Eee! A guest post! My favorite kind of post. Especially when the project is as cool as this one. I LOVE Miss London, and I adore all her amazing art. I wear my Starry Collage ring almost every day. Check out her Etsy shop for rings featuring her original paintings, plus tons of cool chipboard buttons. You'll be seeing her Deck the Halls buttons on an upcoming project from me--I love them! She also sells her paintings in her other Etsy shop, and she has a fun blog. Busy girl! Okay, enough from me. Here's London!

Hi! London here, from Such Sweet Tierney, Mandy was kind enough to ask me to guest post a fun tutorial! Today I’m going to show you how to make an easy, economic and totally unique piece of jewelry. These resin rings are a snap to make and would make the perfect handmade holiday gift.

Resin Ring Tutorial


Supplies:

1. Blank Ring trays (I buy mine on Etsy, but also eBay is another good source) The ones I use are adjustable and sterling silver coated brass, which means safe for sensitive skin…like mine!!
2. A resin or epoxy sealer. I recommend Sakura’s 3-D Crystal Laquer because it’s thick and totally clear, Diamond glaze can be substituted.
3. Heavyweight Gloss photo paper, I prefer HP.
4. Inkjet Printer
5. Photos, patterned paper, or other desired images
6. Display tray for rings or something to hold them level
7. Mod podge or other decoupage sealant
8. Paint brush
9. Scissors
10. Krylon Matte clear spray (optional)


Instructions:

1. Select images, photos or create mini collages for your base. I use photographic images of my own artwork and print them right off a word document. If using a printed image I suggest lightening it more than the desired effect as printing tends to darken such a small image. The square ring images are .87” X .87” but will vary by ring manufacturer. Set your printer to the best photo setting, print images and let dry. If using collage or patterned paper skip ahead to next step!


2. I prefer to use a krylon clear spray on both sides of the photo paper.


If you don’t have this, Mod Podge works great. Make sure your image is dry, and apply a thin coating of Mod Podge to both sides of the photo paper. Let dry 5-10 min.



3. Cut out your image and prepare ring tray by applying thin layer of Mod Podge inside. Working quickly, press image inside ring blank and evenly smooth. I use this handy little rubber tool to press down the corners and edges. I allow the image to crease up into the sides of the ring tray wall to ensure that there will be a tighter seal. A tight seal means less bubbling!



4. Allow ring to dry for 15-20 minutes.

5. Once dry, arrange in display tray or surface where the ring tops can sit level. You don’t want them to be lop-sided!


6. To fill the rings, tip bottle of epoxy all the way up and try to let the epoxy come out naturally instead of squeezing. This will reduce the bubbling. If your epoxy does not come out try cutting the tip wider. Fill each tray until the epoxy creates a dimensional “dome” on top of your ring.




7. Watch over your rings for about an hour as they start to harden. Use a toothpick, needle or bobby pin to pop bubbles that form in the epoxy. Epoxy will be hard to touch in 24 hours. Let harden for 5-7 days before wearing.

8. If you discover a large bubble or other imperfection after the initial 24 hours, the epoxy is still soft enough inside to easily remove/peel from the tray so that you may re-use the ring base.



Thanks for joining me in this fun project! Don’t forget to show and tell!

I guess we're really on a jewelry kick this week! That was unintentional, but fun. Here's a very simple bracelet or necklace idea that is great for little girls and bigger girls. The best part is that you can make one out of a pretty small scrap of fabric or a leftover piece of ribbon, so it's cheap, too!

Covered Wooden Bead Bracelet Tutorial

We made two of these--one using a fabric scrap (easy) and one using a piece of ribbon (super easy). That's why you'll see us using the supplies for two different projects.


What you'll need:

*Wooden beads (found at most craft stores with the jewelry supplies)--enough to go around your wrist
*Length of fabric or ribbon that can hold all your beads, plus about six inches extra for the ties (more if you want to tie your ends in a bow)
*Sewing machine (if using fabric)
*Cooordinating thread
*Fray Check (to keep your ribbon or fabric from fraying on the ends)

1. Cut a strip of ribbon or fabric. You will want to be sure it is wide enough to wrap around your beads and long enough to wrap around your wrist with extra length for the ties.


2. If using fabric strip, fold the strip together lengthwise and sew down the long end. (We didn't sew our ribbon and it worked fine.)


3. Using a dowel, turn your sewn strip inside out.


4. Iron the strip.


5. About 5 or 6 inches from one end, wrap a piece of thread or embroidery floss around the tube and tie a knot. Insert your first bead.


6. Using your thread, tie another knot to keep this bead in place. Add another bead. Repeat.


7. Continue repeating until you have enough beads to wrap around your wrist comfortably.


8. When you are done and the bracelet fits your wrist, tie the last bead off with thread. Apply fray check to your ends, and tie them in a knot or a bow. That's it!


Wouldn't it be fun to make a coordinating bracelet for a little girl's dress or skirt with the leftover fabric? Or, try bigger beads to make a long necklace. You could even tie a knot in the fabric between beads if they were a little bigger, making the process even simpler!

Macrame. If you were a child of the 60s or 70s, you probably remember the knotted plant hangers, handbags, and wall decor like I do. Macrame is the art of knotting strings of fabric or cording, combining them with beads and other trinkets, and weaving them into works of art or just fun personal items. It's actually a few centuries old. Too bad the more recent decades gave it such a bad name. Until now. Have you heard of mirco-macrame? We hadn't either, but we were so impressed by this local gal's amazing book, we got TWO copies to giveaway to our readers!

Annika deGroot's book Micro-Macrame: 30 Beaded Designs for Jewelry using Crystals and Cords features some of the most beautiful and intricate jewelry we've ever seen. Using gorgeous techniques and sparkling crystals, she's created bracelets, necklaces, earrings, key fobs, brooches, even chopsticks with the art of micro-macrame. Check out her blog to find out more about Annika's discovery and journey that has brought us this beautiful book.

So, if you're into jewelry making at all, you're going to want to win this book. We're giving away TWO copies this week. Just leave us a comment and tell us if you've ever tried macrame, you want to try it, or even that you just remember an old plant hanger in your great-aunt's home as a child, and you'll be entered to win one. Please leave your comment by Saturday, July 25 at 11:59pm PDT. Good luck!

None of the Three Birdies really know much about jewelry making. So when we found these cool pendants from Plaid's Fresh line, we thought, hey, we could do that! Any of their pendants would be beautiful just on a plain chain or piece of ribbon. They look really fancy, but they take about two seconds to put together. So even though you didn't make the pendant, you still technically made the necklace. We like to call this method "almost handmade." We're actually kind of pros at "almost handmade." You know we like simple!

However, knowing that some of you like things a little more elaborate, we got Stacy's cousin Megan to help us dress these pendants up a little. She knows her stuff when it comes to making jewelry. She already had a ton of beads to choose from, so we just started by picking out some coordinating beads. Check out her bead design board that helps you lay out the beads so you can see how they'll actually look (without trying to keep them from rolling away!). Very handy.



Megan did the fancy footwork on the chain and clasp. Definitely something you could learn in a beading/jewelry class at your local bead store. And here's our finished product! Cool, huh?



The Fresh line has so many other cool resin pendants to choose from, like these.


We have some other great ideas for the Fresh jewelry line, so watch for more "almost handmade" soon. . .

Giveaway #12

It's time for our last giveaway for this week. Thanks to all our sponsors who have made our first Reader Appreciation Week a success! And thanks to all of you who have visited our sponsors and left such sweet comments. We love you all!

You're going to love the funky pieces our last jewelry artist creates. Andrea of Your Every Color makes simple but stylish jewelry using fun components like glass tiles and fabric-covered buttons. We love the pendant and earring sets.

These are so pretty and perfect for spring!



Aren't these earrings sweet? Look at all the amazing colors and patterns she's used!


Your Every Color is giving away two pairs of fabric button earrings to one of our readers! You know the drill--visit her on Etsy and leave us a comment with your favorite item from her shop. Do it by Wednesday, April 29 by 11:59 pm PST for a chance to win!

Our winners for the first half of the week will be posted on Monday. Winners from the second half of the week will be posted Thursday. So don't forget to check back and see if you're one of our twelve winners!

Giveaway #3
We are loving Simply Different Jewelry's swanky style for a steal. Aren't these gorgeous earrings for spring?




Designer/creator Natalie Frederick says, "Earrings always fit! They fit when you are trying to lose that last ten pounds, when you are days from delivering a new baby and pretty much NOTHING fits, and when you can wear your skinny jeans. That resonates with any woman!"

She's right, which is why we know all of you are going to want to win a the item of your choice from Natalie's fabulous store! Check out her Etsy shop and leave us a comment telling us your favorite item. While you're there you might as well buy a few pair of earrings because her prices are amazing!

Entries must be received by Sunday, April 26 at 11:59pm PST. Good luck!

Giveaway #1We are so excited about our first Reader Appreciation Week giveaway! This is some of the most beautiful, inspiring handmade jewelry we've seen. Lisa Leonard hand crafts each piece, and even adds custom details on some orders, like your children's names. We think her pieces are so classy, incorporating nature and simple details. We love her "little birdie" pieces!
Lisa says, "My desire is to create simple, lovely pieces that can be worn with jeans or your little black dress. I want each piece to meaningful. Our custom jewelry is hand-stamped with your kids’ names or a special phrase or verse. I love to touch my necklace throughout the day and reflect on my husband and my sweet boys.
"Each piece we create is a work of art—hand cut, hammered, polished, drilled and assembled with care. I am inspired by other artists--painters, scrapbookers, clothing designers and poets. I also love to soak up nature-the sky, the sea, the green hills. I let all these ideas and images swirl around in my mind and then I create."
Lisa also has a great blog that often features giveaways and amazing discounts. For our first giveaway this week, Lisa is generously offering a $50 gift certificate to her online store. To enter, visit Lisa's site and then leave the Little Birdies a comment telling us which piece you would choose if you won. Entries will be accepted until Sunday, April 26 at 11:59pm PST. Good luck!