Choose Joy Banner Necklace 1st Necklace

Here is the second part to making the Choose Joy Banner necklace. Today's tutorial will show you how to make the first pictured style. At the bottom of this posting is a picture of a sneak peek at next week's tutorial for another version! I love having variety!

If you haven't already made your banner pieces, refer to last week's Tutorial Tuesday post.

Please excuse the completely terrible self-taken pictures of the necklace. And the absolutely wrong shirt to go with it. (Seriously. I should have just changed out of the cowl neck and put on something else! Oh well. C'est la vie!)

Some necessary supplies (for this necklace and the other kinds): chain, jump rings, needle nose pliers (I have two different kinds), wire cutters, mod podge, paint brush, ribbon, ribbon fasteners, necklace closures, pin/safety pin/needle (you only need one of them).

Measure out a length of chain to go around your neck and hang to the point that you want the "choose" to hang from.

Re-fold each banner in half and paint some Mod Podge onto the inside.

Then press the banners closed and carefully smooth them out to make sure there are no air bubbles inside. Let dry for a little while and then trim the edges of the banners to be more uniform.

Get out and open 2 jump rings for each banner. Measure where the center point of the chain is.

Make sure your banners are all dry, or have plenty of back-up banners to use incase this part goes awry. Use your poking device (aka pin, needle, or safety pin) and poke a hole close to the edge on each side. But don't get too close to the edge or you will rip your banner open instead of have a hole. Wiggle the poker around just enough to make the hole big enough to fit a jump ring through it.

Start with the O's and insert a jumpring into each of the holes, but don't close them yet. You will attach them to the necklace itself next!

Just to one side of the very center of the chain line up one O banner and insert the first jump ring and close. Go over a few chain links and insert the second jump ring and close. How many chain links you have the jump rings apart depends on what kind of chain you use. There is no set amount that I can tell you! Sorry about that! Repeat these steps on the otherside of center with the other O banner. The O's will now split the center of the chain between them.

Continue, continue, continue! Just leave a couple of links open and free between each banner so that the necklace has the ability to move.

Use a jump ring to attach the end of more chain between the S and E.

Measure out how long you want the JOY to hang down then cut off the chain and attach it with jump ring between the C and H. Mark the center of the chain to see where the center of the O banner will be. Attach the letters the same way as you did with CHOOSE. This time make sure the center of the O is in the center of the chain instead of off to the side a little.

Once all of the letters are attached attach the closures to the ends of the chain.

Here is a little sneaky peek of next weeks necklace!

Calendar Recycling Project #2 Beads

I know that there are lots of people that already know how to make paper beads, but there are also many that don't! SO today is covering two things - recycling those calendars, and making beads! This is an easy project that kids can help with. I'll let you decide how old they need to be to help. I would let mine help with this one starting around 5 years old.

Supplies that are necessary:
calendar
scissors
mod podge (you can also use regular elmers or some other kind of craft glue, but I prefer Mod Podge)
toothpick, qtip, straws of various sizes


Instructions:
Since the toothpick, q-tip, and straws of various sizes are for wrapping the paper around to make the hole in the center, you should determine which size you want them to be inside. I chose the q-tip because I will be giving the beads to my 10 year old to make something fun with and she tends to use kinda thick cotton or hemp cording for making things. This size hole will go on the string nicely but not be too sloppy. :)

I cut off one end of the q-tip so that I wouldn't have cotton fluff interfering with the beads.

These are now ready to use for wrapping beads around! You can also use one to spread the Mod Podge on the paper if you would like.

Cut strips of paper that are slightly cut-in rectangles.

The one end should be much narrower than the other. Not quite by 1/2, but definitely narrower. The widest end is how wide your bead will be when it is finished. You can make your beads all different widths, or make them all uniform, that's up to you! But no matter what make them at least a couple inches long. The longer they are the more times the paper will wrap around and the more sturdy the bead will be when it is completed.

Spread Mod Podge on the back side of the calendar picture - the actual calendar side. Put it on starting about one rotation around your bead wrapping utensil down. So since I was using a q-tip I started the Mod Podge about 1/4" - 1/2" down the paper from the largest side. You start down a little ways because you don't want it to stick to what you're wrapping the paper around if you can help it.

Start rolling the paper on the q-tip (or whatever you're using!). The initial turn is the hardest to control, but after the paper is touching the Mod Podge it gets much easier since it's not sticking to itself! Make sure you completely coat the paper in a THIN layer. You don't want too much on here. It will squish out and make a mess. A little squishing is OK...but too much and you just end up having sticky gunk all over!

Once the bead is rolled you can either A) take it off the q-tip now and do a final coat of Mod Podge over top later or B) leave it on the q-tip and do the final coat of Mod Podge on it now. Taking the q-tip out will help the inside layers dry faster since air will get to the bead from the inside too. Keeping it on the q-tip is a little more convenient for doing the final coat of Mod Podge on the outside, but it will take a little bit longer to dry on the inside.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat! You'll end up with some neat, unique, and recycled beads!
P.S. How do you like all that glitter? Pretty great, right?! LOL I swear once you do ONE thing with glitter, everything is coated in it and you can't get rid of it!! This glitter is from weeks ago!!

Jewelry and Paintings

*~*Are you looking for the post about the giveaway? Click here and you can find it!*~*
I adore creating things. If I didn't have my heart set on being a nurse practitioner I'd make creativity my full-time job....well, if I could *actually* make a living at it. Sewing clothing for myself and my children, and other people's children, making baby stuff like carriers, bibs, burp cloths, painting, making necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets, crocheting blankets, and clothing, cross stitching, and I'm sure there's more but I can't think of it at the moment. Just making something myself feels so much better than buying something that everyone else can buy too.

I love being creative as a means of relaxation. And to give things to others that I've made makes me feel better than giving something bought. I'm not positive the other people always like what I make/give... but I enjoy making things with them in mind.

A (terrible) close-up of a bracelet I made for my 10 year old.

Everything I do is basically self-taught. I've looked at what other people have done, and then I do my best to figure out how it came about. I would absolutely love to take classes of all kinds. Classes on jewelry making, all different kinds of painting/drawing techniques and forms. Sculpting! That would be a blast!! I've only made a few paintings so far, but I'm definitely enjoying it. As of now I've done 2 tree paintings, and I'm currently working on a third. I've also done one for my middle daughter that's berries and birds,  and another for my youngest that's snails and mushrooms and flowers....in a kinda crazy kaledoscope of color.

This is a picture that I painted for my middle girl of our family. Obviously it isn't exactly our family - it's a family of birds. But we are all in there, plus one (for a future child we'll either have biologically or adopt). Below is our family for my youngest girl ... but it's snails. Again with a plus one for the future. The potential and possibility. :)

I just realized how HUGE my chest looks in this picture. YIKES!

I also painted a t-shirt last night/today. That turned out pretty fun!
 The completed painting(s) I  was working on earlier of a cherry blossom tree. :) I made it for my best friend/sister. And I'm so glad she loves it! :-D I really enjoy the fact that it's broken up. I think it makes it more interesting that way.

The painting in total with all of it's parts together.

The painting as a close-up of the bottom.

What is your medium or choice? Or do you dabble like me? I'd love to see what you create. Feel free to leave me links!