Memorial Day is just around the corner and I was trying to think of an interesting way to decorate. I finally came up with doing suncatchers using som beads we had here at the house. This is the final project and I hope you have as much fun doing this as we did.

Materials Needed:

1. Cut strips of clear Rexlace, one for every row in the pattern, that are 10 inches long.
2. Fold each strip of clear Rexlace in half so that they curve towards each other. (Rexlace has a natural curl in it.)
3. Fold each strip around the straw and string the beads over both layers of clear Rexlace in the order the beads go on the pattern. Do 1 column at a time.
4. After each column is finished, tie a knot at the end.
5. Put a drop of tacky glue in each knot to help it stay.
6. Let all of the knots dry and then cut off the extra clear Rexlace at the ends.
7. Trim the straw so that it is a little longer than the suncatcher on both ends.
8. Run a piece of Rexlace through the straw and make a loop to hang the suncatcher from. Tie a knot at the end and put a drop of glue in the knot.
9. Hang it from the suction cup and enjoy!

Fourth of July is almost here. Since this holiday happens during the summer, it is important to get the kids involved. This will also let you teach them why we celebrate this day. This is an easy craft for them to do and will give them something to wear all year long.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Mix together salt, flour and water. If mixture is too sticky, add small sprinkles of flour until doughy.
2. Flatten dough to about ½” and use star cookie cutter to cut out your shape. Make as many as you can from the dough.
3. Place star(s) onto cookie sheet and poke a hole near the top of the star with a toothpick. Carefully move the toothpick in a stirring motion to cause the hole to get larger. It will need to be big enough to thread jewelry cord through.
4. Bake in a 250 degree F oven for 2 – 2.5 hours. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
5. Paint star with white gloss paint and let dry.
6. Thread jewelry cord through the hole in the star. Pull enough cord through until you have the length that you want for your necklace. Trim.
7. Thread 3 white pony beads on to each end of the cord and tie in a knot at the top of the star. Begin threading cord with pony beads, alternating colors as you go (2 red, 2 white, 2 blue, 2 white, 2 red, etc).
8. When finished threading on beads, tie cord into a solid knot and hang around your neck.

Tips:

• You can purchase necklace closures at craft supply stores if you want to make this shorter and it won’t fit over your child’s head.
• Pony beads are available in a large variety of colors and can be purchased in small bags of individual and assorted colors as well as in bulk sized bags.
• Salt dough does not keep well as it will harden. Make however many ornaments you can to cut down on waste.

Since we are all crafters, (or we wouldn’t be looking at Craft Tutorials) I just wanted to share this great new craft table we have started to carry. Usually I just post fun crafts that I have done or come across but I love to scrapbook and this table makes it so easy. How many times do you want to start a scrapbook project or any project for that matter and know you won’t finish so you don’t start because you will have stuff all over the kitchen table until you get your project done? Well this is the greatest table, it has compartments in it and a thing that closes over the top of the compartments so when you put your supplies into the compartments and close the lid, it fits down into the compartment and holds everything into place, then just fold up the table and put it aside, when you come back to work on your project again, everything is exactly where you left it. This is just such a cool table I had to share.

Really Cool craft table

Thanks for letting me share – Mothers day is coming

Betty

http://www.chandlercreations.com/page/629006

Last Spring I wrote up a tutorial for a wrapped wire ring and recently got an e-mail from a reader who used it to great effect! wheeee. So I thought I’d share it with you

I love the bridge troll from the second Spiderwick book: The Seeing Stone, it totally reminded me of the crazy swamp witch from Legend. 

So, I got to thinking about trolls and swamps and water – especially with all the amazingly crappy, rainy, wet weather we have been having over the last week and all the swampy floodedness of everything around us right now and I decided it needed to be expressed in jewelry.

Behold the River Troll Ring.

If you’d like to make our own here’s a quick tutorial

1. Decide on wire and beads you want to use. (I used a very fine wire from an old Klutz kit and a pile of different beads from my collection) Make sure your beads will glide easily along the wire’s  length. You may end up with some very small kinks in the wire and you don’t want your beads getting stuck. Try to stick with E-beads and larger stones, seed beads are just too small. Use a ring sizer to determine the size you want (try to find a solid surface to wrap your wire around, spoon handle, pen, marker – I have an old bead tube that worked for me) and remember to go up half a size from what you want it to be, wrapping the wire and the beads you use will take up some space. Cut a 2 yard piece of wire and beginning in the center wrap the wire 2-5 times with each piece, meeting back at the point where you started (the number of wraps determines how substantial your band will be). Use the tails to wrap the band together at the base, moving in opposite directions, then divide the band into 2 equal halves.

2. Now, starting on either side, you place the beads that run along the side of your ring one at a time. Wrap your wire tail 3 times around one side of the ring, thread on your first bead and then wrap the wire 3 times on the opposite side of the ring. Repeat 2 to 3 times more depending on the size and number of beads you have chosen and repeat on the other side.

3. Work your center bead separate from the ring, using A new piece of wire about a yard in length. You may choose to use one stone or many, the important thing to have is a sturdy but slightly loose ring of wire all the way around the bead. Add whatever embellishments you want and bury the end of the wire inside a bead or in a wrap.

4. Attach your center piece to the ring using the tails left from wrapping your side beads. Make sure you thread the wire underneath and through the wire around the center bead and along the two sides of the band. When it feels secure bury the wire ends. Voila!

If you make one send pics!! And feel free to ask questions. I do it a little different every time and you may find a way that works better for you. I have more pics on Flickr.

Toots

Hello again!

I find myself still swirling in the maelstrom of jewelry ideas so I’ll share a quick project with you.  A bitty pair of crochet earrings. Basic crochet knowledge is a must for this one – my favorite book for the home learner.

You’ll need a pair of wire cutters, copper craft wire of your choice, ear wires, jump rings, 2 focal beads, and a size G/6 or 7/4 or 4.5mm steel or aluminum crochet hook. I recommend a dedicated wire crochet hook. Though the craft wire is very maleable it can put some wear on your hook that could be detrimental to further use with snag-tastic fibers.

I have a great old pile of clip-ons that I’ll mine for beads occasionally. Be careful not to set you heart on all the beads visible on clip-ons, many times a significant number of the beads have been glued in place – especially the beads around the clip, but pendant beads are usually good to go.

Cut yourself about 1.5 yards/1.3 meters of the craft wire for each earring. You’ll need to start your crochet chain with a slip knot and do the number of chain stitches that will reach from one side of the bead to the other – for me this was 4. Now slide the long, working tail of the wire through the bead and wrap the beginning short end tightly around this to hold it in place, 3to 4 wraps should suffice, and cut away any excess of the SHORT wire. Wrap the long end of the wire back across the bead so you can resume your crochet stitches.

Chain 2 and turn the piece. One double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook, 2 double crochets in each of the next 3 chains. Fasten off the last loop and run the remaining wire back through the bead to hide the end. Attach an ear wire with a jump ring and repeat to make a pair.

They remind me of Medusa or maybe a mid 18th century French lady with a wig, me likey. Drop a comment if you have any questions or if you finish a pair – mine took about 5 minutes

Toots