Saturday 26 May 2012

Winter on the Beach

We set out for a walk along the beach today. It was Gabe's first time on the sand in 3 months, he was free, his leg is healed and we are so proud of him....



The kids loved being out at the beach again even though the sky was grey,
It was pretty cold but Payton still decided to take a bit of a swim, which was the reason we headed back home...



Have a great weekend 

xxx

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Beautiful Painted Vase


Hey Everyone,

Yep still addicted to my painted glassware....

I wanted to quickly show you this gorgeous vase transformation. 

My husband's grandmother gave me this vase many years ago and it's pretty much just been sitting on my shelf collecting dust.  For Christmas last year - I filled it with sparkly balls and kind of left it.



Then following on from my current jar painting obsession, I grabbed a paintbrush and actually painted the vase instead of swirling the paint around in it.


Now - what if I wanted to display fresh flowers in my vase, I hear you ask? 
Very simply, pop a plastic container into your vase, fill with water and flowers and voila your vase can still be functional....

I used an old coffee container and fake flowers to show you how you too, can do this...





A few weeks ago you may have seen my beautiful vase in my beachy candles post


Looks great now, don't you think?

Take care 

xxx


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Saturday 19 May 2012

Upcycled Pendant Necklace

  Hi Everyone,

 I love making Jewelry, its a great passion of mine and I'm always on the lookout for something unique and interesting that can be worn on any occasion. I like to re-purpose or up cycle items if possible, which brings me to this easy little project...

I had this watch that I got for my 21st many years ago and had long since stopped working. So I took it apart, not quite sure what I would do with it.

I decided to stamp on the metal face, but if you look closely you will see that some of the markings started to rub off during the stamping process. 
 

I used a Sharpie to enhance the stamped letters and when I wiped the excess ink off, the rest of the watch markings came off too. 

Now I was left with basically a plain pendant - which was actually okay.

While looking for components to add to my pendant, I decided on an old ring that was part of a set that I never wore and and earring which had lost its partner ages ago. And a large flat ring I had in my craft box.

Using E6000 I glued the ring onto the pendant. I also made a small hole into the top of the pendant using a needle and hammer, so that a jump ring could be threaded through.


I cut the back off the earing and glued it into the pendant, over the hole in the middle. Then added the flat ring to the pendant with a jump ring.

 I also came across a stash of really old Sterling silver chains at the back of my cupboard and one was the perfect length.....

 I love how it turned out and it cost me nothing except a bit of my time. 

The possibilities are endless, so have a look in your jewelry box or stash of broken watches and make yourself a fabulous new item...

Take care everyone,

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook :-)


xxx

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Thursday 17 May 2012

Winter Inspired Bracelet




Hi Everyone,

I recently shared this bracelet at Finding My Way in Texas....

 I have only recently decided that I like memory wire, and I have created a number of bracelets already, but none for myself.

I decided on a themed bracelet and since Winter is upon us here in New Zealand, why not make a Winter inspired bracelet?

 What you will need:
Memory wire
beads - mine are white, clear and turquoise
headpins, jump rings and spacers

Cut the memory wire to the length of your choice. Using pliers bend one end of the wire to form a loop - this is where I added a turquoise bead on a headpin.


 Thread the beads onto the wire and end off with a loop again....

 
I had to re-thread my bracelet a few times to get the look I liked and I think the end result is really pretty. 



I took this picture a couple of weeks ago on a cold Sunday afternoon, looking out to the Harbour Bridge....



 My bracelet reminds me of our Winter sky....




And you have to pop over to The SweetTalk Shop and see the absolutely beautiful bracelets that Lisa has made. She says that this tutorial inspired her memory wire bracelet - but I think I may actually be inspired by her creation.


Take care
xxx



Tuesday 15 May 2012

Charming little Bracelet



Hey Everyone,

I'm keeping warm indoors making jewellery again...

Loving memory wire guys.... loving it!

For this bracelet - I used a selection of charms on jump rings, clear seed beads, clear glass tube beads and of course memory wire.



For this bracelet, I wanted to meet at the wrist, not overlap, so I cut it longer than I wanted and cut it down to size when I was happy with the way it looked.

To make: 

Make a loop at one end of the wire and include a charm in the loop, 
thread on a seed bead, then thread on 4 - 5 tube beads then a seed bead, a charm and another seed bead before adding 4-5 more tube beads. 

I used the seed beads to hold the charms in place and to add dimension to the bracelet. Continue in the pattern and end off with another loop including a charm.




Sweet and super easy too...

Cute right?



This may just be my new favourite bracelet to make....


Also before I forget - for those of you interested in charms - check out this website Charm Factory. They have a huge selection of seriously awesome charms.

Take care

xxx


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Linking Up To:




The Pass It On Project - Bracelets


Hi Everyone,

About 6 weeks ago Karah from The Space Between announced her fantastic idea called the The Pass it on Project

Basically you pick a couple of bloggers that have been inspiring and supportive to you and make them a handmade gift, they in turn make gifts for their chosen bloggers and so it goes on.... Sharing the love around the blogosphere...

The Space Between


I chose 3 bloggers to pass my handmade gifts onto. 
I really wish I could have included more of my wonderful bloggy friends.

A few weeks ago I posted off my gifts to:


I made them each a bracelet to keep and one to pass onto a friend or someone they feel needs a pick me up. And I made a bonus little zip charm just for fun...


Bracelet No 1



Bracelet No 2


Zip Charms




I hope you like your gifts ladies and that you enjoy passing it on too.... Thank you so much for taking part.
 

xxx


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