Bluebirds

Hello!
I have another jewellery piece to share today, this one is called 'bluebirds'...

I've used lots of different products from the Vintaj range in this necklace. Vicki has a huge selection in the shop here, so why not have a browse and see what inspires you!
A few closeups so you can see things better.... This is the hanging pendant cluster..

I've stamped letters into the metal blank, to create the 'fly free' phrase. The letters were filled in with turquoise Patina before polishing, so the blue is still visible. Really like this effect! As you can see, I've also coloured my little bird charm too, I've sanded him back slightly so the metal shows through. I've done the exact same thing with the bird connectors throughout the piece....

The necklace is put together by joining lengths of chain to the bird connectors, interspersed with beaded stations too...

In this piece I've used Turquoise, along with dyed Jade. A little few Austrian crystals in there too! The piece is long, with three birds on each side..

The Vintaj range has so many cool things to play with, it's difficult to choose just a few to use at a time!
Well, that's my month of jewellery pieces all done! Back to the messy painty stuff in May, so see you soon!
Love Trish x

Bezels!

Hello!
Jewellery part three from me today!
This week, I'm looking at bezels..... What's a bezel? These....

Basically, a bezel is an empty frame, ready made with a hole or two. A blank canvas, waiting for you to fill it with whatever you fancy! There are loads of different shapes and sizes in the shop (here) so its simply a case of choosing your favourite, and getting artistic.... I did this with mine....

(I found a circle bezel after I'd taken the group shot above!)
Bezels are small, so you have to think tiny when you decide what to put in them. If you are an 'inchie' fan, than you're way ahead of the game, those inchie skills can be transferred directly to an inch square bezel!
There are lots of different ways of filling these little spaces, starting with the very simple. For my connector bezel, I simply added a few drops of Glossy Accents to the bezel space, and poured in some red accent beads.....

The Glossy Accents dries hard and shiny, and is a very good sealer for all your bezels. As these are designed to be used as jewellery pieces, they need to be sealed to give them durability.
Stamping designs and images is a perfect way to fill a bezel. My rectangular bezel is very thin, so a whole image wasn't going to work very well. A random part of a tree image stamped onto whitewashed text paper gives a faintly Oriental look...

Again, this was sealed with Glossy Accents. Collaging onto the bezel is another option. Layers of stamping or background papers can be cut and positioned in the space available. I did this with my square bezel....

I would add that you need to check that whatever you are using as a colouring medium is compatible with whatever varnish/sealer you are going to use. Some react badly and bleed, so you need to make sure everything will be OK!
My final bezel was used in a more 3D way. Don't think that a bezel needs to just contain flat objects, they can also be used as a base upon which to create a more dimensional piece. I used a clay heart that I had crackled, and placed it onto an old book page...

I think this one is my favourite, a bit more substantial!
Once you've created your filled bezel, its a simple matter to turn it into wearable art by adding a chain. Don't be put off by the colour palette of the bezels either, remember you can colour the metal with Patinas, or you can even use paint to change the hue to something more suited to your design!
Next week is the last (for now!) in my jewellery series, I'm going to combine all the techniques I've shown you so far into one necklace set.. so check back!
Before I go..... the winner of the bracelet from my draw hasn't been in touch yet to claim her prize.. Elizabeth are you reading this?! I need your address!!!!
See you soon,
love Trish xxx

Daisy Pendant

Hello!
I promised you more jewellery this week, so here it is......

My daisy pendant really has more 'arty' techniques than jewellery making techniques going on, so very achievable even for those of you out there that don't usually make jewellery! I've used a Vintaj metal blank as my base, Vicki has loads of different blanks in the shop for you to have a play with!
As well as the Vintaj blank, I've also used the range of colours produced by Vintaj (in collaboration with Ranger). These are called Patinas, and were produced especially for colouring metal. 'Patina' is a bit of a misleading name really, as there are lots of very vibrant colours in the range, not just the greens and browns that the word 'patina' conjures up! Patinas themselves are kind of a cross between alcohol ink and paint. They have the 'stickability' and permanence that alcohol inks have on metal, but with an opacity more like paint.
Anyway, enough waffling! Here's how I made the pendant.
Patinas have a mixing ball in them (like Snow Cap alcohol ink mixative), so shake like mad before you use them! Put drops on a craft sheet...

 Then apply to your metal. This can be done however you like, for this piece I've cut up little bits of Cut N Dry....

Patinas can be blended together when wet, much like alcohol inks can. They can also be layered up, and this is what I have done here. I started with a base of blue, then added accents of green and turquoise...

As with paint, layers need to be dried in between colours. Remember that you're working with metal though, it gets VERY hot when you heat it! The blanks are a fabulous base for stamping on, so thats what I did! Remember you need to use a suitable ink, I used VersaMagic as its multi surface, and permanent when heat set.

I wanted to highlight the petals, so I added more blue with a paintbrush...

I also added gold accent beads....

As this is a piece designed to be used, I needed to seal it to protect against chipping etc. Vintaj make a special glaze just for this, and I would really recommend it. It also acts as an extender for the Patina colours, much the same as the blending solution works for alcohol inks. Very very fast drying, and a couple of coats gives a really good protective finish. I use mine on all sorts of things that need sealing!

The pendant is now done, all that remains is to add a chain! I've created a chaos wrapped loop to join the chain to the pendant...

(I much prefer 'chaos' wrapped to neat wrapped loops, much more organic to my eye!)
Thread through your chain, and you're done!

 

  Don't forget that any kind of metal (Vintaj or not!) can be coloured with the Patinas. Here are a couple of examples from a project I did for Craft Stamper a while ago....

The wings are Vintaj leaves!
As the base is metal, any textures or raised areas can be sanded back to give a different look. These are Vintaj star charms that I've sanded back....

So....that was Vintaj and patinas! Next week I'll be showing you some ideas on how to create filled bezel pendants, so please check back!
oh and before I forget........ The winner of last weeks bracelet!! I put the comments number into the random number thing (minus duplicate comments and comments from DT members!) and this is what it told me....

So.... that means the winner is :

ElizabethR said...

This is fab I love it and you have made me want to play lol. Elizabeth x

  Please send me your address Elizabeth, and I'll get the bracelet in the post!

Thank you to all who commented!

love Trish xxxxx

(A Sprinkle Of) Imagination!

Hello!
My posts for April are all going to feature jewellery, thought it might make an interesting change! It also shows a side of me that people may not know, I'm a jewellery designer as well as the messy painty stuff......
I have been writing each month for Beads And Beyond magazine almost as long as I have for Craft Stamper, and I sell my stuff all over the place.
Anyway, you want to see the project! This is 'Imagination'....

Another thing people may not realise is that Vicki has probably the largest selection of Vintaj charms, blanks and jewellery findings in the UK. Trust me, I do a lot of findings shopping and I've yet to find a more comprehensive selection! With this in mind I thought I'd showcase lots of different Vintaj products so people can see what they could do with them!
Vintaj offer a selection of mainly natural brass products, but they do a smattering of copper too. I've used a copper ID bracelet blank to create my bangle.
Here's how.....
I have used metal stamps to create the word on the blank. To work out where to stamp them, I put a mark halfway on the blank.......

I then start with the middle letter and work outwards. I use a regular hammer, and place the blank on a steel block.....

Hopefully, (fingers crossed and if the wind is in the right direction) the word all looks straight-ish and is spelled correctly....

Now the next bit is very technical..... scribble all over the word with a permanent pen.....

I then use steel wool to polish off the excess pen....

(This polishing clearly also gets rid of the 'aged' look the blank had initially. Easy to get some of that back. Either heat the copper to get some nice colours going on, or use a product such as Liver of Sulphur to chemically oxidise the metal)
The flat blank now need to be gently bent into a bangle shape.....

I use a pair of bangle pliers (obviously, they're in the picture!) but this can be done by shaping the metal around a hard object of the right shape...a glass jar type thing!
I oxidised my bangle blank and gave it a little polish before the next step, actually making up the finished piece. I used purple waxed cotton cord, threaded through the holes....

Thread on a couple of beads, then knot the cord to make sure the beads don't move about....

Now we need to think of a way to fasten the bangle. The cord can be tied to a clasp, or simply tied around the wrist in a bow. I've chosen to use a little micro macrame.... square knots to be precise. The knots are tied over all four strands of the cord, keeping them all together. Position the bracelet on a board like this....

And then tie the knots around the strands, until you have a length of knots around 4cm long...

OK...I admit, this looks really complicated! Square knots are one of those things that look very 'eeeeeeeeeek' until you have a go. Once you've got the hang of it its very easy. The REALLY hard thing is trying to describe how to do it! My advice is Youtube....loads of fabulous tuts on there, and is so much easier to learn by watching someone!
Once the knots are done, snip the excess cord to about 1cm in length...

Once you've finished with the other loose ends, these 1cm ends need a dab of expoxy glue (not superglue as its too brittle and will come off when you move the cords!), right at the base. The ends can then be cut flush to the knots without fear of the knots unravelling.
The four cord ends now need a bead on each, and a knot tied to prevent the beads falling off...

The bracelet can then be 'opened' by pulling on the cords at the point just after the purple/copper bead combo, slipped onto the wrist, and then tightened to fit by pulling on the loose ends... gently, of course!
The finished bracelet looks like this from above.....

Hopefully that shows how the whole thing is constructed! This is what it looks like when being worn.....

and here is another arty sideways shot....

I realise jewellery making may be a bit alien to lots of you, so THANK YOU for reading this far!
Something a little different to look at, anyway!
Now......I've decided that rather than just sit in a box of 'stuff'.....I'd like this bracelet to go to a new home! So, if you would like it, just let me know in the comments section below this post. I'll use the random number thing and draw a winner the day before my next post, and announce it in the post the day after (15th April)!!!!
Please don't be put off commenting if you don't want it though....I promise I won't be offended!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For my next project, I'll be showing you how to use the Patinas  along with the metal blanks to create some fab art jewellery!
love Trish xxxxxxx