Perfect Beading Storage!

What looks like a book but stores your beading supplies perfectly?  Craftmates Lockables!  I've tried many different types of storage systems and encountered all the problems each one poses.  What I love about the Craftmates Locakables is that you can swap out compartments if you want to transfer one to another storage area.  Also, the compartments are locked, so there's no need to sweat over spilling beads.  This also makes it fantastic for moving one type of bead out of one compartment and into another.

These can be expensive, so watch out for coupons!  While they can sell for $25 and up on Amazon, you can use a coupon to Michaels and get one for less than $15!  Of all the storage solutions, this is the one I find most satisfying!

BTW, I don't get any kickbacks from products I review.  It's all trial by error for me!

Product of the Month!

Fall is creeping in, but with this 90 degree weather, it's hard to tell!  August's product of the month seems to overpower Mother Nature herself!  G-S Cement for bead stringing is amazing!  It holds beautifully, like Locktite, but unlike that type of Super Glue, it has a needle tip that helps direct the adhesive to the exact spot you need!  Less mess and more accuracy!

This is especially useful for illusion necklaces if you want to forego crimp beads for a more illusory effect!

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Another Octopus Charm from Polymer Clay with Matching Buna Clasps

The obsession continues!  As I was forming this octopus, my co-worker commented on the color.  I told her it was just scrap clay from an ugly cane and I'd be covering it up with a skin (a thin layer of a specially blended pattern).  "No!  I like how that one looks now!" she protested.  So all I did was add a matching skin to the head so that it looked a little more finished and matched the tentacles better.  Also, I used an aged bronze metallic pigment to give it a little shimmer and pizzazz.

The first octopus features a glossy glaze, but on this one I used Modge Podge clear acrylic matte finish instead.  It still has a little shine but isn't ridiculous.  I think I'll stick with it.

I tried making this one smaller, but I really need to work on my proportions.  Maybe next one will be more petite!

Glass Statement Necklace, Sparkly!

Sometimes I buy a set of beads because I just can't put them down!  But then I get home and wonder what on earth I'll create with them.  Sometimes I'll have them up to a year when suddenly I'll see something I like and realize the beads would be perfect for it.  That's what happened with the larger glass beads in this design.  I was lucky to find the smaller matching ones at a sale recently, so I had just what I needed!

Polymer Clay Octopus Pendant with Matching Clasp

There's nothing like Pinterest to get me all fired up to craft!  I've fallen deep into polymer clay as I realize how many possibilities this medium affords.  Like my other favorite hobbies, there's seemingly no end to the crafty artist ideas.  No other medium can replicate cloisonne, glass, plastic, acrylic, metal, and so many others quite like polyclay!  And the amazing thing is that it's so easy to do!

I ran into some really cool octopus designs and suddenly I am absolutely taken by this subject.  Here's an example of my first one, and allow me to say that I was so surprised it turned out so well!  A little big, but still awesome!  I also found a great tute on making buna cord clasps out of polymer so I could stick with my color theme--notice I even threw some little suckers on it.

Here's the result:

Easy, elegant floating crystal necklace with FREE tutorial!

I found myself on curious.com one day looking at a tutorial on beaded crystal bracelets and ran across a tutorial by the O'Neil sisters.

Most jewelry works by hiding the wire in beads, but this one is a fast, simple necklace that actually emphasizes the beauty of the crystals by showcasing the wire as part of the necklace.  Really pretty!

Again, I can't emphasize how fast and easy this project is.  Go check it out: The O'Neil Sisters Floating Crystal Necklace Tutorial

I believe the first lesson is free when you sign up.

Nearly done!  This photo really shows the colors in the crystals.

Done!  So hard to get a good pic off crystal!

Get Organized: Favorite jewelry wire/thread organizing tool.

For a spastic jewelry maker like me who loves trying all sorts of new media and techniques, I find I spend a lot of my beading time just organizing my stuff, especially after a big clearance sale.  One of my biggest obstacles was keeping wire and thread untangled in my drawer.  It was a constant irritation.

One day, while shopping in a discount retailer, I saw a tiered pants hanger and thought, EUREKA!  That's the solution!  I only paid a couple bucks since it was being cleared out.  Not only is my wire and thread contained easily, but it's easy to see what I have in stock and what I need to purchase.  Plus, it hangs in the closet, so it doesn't have to look gorgeous.