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

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