I created this piece of jewelry using Amazing Crafting Products. This necklace has lots of baubles and trinkets—many of them created from items I’ve molded using Amazing Mold Putty. There are reasons I molded these pieces rather than use the originals. First, I don’t own all the originals—the flower basket and the bee are from friends’ jewelry collections. The original of the gilded baby was a toy that as a child I played with in church, and I want to preserve the original. The frozen charlotte original is white porcelain—not the look I was going for.

But, that’s what so great about Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Casting Resin. I can have my cake and eat it, too. For all the pieces in this project I followed these basic molding and casting directions.

Here are close-ups of the flower basket, frozen charlotte, and the bee.

I used Amazing Clear Cast resin with butterscotch Ranger’s alcohol ink added during the mixing process to get a translucent finish. For the bee I used Amazing Casting Resin with no color additive. The bee was white when it came out of the mold, and I used the same butterscotch alcohol ink to stain it. Then, I added a couple drops of ginger and pitch black to accent the recessed areas.

I cast the baby doll with Amazing Casting Resin. Next, I coated her with USArtQuest Duo Adhesive. This adhesive becomes effective and tacky only after it dries, and it the perfect thing for using with Gildenglitz Leafing Metal. My little gilded baby lives in a shrine from Coffee Break Designs.

The heart charm is from Spellbinders’ new Media Mixáge line. I covered the bottom of the bezel with fine gold mica and filled the bezel with Amazing Clear Cast. I let it sit overnight, and when it was cured, I glued the red rhinestone to the top.

Here you can see the finished necklace with all the fun charms, trinkets, and Amazing pieces.

You can see more fabulous projects using Amazing Crafting Products on their blog.

I love creating jewelry using unique components. And handmade paper is definitely not a common jewelry component. I made the paper with help from my grand-daughter using Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit. I followed these basic instructions for making the sheets of paper.

One of the hallmarks of handmade paper is the beautiful deckled edge, but for this project I needed straight, squared edges, so I used a paper trimmer to cut two strips, each 1½” x 5″.

Next, I marked the center of each strip at ¾”.

I marked a line from each of the top corners of the strip to the center mark. Using a metal straight edge and a craft knife, I cut on this line to end up with a perfect isosceles triangle and two right angle triangles.

Working on a Teflon craft mat, I misted both sides of each strip as I was working on it. This increased the paper’s flexibility and allowed it to roll easily.

Starting at the wide end of the strip, I rolled the paper toward the point. I used a hat pin as a support for rolling the bead.

When I neared the point, I added a thin line of liquid adhesive, and continued rolling to the end.

I let these damp beads dry overnight before coating them with Amazing Clear Cast resin. While the resin helps to strengthen the beads and seal their surface, resin and moisture do not mix. I followed these basic instructions for working with resins.

I wear latex gloves when working with resins and am careful to protect my work surface. Each bead was supported on a pin while I applied the resin with a wooden stir stick. The pins and beads were stuck into a Styrofoam block to dry, again overnight.

Now for the finishing touches—crystals, beads, and chain. Ta, da!!

You can see more of handmade paper projects on the Arnold Grummer’s blog.

Arnold Grummer’s June sale—20% off everything!! Use code: Paper20.

This show by Joe Rotella was recorded LIVE on Tuesday, 5/21/2013 at 9PM EST.

Joe gives a demonstration of the Zing Electronic Cutting Machine and Make The Cut (MTC) – the software that drives the Zing. He focused on some of the features of the machine and showed some common features in the software.

Links mentioned in the show

• Zing Electronic Cutting Machine Package
• Zing Accessories
• Handout: What Zing Accessories Are Right For You?
• Handout: Details About The Zing

Special Offer!

Get free shipping on orders over $50 from 5/21/2013 to 6/1/2013. Use coupon code AMAZING at checkout. Offer limited to orders shipped within the domestic United States.

What could be more special than an invitation made with handmade paper? A special invitation for a special occasion.

The base of this invitation and the heart are handmade paper using the techniques shown here. I used Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit to make these papers. The base paper was tinted with tissue tints. The heart was colored with the same tissue tints with Angel Wings Botanicals inclusions added.

I transformed the heart into resin paper. Here are the instructions for making your own resin paper.

I attached the resin paper heart to the lower corner of the base piece, and printed the invitation on vellum.I attached the vellum with Great Tape from USArtQuest. I particularly like to use Great Tape when working with vellum because it doesn’t leave a shadow and show through the vellum—it is complete undetectable.

After the vellum was attached, I threaded ribbon through two holes that I pierced at the top of the invitation. I think this is an elegant way to issue an invitation!!

You can see more great ways to use handmade paper on Arnold Grummer’s blog.

Finished Studio Cloth Necklace

The base of this statement jewelry piece is studio cloth!! I started by napkin collaging both sides of the studio cloth. Since studio cloth doesn’t ravel, there was no need to hem or finish the edges, so there was no excess bulk. After I had the piece collaged, I gave both sides a final finish coat of PPA.

Next, I measured and marked the placement of the equally spaced holes for rivets—six on each of the long sides of the triangle and one at the bottom tip. I pierced the initial holes and set the rivets with my Crop-a-dile tool.

After gathering all my trinkets and ephemera pieces, I added eyepins and jump rings to attached each piece into a riveted hole. Making the eyepins was easy-peasy with the new looper pliers introduced at the Winter 2013 CHA trade show. Last step was adding the chain.

The bottom trinket is a tiny album that opens to reveal an accordion strip of blank paper ready for stamping or decorating. I replaced this blank strip with a selection of Graphic 45 paper.

Closed Mini Album

Open Mini Album

The birds in this piece are all rescue birds!! All of these birds were made from scraps that any normal crafter would have discarded. I rescued them from the trash bin and a life spent in a landfill. I never throw away ANY of my handmade paper—no matter how small the scrap.

The papers were handmade using Arnold Grummer’s Paper Making Kit and following these basic directions. The birds and their wings were cut with the Sizzix Tim Holtz Caged Bird die.

Making resin paper is easy, but definitely requires some advance work station preparation. Cover your entire work surface with plastic trash bags. Next, cover a cookie sheet with food storage bags. Strive for a flat, wrinkle-free surface. (NOTE: I used plastic film and it wasn’t strong enough. Not a tragedy, but next time, I’ll use the food storage bags.)

Assemble your supplies—Amazing Clear Cast, measuring and mixing containers, stir stick, sponge brush, rubber gloves. I worked on a Teflon craft mat on top of the trash bags. Excess resin easily wipes off the Teflon mat, or peels off when it sets. Everything else is disposed of when you’re finished with the project. Just wrap it all up in the trash bag and toss.

Birds and wings aren’t assembled yet. Mix equal parts of A and B Amazing Clear Cast according to package directions. Using the sponge brush, coat first one side of the bird or wing, then the other with a generous layer of clear resin. Lay on the lined cookie sheet to dry—12 to 24 hours.

The finished resin birds are strong, yet flexible, and have a glossy finish. Even better, the resin intensifies the color of the original paper.

Brown bird with wing attached and eyelet set

Time to assemble the flock. I gently shaped the wings by curling them around a stylus so they created a three dimensional effect and stood out from the bird’s body. I glued only the wide end to the bird, leaving the tip free. Next, I used my Crop-a-dile to pierce a hole in the bird and set an eyelet.

Completed resin paper birds

The base for the hanging is bamboo skewer covered with a length of coiled brass wire. Last bit of assembly was to attach jump rings and jewelry chain to each bird and attach to the wired skewer. The ends of the brass covered skewer were capped with beads from my stash.

Finished Birds on a Wire

I love my rescued birds!! They will bring a hint of spring for many years to come.

I’m excited and honored to share some exciting news. I’ve been asked to be a Guest of Honor (GoH) at Gen Con Indy this summer!

Gen Con Indy is the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world. For more than 45 years, Gen Con Indy has set the trend in gaming and has broken attendance records. Last year, more than 134,775 turnstile and 41,000 unique attendees experienced Gen Con Indy.

This amazing event features game industry veterans, award-winning authors and artists, jaw-dropping costumes, thousands of events, a growing Family Fun Pavilion, and the newest games on the market. Gen Con truly is The Best Four Days in Gaming™!

I’ve slowly been learning about gaming and this event. Gen Con is more than just a convention, however. It’s a passion, a community, and a unique experience that keeps people coming back for decades.

There are 100′s and 100′s of events to participate in at Gen Con. Two tracks of events go beyond gaming; Workshops and Spousal Activities (SPA). The SPA track is specifically designed to have activities that attract non-gamers or people who want a short break from gaming. Last year it had everything from knitting and crocheting, to paper crafting, to scrapbooking, to Vampire tours!

Lady Victoria digi stamp from KennyKDownloads.com

The Create & Craft team will be offering 22 classes and workshops at Gen Con Indy. You can see a complete list on our Gen Con Classes & Workshops page. In addition to some traditional projects packed with great techniques, I’ve partnered with Want2Scrap and KennyKDownloads to create some classes that have a unique gaming theme – from Dr. Who to myths and maidenz to Steampunk Burlesque.

Remember though, this is only a very small part of all the programming offered at Gen Con. And don’t forget the trade show or the masquerade ball! Details about Gen Con are on their site at www.gencon.com.

You don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy activities at Gen Con. Everyone is welcome!! If you can make it to Indianapolis August 15-18, you won’t want to miss it! 

I hope to see you there!

Happy Crafting!

Joe

Every since I saw the new Spellbinders line of Media Mixage elements in January at CHA, I’ve been dying to try them. And dicrofibers are the perfect companion. Dicrofibers come in a wide range of colors and add just the right amount of sparkle.

I started by preparing the dicrofibers that would be the bottom layer in the Media Mixage bezel. I fluffed a mix of red and gold fibers for the heart necklace and green and gold fibers for the squares. Then, I sandwich them between two layers of parchment paper (it comes with the fibers) and pressed with an iron.

Red and Gold Dicrofibers

The result is a gossamer piece of fabric. I used the coordinating Spellbinder dies to cut the exact shape from the dicrofiber fabric.

The cut dicrofiber shapes were first into the bezels. Next, I added pieces of lace, jewels, beads, images, and ephemera.

Heart bezels ready for resin	Square bezels ready for resin

When everything was positioned just so, I filled the bezels with Amazing Clear Cast resin. Then, I set the bezels aside to cure for 24 hours.

Next, I went back to the dicrofibers to make ribbons to join the square bezels. I fluffed a length of green and gold fibers about two inches wide and twelve inches long. After the first pressing, I trimmed the wisps of dicrofiber from the long edges. Next, I folded one third of the length toward the center and pressed again. Finally, I folded the remaining raw edge toward the center and pressed the fibers. The result is a fairly strong, flexible, unique ribbon. 

Dicrofiber Ribbons

When the resin was cured, I assembled the necklace pieces using chains and finding from my stash. 

Finished Necklaces

Watch this video showing more dicrofiber techniques.

Welcome to the “Friends of True’s – Swirly Spring” BLOG HOP!

If you are here from Suzanne Dean’s blog, ScrapBitz, you are in the right place. If you just happened onto my blog you will want to head back to True’s blog, True’s Gifts From The Heart, where it all starts. There will be a prize package donated by Inky Antics that includes True’s entire, newly released, Swirly Spring stamp line. Now, let’s get to the project!

(click to enlarge, it’s really pretty big LOL)

If you’ve seen my past projects, you know that most wouldn’t be called “cute.” I tend to gravitate to old pieces of metal, wood and dark colors instead of swirls and flowers. But when I saw Trudy’s latest line, bright colors, fun lines and whimsical kept popping in my head. When I read her sentiment, “Hope Your Day Just Sparkles!” I immediately thought GLITTER!

This little photo frame jumped out at me during one of our many thrift store excursions. It was ugly, but it screamed whimsical to me. I thought it would look adorable with Trudy’s papers and her dragonflies. For $1.91, it was worth trying, right? I got it home, took it apart, and coated the entire piece with white gesso. It probably wasn’t necessary, but I just tend to start every re-purposing project with gesso. I think it gives me a “visual” clean slate.

Next, I painted the piece with Perfect Pigments™ - Pure Liquid Acrylics™ from USArtQuest. I have used the Metallic Lt. Gold often and always love it. But this was my first time to use Magenta, and WOW! is it beautiful! It’s such a rich, deep, saturated color!!

While the piece was drying, I worked on the embellishments. A strip of flowers cut from Trudy’s papers would make a border. Her sentiment stamped on a small mat would fit perfectly on the base.

I wanted Trudy’s dragonflies to really stand out. So, they were stamped on acetate and one side was colored with colored Crystal Lacquer from Sakura Hobby Craft. Once that was dry, the other side was covered with clear Crystal Lacquer which was then covered with white glitter. After that was dry, they were cut out. To give the dragonfly on the base some feet, I attached a small spring with clear Crystal Lacquer.

A scan of the wooden flower was the start of a pattern for my Zing Electronic Cutting Machine. I tweaked it a bit and then cut out the pattern from Cut Bond Create – double sided adhesive sheets from USArtQuest. The finished cut out fit perfectly on the flower. I peeled off the top layer of adhesive and covered it with glitter. I punched out a small flower from a scrap of the Cut Bond Create, attached it to the small flower and covered that with gold glitter. Last, I wrapped the base with Great Tape from USArtQuest and covered the exposed tape with gold glitter.

Put it all together, adhere the dragonflies with some Crystal Lacquer and you have a whimsical frame. This one has a picture of my friend, Carole Lassak‘s, grandaughter, Chloe. I can’t wait to give it to her as a gift!

Now, after you leave me a comment, it’s time for you to move on to the next blog in the hop.  Here is a list of all of the links in case you get lost along the way.

Recently, a colleague asked if I would make a 60^th wedding anniversary card for her to give to some special friends. Here’s what I came up with.

I decided on this design after doing a little research about 60^th wedding anniversary ideas and symbols. I learned that the tradition of celebrating a 60th anniversary came into popularity after Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee.

The traditional gift for this very special occasion is a diamond. Diamond, which comes from the Greek word adamas, which means unconquerable and enduring. Many also believe that the fire in the diamond symbolizes the constant flame of love. The anniversary color is white.

So, a white card with Want2Scrap bling was the perfect combination!

The white mat is embossed with the Regal Spellbinders™ M-Bossabilities™ folder. The fern leaves are die cut from purple pearlescent paper and embossed with  Spellbinders™ Foliage.

The bling is Swirls Maxxi Girl Rhinestones – Silver from Want2Scrap.

Add a ribbon and a sentiment and you have a wonderful way to celebrate a very, very special milestone. Happy Anniversary!