Labor Day

Hi everyone,

OK I am a few days late, but happy Labor Day to all!  

Labor Day marks the end of summer and the start of the new school year.   The holiday celebrates the contributions of the American worker, it is on the first Monday of September.  It is one of the few holidays that does not have a religious tradition, even the first Labor day was celebrated with parades and picnic and fun!  For over 100 years we have continued marking the Day with parades, barbecues, picnics and now a 3-day weekend of sales!  Hope you all enjoyed the holiday!

Striped Tube Beads

These beads are yet another variation of the tube bead.  I think they will look great  as a bracelet in either a stripe or checkerboard pattern.  Nice fall colors, right?  I'll make a few bracelets from these beads and post them on my Etsy site.   Later I will post a tutorial for making these beads.

And finally, with the help of my most trusted advisers, I am trying to develop more "shopper friendly" displays for my bracelets.  Bracelets in my original display are difficult for potential customers to handle or try on.  With this new three-tier display, the bracelets are lying in a bed of dried beads.  Now they are easy to pick up and try on.  What do you think?  I'll try it out at my next craft fair this fall.

Three-tiered Bracelet Display

Well that's it for tonight, talk to you all soon.  Check out my Etsy site and let me know what you think.  My next craft fair will be the Croton Fall Arts Fair on October 27th.

anne

New Ideas and Things

Vintage pins made from very old buttons, Havre de Grace, MD

Hi to everyone,

Last weekend I traveled to Maryland.  One of the stops I made was Havre de Grace where I visited an amazing button shop.  The proprietor was 77 years old and had been collecting buttons since she was a child.  I wish I had taken more pictures, the shop was stuffed with all kinds and colors of vintage and antique buttons.  She made these  pins about 35 years ago.  I thought they were unusual, interesting.

Paper bead memory wire bracelets by annemade.  this

Above are some memory wire bracelets I made last week, incorporating my paper beads.  They are posted on  my online Etsy site annemadethis.  These wire bracelets wrap around your wrist 5-6 times, they form a 2" cuff.  Very luxurious!  The colors are spectacular!  Check them out.

I have developed another way to make the Collage Art bead.  Originally I had posted a short tutorial on this in on February 2, 2012.  Well here is another way to get some of the same effects.  Below is a sample of some Collage art beads I made today.

Collage art beads

 1.  Start with a panel from a cereal box or any other light cardboard carton.  The more white and pale areas there are on the box, the more pronounced the color effects will be.  Using a medium size paint brush, cover the entire carton front with white glue in an even layer.

2. Take colored tissue paper (the colors you want your beads to be) and rip it in sections.  Glue it all over the cereal carton front in a haphazard manner.  See picture.

3. Make sure the tissue and glue dries thoroughly and that all pieces of tissue are firmly adhered to the carton.  Sometimes a little glue brushed on top of the tissue helps this.

4. After it is dry, turn carton over and trim excess.  Draw triangles the size you want.  Cut and roll triangles as shown in the tutorial of January 9, 2012.

5. You may add other embellishments, such as string, ribbon, glitter or more tissue at this point.  Then coat the bead with two coats of ultra-thick gloss.  Let dry thoroughly.

If there are any questions, please contact me.  Happy crafting!  Would love to see some examples of what you do.

Stop by my Etsy site and like me on facebook!

Talk to you soon,

anne

Tubular Paper Bead Tutorial

Jane Eyre Bracelet

Nature Book Bracelet

Chinese Menu Bracelet

Hi to all,

Above are some examples of tubular paper beads I have made into bracelets.  One reason I like the tube bead is that it really shows off the materials it was made from.  You can actually see Chinese menu items or the text from Jane Eyre.  Today I would like to go through a step by step process in making a tubular paper bead.  It is really quite easy, once you practice two or three times.

1. To start off you need a skewer, tacky glue, a soft brush and strips of medium weight paper, cut 3/4" X 6".  Here I am using a page from my vintage atlas. To make a bracelet like the ones shown above, you should roll about 32 beads, so start with 35 strips, just in case.

2. To start rolling, place the strip under the skewer as shown.  Tuck ends around and start to roll.  Keep strip snug and both ends even.  If it unrolls, just start again, this has happened many times to me.

3.  Roll to about an inch from the end.

4. Using the soft brush, spread tacky glue on the inch long tail.









5. Finish rolling the bead, holding tail down until glue dries.  Then gently slide bead off skewer, keeping edges even.  See photo below.

                                






6. I place the finished bead on two toothpicks and stick it into an egg carton to dry.  That should take only a few minutes.

 

7.  The last step, coat the bead twice with an ultra-thick gloss.  Let it dry thoroughly between coats..  And now you have a bunch of tubular beads ready for crafting. Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and special thanks to my beautiful hand model, Tori!

Looking forward to meeting everyone this Saturday, July 21st at the

Peekskill Jazz and Craft Fair

For Festival details, visit www.downtownpeekskill.com

 



Happy crafting.  Please check out my etsy shop.



anne

Endless Inspiration

Hi to all,

I really don't have a lot to say today, but I do have pictures of the pieces I worked on this week, all inspired by vintage buttons, pins and charms we sorted through a few weekends ago.  This box of buttons will be an endless source of creative energy!

Ode to a Gardener

Ode to a Gardener is the first piece that was crafted the from those  buttons.   I absolutely love it!  The bracelet is made of vintage buttons, pins and some beads from my stash, even a paper bead.  It is a custom order and will not be posted for sale.  In fact it is a gift, so if you know who it is for, don't say anything!  It is supposed to be a surprise.  Already, I have another bracelet fashioned from vintage buttons, crystals and earrings laid out on my studio work table. It is a real dazzler, all pearls, gold and rhinestones.  Take a look on my Etsy site during the week, it will be posted soon.

Chunky Blue Paper Bead Necklace

Above is another one of my creations, inspired by collection of vintage buttons.  I made this necklace from some giant paper beads, crafted from a box that contained trash bags.  Aren't the colors great.  I strung these paper beads with large acrylic beads, wooden beads and some of my vintage buttons using a technique that summer campers use with lanyard.  The necklace is a great statement  piece.  If you want stringing directions just let me know.  The necklace is posted on my Etsy site, please take a closer look, let me know what you think.

This week I met with a Nature Center and visited their gift shop We discussed workshops, a possible holiday fair for local "green" artists and displaying my pieces for placement in their shop. Here is a necklace made with my vintage buttons and paper beads rolled from their Wild Life Encyclopedia destined for the trash.  I made this necklace specifically for the Nature Center gift shop.

Vintage papers

 Finally, I am now offering  some the same vintage papers I use for my beads, these papers are posted on my Etsy site.  They are original pages from an old atlas,  a wild life encyclopedia, my forty year old French grammar books and some pages from the reproduction copy of Jane Eyre I used for the Jane Eyre collection pieces.  There is more information about the vintage papers on my Etsy site, just follow the link.  You can  use the paper for many different projects including, paper beads, scrapbooking, collage, card making etc. And consider that all of these book have been rescued from the trash, using these pages is all part of my recycling and reusing philosophy.

Check it out.

Talk to you soon,
anne

Work in Progress

Jane Eyre Necklace

Hi to all,

Hope this post finds every one happy and healthy on this Memorial Holiday.  While you are enjoying family cook outs, thank a soldier and remember all they have done for us.

Above is a preview of my Jane Eyre necklace.  I crafted the disks for the necklace from the pages of a reproduction copy of Jane Eyre destined for the trash. The cover was used to by one of my Etsy friends to fashion a pocketbook.  Always, reduce, reuse and recycle!! 

The disks in this necklace are strung with vintage beads from my mother's jewelry box (also destined for the trash) on a silver chain, ribbon and a faux suede cord.  The necklace, along with matching bracelet and earrings will be available in my Etsy shop next week. 

Beach Art Beads Bracelet-Pink I

Beach Art Beads Bracelet-Blue I

Following up from my last post, the Beach Art Bead bracelets are available now.  Just click on the links and you will see more photos.  Didn't they come out lovely, just like a sunny beach!  The bracelets were picked as favorites in Etsy in less than ten minutes of posting them.  They will look great with your summer tan. The beach art beads are strung with crystals, cracked glass and faux pearls.  Read more about them at my shop.  And there are special discounts when you buy two. Check my shop, annemadethis on Etsy.

My Jane Eyre necklace and  Beach Art Beads can be seen at the Phelps Memorial Craft Fair on June 9th in Sleepy Hollow.  There will be lots going on for everyone, so I hope to see you there.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rain or Shine!

10 am - 4 pm

at

The James House Mansion

on the grounds of

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

701 No. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

free admission  free parking

 Music  Prizes  Refreshments for Sale

 Silent Auction  James House Tours

anne

Darkest Before the Dawn!

Hi everyone,

Here's a quick look at the progress we've made on the new guest room!

What a mess! It always looks the worst, just before it is finished.  You can see the new lamp and the new bedside table in the background.  Only a week left to go!  I'll keep you posted.

The tutorial on making Paper Beads has been missing for about a month, it was originally written on January 9th.  Well, I have rewritten it, so everyone can get a first hand look at how I make paper beads.  If you try it, let me know how the directions go; if they need any revisions.

MOTHER'S DAY SPECIAL

Starting tomorrow morning I will be running a Mother's Day Special on my Etsy site.  I will be giving free shipping to any items purchased before Mother's Day, May 13th.  Just use coupon code FREESHIP when you check out.  Here are some Mother's Day ideas:

Tropical Pink Paper Bead Bracelet

Pretty in Pink Paper Bead Bookmark

Also I will be posting some new items--PaperBead Bracelets made with chains.  I am sure you will like them.  Go to my Etsy Shop and see what you think.

It is going to be 80 degrees in NY--so everyone enjoy the day.  Get out there and take a walk!!

Thanks for reading and see you soon.

anne

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi to all,

Hope you get tons of candy today!  During the last few days, I've been working on some new paper bead  bracelet designs.     I'll be listing them this week on my Esty site.  Soon I plan to do a tutorial on how to make this bracelet.  In the mean time, please let me know what you think.

Paper Beads from the Funnies!

Tropical Paper Beads

I've been wanting to put this recipe in my blog for a long time.  Although the recipe name sounds unappetizing, the results are delicious!  And you will always have homemade vegetable stock on hand.

Vegetable Broth (Garbage Broth)

This is a great use of vegetable peelings and trimmings. When you fix potatoes for dinner, save the peelings. Do the same for carrots, squashes and sweet potatoes. Also save the trimming from celery, onions, garlic and just about any other vegetable you prepare. Put the peelings and trimming in a plastic bag and store in freezer. Once bag is full, get your big stock pot, fill it with water and the frozen vegetable scraps and peelings; bring water to a boil and then simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours. Add salt if necessary. Strain out all vegetables. Refrigerate.  You will have a fantastic vegetable broth that you can use as a base for soups and sauces. And it didn't cost anything!

Don't forget about the annemadethis recycled pendant giveaway!

anne 

Making Paper Beads

This is what your paper beads will look like

How I make Paper Beads for my Etsy shop: annemadethis

Some how this tutorial got lost, so I am rewriting it and posting it again.

Materials:
Front of the cereal box                        Styrofoam egg carton                      
Scissors                                             Soft brush & square edge brush (1/2")
Ruler                                                  Pencil
Tacky Glue                                          Paper plate
Tooth picks                                         TripleThick Gloss

1. For a basic 3/4" bead, start with the front of a cereal box.  Turn it over to the back side or inside of the box.  Start with the shorter end (A) and mark the edge every 3/4".  On the opposite end (B), measure in 3/8", this is your first mark on the (B) end.  From this mark, measure in 3/4" intervals until the end.  See picture below.

Back of cereal box marked in 3/4" intervals 

2. Using a ruler, connect the first mark on edge (B) with with the corner of the box on edge (A).  Now connect the first mark on edge (A) to the first mark on edge (B).  This will make a long triangle.  It sounds confusing at first, but look at the picture below, you will get it very quickly.

The next triangle is formed by connecting the first mark on edge (A) with the second mark on edge (B), then connecting  second mark on edge (B) with second mark on edge (A).  You will now have formed 3 triangles for bead making.  Continue this way until all marks are connected.  Marking the cardboard is probably the hardest part of this process.

All marks connected to form triangles

3.  Cut along the lines carefully.  You should have about 18 long triangles.  Throw away the first and last pieces, they are scrap.

Triangle cut from cereal box

4. Squeeze a dollop of glue on the paper plate.  Have your soft brush  and a tooth pick nearby.  Take one triangle, starting with the larger end and bend it gently around the tooth pick.  Continue wrapping the triangle tightly around the tooth pick.  Try to keep it straight and centered.  When you are about 2" from the tip of the triangle, apply the tacky glue with the brush on the remaining part of the triangle.  Now continue wrapping until the end.  Hold end firmly until glue sets, usually less than a minute.  Stick the finished bead with the tooth pick into a Styrofoam egg carton or other container.  If you put another tooth pick in the opening, this will steady the bead and set it up for glazing.  Let it dry about 30 minutes.

Beads drying

5.  The last step is glazing the bead.  I like to use a high gloss acrylic glaze, Triple Thick (R) .  Holding the bead by the tooth picks, I coat each bead, using the square edge brush.  It usually takes about 30 minutes for the glaze to dry, then I brush on another coat.  Then I usually let the beads dry overnight.  This makes the hard shiny finish I love.

This is just the first step in making beads.  You can vary the size and thickness of the paper.  Also you can alter the shape of the paper that you wrap, this will change the shape of the bead.

Try making a few beads, let me know if the directions need revision.  Send me your comments and pics of your beads!

You can see the beads I have made at my Etsy shop, please stop by.  Like my Facebook page too!