Tin and Bead Bracelet DIY

As I flipped through some old jewelry magazines to decide if they needed to be kept or donated, I found so much inspiration in many of them still. The design idea for this bracelet arose from some of that flipping. And, I couldn't wait to try it out. As it is Mardi Gras Season in my area, it seemed the perfect color inspiration for the bracelet too. So, I ran with it. 

The actual design of the bracelet is easy enough: rectangles of tin are connected to one another by beads on eye pins. What takes the most time is the prepping of the tin. Each tin piece has to be cut, sanded, distressed, punched, flattened, and sealed before it can be joined with the beads to complete the bracelet. 

Of course, I recorded this whole process so you can watch it on YouTube.

And, if you have any questions at all, I'd be happy to answer them.  For now, here's a few more peeks at the finished bracelet. 

Though I went with a Mardi Gras design for this, I believe it can be worn inside out (reversible) for a completely different look.

And, I hope to make quite a few more of these. By using different tin, cutting alternative shapes, and incorporating other beads; I can create a variety of different bracelets with this one design idea. I hope it  inspires you too!

Peek at My Week (Oct 3 - 9)

 I'm happy to see that I'm able to make a little time to share what my week looked like.
Take a peek. 

I worked on a few projects on Sunday while one of my nieces and her boyfriend came over to help Pat clean the floor of the new building. I explored the property for a bit looking for the weird and wonderful and found plenty to delight me (above).

There was even this little treasure half-buried under a tree. 

It tickles me so! I can just imagine one of the kids who grew up in our house playing out in the yard with this toy motorcycle.

I also finished up a little needlebook I've been working on based on the skills I learned in the Mixed Media Textile Collage class from Sara Hartmann on the Southern Gals Designs Creative Academy. 

Monday was all about knocking out the chores and finishing several projects. Though, my favorite part was probably the joy I found in watching the birds and squirrels at the feeder we recently hung outside my craft room window!

I piddled most of Tuesday, working on a few things including this resin and tin piece. 

I actually didn't even realize that it looked like an eye until Pat said something about it. Ha!

Really, the day was spent waiting to hit the road for a fun experience. On the way, the sky was glorious! I even spotted a rainbow as we were crossing Mobile Bay. 

Then it was time for the BIG SHOW. Seriously.

KISS put on a concert like none other I've ever seen. It was amazing!

The rest of the week paled in comparison. Here are some of the highlights. 

 - I found a massive sticker book from someone's scrapbooking days at Goodwill on Wednesday.

- On Thursday, I visited with my mom and niece in Mobile.

Most of Friday was spent working on a design I had begun earlier in the week and was desperate to get finished. 

While I absolutely adore how the earrings came together. There are a few flaws with this particular design. So, these earrings are mine (all mine!)

Most of my Saturday was spent watching college football. Though, I made sure to keep myself busy with some organizing, art journaling, and beading on and off throughout the day.

Unfortunately, Alabama (my team) just barely lost their game, bringing down an otherwise beautiful week. But, I'm trying to stay optimistic for the week to come. 

Once again, I didn't find much to share. But, here are a few links for you to enjoy.

• This Quick and Easy DIY Fabric Bunting really does look quick and easy. 
• As it is pumpkin season, this DIY Cottagecore Floral Decorated Pumpkin caught my eye. 

And, that was my week. 

How was yours?

Peek at My Weeks (Feb 14-27)

Once again, I'm catching up on my weekly peek. I had the time last week to write this post, but not the motivation. And, my mood was not conducive for it at all. I'm sure you've had days like that too. So, I gave myself a break and decided I would wait. Now, I've got loads to share with you. 

We kept Valentine's Day very low-key. I mostly worked in the craft room and was able to let an idea come to fruition. I'm loving that little box and very likely make some more. 

I also ran out to the store for a bit of a treat.

Since Mardi Gras was that Tuesday, I felt like we NEEDED at least one King Cake. I went with one cream cheese and one raspberry for plenty of options. 

Monday was a little crazy as the plumbers were at the house most of the afternoon struggling to fix our drain issue. I stayed out of their way and in the craft room.

I focused on working on my piece for the Honey Do List and stressed about friends and family trapped in the snow in Texas.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras. And, it was unlike any I've ever celebrated. It was bitterly cold. My sinuses were aching. I grocery shopped. But, there was King Cake.

I'm not even sure what happened on Wednesday. It was a tad bit warmer, but overcast all day. I'm sure that influenced my mood.

But, I pushed forward and created.

Again on Thursday, I suffered through sinus issues and that had me moving slow. But, in addition to working on some jewelry, I was able to channel some of my creative focus into an art journal page.

 Apparently, on Friday, I found all my lost energy from the week because I was all over the place. 

I probably got a little pumped because my "valentine gift" from Pat came in. He bought me a super-fancy microphone for recording voiceovers for my videos. I really thought I could just get something small that would plug into a USB port, but should have known better since he's an audio expert. oops!

Though there was that happy in the day, while I worked away on loads of jewelry, I somehow broke my nice chain-nose pliers. Eek!! I've got an e-mail into the company though to see if there's anything I can do to fix them. But at least, I got some jewelry made, and the break could have been worse. 

Dinner was photo-worthy.

On Saturday, I realized how tight I was up to a couple of challenge deadlines. So, I started working away on those and experimented with a few techniques and supplies.

In the midst of that, I also set out a bucket of materials for a rust dye.

On Sunday, I laid out everything to dry while finishing up my contribution for the You, Me, Same 3 video reveal. 

With my page completed for the challenge, I spent almost all of Monday getting my video ready for the reveal. Artemis even joined me in the craft room.

Tuesday started off with a bit of excitement when a neighbor's dog followed Pat home from his morning walk and we had to call them to find out where she belonged. After I did the grocery shopping, I had to run back out for a single item from the craft store. Of course, I discovered an amazing load of clearance items that had to come home with me. 

Fortunately, I also picked up the mold-making kit I needed.

It had been a few weeks since I had checked in with my mom, so after busting out a quick jewelry task, I headed out to visit with her in the afternoon. My niece's cat didn't want me to leave and climbed up on my shoulder as I was about to walk out the door after my visit. 

On Thursday, I made up for my afternoon away from the house and completed a few tasks I had been putting off. I organized some of my tin scraps as I prepped to work on earring pairs. 

Once the midday sun had passed, I was out on the porch to get product pictures taken.

I was back porch again Friday morning to welcome in the day. The fog kept my attention focused close in and had me looking for beauty not far from where I sat.

That really fueled my day as I hopped from one activity to another, even working on making Grungy Opals based on the tutorial from Fanciful Devices. 

In the evening, Pat and I met a friend for a beer outside the Brewery in Fairhope. On our way there, I couldn't help but snap a few shots of this amazing sunset from the truck. 

Saturday was a big video day for me as I had two reveals: The Red Riding Hood Hop and You, Me, Same 3. I spent much of the day watching the other videos and responding to comments. When I hopped outside to snap a few shots of one of the pieces, I was distracted for a moment by the dew in the weeds.

When I did get a break from videos, I was happy to discover that some of our mini daffodils have begun blooming. They feel like a promise of the spring to come. 

Whew! That was basically my last two weeks in pictures.

Now, here's some inspiration for your week ahead. 

• Learn about 20 common embroidery mistakes and how to fix them. 
• My Modern Met has some great information about creating collage art. 
• I love Heather of HumbleBeads' style. Here, she shares the pattern for her X's & O's Necklace along with the supplies to make it yourself. 
• I'm not sure what language this post is in, but it's a quick tutorial showing how to use Lego as a photo-holder and you'll quickly get the idea from the pictures. 
• I have to admit that I'm not sold on the knotted configuration of this yarn-wrapped wall-hanging. But, I think some of the instructions contained in the tutorial are useful for other projects. 
• At the Beading Gem, you'll find some instructions to make easy riveted stampings jewelry. 
• I've never heard of a colonial knot in embroidery terms, but this tutorial will teach you how to make them. 
• Learn about leatherworking projects and tools at My Modern Met. 
• Find out some fun facts about birthstones. 
• At the Artists Network, learn 5 Keys to Creating Art that's all your own. 
• Since Easter is quickly approaching, here are 20 Crafts with plastic Easter eggs. Some of these are more kid-centered, but there are adult ideas as well. 
• At HumbleBeads, Heather shares how to make her Springtime Dream Bracelet. 
• As knots often trip me up, I haven't quite gotten on the macrame train yet, but this Macrame braid necklace tutorial at Make & Fable does catch my attention. 
• I really love these mixed media portraits from Nelson Makamo. 
• Since I'm all about upcycling, there's no question that a wreath made from scraps would pique my interest. 
• I had no idea there were so many ways to press flowers and use them. 
• You may not think snails are cute, but these photos may change your mind. 
• I know several of you already make bead embroidery, but I haven't jumped on that train yet. Maybe one day!!
• Here's a lucky clover embroidery pattern. 
• I may not be able to make macrame, but this massive installation is so impressive!
• It took me a few days to finally get around to reading this long article on Keys to Creative Productivity, but I'm so glad I did!
• Roben-Marie shares some ideas for overcoming those moments of creative self-doubt. 
• I can't even imagine creating these tiny embroidery landscapes. I have a hard enough time working at a normal scale. 
• This playful street art is sure to make you smile. 
• I love so much of what Sadie Seasongoods makes and shares. In this post, she has a roundup of recycled paper crafts. 
• So, I have a serious love of crayons. Their smell is almost euphoric for me. So, these crayon sculptures just make me giddy!
• Check out this adorable DIY Book Pendant. There's so much to love about it. 
• I've totally got this playing card house tutorial saved for later. 
• Y'ALL! This is art that combines beads and embroidery. I'm SWOONING!
• I've only ever seen dichroic glass used in jewelry. These art installations are glorious. 
• To finish out this list is a picture of a dormouse that will absolutely make you giggle. 

Geez, that was a long list! Hopefully, there's something in there that will inspire you and keep you going this week I hope you go out there and make it a good one!

Industrial Romantic (Honey Do List Reveal)

I have to admit it, hearts aren't usually my thing. Even in middle school, they felt a little too cutesy to me. As such, hearts don't often make an appearance in my jewelry. But, this month's photo inspiration from Sarajo and Eric at SJ Designs Jewelry had a big, red heart that dominated the picture. I wasn't sure what I would do. 

As I finished working on another project, I realized that I had a ton of little scrap squares of tin littering my desk. I thought about trashing them. However, I quickly realized that they might work to make a pixelated heart like the one in Eric's photo. I never considered coloring them red, but did look for a red tin that would work. Since I knew this reveal would be many days after Valentine's, I decided to veer from creating something that felt so tied to the holiday. Instead, I grabbed a bit of green tin and went to work on it. 

The "gold" tin scraps are actually from the inside of the tin. The other side has a blue design on it that just wouldn't work cohesively. I had just enough scraps to get this heart pattern worked out and riveted to the green tin. Once my heart was made, the pendant felt a little plain, so I added the lines of black beads at the bottom for a bit of feminine accent to it.

And, the pendant is basically reversible as the heart pattern comes through on the back of the pendant as well. 

I made the chain somewhat long with black beads, gold-colored wire, and antiqued silver chain. 

I totally dig this necklace. Once again, I wouldn't have come up with this design if it weren't for the inspiration from Sarajo and Eric. Thanks, y'all!! Now, head over to Sarajo's reveal post to see what she and the other participants in this challenge created. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. 

Peek at My Week (Nov 15-21)

My creativity has been kicking in this week, and I couldn't be more thankful for the distraction. 

Sunday began beautifully. There was a bit of a hazy fog that diffused the sunrise and gave the morning a lovely glow. 

Back inside, I collected a few of the projects I had begun on Saturday.

Coffee-dyed papers were laid out across the kitchen island drying.

And, a copper washer was finishing up its patina process. Once I had it cleaned and sealed, it went straight into the last compartment of my Bead Box. Hopefully, I'll have version 10 to share with you before too long!

Before the day got away from us, we met some friends for a hike at Blakely State Park. Along the way, I collected colorful leaves to create this super cool rainbow of fall foliage as inspired by Rachel on Instagram. 

I have to admit that we got a little lost on the hike and ended up walking about five miles - much more than we had anticipated. And, we were exhausted for the rest of the day. But, it was so good to be out enjoying the fall weather. 

I found myself a little sore on Monday and took my time to get things done. While doing our grocery shopping, I couldn't resist this pile of satsumas at the farm market. 

These are some of my favorite fruits and ones that we wait all year to come into season locally. They're so good! One day our little tree will finally fruit. And, we're hoping to plant several more. We really do love them. 

Most of Tuesday was spent at the craft desk. I aged copper wire for some of the designs that were packed into the bead box.

And then, I got started on making the bead box designs. I ensured that the first few compartments held pieces that would fit into a couple of the November Challenges.

I also spent some time editing videos to share with you. 

Each evening, I go out and close up the chicken coops. I couldn't help but stop and capture these sleepy cuties as they watched the twilight ease in.

Though I had a box FULL of designs to work on, I was compelled to cut out both a few templates for tin and some tin on Wednesday.

That kept me busy most of the afternoon! In the evening, we discovered The Great Pottery Throw Down. It's a BBC program that we're able to watch on HBO Max. It's just like the Great British Bake-Off but pottery instead of cakes!

On Thursday, I happily worked on sanding and altering my little tin pieces while watching YouTube videos most of the day. 

My sister-in-law came over to help my husband with the roof of the shed. And, while I was out greeting her, the blossoms on the loquat trees caught my attention. I was trying to take a picture when a butterfly landed on the flower.

I became enamored with watching all the bees and butterflies flitting among the blooms. It was mesmerizing. Fall in the South can be pretty amazing.

But, I did have loads to do including running a few errands in the afternoon, and somehow I found myself in a thrift store. (I have no idea how that happened ;) Ha!)

On Friday, I did a little pampering before starting my day in earnest.

From there, I finished working on my tin, and we had a fire in the firepit in the evening. It was the first of the season, and I think we could have sat out there all night. I just love watching a fire, and found a dragon in ours.

Do you see it too?

I spent most of Saturday morning playing with paper techniques I had seen on the videos I watched through the week.

While I'm not a huge fan of bleach in general (the smell, the stains...ugh!), I was smitten with Aimee Bishop's results in Stamping with Bleach and had to try it myself!

From there, I went in another papercrafting direction.

I've been wanting to try the alcohol ink on the Gelli Plate technique from Birgit Koopson ever since I saw her share a peek of it on Instagram. 

In the afternoon, we watched the Alabama football game to finish the weekend.

While I didn't get many completely finished projects, I stayed creative for most of the week. And, that makes me happy. I hope you've found your creative groove this week too. If you're looking for inspiration, he's what I've found this week. 

• Moois Van Me had a couple of earring tutorials that caught my eye. First, these Balance earrings have such a neat design that I'm sure has some great movement. Secondly, the Ava Pearl earrings have a similar wire idea to them, but done quite differently. You'll have to go take a look to see what I mean. 
• My Modern Met has a list of 10 Art Books that will Nourish Your Creative Soul this Month. I always love hearing about inspiring reads!
• Though it's not quite Thanksgving yet, I'm really enjoying seeing some of the DIY ornaments out there. This Vintage Butterfly Ornament is no exception. 
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has released her #CarveDecember prompt list if you're interested in jumping on the handcarved stamp bandwagon. And, you don't HAVE to use her prompts or even carve everyday. But, it's a fun challenge all in all. 
• Nunn Designs has a tutorial on How to Turn Your Images into Beautiful Resin Jewelry. I'm thinking those could be great gifts!
• I just have to share this Freddie Mercury Marionette for its pure awesomeness. 
• Here's another of the videos that I binged this week: Quick and Easy Leather Journal Tutorial. 
• The Graphic Fairy always shares a ton of fabulous printable images. Here are 50+ Best Blank Labels (Vintage). 

And, that was the week for me. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. Let me know what you're doing to stay busy and creative.