How to make a Pearl Cluster Necklace - FREE TUTORIAL!

Good Morning!
I have 15 minutes to write this post before I actually have to start work! :) So I must be quick! x

At the weekend, I came across all the supplies I needed to remake an older creation of mine...  (How cool is that? No bead purchases! The gals at "Operation: Tackle That Bead Stash" will be proud of me).

A cluster pearl necklace that I had made over a year ago, and since I found more than enough supplies to remake it, I thought whilst I am at it, I'd write a tutorial to go with it.

So - if you want to learn how I made this necklace, and if you'd like to learn how to make it too, click on the link below to fly away to it. Would love feedback, or photographs if you make it too! (I'll be well chuffed if you send me pictures!) anyhoo ... enough babble ... must start work!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TUTORIAL

Hope you like it! ♥

Quilled Earrings ... The start of an obsession maybe?

Recently, I've had quilling in my head. I have seen some really cool quilling art that has been truly inspirational. I know that if I pick up a quilling set and just get going, it's going to be a long way until I get as good as any of the things that I have pinned on my pinterest board. But, you know, you gotta start somewhere.

Even though I had bought a set with the idea of making a card for a colleague who is retiring, not suprisingly I got distracted with jewellery. (this is typical... once I concentrate on one craft, I get a craving to create with something different) But this time, they overlapped and I had inspiration to merge the two.

I have some stud earrings, that have a 12mm base diameter, I see them used for setting cabochons, buttons etc, but never before for quilling :) So, away I went with some simple circles and created these.

I got some nice postive comments, I even have an order for a pair from a colleague - and these were only experiments.

I wanted to try and do a more detailed pattern, I think practising on such a small palette will help me get better. My Quilling stick itself is far too big to make tiny quills, so I made my own using a needle. It's more fiddly to use, but it gives me a tighter scroll and i get more details with the smaller coils.

So, all set with me new needle quilling tool ... I have made some english daisies.

Again really, just an experiment... i still want to get better at quilling smaller patterns, but practice makes perfect. I think I'll be trying more of these in the near future.

 Hope you like them! Would love to hear what you think :)
So, - enjoy your weekend, if you're stateside, enjoy your long weekend.

take care
Nicola
x

Pearls ... Pearls ... Pearls ...

This week I had received some lovely Mother of Pearl leaf drops from "The Bead Shed" so they'd sat at the top of my bead stahs waiting for me to do something with them. I had bought them with the idea of making them into earrings, pearly cluster earrings - and today my muse decided that today was the day to make them!

I gathered all that I needed to make them ...

Mother of Pearl leaf drops, lots of freshwater pearls and sterling silver components ...

perfect for a bride - or that little black dress.

I'll get them added into my Etsy shop later, it's been a while since I put anything in there :)

Hope you're having a great weekend

Lots of Love
Nic
x

(PS: I have been trying to comment on a lot of blogs over the past few days, but i'm failing miserably! - just wanna say that i'm not ignoring you, and I am loving every post - just getting sick of blogger and their comment bugs :( )

Stuttgarter Saturday Fleamarket (photo heavy)

You know, it was weeks ago when I went to the flea market – and I was going to blog about it ... and then, well, umm ... life got in the way and I didn’t do it ...*yeah I know I’m terrible!*


Joe was away on this particular Saturday driving to Aachen with a friend to buy a car, which means that he was on the road for about 8 hours so I got a Saturday to myself. (Which is rare)

This usually means a few things for me, get up late, read magazine on the sunny balcony whilst having my morning coffee, leisurely get ready and pop into the city for a mooch around.

Nearly every Saturday – Stuttgart has a fleamarket on karlsplatz which is right in the city centre. I am inspired always by peoples fleamarket thrifty finds that they blog about so I thought again I’I’d go and see what would inspire me.

Well, truth is – it’s a dream. It’s not just full of old stuff that has no use to no-one, it has old stuff that is treasure to new eyes that befall on them. (heh! … I really should be honest here, there is *also* shit and shite that no-one would want … but I just ignored that!)

I took lots of pictures – and truth is, I didn’t take enough. There is such a wide variety.

From furniture wanting a good home …

To chandeliers waiting to be lit …

Chandelier crystals ready for a repair or another crafty project …

Tons of vintage jewellery (to be honest this is one thing you will not get a bargain on, all vintage jewellery has an expensive price tag on this market)

To old photographs dating back to the early 20th century …

Bake ware …

Party dishes …

Beautifully random …

 

Glasses …

Trinkets …

I was inspired by so much (I wanted old books, chandelier pieces, photographs, that wonderful microscope, antique coins and dainty plates … )


I wanted so much that I walked away with nothing! So overwhelmed. Well, it gives me a reason to go back!

Ooooh yay! again... look what I won :)

I completely forgot to blog about this - here is the second thing I won on a blog giveaway recently.

It's a beaded cuff, made from the teeniest of seed beads, in a cow-print design :) perfect for wearing at work. (it matches my mug and my squishable-stress-cow)

It is from Ruthie at Pintail Designs! Thankyou Ruth for soing such a fabulous generous giveaway!
Only recently she started putting her work for sale on Folksy! Hope she has lots of luck and sales, and I for one can recommend her beautiful craftmanship so go and have a peek! :)

Here's a sneak preview of what she has for sale ...


Loe the colours in this bracelet



Pacman bracelet! hehe!

Yay! I won!

I was so lucky recently, to win not one, but TWO blog giveaways!
I love reading blogs, and I am a sucker for entering a giveaway.
I follow such great blogs of people who's work I admire, and spend a lot of my time online catching up with what people have been writing.

The first prize arrived today! Yay! Here it is in all it's glory!

Some of you may recognise it as the work of Louise Goodchild of COBWEBS CACHE. :) I have been following her work on FLICKR for over a year now, always commenting on my favourite pieces, astounded at the beautiful designs that she has for sale in her ETSY SHOP.

It's not just the actual craftwork of her pieces that stand out as being perfect, but her imagination just surprises me, she makes some amazing portraits of things I would have not dreamt of to do myself.

Here are a few pieces that she has currently for sale in her etsy shop or form her flickr photostream ... *love love love!*

how amazing is this one :)

Beautiful eh? Aren't I a lucky gal! x

How to make a Button Bracelet! - FREE TUTORIAL!

This week, I came across a great pin on PINTREST that showed a gorgeous, simple, chic button bracelet, and I thought... "hey! I want to make one!" I have also been trying to think of an idea of a tutorial to submit to the Craft Pimp Tutorial Challenge too, so I decided to take pictures of how I made my version of this button bracelet so I can share here on my blog, and elsewhere on the web in my favourite places.

I searched out buttons from my stash, and ribbons too in colour coordinating colours and was happy to make a start on it. It's not usually the type of jewellery I make, so I was lucky to have everything for it without having to go to the craft store (which is a good thing, otherwise I would have bought lots from the craft store that I do not need! *lol* )

What you need ...

Materials

• One bunch - Emroidery Silk
• 40cms - Ribbon
• 26-32 approx - 4 hole buttons (the amount of buttons of course depends on the desired bracelet length and the  size of the buttons)

Tools

• Scissors
• Big Eye Needle

I built up sections, 2 buttons with an individual tied connection with the embroidery silk. I tried doing many weaves through many buttons, but I ended up either in a tangled mess, or the structure of it was too weak. So, through trial and error, individual blocks of 2 gave it a strong structure (remember also to tie the string tight)

I built up these buttons up to the desired length of the bracelet. Connecting each button to the next with embroidery silk.

You can try building, and weaving sections of 4 at a time if you wish - as you think best for time saving, but remember saving time may not be the best for the structure, Ensure that each section is tied and secure, and that the buttons are firmly in place, and you are on to a winner ;)

Simple eh? Well - almost there ... Now it's time for the ribbon. Which is used as a nice design feature as well as your "clasp" As it is also used to fastne the bracelet when worn.

Weave through the buttons, like above - and there you have it!

A cute, simple button bracelet.