Jewelry Making with a Wax Seal Stamp & Clay!

I love jewelry.  Really, I love all accessories.  My family loves to tease me about my giant sun hats and outrageous necklaces.  This year for Christmas my husband actually bought me a jewelry armoire.  We decided a jewelry box was nowhere big enough for all my stuff, so he got me a 4 foot tall jewelry storing beast!  I love it!  I guess that has put me in an even bigger jewelry mood because I have been dabbling in jewelry making since that day.  First I made a metal stamped necklace and now this:

The strap is basic enough, just braided DMC thread, but the "charm" on it... that's baked clay that I shaped with a wax seal stamp!

Does everyone know what I'm talking about when I say "wax seal stamp"?  It is a type of stamp that is often used in formal occasions (weddings, etc.) to seal up an envelope.  To use it, you melt a stick of wax onto the paper then press the stamp into it.  I happened to just own this because I am a sucker for that type of thing.

For this project however, no wax is needed.  Here IS what you will need:

You may actually use any type of thread that you are comfortable with.  I could not find what I was looking for, but I think DMC thread is easy to work with.

I chose the blue and green shades because they are included as some of the "HOT NEW COLORS OF 2013" (this may be the first time I am ever actually up on trends!) and I thought gold was a nice accent color.

{How to Make It}

{1} First, gather a small amount of clay and press the design into it with the wax seal stamp.

 
MAKE SURE to put holes in the clay BEFORE you bake it.  I used a safety pin to do this.

{2} Bake the clay as instructed and allow it to cool.

{3}  Paint the clay and let it dry.

{4} String the thread through the holes in the clay piece. You will need three pieces of thread to braid,
       so cut evenly measured strips of thread (I used 2 greens and 1 blue). Place a green piece on each
       side, making it loop through the holes. The blue thread will be shared between the two, giving each
       side a third piece.

{The pattern on the back came from pressing the clay on top of paper towel!}

{5} Once the pieces are in place, tie the green threads in a knot to secure everything.  When this step is
       finished, it should look like this from the back:

{6} All you have left to do is to braid each side.  I knotted mine at the ends and added a little gold bead to each thread.  I also made my bracelet adjustable- but that is up to you.

To make it adjustable:  Take a separate piece of thread and with the ends of the bracelet overlapping each other by a few inches (the whole thing being in a circle shape like it would be on your wrist), tie a loose knot.  Then, flip it over to the other side and tie a knot again.  Repeat by flipping the bracelet over back and forth until you have several knots in a row.  This should work as a holder, which allows the bracelet threads to slide back and forth.  (Sorry I don't have pictures of this!)

{I also made a long braided piece with blue, green and white to be worn with this bracelet}

{Your Turn!}

I have always loved the look of the wax seal and now I get to wear that look around with me all day!  What do you think?  For more ideas on jewelry making, check out these posts on charm bracelets with buttons, "grown-up" shrinky dink necklaces and my metal stamped necklace.  Enjoy!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE! Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion

Fun With Flowers {Congratulations Cards}

Oh, it is that time of year... flowers bloom, a soft breeze blows through the trees and yes, people get married.  I love this season.  I would attend every wedding that I passed- whether I knew the couple or not- if I didn't think I would be dubbed the "crazy lady" in town.  Really, I don't need food and I will bring my own chair; I would be no bother at all.  I would be happy just to experience this occasion.

This summer of love has been especially dear to me.  My husband and I tied the knot in June and since then we have had two separate friends get engaged!  How exciting this summer has been!  In the spirit of the season I have made a few "congratulations" cards to send to our newly engaged friends:

I remember feeling such joy every time a new card came in the mail for us.  There is something about friends and family taking time out of their day to send you well wishes that gets me every time.

Want to know how I made them?

I'll start with the yellow dotted one:

{1} I used my Silhouette to cut out a basic card shape in the white (actually speckled) paper.
{2} Next, I cut a rectangle out of the yellow dotted paper to fit just inside the border of the white paper- also with my Silhouette.
{3} I printed the words "Congratulations" onto the yellow paper with my regular printer. 
{4}Then, I attached a shortened piece of lace onto the yellow card using spray adhesive.

{5} After that, I wrapped a piece of twine around the card twice, having the ends meet in the back and letting it set just at the top of the lace.
{6} I then attached the yellow paper onto the card.  Doing in this way makes sure that the ends of twine are not visible from the inside of the card.
{7} Now, here was the really fun part, making the flower!  I got the idea from the Silhouette Blog
 and I had to give it a try.  For instructions, see the link.
{8} After allowing the flower time to dry, I attached it to the card (using spray adhesive) and used a pen to push down the glued spots without crushing my flower!

{Can you believe that flat flower became this 3-D beauty?  Me neither!}

That's it!  Want to know my favorite part (no, it wasn't the flower)

This card was made using several pieces that we had in our wedding.  The speckled white paper was used in our invitations as well as in our favors and the yellow paper was used for our favor boxes.  The lace was on our invitations; the flower paper (which says "I love you" over and over again) was used on some of our guest cards; and the twine, well it was used everywhere! 

I LOVE that so many pieces from our wedding is being passed on to help celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding.  Maybe I am just sappy like that.

Onto the blue and purple card:

I was inspired by something "peacock" on the internet and decided to construct my card in those colors.

For the shape of the card and the flowers I used the same technique as before. These flowers however, came from a thicker textured type of cardstock than the last card did:

Because they were a heavier material, they required more "wetting" and started to bleed and fray as I folded them.  It turned out great though and the only difference was that these flowers look more like fabric than paper!

{Have I mentioned how in love I am with this flower making technique?}

This time I printed the "Congratulations" straight onto the speckled white paper.

Then I used some DMC thread (that's right... it is not just for needlework!) and wrapped it around the card three times.  Instead of tying it in the back however I made a bow on the front that looks like a couple of little leaves.  When the card is opened up, the string can be seen- but it's not tied back there so it still looks nice and crisp!

Lastly, I attached my flowers in the same way that I did the first card.

Aren't these flowers so lovely?

I cannot wait to make more of these flowers and if that means more engagement cards for friends then even better!  Okay, okay no pressure- I'll make a few birthday cards too.

What about you?

Besides on cards, how else would you use these flowers?  I can't wait to hear everyone's ideas and I am sure my house will be covered with these in no time at all!

Notice: If you have tried to comment on previous posts and were unable, the problem has been fixed.  Please feel welcome to share your thoughts with me and I am sorry for the prior trouble.

Sending my Love,
Kelsie Ann   


Link Love! This post is linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion