Fuschia and Silver Ice Cream Cone Earrings

Summer may be almost over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a little of it with you in your next beading project. Try these crystal ice cream cone earrings. They’re very easy to make and only require a few materials.

Earlier this year I wrote a step-by-step article for this craft over at eHow.com featuring Swarovski crystal beads, which are super-duper sparkly and wonderful to work with, but other brands of crystal beads, or even glass and acrylic beads, will work as well.

Enjoy this beading treat!

Link: How to Make Beaded Swarovski Crystal Ice-Cream-Cone Earrings

The format on the eHow materials list is a little wonky, so here are the basics of what you need:

Beading materials:

2 earring wires
2 two-inch head pins
2 12mmx7mm (approx) cone shaped beads
2 10mm crystal or glass faceted round beads
2 4mm crystal or glass faceted bicone beads
A beading board or towel (to keep your materials from rolling away — this is optional)

Tools:
Needle or chain nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Small wire cutters

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2010/03/organize-with-handmade-bins.html

Make flower impressions on paper crafts with curragated cardboard and paint.

Join me on a journey this week fellow paper crafters as I test out ways to use corrugated cardboard for paper crafts.

Got a lovely corrugated cardboard envelope in the mail this week (containing a great read btw, “Corked” by Kathryn Borel) and instead of recycling in the paper pile, I’ve decided to challenge myself to find a way to use this box in creative ways for paper crafts.

Starting with today’s experiment… corrugated cardboard flower impressions. This technique for embelishment has probably been around for eons, but it’s new to me, so, here we go!

Corrugated cardboard flower impressions are uber easy. All you need is a rolled piece of currugated cardboard (pictured) and a little paint. I used a pearl pink fabric paint to start to add a little texture to the flower.

Use rolled corrugated cardboard to create a flower impression.

As you can see in the picture, it makes a pretty neat impression. I’m still testing the technique on scrap paper, but I’ll return to show you the results of a finished product (I’m thinking card or gift bag.) If you are inspired to try this technique out, too (and I hope that you are) send a link to your creations, I’d love to see them!

Also stay tuned for more experimentation with currogated cardboard paper craft embelishments. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please post them in the COMMENTS section and I see about giving them a go!

Stickers, Ric-Rac, and a little imagination make a heart-felt Valentines Day card.

It only takes a few minutes and a little creativity to arrange a few stickers, add a little ric-rac (or ribbon) trim, and create a hand-crafted card that looks like you put a lot of time and thought to it.

In the pictured example, pink linen card stock, a floral vase sticker, a series of heart shaped stickers with complimentary colors to the vase, a clear “sayings” sticker, and a white ric-rac trim glued on to the top and bottom with an inserted bow to finish the topping… create a very simply, yet elegant Valentines Day card suitable for a friend or significant other (just change the “sayings” sticker to reflect your sentiments!)

Make a matching envelope… or, dress up a plain white card envelopes to match. TIP: Keep a box of white card envelopes on hand always. They work with any card color and are great to turn to in a pinch when time is short and you don’t have the luxury of crafting a matching envelope or have a pre-cut card set on hand.

Put your “creativity” cap on, grab your paper supplies, and challenge yourself to create a Valentines Day card in 10 minutes or less! You’ll be surprised by the beautiful creations that come together quickly and you’ll have plenty of time to get your Valentines in the mail or hand deliver them on Valentines Day.

Charm Bracelet Supplies

A simple Valentine’s Day beaded charm bracelet makes a great gift for yourself or a friend. It is also a quick project, and perfect if you are new to beading. The main techniques used to make this bracelet are wire loops and jump rings.

You will need these common beading supplies:

Assorted beads in red, white, pink or any “Valentine’s Day” shape/theme.
7 inches of charm bracelet chain
Several headpins and jump rings
Needle nose or chain nose pliers (x2)
Round nose pliers
Wire nippers
Large lobster clasp
Beading mat, beading board or a towel so your beads don’t roll away

1. Start by laying the chain out on your beading board.
2. Choose beads and position them beneath the chain at the spot you where you would like them to go. Leave one to two links between each bead to avoid overcrowding.
3. Use the round nose pliers and head pins to make simple wire loops or wrapped wire loops on each of the beads you’ve chosen. This turns them into charms.
4. Attach the charms to the chain with jump rings. Use the two pairs of needle nose or chain nose pliers to twist open the jump rings and close them afterward. Never pull jump rings apart horizontally or you will distort the wire.
5. Use a jump ring to attach the lobster clasp to one end of the chain. The hook on the clasp will attach to any free link on the chain, making the bracelet adjustable. If the opposite end of the chain is too long after joining the clasp, trim the excess wire with the wire nippers.

Additional information to help you with this project:

Artbeads.com: How to make simple wire loops

Artbeads.com: How to make wrapped wire loops

SpottedCanary.com: Working with jump rings

To give your bracelet a little more pizazz, try this beading technique for your charms, demonstrated by our good friends at Auntie’s Beads:

AuntiesBeads.com: Drop beading

Additional inspiration for using charms in your jewelry:

Ehow.com: How to Make Beaded Charm Jewelry

HAVE A VERY HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!