Buttons and Beads

I have a huge stash of buttons.  All kinds of buttons.  I use them for the clasp on fiber neck pieces.  I decided that I also needed to use them for some jewelry.  Pairing a button with my new love of czech glass beads was easy.  I do have a question for the jewelry makers out there.

My question is how do you finish the back of a button that is wire wrapped like this one?

I also made some earrings to match!

 

 

I have worn the bracelet and it actually did not catch on anything.  I do think it needs to be finished on the back to keep the wire from catching on something.  Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

 

Have a great weekend!  M



A Little Bit of Polymer

If you have read my blog in the past you will know that I make bigger beads on bigger pieces of jewelry.  I have gone in a new direction and have been making smaller accent beads out of polymer.  My new interest in "Czech glass beads" has caused this new focus.

So here are a few of my new creations with just a little bit of polymer...

The green round bead in the top left is the only polymer bead in this piece!

The brown nut bead in the bottom right is the only polymer bead in this piece!

There are three polymer beads in this piece but they are still small beads!

I am having lots of fun with all of this and that is all that counts.  Size really doesn't matter all that much now does it?

Over the Top

I am participating  in the Poymer Clay Collective Color Challenge.    The challenge was to make something out of polymer using the colors in the following picture.

 

I made a neckpiece using a fiber wrapped cord, polymer art beads and some czech glass beads. Thanks Jeannie K. Dukic, I had fun playing with this color palette. Check out the other participants at the Polymer Collective Facebook Page here.

 

I had some molds that I made out of polymer from decorative trim at Lowes and also from our bed! 

I made balls of clay and pushed them in the mold, added a few holes and ended up with this...

  

I call it "Over the Top" because it is big and colorful.

 

 

I am loving the czech glass beads!

 

 

Yes those are earrings on the left.

 

 And a view of the back!

 

 

 Go see what the others made too!  Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

A Collection of Fun Things

Thrift stores entice me.  Yard sales call my name.  I could spend a day in antique and collectible shops. I can spend hours treasure hunting.  I have been trying really hard to spend time making some new treasures from all of the "finds" I have brought home with me!

This piece has a mix of old buttons, charms from found jewelry, czech glass beads, an earring from my collection of jewelry from an aunt who passed away and it is on a chain I found at the local thrift store.
It also contains some polymer beads that I made.  I purchased a small Wedgewood plate from an antique shop.

I made two polymer molds from the raised relief on the plate.  I made a ball of neutral colored polymer and put a pin in the center for a hole.  Using the two molds I pressed on two sides of the ball of polymer with the pin in it.  This made a coin shaped bead with the same relief that was on the plate.  After baking this bead I antiqued it with acrylic paints.

I love how it all came together!

It is a wearable story... especially when you think about where those buttons have been!

Czech Glass, Found Objects and a Little Bit of Polymer

I am a collector of "found objects"...so you know what that means!  I have a bunch of junk-stuff-treasures.  I cannot pass up perusing the thrift store or hardware store for my collection and I tell everyone to save their grandmas button box for me.  My treasure box is full!

I have also been overly attracted to czech glass beads lately... so I have  been working on using up my stash of  beads and found objects.

The button is from the winnings of a drawing from a button swap by Michelle Mach last year.  The key looking charm is a lamp finial from the hardware store.  The czech glass beads are from an Etsy shop Mountain Shadow Design.  I have also included some small green polymer clay beads that I made with green and translucent clay.

 I love making polymer beads but have started making smaller pieces to work with all of my other treasures.  I will share more of those soon.

I also made these earrings to go with this necklace. 

These are made from copper head pins, czech glass beads and some pearls from a "treasure find" from an old piece of jewelry.  I love repurposing old and beautiful things.  There is always a story behind buttons and jewelry that have been worn by someone many years ago.  Something to think about anyway.

Enjoy the summer sunshine and warm days!