To make the next piece, start a wrapped loop but before wrapping it closed, slip through the loop of your existing piece.

Continue making & connecting these units until you have a chain the length you want.

Completed necklace project using a bead and wire chain is next!

Picture Frame Pendants

The sterling silver pendant, on the left, has little slots on the back that you can slide an image into. First, I cut an image to size and made sure it fit well. [As an aside - here's how I got such tiny photos printed.] Next, I used that as a template to cut out two small, thin pieces of mica*, which I adhered [glued - I used mod podge] to the front and back of the image. I let it dry, then simply slipped my now reinforced and protected image into the frame – easy!

*I got mica tiles a while back at a craft show, from Hannah Grey. I assume there are other sources, but it’s not something I’ve found at local shops. To make thin pieces for this project, you basically peel off layers from the thicker tiles. The thinner the layer, the more transparent it is – so if you like a more antique look, you could use slightly thicker mica, but if it’s too think it won’t fit in this particular pendant.

The copper (technically, copper-plated pewter) pendant is solid, so I glued an image into it. Again, I started by cutting an image to the correct size, and when I was happy with it, I glued it in. You could stop here (as I did) or, after the glue dries, you could fill the frame with resin to give it a domed look as well as protect the photo. If you opt not to use resin, I recommend painting some kind of protective sealer over the photo to make it water resistant. You can get inexpensive varnish at craft stores that works great, or get a more expensive UV-protection coat so your image won’t fade in the sunlight.

If you have specific questions about making either pendant, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer.

My summer project is coming along, and I’ll be using some of these pendants in it, so stay tuned. If you want to read more about the project, I’m also posting about it on my other, non-jewelry blog (decided it was time to separate my many other craft interests from the jewelry blog). So – the jewelry aspects of the project will be here, and the non-jewelry stuff there. Still not saying what the project is though

Next up: a tutorial for making a bead and wire chain to hang the picture pendants on – this bright colored project is perfect for summer! (Too bad it’s raining here…el nino is back with a vengeance in Northern California, but at least our reservoirs are filling up after a few drought years.)

Disclosure: artbeads.com gave me the blank pendants in exchange for writing about them. I am not compensated in any other way for my review. Edited to add: if you want to make a picture pendant, you can get 10% off the blank pendants on artbeads.com through July 31, 2010 with this code: SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0125.

Also – are you a creative entrepreneur? Check out my recently updated resource list for crafty businesspeople! (and go ahead and click the share button if you found it useful to help other people find it).

You will need metal stamps – alphanumeric if you want to stamp things like words and dates, or shapes and symbols to decorate your piece.

You’ll also need a piece of sheet metal – pre-cut circles work well – and a hammer and a hard surface such as a steel bench block to stamp on.

Place the metal on the stamping surface and position the stamp where you want to make your mark.

Now take your hammer (I use a heavy rubber mallet) and whack the back of your stamp. Practice this a few times on metal scraps so you get the hang of how hard you need to hit the stamp to get a good impression – too hard is just as bad as too light, so get a feel for how much force works.

I get the best results with three (or more) taps: one dead on, one holding the stamp slightly angled to the right, once holding it slightly angled to the left.

Here’s a video of me stamping with my new heart & flower stamps from artbeads:

Unfortunately, you can’t see how the stamp looks due to me being a total novice when it comes to making video, but at least you get a quick idea of the process!

If you are like me, you can use all the organizing help you can get. This article on organizing your supplies for crafting on the go has some great ideas.

Via craftzine, I found this tutorial for how to get acrylic paint off of clothing using rubbing alcohol.

Ornament

For this project, you need:

A large circle paper punch
Hole punch
Cardstock
Stickers
Ribbon or yarn (or ornament hooks)
Pen/pencil/crayon

I used a 3-Inch circle punch by the brand Marvy Uchida, which I bought at my local craft store. Everything else I had on hand – as will most crafty moms – the cardstock was leftover as was the ribbon & yarn (great way to use up a couple yards of leftover yarn!), and the stickers were purchased a while ago on clearance “for emergencies” aka rainy days when I need something to entertain my son.

How-to:

Punch out large cardstock circles

Punch a hole near the edge

Let your kid decorate with stickers/pens/pencils

Add an ornament hook, or tie a piece of yarn/ribbbon through the hole

Done!

My son helped me make a bunch of these which we used on our tree, as well as for gift tags. He is not quite 2 so needed help with everything except coloring, but he had a blast and is so proud that he helped Mama make the decorations.

I recommend cleaning your copper jewelry after every time you wear it. Use a mild soap and water, rinse completely, and dry with a soft cloth. Store your clean jewelry in an air-tight container, such as a plastic ziplock bag, since contact with air and chemicals in the air contribute to oxidation.

Copper Earrings

If your copper is looking dull or tarnished, try soaking it in lemon juice diluted with water. When the tarnish is gone, rinse the jewelry and dry it, and it should be shiny and clean again. I love this method since it’s eco-friendly and doesn’t use any toxic chemicals.

You can also polish copper with a jewelry polishing cloth. Some people like to leave the polishing residue on the jewelry because it can keep it shiny longer, while others prefer to clean it off, since it can irritate sensitive skin.

If you like copper with a little bit of a patina, go ahead and let it oxidize! Just keep earwires and other parts that have a lot of contact with your skin clean.

Copper is a very safe metal for jewelry, but if your skin gets itchy here are a few tips:

• Keep the jewelry very clean.
• Try coating earwires with clear nail polish – I have a friend who does this to all of her metal earwires – when it starts to come off, she removes the rest with nail polish remover & then coats them again.
• Remove earrings at night, rather than sleeping in them. And don’t forget to clean them – a lot of people who think they have a metal allergy are actually reacting to dirt and oils that build up on the jewelry.

If you’d like to make your own gifts, here are a couple ideas to try:

Sugar Scrub – I make this for myself using a combination of oils (such as olive and grapeseed, which I can get at the grocery store, essential oil for fragrance, and jojoba or sweet almond which are a little harder to find but available at my local health food store in the beauty section) and sugar. Add a bit of vitamin E oil for a preservative, and package it in a nice jar, and you have a great gift for someone! Experiment with different oils and scents, or substitute epsom salt for the sugar. To use, simply rub some on your hands or any part of your body that could use some exfoliation and moisture, then rinse in warm water.

Edited to add: check out the comments for another sugar scrub idea, and also try this brown sugar version from craftzine.

Decorate some votive holders (or other types of candle holders, the technique is pretty much the same).

Also check out my tutorial page for more ideas!

Oxidizing is something that occurs naturally over time with silver as the oxygen in the air and chemicals the silver comes into contact with gradually darken it – but if you want a piece of silver jewelry to be black on purpose, there is a way to do it quickly in your jewelry studio, using liver of sulfur.