Vintage Style Pendants...

I wanted to make some vintage style pendants using photos. I raided my mum's box of old family photos which I've scanned. I can't believe how well the really old photos have come out. They were taken in the days when the models had to stay still for ages until the camera had done it's exposing stuff (I'm not a photographer - can you guess). These are my first attempts. I've used two different pendants but have got some vintage style ones on the way which should be more effective. The lady in the top 2 photos is my paternal grandmother & the lady at the bottom my maternal grandmother. Both photos were taken in the 1920's when they were young women. The photo in the middle is a recent one of my son & his fiancee. I've aged it on the PC giving it a sepia finish. All the photos have been sealed with tinted resin which cures to a "glass" finish.

Sweet Heart Key Rings...

Eventually got around to making the sweet hearts into key rings. Only messed one up - not too bad for a novice.

It wasn't so good with the sparkly stars - managed to ruin 2 of them. Dad's going to sort me out with a new drill - I'm using an ancient hand drill at the mo which isn't perfect. I made the stars into a chunky bracelet using some large plastic faux pearls

Make these Butter Jade Hoop Earrings...

Make these butter jade hoop earrings - just click on the photos & then save to your PC. As usual you can buy a kit to make the earrings or buy the earrings themselves from Just K Jewellery

Sparkly Resin Stars...

I made these sparkly resin stars - they're fun aren't they?

I'm going to make them up into a necklace and just need to drill some holes so I can link them together. With yesterday's lovely weather I spent the afternoon in the garden digging a new flower bed and somehow have hurt my thumb - pathetic, I know! The hole making will have to wait until I can hold the drill without it hurting

Resin sweet hearts...

Had an enjoyable weekend playing with the resin. I made the sweet hearts below which are quite fun. Ate quite a few of the love hearts too - I'd forgotten how scrummy they are. I'm not sure what to do with these hearts, I think I'm going to make them up into key rings & handbag charms...

more resin jewellery...

it was Dad's birthday yesterday & we had a nice family lunch. Gave Dad the new Nigel Kennedy CD which he loved. He had two birthday cakes - one with candles saying 21 again!

I'd reworked a red bracelet into a necklace for Mum so she's doing pretty well on the necklace front at the moment. Made some more of the rookie resin into the two pairs of earrings below.

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I've still got some rookie resin to make up into jewellery - you'll be seeing the results here soon...

not bad for a first attempt...

this is my first attempt with the resin - not bad for a rookie! (well I think so). I used small silver plated blanks and filled them with resin that I'd coloured with pigment & then sprinkled glitter...

Make this Rose Quartz Necklace...

This will also be available as a kit in Just K Jewellery with a choice of gemstones

click on any photo or the instructions to see it bigger (right click to save to your computer) and then use your back button to come back to my blog

where did this week go to...

I can't believe it's friday already - where did the week go to! I asked on my Craft Markets customer forum for an idea for the next project.

Marion from Craftymoon suggested my rose quartz necklace - this will be a good project for a beginner. If anyone wants a kit then I'll be able to offer a choice of gemstones - Jade, Strawberry Quartz, Tigers Eye etc - I'll have a rummage to see what I can find.

I went to see Mum & Dad yesterday. Mum wants a red necklace so I took a selection as well as some red beads. She ended up buying 2 necklaces & I'm going to make her another. As usual we argued about how much she was going to pay - she won, as usual!

I'd ordered some stock which arrived earlier this week - including some chokers. I made the choker below with some shell buttons I'd bought a while ago. I think it works very well. I've put this one on The Secret Jewellery Boutique.

On the domestic front I'm being a grumpy old woman (don't say "as usual" Nick). Our neighbours are having a big extension built & their builders are driving me mad. I can barely get the car on & off the drive some days. The neigbours are very apologetic but there's not much anyone can do as we're the top house in the cul-de-sac. This is quite good - there's often more cars parked outside the house (you can just see the skip on the left of the picture)

Make this Fruity Bracelet...

This bracelet is available to make as a kit (only 1 available with the square yellow beads that look like pineapple chunks - but I can make up further kits with oval or round yellow glass beads). Alternatively just follow the instructions & use your own beads and findings.

back to beading...

added this jewellery to JKJ and the pretty black stars & silver bracelet to SJB.

I've also decided to write a weekly jewellery making project. I'm in the process of finishing the first one & will probably post it here, on my blog, when it's ready. This will be the easiest way (for me) to include pictures as well as the written instructions. I'll tell you what you need to make a piece of jewellery similar to mine or you will be able to buy a kit from JKJ

Well, did he?...

No - he did a bit but didn't finish it. Am I surprised? no. We got loads of other chores done though. What strange weather - I mowed the lawn on friday & then sat and read the paper on the patio, it was a gorgeous day.... and then yesterday we woke up to about 4" of snow. Nick took some fabulous photos

Although we live in a modern house on a large estate we're lucky enough to live next to a large field where people walk their dogs & kids play. There's a slope down to a path &, as you can see from the photo, all the kids (big & small) like to sledge down it when it snows.

I've now got the resin I ordered & am looking forward to seeing how easy it is to embed different things in it & make some unusual resin jewellery. I'll post some photos here of my attempts - however awful they are to begin with

Chores...

Nick's on hols this week & we've been ploughing through some chores that have been waiting to be done for ages. Boring but necessary. Even though he's on hols he's been in contact with the office every day. He was supposed to be off for the week after easter but this job came up & he had to postpone for a week & it still isn't finished.
The big question is "will Nick finish trimming the hedge that he started last year?" By the time it's finished it'll be time to start all over again - and it isn't even a big hedge! He's done all of the hedge you can see in the photo, just needs to do the end closest to the house