Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Are we in full scurry mode yet? I know I am, gatherings to attend, and Arts & Crafts shows to prepare for. Honestly, there are times when I have so much to do, I just come to a full stop, not knowing what task to do next.

Efficiency becomes more important at this time of year than at any other, and I look for shortcuts.

I’d like to share a speed wire wrap hint: Do as much as you can assembly line style.

For instance, a simple wrapped loop has a number of steps. Fully described, they are:

1. Pick up spool of wire and wire cutters.
2. Measure out the length you need, and cut.
3. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the round nose pliers, and make a wrapped loop.
4. Put down the round nose pliers, pick up the wire cutters, and cut off the excess.
5. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the flat nose pliers, and squish the end of the wrap flat.
6. String on a bead.

That’s six steps, with six tool changes, per bead. Multiply that by the number of beads you need, say seven, and that’s 42 steps, with 42 tool changes.

Now, instead of that, try this:

1. Pick up spool of wire and wire cutters.

2. Measure out the length you need, and cut as many pieces of wire as you’ll need. (Say, seven.)

3. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the round nose pliers, and make all the wrapped loops.

4. Put down the round nose pliers, pick up the wire cutters, and cut off the excess on each of the seven pieces.

5. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the flat nose pliers, and squish all the ends flat.

6. String a bead on each of the wrapped loop eye pins you’ve created.

That’s still six steps, and six tool changes, but you’ve done all the beads.  You just saved yourself 36, count ‘em, thirty-six, tool changes. That’s a time saver, even if you’re making just one thing. If you’ve got multiple items to make, it really does add up.  It also has the advantage of being something you can do ahead of time, even when you don’t have the time or inclination to attempt an entire jewelry piece.

You can continue similarly with the rest of the piece you’re creating. 

If you’re making a bracelet, or other item that ends with a clasp, you’ll need to leave both loops unfinished on the end bead, one to attach to the chain of beads you’ve created, and the other to accept the clasp.

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Have you noticed how popular cuffs are these days? It seems as though you see them everywhere. There’s a lot to like about them–a fun new fashion to try, the way a wide band can disguise a rather knobby wrist (mine), and the fact that men and boys are wearing them, because it gives us another gift option for the guys.

I decided to try making some, using recycled belts. This is what you’ll need if you decide to try it yourself:

• A belt with at least two rows of grommets down its length
• Electrical wire (Note: The toaster doesn’t have enough. Old computers are a good source.)
• Cord end findings (I’m using the spring type, but other styles would work as well.)
• A few links of chain
• A 1/2″ to 3/4″ lobster clasp
• Pliers and wire cutters

First cut a length of belt about 5″ long, with an odd number of grommet pairs. Five pair is good.

Now cut two pieces of wire, each a couple of inches longer than twice the length of the belt piece. Fold each piece gently into a “U” shape, and thread the ends through the first pair of grommets, from the underside of the cuff to the top:

Lace the ends of the wire down the length of the cuff, criss-crossing on top, going straight from hole to hole on the bottom:

Take the other piece of wire and do exactly the same thing, but start from the other end. You can use two colors of wire, as shown below, or a single color:

Slide a cord end on each end. If your cord ends are large enough, you can put both wire ends through one; otherwise, slide one on each of the four wire ends. You can join them together with the chain links.

Cut the wires off so they don’t show, and don’t get in the way of the open coil on the end, and then use your pliers to mash the last coil on the end nearest the cuff to clamp the cord end on. Give it a good tug to make sure you’ve clamped it tight enough, and if it slips, mash it a bit more.

Open up one link of your chain, and slip on the lobster clasp and cord end loop.

Use three to five links of chain for the other end of the cuff, and attach as you did the lobster clasp.

Some finished cuffs:

By Guest Blogger, Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.

You might not think of glitter glue as a component of adult jewelry. I think I might change your mind with this beautiful falling leaves bracelet made with Big & Glitzy glitter glue. Big & Glitzy is the most amazing, sparkliest glitter glue available. It’s the big gun of glitter glue!

Just look at this leaf charm, the look is almost crystally….because Big & Glitzy is so chunky.

I made this bracelet in less than an hour, not including drying time. You can make this fast and easy bracelet too.

You need:

• 5 gold leaf charms (They are 1 1/4″ tall, but there were a lot of different leaf charms I could have used, I used these)
• Big & Glitzy Glitter Glue: Peridot, Nugget, Ruby, Coral
• gold chain link bracelet
• 5 gold jump rings
• 20-21 assorted size and shape crystal beads in fall colors
• gold craft wire
• round nose pliers
• chain nose pliers
• wire cutters

Try this:

1. Lay your charms on covered work surface. Cover the front of each charm with Big & Glitzy. Pile it on! Refer to Mother Nature’s work for ideas on how to color them in. Let charms dry.

2. Using two pair of pliers, hook the charms evenly across the bracelet with jump rings. Open the jump ring by twisting it open. String a charm on it, place it through the bracelet link, and twist it closed.

My five charms glittered up.

3. Wire wrap beads randomly to fill in the bracelet. If you have never done wire wrapping, google: wire wrapping a loop. There are many good tutorials available. You can also find instructions for wrapping a loop in the back of any jewelry magazine.

4. Humbly accept accolades from friends and family when wearing.

The completed bracelet. You could add more charms or beads if you like. This would also make a very pretty necklace. The great thing about using glitter glue for jewelry is that the glitter does not shed. And with Big & Glitzy, it is just as sparkly as loose glitter.

As they say in Texas, Happy Fall Ya’ll!

Glitter on,
Sparkle

Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

After building myself (and my daughter) a brand spanking new hair clip holder last week, I set out to fill it with, well, hairclips. And as always, I was astounded by the price of clips in stores. Now I know very well that I could make the clips myself, but I don’t always have the time to carefully wrap each clip with ribbon and embroidered little doo dads to stitch on top. But I do, I realized, have time for hot glue. So with a selection of ribbons, plain hairclips, buttons that match my daughters fall wardrobe (she’s into orange and green at the moment) I set off on a fifteen minute-hair clip extravaganza.

The key to this is to have all your supplies ready. And that doesn’t need to be hard. Next time you’re ordering supplies or shopping at your craft or fabric store, grab a few rolls of inexpensive, sold by the spool ribbon and a few packages of buttons that coordinate with the colors your child wears the most. I generally keep a selection of thin ribbon in a variety of colors around for general pony tail and or braid tying so I’ve gotten into the habit of grabbing a spool here and there when I see it on sale. Another great source is scrapbooking supplies. I picked up a bag of cardboard diecuts for this go round and loved the result.

Likewise, grab a package of plain hairclips of the variety that work best for your child’s hair. Personally I love the look of alligator clips but they do not stay in my daughter’s hair, nor do those cute little dinky bendy barrettes. For my purposes, I have to stick with the full sized bendy clips which, while not the cutest things in the world, offer a lot of surface area for decorations and stay all day and into the night in her hair.

With your glue gun ready, spread your supplies out and go to work. Mix and match and stack and glue the buttons and ribbons in different combinations. If you have a pigtail girl and are making two of each, be sure to flip the clip on one so you have mirror images. At the end of ten minutes or so you should have a nice pile of hairclips that will last you well into the fall months.

A few notes about the project, roughing up the back of the buttons and the tops of the clips with a little sandpaper can help the glue adhere more securely. You can also use a strong craft glue for this project, allowing, of course, for a longer dry time. And speaking of dry times, dont forget to be aware of your work surface when using hot glue. I glued a few clips to the table while pressing the button on. Good thing hot glue scrapes off easily!

Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

It’s fall. The kids are back in school. Inside the house is breathing in, outside the still-warm breezes are sighing over the last roses. The silence can practically ring in your ears, can’t it?

Ringing…ears? Oooh. Let’s turn it around and make earrings! And since the squiggly-squirmy folk are elsewhere, why don’t we remind ourselves of them with a style I call “Squiggly-Wiggly”?

Here’s what you’ll need:

Pick out your beads

22 or 24 gauge wire

Two teal beads 7mm-8mm

Two matte Capri blue beads 10mm-12mm

Seed beads in matching or coordinating colors

One pair earring wires

Your tools

First cut a length of wire about 3″ long. On one end, bend a very small spiral of about 1 ½ to 2 rounds. Use protected tips on your round nose pliers to prevent little gouges. I personally let the gouges happen, to add an interesting textured look.

Now is a good time to play with the color sequence a bit. You might like to put the blue seed beads next to the Capri blue bead, and the teal seed beads next to the teal bead, or the other way ’round might appeal to you more. Just string the beads onto your 3″ wire and take a look. When you’ve decided, take the beads off the wire, and you’re ready to start.

I opted to match the seed beads to the beads, so I’ll give the directions that way.

The next thing you’re going to do is string on a blue seed bead, the Capri blue bead, and another blue seed bead. Make a wire-wrapped loop at the top, ending with a sharp bend up and then a gentler bend down.

Now bend the wire straight out, away from your bead.

At about the ½” point, bend the wire back in, then back out again, and then back toward the bead another time, decreasing the length of your “squiggle” as you go.

Cut the wire off to the point at about ¼” beyond the last outer loop. You want to have enough left to make a round loop at the bottom. Play with this; yours do not have to look exactly like mine. Use your fingers to mash things this way and that to get the look you want.

Okay! Time for the next part!

With about 3 ½” of wire, begin a wire-wrapped loop, but before you complete it, thread it through the top loop on the Capri blue bead assembly.

Finish the wrap, then string on the teal seed bead, teal round bead, and teal seed bead. Make a wire-wrapped loop at the top, then “squiggle” the wire down the side of the bead. Your bends are going to be much gentler this time. I’ll let the photo speak for itself.

Now repeat what you just did, all those steps above, unless you want only one earring. (Just kidding-I know you know!)

Open the bottom loop of your earring wires, and hang your bead assemblies on them. Be sure to hang them “facing” opposite directions, to make a left and a right.

Finished set:

To show what a difference another choice of beads might make, here’s another set (I did make a whole pair, but couldn’t get the two of them to play nicely together for their portrait).

You’ll notice I finished off the top bead differently, too, by using a tad more wire and wrapping it completely around the bead, to end in a tiny loop against the glass. Use your imagination, and may the Force be with you!   

 Are the kids home yet?

Welcome Guest Blogger and Crafter Anitra Cameron, for the Blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Necessity Breeds a New Wire Wrap Technique

This may be new only to me, but I love it anyway.

One of the things I like about a car trip, if I’m not driving, is that bright expanse of free time. Really free. I can’t do dishes, or laundry, or weed the flower beds. I have to sit, and if I’m going to do something, the options are limited. Reading, going over my music, crocheting, or what I did yesterday, beading.

I worked on Button Stack Bracelets, finishing three I’d already started, and almost a fourth, brand-new one. On that one, I did all the button stacks first, and then turned my focus to creating the chain to put the stacks on.

Finished Bracelet

Now, where was that 20-gauge gold wire…? Oh, no! I was sure I’d put it in, but it was nowhere to be found! I stared at what I had, a spool of 24-gauge that was much finer than I’d want to use for a bracelet chain. What to do?

Ooooh. The idea was ripe for the plucking, and solved a problem that had nothing to do with the lost wire: I don’t like it when the end of a wire can be felt, and when I’m doing a wire wrap on a bead, that happens all too often. Up until yesterday, the only solution was to struggle with the wire until it would properly tuck in, or file the end down if it proved too stubborn.

But what if I worked with a fine wire, doubled?

Here’s what I came up with:

Gather your tools and materials–

Two sizes of wire shown for comparison

• 24-guage wire
• Wire snips
• Round nose pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Bead

Cut a length of wire about six inches long, then fold it in half.

Loop it over one side and pull taut

Flatten the doubled end with your flat nose pliers as tightly as you can.

Squish!

Measure your folded wire against the bead you’ll be using, leaving enough length for wire wraps on both ends. 

That looks about right

Start a “regular” wire wrap, working with the cut ends of the wire.

So far, so normal

 When you’ve done a wrap and a half or so, lay the ends flat against the rest of the wire length. If your wire ends are longer than the bead you’re using, snip them off.

Those ends will be hidden inside the bead

Slip the bead over the doubled end of the wire, and complete the wrap. I’ve shown what would be the first bead in an assembly, and not left it open to accept another.

No sharp ends anywhere

If you cut your folded wire extra long, you can have extra fun.

Curls and Loops

I finished the bracelet this morning, and am quite pleased with it.

Click here to read more from Anitra Cameron.

Welcome Guest Blogger Anitra Cameron, from the Blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Do you ever get the urge to just make something? Maybe you don’t have a lot of time, but there’s that need. It was that sort of a day for me. When time is limited, earrings can feed the creative hunger I feel, and anyway, the beads and buttons were already out, because I’d finished a bracelet just before going to bed last night. Since I’d been working with green, I just dug around in the green button baggie until I found a pair of buttons I liked.

Then I turned my fifteen minute project into two that took considerably longer by deciding to do this tutorial. Well, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

You’ll need the usual array of beading tools–round-nose pliers, flat-nose pliers, and wire nips. And also:

Pick out your beads

Fine gauge wire (I used 24 gauge)
2 matching shank buttons
4 matching flat, square beads (other shapes would also work–they just need to be flat)
2 seed beads

I’m going to assume you know basic wire wrapping technique (just enough to make a wrapped loop) to keep this brief, and also because I know others have already put tutorials for that up, and mine wouldn’t be as good.

So start by cutting a length of the wire roughly a foot long. You want to give yourself enough to work with. Make a wrapped loop on one end, and the thread on a flat bead, a button, and another flat bead.

Threading on

I noticed when I was working with my beads that the hole ran at a bit of a slant. If yours are similarly drilled, put the off-center hole against the shank of the button. Also, check to see whether one side of each bead is prettier or more evenly colored, and be sure to put the nicest side facing out.

Twist

That’s a lot of words for something that really happens almost intuitively, so study the picture below and go with your instincts.

Almost Done

I think they turned out rather well!

To read more of Anitra’s blog, click here.