Sweet Pea Pendant

  Since I've started making the Fabric Rosette Necklaces and the Wire Bird's Nest Necklaces people keep saying to me, "I didn't know you make jewelery!". To which I say, "I don't ...err I mean I didn't ...but now I do ...but it's not REAL jewelry."  It just doesn't seem like the jewelery I make should qualify because, until a month ago, I didn't even know what a bail or a jump ring was! I don't know a thing about beading either. But I somehow manage to stumble upon tutorials that are so well done they make it look easy. That is the case with Amy at Positively Splendid. She has a fantastic tutorial that shows how to make these little beauties.

I always love things that can be personalized according to the number of children you have or the number of people in your family. I got enough inspiration on Amy's blog to keep me busy for months! In the mean time I'll be looking for just the right beads and craft wire to make my first Sweet Pea Pendant.
Blessing to you~

Wire Bird's Nests

I adore these little buggers! So much so that I ordered a robin's egg blue one on Etsy. It makes me smile every time I look at it. It symbolizes hope and life and spring and the anticipation of good things to come. That is why I was SO excited to find Rissa's tutorial on her blog, Hazel and Honeysuckle. She was kind enough to share it with us and I hope you will check it out and see how easy these are to make.
Our winter is extending well into spring in the Rocky Mountains and I am clinging to the hope that sunnier days are coming!


Blessings to you and happy Easter~ Celebrate a risen Savior!

Rosette Obsession

I LOVE flowers! All kinds. I can't think of any that I don't like and some are SO amazing to me that I just marvel at creation whenever I look at their details. I liked them when it wasn't cool to like them and so, the recent trend to use flowers on anything and everything as fashion accessories  is a big smile maker for me. This week I've been making the pretty, little rosettes that have been showing up all over. They are easy enough to make yourself so give it a try! I noticed there are several tutorials available already that are very good. They vary only slightly from the way I make mine.

For my necklace I cut a 1" width of fabric (WOF) strip so that, when finished, it wouldn't stand out away from my body too far. The two smaller roses on the necklace were made from 1" strips that were cut from a fat quarter so only 21" wide. For the orange pin shown below I made the strip 1 1/2" wide These can be made from scraps, sheets or an old shirt too so very economical!

 I then fold the strip in half length wise, right sides together. I press mine to make it behave but you don't have to.

                                Tie a knot in the end and fold the tail back on itself. Glue in place.

Circle around a couple times until you have a nice bud, gluing as you go. Then, twist the fabric strip, dot with glue and continue around, twisting every so often as you see fit. I like to stagger the twists so they aren't all in the same place. Add a dot of glue after each twist and any place where it needs stability.

                            When it reaches the desired size, glue the tail to the bottom of the rose.

Attach to a piece of felt and add a pin backing if you plan to wear it as a pin or if making a necklace, layer the chain in between the felt and roses.

                                                               SO feminine and pretty!

Tomorrow.... more beautiful roses but something completely different! Blessings to you~ Luci