End of Summer

Happy Labor Day!  Well summer is almost over.  This weekend is the unoffical end of the season. You can see what I have been doing instead of writing this blog!  For the first time in a long time I have been reading a lot, I even contributed book reviews to The Nyack Library's Adult Summer Reading program. It certainly is better than watching TV reruns all night.  Working at The Library for the past year has definitely been a good influence on me.

Now that the fall is approaching, I guess that its time to get back to business.  I have been preparing new fun craft tutorials for this blog.  I am starting with some simple uses for paper scraps from magazines, newspapers and even recycled books.  

Just in time for the school year, we will be  using these materials to decorate composition books.  Also I'll show you how your can upgrade some inexpensive frames with paper and found objects!

And here are some of the finished items.  Great craft fun (all ages can do this craft) and great for gift giving this holiday season.

Old Frame & Composition Book decorated with strips from recycled magazine pages

Two Journals made new with recycled magazine pages, old books and atlases

Well, ta-ta for now.  Please take a look at my Etsy site, it's not to early to think about holiday gift giving, especially if you don't want to do it yourself!   Also I have some cute Halloween wire bracelets for the young at heart!

See you soon,

anne

Flea Market Fun & Some New Stuff

Vintage  Paper Beads

Gray & Crystal Necklace and a crazy Pin

These are some of my recent finds at garage sales and flea markets.  I think my best find was the old paper bead necklace.  No one really knew what it was, but it was pretty apparent to me.  The crystal necklace and the pin will be taken apart and recycled into new jewelry--you will see it here in a few weeks!  I will probably keep the paper bead necklace as is, it will be a great sample to show at my workshops.

During the past several weeks I made one more memory wire bracelet.  It is a great color combination, neon green and violet.  It wraps around your wrist 6 times and shows off  11 paper beads.  What a great statement piece, you will get tons of compliments. And it has been posted on my Etsy site.

Violet and Neon Green Memory Wire Bracelet 

I have also been working on chunky sparkly bracelet, full of pearls and crystals.  A bracelet that will add bling to your holiday fashions or even a wedding dress.  There are about 50 pearls and crystals in this bracelet and 12 vintage buttons. Most of the crystals and pearls are recycled from old jewelry. I like it very much, you will have to let me know what you think.

Chunky Pearl and Crystal Bracelet

I plan to make a cuff of soft pale suede and add vintage buttons, crystals and pearls.  It will be the same colors as this bracelet but a whole different look. And I just got a recycled "Alice in Wonderland" book to fashion into bracelets, necklace and earrings.

I expect to send my first constant contact newsletter out next week.  There is a 20% off coupon attached.  Coupon is good either on line or you can bring it to my next craft fair in Croton on October 27th.  If you don't get a copy of the newsletter and you want one, just notify me at annemadethis@gmail.com.  And Halloween bracelets are still available, check my Etsy site!

OK, that's it for today.  Hope to see you all soon.
anne

More Uses for Paper Beads

Memory Wire Bracelet-Violet Cereal Box

Halloween Bracelet

Greetings All,

Although it's not getting cooler, it is getting darker earlier and earlier now.  We are seeing a few of the first signs of fall. Another sign of the season, I'm making my paper beads in darker more jewel like colors now.  Take a look at the violet memory wire bracelet, the colors are deep and rich--perfect for fall fashions.  

And I've made a bracelet for Halloween, each bracelet has a couple of paper beads and a Halloween lamp work glass bead.  So cute and lots of fun for little girls.  I'll have these bracelets at the Croton Fall Arts Fair; Saturday, October 27th.  Just in time for Halloween!  If you want the bracelet sooner you can leave a comment on this blog or contact me through my Etsy shop.

Another Craft Idea

As the holiday season rolls around, you can make great cards and tags with paper beads embellishments.    These cards and tags will cost a fraction of what you pay in the card shop.  And you will be recycling those  magazines you have!

Use  toothpicks to roll these beads, so they will be nice and tight.  Follow the basic directions for the tube paper beads in my earlier tutorial.  I usually do not glaze the beads used for cards and tags. They come from glossy magazine stock and they just look better left as is.    Here are some samples I made.

The candles, the rays of the sun and the branches of the tree are all thin tube paper beads.  They are cut from magazine pages, rolled on tooth picks and glued.  Once the paper beads were dry, they were glued to the cards.   Looks like fun, right?!!

Check my Etsy site for new things and let me hear from you soon.

See you all soon,

anne