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

Scrabble Tile Pendants are charming pendants made from recycled scrabble tiles and decorative paper. They are fun and easy to make. You can see a variety of these charming pendants for sale in my Etsy shop, Peachy Pendants, (where you can also purchase A Make Your Own Scrabble Tile Pendants Kit), or you can follow the instructions below and make one of your own!

I will also be giving away a free Scrabble Tile Pendant to one lucky Craft Tutorials reader. For a chance to win, leave a comment on this post by Saturday, September 20th at midnight. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, September 22nd. The winner will get one free pendant of their choice from my shop.

Good luck and happy pendant making!

To begin making your own Scrabble Tile Pendant you will need the following supplies:

- Scrabble Tile (from an old game or eBay)

- Silver Plated Bail (called aanraku bail)

- Decorative Paper (scrapbooking paper)

- Diamond Glaze (craft store)

- E6000 Jewelry Adhesive (craft store)

- Scissors

- Pen or Pencil

- Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Select the paper you would like to use for your pendant. You could use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or even a greeting card. Simply trace around one of the Scrabble tiles and cut out, making sure to cut the paper just slightly larger than the tile.

Step 2: Next spread a small drop of Diamond Glaze adhesive onto the blank side of a Scrabble tile. You can use a paint brush or just spread the glaze around with the tip of the bottle. Then place your cut out paper onto the tile. (Make sure the letter on the back isn’t upside down.) Let it dry for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Once the adhesive is dry, hold the Scrabble tile so the letter faces you and the paper is on the other side. Use scissors to carefully trim the excess paper off so that the paper fits the tile exactly.

Step 4: Next, apply a generous coat of Diamond Glaze to seal the paper and give your pendant a glossy glass like shine. It’s best not to use a paint brush for this step but to just spread the glaze with the tip of the bottle. If any bubbles form just pop them with the back of your paint brush or slide them off of the tile. Now let it dry for at least 4 hours.

Step 5: Apply a few drops of E6000 Jewelry Adhesive to the silver bail and attach it to the back (letter side) of your Scrabble tile. Make sure that the bail is exactly centered.

Let the bail dry for a couple of hours and you are ready to enjoy your handmade Scrabble Tile Pendant!

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