Charm Tutorial: Part One -- Supplies

I am going ahead with the charm tutorial! I got a huge response on YouTube from viewers saying they'd love to learn how to make them, so I am going to do a series on how to make them beautifully! For the first video, I describe the supplies you need. Here is a written list of what you need:

• Jewelry-sized Flat Nose Pliers (two pair is helpful, but only one is necessary)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com    

• Jewelry-sized Round Nose Pliers

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Head Pins

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Eye Pins

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Jump Rings (be sure NOT to get double o-rings!)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Variety of Beads (don't forget pearls if you like)
• Bead Caps (optional)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Wire Cutters (can be full-sized, does not need to be made for jewelry-making)

Your wire cutters may look a bit different. Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Chain and Closure (try Tim Holtz's Swivel Clasps)

Photo from SimonSaysStamp.com

      

• Charms

Here is the video from my YouTube channel:

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section!

(Literal) Scrapping Pains!

A few posts ago I titled my post "Scrapping Pains." Well, there's more.

What has scrapping done to me? Carpal tunnel in my wrists and now I have to wear Ace bandages around my ankles to protect the skin. I sit with my legs crossed over each other (when I was little we called sitting like this "Indian style") in my big leather desk chair, and you can see on the leather where the finish has rubbed off and is discolored from my ankles resting there. I will spare you the photos of what they look like. When I stand up from scrapping, my mom will gasp if she sees the outside of my ankles and feet because it looks like they've been burned severely. It finally started getting painful so I am now wearing bandages to protect the skin on my ankles. I feel like an athlete...an athlete who sits and creates :)

These are the braces I wear when I sleep to keep my wrists straight and the median nerves unrestricted (this is a reversed photo, like looking in a mirror...the hand on the left is really my left hand, not my right):

And here are the bandages on my ankles:

There must be a name for this...oh, right, it's called being an obsessed scrapper! :)

What's New?

Hi friends! So I finally finished all the calendars I had in mind. These are mini calendars that are perfect for a number of projects. I have one set for 2012, a fill-in calendar that I can send you for free (just comment with your e-mail), and a set for 2013. Go to my Zibbet shop at www.zibbet.com/kinetickatie to check them out! The pre-numbered calendars are $3 each.

I'm also running a special in my shop: until I raise $20, the minimum donation to the ASPCA, 20% of every order before taxes and shipping will go towards that $20 donation. According to the ASPCA, $20 will feed a homeless dog or cat for three weeks! I am super excited about donating to the ASPCA, I really wish I had the financial means to be part of their monthly donation club.

In my last post I mentioned some charms I made for some friends, one a loyal customer at my shop. Here are the turquoise charms I made for them:

This one was made for a client.

This one, with the daisy charms, was made for a high school/church friend's wife.

If you want to learn to make charms of your own, comment so I can see what kind of demand there is for a video tutorial :)

Scrapping Pains

So what have I been up to? Scrapping constantly! I have carpal tunnel in both wrists right now, but I can't stop creating, it's such a big part of my life! Thankfully I can work without splints, though I do have to wear them at night or I am in a lot of pain the next day.

So what have I been working on exactly? First I created two custom charms, then made 100 mini ivory envelopes for an Etsy order, did a project for Mother's Day, and am now working on items for an upcoming craft fair I hope to do! I am having a BLAST creating things for the fair!

My favorite thing I've done, though, is this fabric journal I learned to make from my friend Martica here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5jSUfyS-s  I've made four so far of varying sizes and am working on the fifth now (hint: it's denim!). Here are the photos of the projects (minus the envelopes and most of the craft fair items):

My first fabric journal. I made the flower in the center :)

This is my second fabric journal. It measures 3.5x5 inches, and just sold in my shop.

My third and smallest fabric "journal." This one's more like a notepad. It's a keychain measuring 3" square.

My fourth fabric journal and my most eclectic.

Altered Mini Clipboard, soon to be for sale in my Zibbet shop.

This is a charm I made as a gift for my best friend Brandy up in Canadaland :)

Hard at Work

I've been hard at work creating items for my Zibbet shop. I learned to create paper bag flowers and they are fun and turned out awesome! Here are the ones I created:

I also learned to make beaded daisy sprays on YouTube (link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzg4zTZrhB8&feature=related). It's a great tutorial, and if you try it make sure you use something weaker than 24 gauge wire...my fingers were so sore after I finished this one!

I added velvet leaves and floral tape.

So I got some 28 gauge wire and it's much easier to work with, and I didn't stab myself three times making these two:

I've also been busy uploading new YouTube videos. Check out my channel if you haven't already here: http://www.youtube.com/theElegantCriminal

I am having a giveaway right now, until the 20th of this month, so be sure to check it out!

Consumed: Mini Album and Discovering Scor-Tape

Hi friends! It's about time I wrote, huh?

Well I have actually been consumed with a mini album for Martica's cigar box and mini album swap. Next to my sister's 12x12 wedding scrapbook, my first book ever, this mini album has taken more time than any other project I've ever worked on. And I've been LOVING it! The box is presenting a problem as I lost the hardware to put it back together, but my dad wants me to take him to a cigar shop we used to live close to today so I can get a few new cigar boxes while I'm there. I'm not posting photos or doing a YouTube video of the album until I get the matching box finished, but here is a sneak peek at the album for Victoria.

The true colors are a mystery.... :)

Something else I wanted to blog about is Scor-Tape. I've heard of Scor-Tape for years but never thought much of it since there's always that red line tape that apparently is just as strong. Well, I was getting annoyed at the price and quantity of the red line and similar tapes at Michael's, so I Googled a comparison between Scor-Tape and other advertised super-strong adhesives. When I saw that the rolls have 27 yards of tearable-with-your-fingers tape, I instantly started searching online shops. I purchased a package of 1/4" Scor-Tape from a seller on Amazon and received my tape two days later. I have gone through quite a bit of it! It's strong and I don't have the part of the tape that you pull off to reveal the top sticky layer stuck to me in static cling. That red line tape stuff sticks to you like glue, and that's the part of the adhesive that's NOT adhesive! So I proudly just ordered a 1/2" roll, same thing with the amazing 27 yards of tape, of Scor-Tape so I don't run out of any when this thinner roll inevitably empties. I will try not to cry.

Next post I will show you the photos of the mason jar I altered for A Lil Scrap of Heaven's altered mason jar filled with goodies swap. I have the video on YouTube already so go take a peek if you haven't checked it out yet!

And one more photo, just for the heck of it: I found some old white eyeliner, and haphazardly decided to put it on. I actually did a good job...me, doing well with applying makeup I haven't applied 30 times before! And my pearly whites just got cleaned at the dentist, so I was feelin' pretty good when I snapped this last photo.

A Few Shabby & Vintage Creations

Two posts in one day! This is only because I've been awake 32 hours (I tried to sleep last night and only got in 2 hours). Gosh darn insomnia! Sure has made me productive last night/today, though!

So in my last post I promised pretty pictures. So those will come first! I might do a separate blog entry for the end of this post I have planned...I guess we'll see!

I have done several projects, some for swaps and some are still in progress, and some (like converting Flat Rate Priority boxes into pretty paper storage) are just for practical purposes.

First thing I'd like to share is my card/mini album fronts. This was a swap hosted by the sweetheart Bonnie on scrapbook.com. I belonged to two categories: Nature and Anything Vintage. First is my design for all three nature cards, and second is a photo of three different card fronts I did for the vintage category.

In the second photo above there are two cards with mini scrolls. I got this idea from Rosanne (roxycar11 on YouTube) and went for the distressed, antiqued look. These are the first four I made and snapped a photo of with Instagram on my phone (who doesn't love that app?!):

These actually took awhile to make. I just started with a piece of rectangular white cardstock in the height I wanted and aged it with Antique Linen Distress Ink. Next I took my Tim Holtz Distresser tool and tore up the edges of the paper, then inked the edges heavily with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I rolled them up and used a dab of hot glue to keep them in the right shape while I worked on the string. For the scroll on the far right, I accidentally made a pretty big tear, but I like it! I also used a tiny text stamp from Tim Holtz to add some little text on the exposed part of the scroll (stamped in Vintage Photo). Lastly I cut lengths of white crochet thread and dyed it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink (I dabbed the ink pad onto my non-stick craft mat and sprayed water over it. Then I just swirled the string around in it until it was all dyed. I used a heat tool to speed up the drying process which faded the intensity of the Vintage Photo color). These are just too fun. If you like vintage and distressing, you must try this out! I'd love to see other variations on the scroll idea, so if you have any photos or videos showing your own, please comment!

Alright, the codeine in my system is making me pretty sleepy (I've been tired since 4 am, and it's currently 8:40 pm, but not "sleepy"). Once dinner is eaten I'm going to try and sleep so I can rest up for my drive to the north to sell my pink Cricut Expression. Looks like the other idea I had for the end is going to have to wait for another post :) Happy wishes to you all!

~Katie~