showing you some charms I made for a swap on a yahoo group I belong to.  We had to make eight each of two designs.  Already sent mine in but made an extra each for myself---here they are.  I stamped the gear onto a metal round with Stazon ink.  Used paper from an old math book for the background paper in that charm as well.  The bottle is simply filled with tiny watch parts.  I call it "Time in a Bottle."  One of those is going on my Etsy shop.  

I also made some steampunk angel ornaments unrelated to this swap but if you want to see them they are on the previous post :)

Supplies/Tools:

tiny light bulbs

Technique Tuesday gear stamp

Stazon Jet Black Ink pad

jump rings/clasps

metal rounds

Blue Moon Connectors

tiny glass bottles w/corks

eye screws

E6000 glue

tiny watch parts

old paper from math book

Steampunk Angel Ornaments

Hello All, I know---haven't posted in awhile.  Doesn't mean I haven't been creative, though!  I really wanted to do an Angel Steampunk theme for Christmas.  This is what I came up with:

Okay, so again---having problems with blogger rotating the pics back to their original direction even though I changed this in Photoshop.  Anyone know a way around this please feel free to let me know!

Back to the ornaments.  Obviously, I have been on a jewelry tangent lately.  Dria and I have been making jewelry together the past couple of weeks.  We even made some bracelets out of horse hair (long story I will save for another post).  These ornaments just sort of evolved.  As I said, I have been thinking about an Angel Steampunk theme so I made myself a necklace with pieces I have honestly had laid out on one of my work spaces in my craft studio for months! Once I made one I had to make 3 more, each a bit different dependent on what I had in my stash.  Then I made them into ornaments using fragment charms, alcohol ink and a Gears Stamp by Technique Tuesday using a technique featured on Tim Holtz' tag #5.  Really cool technique where Archival ink actually removes the alcohol ink---go check it out!

Once completed I just had to make containers for them (it's all about presentation, right?)  Yup, those are re-purposed embossing folder packages.  All I had to do was cut and emboss matching paper to have as a background.  Each Angel has a lobster clasp on it so it can be taken off the ornament to wear as a necklace.  Love this dual purpose ornament!  Fun little pressies for friends!

I am linking them to the following challenges:
Flutter By Wednesday's
Let's Ink it Up: Christmas Projects
The Artistic Stamper:  Christmas
Just Some Lines:  Handmade Gifts
My Sheri CRAFTS:  Decorate for Christmas




Hope you like them.  Will most likely be putting one in my Etsy shop very soon..............

Supplies/Tools:
Cuttlebug Gears Embossing Folder
Alcohol Inks
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Fragment Charms
jump rings
jewelry gears
ball chain
Gear Stamp by Technique Tuesday
Ranger Archival Ink pad
Blue Moon Face beads
heart wing charms
various Industrial Chic charms (forming bodice of Angel)
spacer beads
copper metal sheets
Alterations ATC die by Tim Holtz from Sizzix
lobster clasps
copper wire