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

Here’s the perfect project for your fashionista tween. These button bobby pins are fast, easy and infinitely customizable. And bonus! They require no sewing! You need very (VERY) little fabric for this so instead of buying new, have your tween search through your scrap bag or even harvest some fabric from favorite worn-out clothing. You can also vary the style by changing the button size. Look for variety packs  for button kits so they can create all kinds of styles and looks.

Here’s what you need:

Fabric scraps
Covered Button Kit
Fabric Scissors
Bobby Pins

1. Cut circles of fabric about the size indicated on the back of the button package. Pay attention to what is centered on the fabric, this will be what’s on your button.

2. Center the circle of fabric on your button holder and press the button top in so that the fabric is pulled tight over the front.

3. Fold down the edges and place the button backing on top, pressing it into place with the presser piece.

4. Pop out your button and thread the shank of the button onto the bobby pin. Pop them in your hair and your ready to go!

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

The summer I turned ten, my friends and I were all about friendship crafts. We made knotted friendship bracelets, walking around with in-progress projects pinned to the hems of our shorts, we collected plastic charms and tried to make our own to trade and wear, and we were obsessed with friendship pins. Our the laces of our shoes jingled and glittered with as many pins as could be crammed between the eyes of the shoes. We carried bubblegum tins around full of beads and pins and got in trouble the first weeks of class when we tried to make pins inside our desks during math.

But as much as I loved it way back then, I hadn’t thought much about friendship pins in twenty years, until I was puttering around the fabric store and found myself in amongst the seed beads. Although my son is younger than I was the summer that friendship pins hit it big at my school, he had no trouble at all working through my entire supply of safety pins over the course of 20 minutes. Simple and satisfying, it’s one of those crafts that kids will always love, especially on a too hot to go outside summer day.

You’ll need:

Seed Beads – lots of colors
1 inch long safety pins – as many as you can spare

Pour the beads into a bowl for easy access and open up a couple of pins to get them started. Beads can be strung randomly, all one color or in a pattern, just be sure to leave enough room at the top to fasten the pin back together. Once they are done, pin them onto the bottom lace of tennis shoes, stack a row on them onto a hair-clip or fasten them around rubber bracelets so your kids can show off and trade their treasures.

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

In the past, finding a way to incorporate shank buttons in jewelry has kind of stymied and frustrated me, because there are so many really beautiful buttons just crying to be used. I begin to think I’ve found the answer. I’m also happy to say I’ve found a use for the beads from a rather unattractive necklace from a thrift store. Yes! You can recycle jewelry!

So, if you want to try this bracelet, you might start here:

A Small Shank Button Tutorial

The bracelet enlarges on that technique. So, pictures first, and then a bit of explanation on the difference between using the buttons for a bracelet and using them for earrings.

This is the finished bracelet:

And this is what I used:

• 5 vintage shank buttons,  about 5/8″ (1.59cm)
• 5 charcoal mother-of-pearl flat circle beads, about 1″ (2.54cm) in diameter
• 12 oblong vintage black plastic “jet” beads, about 1/2″ (1.27cm) long
• 12 head pins,  2 1/2″ (6.35cm) to 3″ (7.62cm) long
• 36 black seed beads 
• 2 round vintage plastic “jet” beads 
• 4 small silver bead caps 
• 1 clasp 
• Non-tarnishing silver wire,  20 gauge

Here’s a photo of the back of the bracelet:

As you can see, I didn’t fill the gap between the shank of the button and the ring bead, which added one more possibility for movement to the piece. It also wasn’t necessary to bring the wire to the back of the bead to prevent the beads’ spinning to show the wrong, or back, side–your wrist will do that.

So the process would be to make a wrapped loop on one end of a piece of wire about 2 1/2″ (6.35 cm) long, string on one side only of the circle bead, then the shank button, and then run the wire through the other hole in the bead, ending in another wrapped loop. After the first bead group, of course, you’ll want to join the wire-wrapped loops as you go, to create a chain of wire, buttons, and beads.

When you’ve joined the five buttons, measure the bracelet to your wrist, to see if you need another button-bead link. My wrist measures about 6 3/4″ (17.1 cm), so five was about right. More length will be added by the clasp assembly, in this case a silver capped bead wire-wrapped to each part of the clasp and the bracelet ends.

After you’ve created the basic bracelet, string the head pins:

• 4 head pins strung with one oblong bead and three seed beads
• 4 head pins strung with one oblong bead and two seed beads
• 4 head pins strung with one oblong bead and one seed bead

Attach one of each group to the loops joining the bracelet links, using a wire-wrap or simple loop. (I prefer to wire-wrap, as it’s sturdier, and looks nice, myself.)

To make the matching earrings, I followed the process given in the A Small Shank Button Tutorial.

With these earrings, I did fill the space between the button shank and the inside edge of the circle beads, as I wanted the button to be centered on the ring.

As you can see, I also brought the wire used for the stringing and upper loop to the back, to keep them from spinning.

Finish the earrings with a dangle made from one oblong bead and a seed bead, and add the earring wires.

Just for fun, here are three more pairs, made using the same basic technique:

Notice that in the last pair, I brought the spin-stopping wire to the front, for some extra design oomph.

This was fun for me. Hope it gives you some fun, too!

TGIF! Celebrate Friday by entering to win! Enter to win this Amber Bracelet Kit by Janlynn. Create the look of a high-priced collectible bracelet, for only a fraction of the cost! These designer inspired beads will fit on any charm bracelet, and you can arrange the beads anyway you like! The EZ-Bead clasp lets you change the beads at any time, with no tools necessary. Kit includes 7 handmade glass beads, 8 lead-free/nickel-free metal beads, 7.5″ bracelet featuring EZ-Bead clasp and one jewelry pouch.

Every Friday we’re posting a giveaway on Think Crafts. All you have to do to enter is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week. We’ll pick the winners and contact them via email. One entry per person please.

Question of the Week: It’s almost Valentine’s day, so tell us about your first Valentine!

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

One of my 2009 resolutions (or goals as I like to call ‘em!) was to finish at least one craft project BEFORE I started a new one.  I know I can’t be alone in the fact that I’ve always got at least a half a dozen projects going on at a time.

I’m not sure why I end up with a few unfinished projects.  Maybe I get bored or sidetracked or couldn’t find the unfinished bracelet under all the books I have piled on my worktable.  No matter the reason, I wanted to get some of my projects done!  To motivate myself I decided that I’d use my finished projects as Easter basket goodies this year.  If I didn’t get the projects done I would make the poor ole Easter bunny look like the Grinch!  It may not seem like motivation, but you haven’t met the family and friends who show up every year to hunt baskets.  They are serious goodie basket reviewers and I have to stay on my toes!

Well, I’m ready to share some of the projects I got done.  Scratch a few items off my To Do list!

These two bracelets were made using a metal cuff finding. I used thin wire to wrap, thread beads, then wrap until the entire cuff frame was done. On the second one I added some fish beads I had.

I made matching earrings for the cuff bracelets. I'm into dangles right now and love adding the effect to earrings.

I finally used these pieces I'd fused months ago!

I Love this book!

100 Beaded Jewelry Designs by Stephanie Burnham

This book is perfect for the beginner and the more advanced jewelry crafter.  The instructions are excellent and you get a lot of photographs.  The book also includes color illustrations to help with the beading.  The designers used very modern and stylish looks for the jewelry included in the book.  You’ll enjoy making the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sets. Techniques include peyote, ladder, brick, netting, square, herringbone, and right angle stitches with some great edging. I highly recommend this book because there isn’t a piece of jewelry in it that I don’t want to make! 

My favorite project was the Layered Spiral Necklace as seen below.

Would You Like To Win This Book? 

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this book will be yours.  Make sure you put the name of the book you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, the winner has been shipped the book.

CreateForLess is having a great drawing and all you have to do is submit your very own Dear Santa letter!  The Dear Santa Sweepstakes ends 12/15 so get your entry in today! The winner gets a $100 CreateForLess gift certificate. I thought I’d share my wish list letter with you:

Dear Santa,

It’s been a whole year since I last wrote, but I’ve been quite busy crafting away for myself, family, and friends so I know you’ll forgive me for being out of touch.  I’ve been very good sharing my joy of crafting with everyone I meet and I’ve kept you, Mrs. Claus, and all the elves in my thoughts and prayers.  I’d really appreciate a few little creative goodies under the tree and in my stocking this year.  Here’s the list:

• EK Sticko Stickers Sea Animals for my dive log (I love adding embellishments to it!)
• Any of the great American Crafts cardstock would be appreciated, I love the new colors.
• Bo Bunny Album Clearly Mixed Up Serendipity, it’s so cute!
• Blue Moon Charm Lost & Found Metal Ocean Assortment for a bracelet I’m designing.
• The Clover Puff Quilting Clip Set, any size will do, or maybe you’ll bring the whole set of them?
• AlterKnits Felt Book filled with great projects to knit and felt!
• And last but not least an Ott-Lite TrueColor Lamp since my eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be!

I hope I didn’t ask for too much, but this is a wish list after all and I’m always wishing for more craft supplies!  Take care and drive safe, Santa!

Maria

P.S. I’m leaving a little something for you under the tree!

Air dry clay is often thought of as a child’s art and craft supply, but it’s so much more than that!  If you enjoy polymer clay, you’ll also enjoy paper clay.  You don’t have to bake this type of clay as it air dries. 

Materials

• Paper clay (also called air-dry clay):  This clay air-dries, no need to heat or bake.
• Rolling pin:  To evenly flatten clay if necessary for your project.
• Wax or freezer paper
• Rubberstamps, clay tools, molds or texture sheets:  To make patterns or images into the clay.
• Craft knife, NuBlade^TM, tissue blade (or other thin cutting tool).

Step by Step

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and make sure your work surface is clean.  Clay picks up every dust or particle on the work surface and your hands.

2. Roll clay out to about ¼” thickness or thickness desired.  Stamp an image into the clay with a rubberstamp or press clay into any type of mold and remove.  Trim with cutting tool if needed.  You can also hand form or sculpt the clay.

3. Place on wax paper to dry, turning every few hours for even drying.  To avoid curling you might want to weigh down the clay after a few hours of drying.

4. You can also use this clay to sculpt.  It easily can be colored, painted, inked, chalked, glittered, and otherwise embellished. 

Using an air dry clay, Helen Bradley created this watch for Jewlery Creations #2 Magazine (CK Media) using a clay from AMACO.

Tips

• Clay adheres to most surfaces with a dab or two of glue.
• You can cut this clay while still wet or when it has dried. 
• Use a wet fingertip to smooth rough edges while clay is still wet.
• Use a fine sanding paper or emery board to smooth clay edges once clay has dried.
• You can paint, ink, or chalk a dry piece of paper clay.
• You can add paint, ink, or chalk to wet clay to color it!
• Make an embellishment for the front of a scrapbook, diary or journal.
• Another wonderful way to use your rubberstamps.  You can make buttons to coordinate your designs and projects.
• Store unused clay in an airtight container like a zip-lock plastic bag.  You can’t add water to clay to restore, once it dries out, it’s not re-useable!
• There are wonderful cutting, shaping, and design tools on the market for clays, but don’t forget that toothpicks, paper clips, cookie cutters, and pencils are handy tools too.

I found some great sites with fun projects:

Colorful Fun

Earthy Heart Pendant

Upscale Designer

Another wonderful design by Helen Bradley for AMACO. This design was also published in Jewelry Creations #2, CK Media.

I must have a ton of beads!  I’m hopelessly addicted to beads.  I buy for color; I love orange.  I buy for shape; I love tablet, oval, and round.  I buy for motif; I love fish, sealife, and flowers.  I have small beads like seed and E beads.  I have medium beads of shell, ceramic, and glass.  And I have large beads of clay, crystal, and wood.  And with so many beads, it’s easy to forget exactly what I have.

I recently just re-organized my beads because I couldn’t remember everything I had.  Because if you have beads, you most likely have all the supplies needed to make jewelry, meaning you need to keep up with all your findings!  For me the real key to organization is that the organizers need to be clear, I need to be able to see at a glance what is in my organizers!

Organization can be a bore, but somehow I’m never bored when organizing my beads.  I enjoy seeing all my treasures, touching each to feel the texture, and coordinating the colors.  I get happy all over again and think about all the jewelry I can make.  I organize first by type of bead, which usually boils down to size. And then I organize by color or metal.  It’s important that you follow your way of thinking when you organize.  If your first thought is color, then organize by color. If your first thought is that’s a glass bead, organize by material used to make the beads.

 I love the above organizer!  I like the sturdy, permanant compartments and that it shuts very securely. I’ve used organizers with adjustable compartments, but most aren’t stable so your beads end up mixing.  Adjustable organizers are better for larger items or maybe threads.

I have tons of seed beads and hated having to store them in original packages, it just made organization difficult so I was happy to find this type of organizer so I can store my seed beads by color and easily find the color I need!

How do you organize your craft supplies?  Come on!  Share!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I’ve been very lucky in my career in crafts to have opportunities I never even dreamed possible.  I’ve sold my original crafts to the public, sold designs for publication in magazines, written books, and even developed a few product lines!  One of the most rewarding jobs is when I’m asked to be an editor.  I was the original editor of Stamp It!, a magazine for rubberstampers and card makers.  And recently I was asked to be the Editor of Jewelry Creations, a magazine filled with wonderful jewelry projects. 

It’s amazing to start with an idea, gather projects, edit the project instructions, be a part of the photography shoot, and do some final edits before the magazine is sent off to the printer for publication.  When I was asked to be a part of this great jewelry magazine issue, I turned to my friends at CreateForLess.com for some jewelry submissions and got some fabulous ones!  Jewelry Creations is now available where you buy your favorite craft magazines. 

I’m doing a little bragging because I wanted to share my joy and I also wanted other creative people to know that if you want a career or a part time income from your art and crafts- anything really is possible.  I have no formal training in putting together a magazine.  I just took every opportunity to learn new aspects of my love of crafting and worked hard to earn a reputation of being reliable.  I learned (and continue to learn) all I can about the craft industry.  When I first started the reference librarian at my local library was my best friend helping me find trade organizations, today much of that same information is now available online!  I believe it is possible to have a job you love and earn a good living from your creativity.

Here’s a peek at the cover!

Don't let that sad face fool you, Mr. Bee is a happy camper!

Pets Make Life Grand!  It’s amazing how much our pets enhance our lives!  I’ve been a pet lover since I was a kid and currently have 4 sassy dogs (2 basset hounds and 2 dachshunds). Two of our dogs are rescues, but I’m not sure who rescued who!  Recently one of our dogs lost a battle with glaucoma.  This disease is hereditary in many basset hounds.  So our Mr. Bee is now completely without sight.  My first reaction was deep sadness for Mr. Bee, but he adapted so well that I couldn’t stay upset for too long.

I immediately turned to the web for help.  I wasn’t disappointed.  A quick Google search lead to two great websites that help owners and pets learn more about how to adapt to the change in routine.

Blind Dogs, Where Dogs See With Their Hearts!

Helping A Blind Dog Navigate

Living With A Blind Dog For Dummies

One tip that helped lighten my heart was that a dog owner should wear a bell or other noisy object so the dog can hear where the owner is.  I found that Mr. Bee did get a little panicky if I left the room and he wasn’t sure where I was.  No problem at all!  I got out my beads, Stretch Magic elastic, and jingle bells.

In minutes I made a bracelets for my wrists and ankles!  Mr. Bee can hear me coming and going! It’s amazing how crafting can be such an intrical part of our lives. In so many ways crafting can bring some uplifting light to the dark situation. I felt better after making that noisy jewelry. I felt like I’d done something very positive to help Mr. Bee’s adjustment to blindness a little easier. Has crafting helped you cope?  Please leave a comment and tell us how.

We recently had this question sent to us at Ask A Question, the third button just below our Think Crafts! title banner,  ”Help! I love making jewelry, but my crimping skills are terrible, how do you crimp so that your jewelry wires don’t end up slipping away from the crimping tube or crimping bead? Is this a skill I can learn? What’s going on?”

Okay, that’s several questions, but the most important answer is that crimping is a skill that anyone can master with the right tools and practice. I can understand this crafter’s frustration because I’ve been there and crimping can be overwhelming.  There is nothing worse than putting in a few hours for a great necklace or bracelet only to have it fall apart the first time you wear it!

If you are going to make jewelry, you have to learn to crimp.  Crimping is done with a crimping bead or crimping tube, a crimping tool, and your beading wire (wire is a generic term I use for any stringing material). 

Crimping beads and tubes come in different sizes, but always do the same job, which is to secure your bead wire to your clasp.  Clasps vary too.  But no matter what type of clasp you use, the process of securing the clasp to the “body” of your jewelry piece is the same. Crimp beads and tubes are tiny, usually around the size of a seed bead. Use larger crimp beads and tubes if your finished jewelry piece is on the heavy side.  A tip if you are in a pinch and need a larger crimp bead/tube is to double crimp with a smaller crimp bead/tube!

A crimping tool is in the plier family, but has a unique “mouth”.  As you can see in the photos, the tool has several indentations along its mouth.  It’s within these indentations that you will center your crimping bead/tube, press the crimping tool mouth closed, firmly press, then release.  For some crimping beads you’ll do a second squeeze on another of the indentations to round out the crimp for a more appealing look.  You can also use crimp covers to hide a crimp bead.  You need to apply just enough pressure to crimp the bead or tube around your clasp securely, but not so much pressure that you break the crimping bead or tube.

I found some great crimping tutorials for you:  Video &  Step-by-Step Photo

My best tip for crimping is to practice.  Buy a package of crimping beads or tubes and just practice the skill over and over until you feel more comfortable with the technique.  Do you have a crimping tip to help others?  Let’s hear it!

Here are some photos of different crimping tools.