Hardware for earwear

I love making new things out of old stuff!

Well, we survived Halloween. So now I am hoping people will take down their cobwebs and rotten pumpkins. And the bats are not invited for Thanksgiving, either.

I've been super busy with craft fairs, trying to cash in on the Christmas shopping crowd. So between creating my goodies, and schlepping them around trying to sell them. Whew! I'm pooped.

And since I make so many earrings, I end up keeping a bunch. So I had to custom make my own holder. So here is today's project:

Hardware cloth earring holder

You need:

1/4" hardware cloth
20 gauge silver wire
wire cutters
needle nose pliers

The finished size of the wire mesh is up to you.
It depends on how large you want your
holder to be. The wire is pretty stiff, so
you can make it fairly large and it should hold up. Mine is about 12" tall with a 7" base. (so I cut my piece 32" long and 8" wide.)

Keep in mind that you will need two sides and one bottom. This will be all one piece.
You need to cut the wire mesh so you have little wires sticking out. Because once you have cut the hardware cloth to size you will need to curl those ends inward. That way you won't have any sharp pokey wire ends. You will do this the total length. It takes a while, but it's a must.

Find the middle and bend it in half. Then bend each end inward 3 1/2". This will form a triangle. Where the two ends meet you will take some wire and weave it in and out securing the ends together.

I added some wire to the top, and curled it for a little swirly look. You can put ear wires on both sides if you wish for double the space savings. Or hang your necklaces from the top wires dangling down the back side.
The shape could also be made into a square, or cylinderical. 

tip of the day:

My neighbor found a good tip in a cooking magazine and I wanted to pass it on.
If your mustard bottle is getting empty, it's almost impossible to get the last drop out. So instead put in some olive oil and a little bit of balsamic vinegar and shake it vigorously.
Now you have some great salad dressing with some added mustard zing.

That's it for today!
And Thank you to all the troops on this Veterans Day.
:D

You "CAN" do this!

I love making new things from old stuff!
 I gave a party a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to use a harvest theme.
So I decorated my hanging light with canning jars with lights in them.
And I made an awesome: Can-da-lier !

Today's project is:

CANNING JAR DECORATIONS

You need:

~canning jars (used is fine)

~leaves (go out and gather)

~spray paint (autumn colors)

~rims for the jars (not lids)
~small battery powered "fake" votive candles
~wire, 20 or 24 gauge (black preferred, but any color will do)

If you don't have a hanging light, or ceiling fan to use for hanging these candle holders, don't bother cutting the wire into the long lengths.

I gathered some leaves and spray painted them (outside on newspapers). Let these dry.

Then cut different lengths of wire. Some were about 20" others were about 30" and sizes in between.
These measurements are not critical. Bend the wires in half, and place each end on the outside of the jars. Then screw on the rims, catching the wires inside. I left some wire extending below the rim, so I could bend it upwards, for added strength.

I added a small wire to the leave stem, and stuck through the leaf, and bent it around the wire near the jar tops. (this works best with a finer gauge wire, i.e. 24 or above)
You can make a leaf garland by using twine or raffia and attaching these leaves along its length. I didn't have time to make one, so I used a garland from the Dollar store.

Then I hung up the wires from my light, and added the fake votive candles. I first used real candles, but since the jars are at an angle, the wax melted off to one side, the flame went out, and left a big mess inside the jar. But if you are using these on a table top, you could certainly use real votives. I like the small ones with the metal bottoms, to catch the melting wax. No mess in the jars. You can scatter some of your painted leaves on the table, around the jars also, for a real autumn look.
(I used the garland idea here, because I wanted to drape it around and hanging down from the light. But next time, I think I'll make some for the table top also, and scatter the leaves around. I LOVE LEAVES ! )

I received very many compliments on this and really love the look of
Country- Canning Jar- Decor!

Another great idea came from my friend Bonnie McAskin (Sierra Candles). She took these jars (with the rims on), added a base that was a candleholder, and sells them as "Hillybilly Wineglasses". They are a riot. And would go perfectly with the 'canning jar decor'. Here's her contact info. if you'd like to purchase some: bmcaskin@comcast.net

tip of the day:
For those of us contact wearers, it seems we always have a couple extra cases lying around. If you don't wear contacts, perhaps you know someone who does, and you can use one of their extra cases.
These little babies make perfect spice containers.
Fill one side with pepper, one side with salt.  OR one side with salt and one with sugar. Hey...any spices you like will do!
But be sure you use the screw-on tops, as the flipper tops may pop open (what a mess that would be).
So if you are picnicing or packing a lunch or taking a road trip with yummy traveling food, you may need a little seasoning to go!

That's all for today!
Dee

That's the key!

It's back to school. And that means driving around, which also includes keeping your keys handy and why not have a key chain that not only looks good, but that you made yourself!
A hardware store is such a fun place for us crafters. You'll never know what things you can find to make into chic/industrial/unique items. Like this project...

Wire/Beaded 
Key Chains

You will need:
~covered wire, 18 gauge (find at the hardware store)
~beads
~wire, 24 gauge
~key ring
~pliers (needle nose preferred)
~wire cutters

You can cut the plastic covered wire to about a 1 foot length. Using your needle nose pliers curl one end into a curve. As you can see from the picture, the curves are up to you. You can make a big "S" or a small top "S". You can make your keychain bigger or small according to the length you start with.

I took the 24 gauge wire and wrapped it around the curve to keep it together. Tuck the end of the wire into itself. And you can always use a drop of E6000 glue to keep secure.

Then curve the bottom half and wire a bead onto it. To keep the bead from falling off, you can either use a smaller bead on the bottom, or curve/twist the wire into a small bundle to keep the bead on.
Check out my kid's blogs too:
http://melittaberze.blogspot.com/ and
http://www.apairofneedles.blogspot.com/

We are a crafty bunch! :)

Tip of the day:
If you ever use "Yankee Candles" or something similar -  you know they come with a nice glass lid. Well, what do you do with this when you open it up to burn the candle? Turn it upside down and put a votive candle in it. It will catch any drips and look better than that crinkled up piece of aluminum foil you are using.

That's all for today!
Dee

Hold it right there!

I love to take old things, and make them new!

I hope you are finding my projects fun and easy to do. I’m finding it fun to look around my house and discover all the recycled projects I have done. I amaze myself at all the things I have reused. Is that a good thing?

Project of the day:
recipe or photo holder

You need:

~a container (metal is best) but you can certainly use other things.
Here I used an empty spice can.

~Plaster of Paris (available at any hobby store: Michaels, Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, some hardware stores, perhaps Walmart)

~18 gauge wire (you could use a coat hanger, but it’s pretty thick and you need some muscles for that one)

~pliers

1. Cut a piece of wire twice as long as you want your photo holder to be.

2. Using pliers, curl the end several times to create a double curl. *

3. Read directions of Plaster of Paris (you need to add water to the powder mix to the consistency of thick cream)

4. Prepare plaster and pour into your container (the plaster heats as it sets, so metal is the best. I’ve used glass, but it has broken upon heat setting. L

5. Insert wire and hold til set.

*note: I curve the end of the wire (not the photo holder end) so it will not 'pull' out of the plaster easily. We don't want a straight up and out wire fixture.

This is a great gift for cooks. Add some new kitchen towels, utensils (see my website for some awesome, classy serving utensils) some recipe cards and ingredients. Put in a pretty bowl, wrap in cello, add a bow, and you’re set to go! Or how about a housewarming gift!

I have also used this idea for a new baby gift. I bought a pair of baby shoes at the thrift shop. I used one for the wire photo holder. I poured the plaster into the shoe, added the wire, and let set.

I added some baby goodies, and put their baby announcement on the photo holder. (you could also put some money on it). Place in a basket or diaper bag. You'll be the hit of the baby shower!

What a great momento!

TIP OF THE DAY:

If you use plastic grocery sacks to line your garbage cans, here's a tip to keep them under control. Take an empty Kleenex box, and stuff it full with the plastic bags. The top of the Kleenex box should have that plastic around the opening, this works best to keep the bags inside.
You can put these in every room, inside the cabinets to have your garbage can liners ready. And you'll be surprised how many you can jam in these. It sure is neater than all those bags floating around!

For gifts, check out my website: www.arttowearbydee.etsy.com

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THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY!

:D