A&C Weekly Challenge 2008

[Whizzz]

New Year & a New thread - post what you hope to start/finish this week!

I have bought lots of fabby gemstones & I want to try & make some different types of jewellery, different ways of stringing etc.

DH also bought me some rainbow fluorite & I want to make myself a necklace & bracelet, although am still pondering what style I fancy!

(& my bog is sadly neglected, I must try harder!)

Here is a challenge card I made today...might give this to DH for Valentine's Day, unless someone takes a shine to it at my craft stall!!LOL

My hidden message

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Hope I can just dive in on this thread ?

suzi2 I love your silver braclet, in fact it was your christmas money post which imspired me to have a go at chain maille myself.

Here are a couple I have been working on this week.

Byzantine copper bracelet with Amber coloured beads

Half finished silver plated bracelet with beads to be added later

I bought plain wire and wrapped, cut wire into the right size jump rings before I started lovking them together. But the silver plated ones are copper in the centre I thought the base metal would be silver in colour ? So I will buy sterling silver if I make any more wire.

PS. My friend seemed to really like her copper braclet

I like your copper bracelet with the beads, Babieseverywhere. I struggle with jump rings, i find them very fiddly, so Im impressed at what youve acheived!

Thanks Fubsy

Is there a list of all the craft ladies blogs/websites somewhere ?

BabiesEverywhere,,,a thread was started here but not many crafters have responded so far.

I really must find time, somwhere to update my link on my blog!! It would be so much easier to have a nosey at what everyone has been up to!!

BabiesE, those are fab bracelets. I love the colours on the copper one.

Ginger, thank you so so much for the lovely pressie for Ethan.
They are gorgeous.
I had a friend round when they arrived and she loved them too, plus later on that day I took dd to a party and Ethan was wearing one of the bibs. It got a few comments, so I just so happened to pull the wash with care sticker off the back (you know the one that has your web address on) and leave it on the table .

I have now gone into idea overdrive for things to make for the craft fair, I just need to prioritise them.
This week I need to;
Re-do lady dolls face (lol)
Make dress for lady doll
Make 2 bags for lady doll and pirate
Possibly complete a dog that I have started too.

I don't have the patience to cut wire for jump rings neatly BabiesE . My DH has been in the US the last couple of weeks so I was looking to getting some stuff delivered to his hotel from "Lord of the Rings" (chain maille shop) but never quite got round to it. They're much cheaper over there for the precious metals. I think that's where Maille Queen here buys hers in from anyway. So I think I'll get a job lot when he's over again in a couple of months.

I love the copper bracelet. I was wondering about doing copper as it changes colour so much, but that's really nice and earthy. I was thinking of making my MIL a parallel chain bracelet for her birthday but she wears gold and I'm not sure I can risk the expense of gold on something I haven't done before. Just browsing some places for jump rings just now trying to decide what to do next!

suzi2, Copper will tarnish in time but it a reasonable economical wire, as is plated silver. I bought the wire at my local Hobbycraft and I am making the jump rings because it is much cheaper not for fun !!!

That said I hope to save and buy some sterling silver wire and eventually filled gold just to see how these look in a chain form.

Filled gold, is a thickish layer of gold attached to an alloy core. Much better than plated and won't flake etc and way cheaper than solid gold. So maybe that might be an idea for you to use?

What do you use to cut your spiral out of interest? When I've used cutters/snips I haven't got a clean finish and can't get them to close completely. My dad reckons I 'need' a precision saw but I'm not sure I'm that keen.

I was looking at the gold fill just now actually. That's maybe an option. MUST buy some new pliers though. Anyone use nylon headed ones? Any good?

Nbg, glad you like them! It does say hand wash on the label....but I've machined them when I tested them and they were fine, just wash on a cool wash.
I've been busy busy busy this weekend with RL activities (boo), On saturday DS had a birthday party to go to in the morning, then took DD to High School Musical on Ice (which she loved), and then yesterday we were at MIL's. But I have got 5 new things made and 1 nearly finished as well as 2 more waiting to be started. But I'm keeping them secret until I have a nice pile to take pics of.
I got my mobile swap partner, so I now need to think about what I'm doing, I have til feb 20th to make it and get it mailed out.
Dingle - that valentine's card is gorgeous!

You have to get side cutters with one flush cutting edge (i.e. straight on one side and an angle on the other.

Then take your spiral of wire and it takes two cuts for each ring. Cut the end of the wire of leaving an straight edge. Then turn over the cutters and cut into the next ring, this detatches the first ring. i.e. You have two straight edges on the detatched ring and a burr on the end of the spiral. Repeat from the start so each ring means cutting off the burr on the spiral and then cutting the actual ring off the spiral. Easier to do then explain. Just a bit faffy, but easy enough to do.

For anyone who hasn't signed up, Greebos is organising a monthly/bi monthly craft swap. There's a thread in A&C that I've just bumped, so it should be easy to find. WOuld be great to have loads and loads of us on board (especially as she doesn't have anything else to do like organising worldwide afghan squares for poorly writers or looking after her 23 children so it would keep her busy/out of trouble )

have posted some pics of a new java jacket I knitted and a bracelet I made yesterday, its blue apatite and very pretty but the light is so crap

here

this week I need to:

sort out some tags/cards (probably from moo)
finish the java jacket I started lastnight
do some painting (as dh has been taking the piss out of the too small for the wall canvases that are on the wall obviously... fricken photgraphers eye...)

probably put said paintings up on etsy shop, they are lovely, red and gold, abstract planet shapes.. well i like them anyway ..

meridian that blue bracelet is lovely - are you putting it on etsy soon or is it for you?

I am trying to get a Southern crafters circle going (see separate thread) any baked goodies from Meridian welcome

meridian your bracelets are lurvely - i am a bracelet addict and have waaay too many!!! well done on your etsy shop

Meri, the bracelets are brilliant. I love them all.
I think your etsy shop will be very successful.

I have woke up today with a 5p sized blister on the end of my index finger!
It hurts and I am not very happy about it.

Me thinks I need a thimble.

have just added a quick post for a peridot bracelet

thank you jeanjeanie, maximum, and nbg!

yes the bracelet will be up on the shop later tonight or tommrow, its so much prettier in like than in the picture though. gerrr bad light. and aside from going down to Heathrow before flying to California in April I don't know when we we by going down south but I will keep it in mind, especially as I want to take DS on the london eye as he is quite obsessed with machines and ferris wheels....

Nbg- definitly need a thimble or a nice slave

off to Birmingham tommorow.. to the bull ring so ds can stand in awe of the krispy kreme donought machine.

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meridian - I have emailed you

meridian - lovely stuff !
Where do you get the silver chain & fastens from, I think they look really good with the gemstones

dior- thanks for the post. i had a quick look but making tea now so will leave comment later.. I like the bauble though!

jeangenie- emailed you back very quick.

whizzz- thank you... I'll email you the wholesaler later ..promise..

Fab bauble, dior.
Meridian - krispy kreme, I lurve krispy kreme (your new bracelet looks lovely btw). Get me a glazed donut while your there. Thanks

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oh don't worry dior, i've been rubbish of late for posting comments, i have visited everyones blogs though, i promise!

did anyone else spot bellabear's birth announcement??, seems she's taken a break from knitting to produce baby seth