Spring Bling

Here's a favorite post of mine from February of 2014. Easy to do with a few materials. I bet you have everything you need to make some Spring Bling. See the tutorial here. 
Enjoy!

Easy Beautiful Jewelry with Connie Crystal!

 Can you believe I made the above two bracelets in just minutes?
Well so can you!
Perfect for a special date or a night out with the girls!

Connie Crystal Sheets are 36"x4" and contain stunning 6mm Crystals.

Sassy Bracelet

Materials:

1. White Connie Crystal Sheet 
2. Scissors.
3. Red and purple alcohol pens.
4. E6000
5. Plain open bracelet with a smooth flat surface. 

Instructions:

1. Measure the width and length of the bracelet. Cut Crystal Sheet to size.
2. Carefully color in just the crystals with your alcohol pens. Overlap the colors to create a Ombre effect.
3. Glue the colored Crystal Sheet to the bracelet.
4. Let set completely before wearing.

 Classy Bracelet

 Materials

1. Black Connie Crystal Sheet 
2. Bracelet clasp.
3. 8 or more jump rings.
4. Scissors.
5. Jewelry pliers.
6. Measuring tape.

Directions:

1.  Measure your wrist with the measuring tape. Do you like your bracelets tight or loose? 
2. Leave room for the bracelet clasp and trim Crystal Sheet accordingly.
3. Match the width of the bracelet clasp to the Crystal Sheet and trim off any excess.
4. Use your jewelry pliers to attach the jump rings to the bracelet clasp and Crystal Sheet.
5. Enjoy!

Click here for more Connie Crystal inspiration!

3D Bird and Blooms Card

Another lovely Spring inspired project. This was originally posted April of 2013.
It's so beautiful I just had to re-share!
You can find the tutorial here.
Enjoy!

Faerie-Land Cupcakes!

For this month, over on the Smoothfoam blog, you can find my tutorial on these Whimsical Cupcake Gems.
Enjoy!

How to make a Lumiere with a Deflecto Acrylic Frame

The theme this month is "Green". It can be Spring Green, Celtic or Luck-of-the-Irish.
I went with Celtic. I love the culture, music and interlacing of their art designs.
Plus I married into a Irish clan. :)

To make this Lumiere, you  will need the following:

1. 1 Tri-fold 4"x6" Acrylic frame by Deflecto Craft.
2. Tracing paper.
3. Celtic clip art.
4. Assorted tipped permanent pens for tracing and coloring in.
5. Scissors. tape and a pencil.

 

1. Pull out the paper insert from the frame and trace this with a pencil 3 times onto the tracing paper.
2. Tape your designs onto a smooth hard surface. Then align the  traced paper over a design, tape oito place and begin tracing with a fine black pen.
3. When you have finished tracing all your designs, flip paper over and begin coloring, starting with the lightest colors first. If desired, you may also color in the side you traced. Do this carefully as the lighter colors tend to bleed with the black pen.

4. Trim with scissors and place into each frame panel.
5. As you can see in the above photo, 3 flameless tea lights fit "perfectly" inside this frame!

 The Celtic designs on this Lumiere are stunning in natural light and magical at night!

 The best thing about this tri-frame is that you can rotate the designs with ease for any holiday or special occasion. Simply store the designs in a inexpensive 4x6 photo book.

I think this design was my favorite. I loved the interlocking Celtic knots.
Thanks for coming by, comments always welcome!

Feel free to see more Deflecto Craft inspiration here.
You can purchase Deflecto Craft items on Amazon or visit Deflecto and click on "where to buy" to find a store near you.
~ Michelle

3D Heart Card

February of 2013 I posted this card tutorial. It's one of the easiest yet beautiful cards I've made.
So I thought you'd like to see it one again. Here's the tutorial.
Enjoy!

Flower Hair Clips

I hope you will forgive me that I am filling in vacant post dates with already posted favorites!
I have been so busy around here. Working on a "New" stamp line with Sin City Stamps, Spring cleaning my home and studio. Plus gardening. I fell behind planting when I got sick with the flu/cold twice! So between March and April...you might notice some re-postings, but I assure you that its just the good stuff.   ;)

Click here for the tutorial on these pretty flower hair clips!- Originally posted April 2012

How to Make a Crystal Ring

 I love crystals. I use them in the garden, in the home, as jewelry and just to collect.
In Pala CA, there is a working mine where you can go dig to your hearts content. Ocean View Mines.
I have buckets and buckets of raw crystals to prove it!
When we travel through Nevada or other gem worthy states, I always make sure to stop off at quartz museums and shops. There is just something so magical and mysterious when you gaze into crystals.
This ring tutorial shows how you can make your own with the real deal or faux crystals as I did here.

Materials:

1. Tinted or clear crystals. These were purchased from the Bead Gallery @ Michaels Craft stores.
2. Adjustable rings with a deep bezel.  You can find these at any craft or bead store.
3. E6000.
4. Fine colored glitter.
5. Paper plate or work mat.
6. Styrofoam or Floralfoam- to set ring in while working.
7. Small dry paint brush.

 *Begin by filling your bezel  ¾ with the E6000.- If you fill it too much, glue will bulge out while adding crystals and make a mess. 

 

* Begin to add your crystals.  Imagine how they would look on your finger. 

*They will fall at first but as the glue starts to set, you'll be able to place them better.

* It takes approximately 9-11 crystals to fill a ring, depending on their size. 

* When you can fit no more, sprinkle exposed glue areas with your glitter. 

 * Position ring firmly in foam so it sits upright.

* Let the ring set undisturbed for 8-12 hours or overnight before wearing.

*Use the dry paint brush to remove any excess glitter from the ring and crystals. 

 When I made the above ring, I think I was channeling  The Fortress of Solitude from Superman movies. Remember all those crystals? Doesn't this ring remind you of it?
Well, faux or not, crystals just make me feel good. So I'm giving away this ring. Its made with a mixture of both crystals in the materials photo. The ring is easily adjustable and will fit any adult finger, male or female.

*** Congratulations to Carol Hoffmann for Winning this ring!***