Inbar Shahak Jewelry

A while back I asked if any of you would be interested in reading about shops/products I like. Since all the comments were positive, today I'm sharing about one of my favorite Etsy designers, Inbar Shahak.  I've written about Inbar's jewelry before but thought it was worth taking a second look.

Inbar is a textile designer by training and makes jewelry using textile techniques.  You'll find most of her jewelry has a lace like look to it.  Pictured above are a few of my favorite pieces from her newer collections.  I've purchased a couple pieces of jewelry from the store, a bracelet and a necklace.  Her jewelry is priced on the higher end but is worth every penny.  Currently she's having a sale that will run until the end of the month.  She doesn't have sales often so if you wanted to try a piece out, now would be a good time.  Tell me what you think.

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you like to shop at?  Please share in the comments and feel free to leave a link so we can all check it out.

Kid Craft: Washi Tape Friendship Pins

Do you remember friendship pins?  Traditionally they were made with beads and safety pins.  As a child I enjoyed making them and giving them out out to friends.   Those memories prompted me to revisit the craft and give it a contemporary update with washi tape. I like how they ended up having a slight preppy look to them with the monograms.  These friendship pins would be great for a craft party or just an after school project.

Supplies:

Safety Pins - I purchased some vintage brass style pins at Michaels
Washi tape
Scissors

1.  Fold tape in half over pins so both sides of the print show.

2.  Trim the bottom to make a decorative edge.

3.  Add layers of tape for extra texture. Add letters or other embellishments.

Craft: Mizuhiki Bracelets

Hope all of you had a nice weekend.  I spent mine doing a little crafting, one of my favorite things.  It all started with some leisurely reading of CardMaker Magazine. While I was looking through the magazine I came across a card made with mizuhiki (Japanese paper cord).  That inspired me to get out my mizuhiki stash and play around with it.  Some how I went from cards to bracelets.  Inspiration is a funny thing.

These mizuhiki bracelets are easy and quick to make, perfect for a craft party.  Make them in assorted colors and stack them on your wrists.

Supplies:
Mizuhiki Cord - You can find the cord online.  You can also find it at Daiso.
Needle nose pliers
Cutting pliers
Scissors
Gold Closures - I found these at Michaels.  You could also use extra large crimp beads.

1.  Cut three 9 inch strands of mizuhiki cord.   With all three strands, tie one knot in the middle of your cords.  It's just a basic knot, nothing fancy. 

2.  Trim edges of cord so your piece measures 8 inches.  Make sure both sides of edges match up.  You might want to make your cord shorter or longer depending on your wrist size. 

3.  Cut off loop on jewelry closure (pictured above).  If you can find a closure without the loop, skip this step.

4.  Place one side of cord inside the closure.  Then place the other side in closure (refer to picture).

5.  With needle nose pliers, crimp closure together.  Refer to arrows in picture. 

*This was the hardest part of the project.  It took me a little while to figure out the best way to hold it in place and crimp it closed at the same time.  You might want to have someone help you but it can be done by one person.  Once I got going, it took me about 30 seconds per bracelet.

You can also make these bracelets without the knots but I think they look a little more interesting with them.  If you do decide to make them without the knots, start out with 8 inch cord.

One of the pluses of using mizuhiki is that it's light and it doesn't make any noise when the bracelets brush up against each other.  I like wearing stacked bangles but I don't care for sounding like a wind chime every time I so much as breathe.

Kid Craft: Star Necklaces

Over the weekend I was organizing my craft supplies when I came across a bag of wood stars.  Ironically, the stars were given to me from someone who was cleaning out their craft supplies.  Instead of passing them on, I decided to make something with the stars, washi tape star necklaces.  Coincidentally, I was also able to put to use some of the rayon crochet string I was given as well.  Love when that happens.

Supplies:

Wood Stars Discs - Can be found at the craft store

Gold Paint - I used Elmer's paint markers

Jewelry bails - Can be found at the craft store

Washi Tape (a.k.a. Japanese Masking Tape)

Rayon Crochet Thread - Could be substituted for any string or jewelry chain

E6000 Glue - Can be substituted for an extra strength glue

1.  Start with a wood star.

2.  Paint the entire star gold, let dry.

3.  Add washi tape.  You could also coat the tape with a glaze if you wanted.  I tried it both ways and preferred it without the glaze.  I liked the matte finish better.

4.  Glue bail to back of star.  You'll notice I glued the bail upside down.  I did this so the bail would not show in the front.  You can position the bail to your preference.  You might prefer to glue it so it shows in the front.

Add a string of your choice and you're all set.  Since I was working with string, I didn't bother to add a clasp.  I just tied a basic knot at the top and made sure the necklace was long enough to slip over my head.

*Craft Tip - If you're using old string that has kinks in it, you can iron them out.  Same goes for ribbon.  Just make sure you have your iron on the right setting. Synthetics can melt easily. 

How to Make a Fabric Yo-Yo Bracelet

One of the nice things about making yo-yo's without a yo-yo maker is that you can make them in any size you want. Here I scaled down the fabric yo-yo to make a delicate bracelet. This is a simple project that you can make in one day. Simple directions below.

If you're not familiar with making fabric yo-yo's, take a look at this tutorial.

For the bracelet, I used yo-yo's that were just about the size of a quarter. To make a fabric yo-yo this size you will want to start off with a circle 2 1/8" in diameter. I used eight yo-yo's for my bracelet but it all depends on the circumference of your wrist.

Sew a button on the top of all the yo-yo's.

Sew the yo-yo's with a whip stitch with right sides facing together. Keep adding on a yo-yo till you get the desired length.

On the last yo-yo, sew a small piece of embroidery thread onto the back of the yo-yo. This will be your clasp. Make sure the loop will fit over the button well.

Here's what the front of it should look like.

The clasp on the right will hook over the pink button on the left to secure. Done.

Craft Project: Tea Canister Cuff Bracelet

I made this bracelet out of a tin tea canister. It was an experiment and it came out pretty good, not perfect. It could use a little improvement in that the cuff is not perfectly smooth. I'm still going to post directions below in case anyone is curious how I made it. Perhaps some of you can share your tips for working with tin. Directions below.

Starting with a tin canister, take it apart with needle nose pliers and craft scissors. I recommend wearing gloves when you do this to protect your hands.

* a good source for tin canisters is the thrift store

Cut out a piece of tin with some heavy duty craft scissors. Decide how wide you would like the cuff then add two centimeters. For length, measure your wrist or another bracelet you own.

Cut the tin piece into the shape of the solid lines. Fold on the dotted lines. Basically you're folding the edges in so there's no rough edges. To fold the metal, score the fold line with a ruler and sharp object (I used a knitting needle). Use needle nose pliers to fold the metal. Cover the metal with a bandanna when folding to prevent marking up the tin. The folded edges should be in the inside of the bracelet.

Last, bend the bracelet into a shape of a cuff. I recommend bending it around something round like a small jar or pole. When bending, make sure not to kink the metal ( this was the hardest part for me). Done.

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Craft Project: Plastic Bottle Beads

I found a great tutorial for plastic bottle beads on ThreadBanger via Waiting for Wonderland. The beads were very easy and quick to make. I made them a little different than the directions by adding washi paper to them. Below I share how I altered the tutorial and a few tips for making the beads.

Plastic Bead Tutorial, Click here.

Instead of coloring the plastic with markers, I glued washi paper to the plastic. You'll want to cover only part of the plastic with paper. This way when you roll up the plastic to make the bead the paper will not be exposed.

* When making the beads always use caution. Some plastics can be toxic when melted.

* If you don't have a heat gun, a blow dryer will work too; I tried it both ways. However, the heat gun yields better results.

* Be careful of over heating the bead which can lead to the edges curling up. Hold the seam down with tweezers while heating. This will prevent it from curling up.

Close up of the back of the bead. The beads do not look perfect but I suppose that's part of their charm.

Ribbon Rosette Craft Series

This week I will be showing different items you can make with ribbon rosettes. The first project for the series is embellishing earrings with rosettes.

To make this simply place the earring through the center hole of the rosette. You can change the rosettes out with different earrings to get different effects. Or, add a little glue to the back of the pearl to make it permanent.

Come back throughout the week to see other projects.

Directions on how to make a ribbon rosette below.

Supplies:
Ribbon 4" to 5" in length ( the length will depend on the width of your ribbon and how gathered you want it)
Matching thread
Sewing needle

Fold ribbon in half, right sides together. Sew the edges to together (refer to picture). Knot and trim thread.

Turn right side out. Sew all around the edge (refer to picture).

Pull thread tight to gather. Your rosette should look something like this. You might have to shape it a little. As you can tell, this rosette is not perfect yet. Knot and trim thread in the back of the rosette. Done!

Penny Charms

Well it's a little late, but here's the craft of the week, penny charms! I'm sure you've seen these penny machines along your travels, mainly in tourist attraction areas. You put your penny into the machine and it flattens it with an embossed image of the place you visited. But what do you do with all those flattened pennies? That's when I thought of penny charms. This is so easy to do it barely qualifies as a craft. Directions below.


Here's what you start with, a tourist flattened penny. Using a small nail(I used the ones you hang small pictures with), hammer a hole into the penny close to the top. Add a jump ring with needle nose pliers. I added a clasp as well so I could clip it to a chain bracelet but that's optional. Done!

How to Make Tassel Earrings

These earrings were inspired by but what else, tassels! Only takes about 20min - 30min to make a pair. Directions below.

Supplies

Wrap yarn around index card 11 times. Take a second piece of yarn and string in under all the yarn at the top of the index card, tie a knot.


Cut the bottom of the yarn so their are no more loops. Trim bottom of tassel so it's even.


Open up bell cap prongs with needle nose pliers. Place glue in side top of bell cap and glue the tassel to it. Pinch bell cap on all sides to hold tassel.



Bend wire with pliers(refer to picture above). String two beads on wire. Bend wire around earring hinge to attach tassel. Cut excess wire. Done