Rings

Internet and magazines are full of different ring designs. At first I have attempted some simple basic designs such as simple wire wrapping rings. I am aiming to make some Herringbone weaved rings. Haven't really quite figured those out yet but practice makes perfect!

The two rings above are my most recent attempts. I have combined copper and silver plated wire in order to create the bottom design. I have used simple wire weaving and then spun the ends around in order to create fastening with spiral ends. You could have a play around with longer pieces of wire and create different shapes. You could use some beads to make them more unique.

Now the top ring is my favourite! I have started it off by platting 3 strands of wire to make it big enough for my ring size. It's a simple plat that you'd use in your hair. Trying out 4 strands of wire should work perfectly too and make the ring a bit thicker. Once the sizing is perfect I have twisted the wire ends and pressed them down to form little spiral effect over and over until about an inch of wire ends were left. Then I have wrapped the ends on either side of the ring band. It has that celtic look about it and looks so great! I am definitely wearing that one soon!!!

The power of Grey

The great thing about beads is that they come in different shapes and colours! This provides us jewellery makers with inspiration and ability to create unique pieces of work. Even though I love brightly coloured beads, pastel coloured and natural looking beads are my weakness! So while at Hobby Craft I could not resist getting some white, silvery and grey beads. Combining with silver plated wire I've been using for the last couple of months I thought they'd make a nice piece.

Finally I have found some time to make some jewellery! A bit ironic considering I am off sick from work...
So anyway.. I have used 0.8mm silver plated wire and 6 beads from the chain. I wanted to create something very simple and elegant but with a little bit of detailed. I used simple techniques to achieve this look and pretty sure anyone can attempt this!!!

I just love how silver wire makes the beads look brighter. This item is very wearable as it doesn't really need to match any of your clothing. That's the great thing about natural coloured beads such as these! And even more importantly, the whole bracelet cost about £1!!! BARGAIN! :)

Cabochon Wrapping

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have invested into a couple of magazines which I have been scrutinizing for a good few weeks now. n one of the magazines I have discovered a great way of wrapping cabochon beads. The cabochon that I bought is a turquoise howlite from eBay. I wanted to try out the techniques and experiment with wire.

The design in the magazine had a slightly different finish. Instead of curls in the middle part of the pendant, it was crossed over and wired around the back. I must admit I have run out of wire length by that point so I had to improvise which I don't think turned out too bad. Especially for a first attempt... :) It's delicate and very wearable and I can't wait to wear it to work next week.

Simple but cute!

During the last trip to Hobby Craft I have decided to have a wander around the shop and see what other little gems they have hidden. Hobby Craft is great as it has massive variety of different arts & crafts supplies. Ranging from cupcake making or card making to jewellery!

So.... I have come across some really cute wooden leopard print buttons and figured they would make amazing earrings that are unique and stylish! Afterwards I couldn't wait to get home and get stuck in!!! The design is very simple and takes only 2 minutes. I am considering adding some little pearly colored roses in the middle of the button but haven't yet decided if I want to make them more "blingy" however would spruce up the design if you wanted to hide the holes in the middle. Have a play around and see what suits your liking.

Things that you will need:

• 2 buttons to your liking
• 3cm of 0.6mm wire
• 2 earring wires (can be handmade)
• Wire cutters
• Flat nose pliers
• 2 mins of your time!

Here is the result: (Without the roses... Should I add them? How CUTE are the buttons?!)

What do you think? ;)

Latest Shopping Trip

Yesterday me and my boyfriend made our way into Preston to get some supplies for our hobbies. I have patiently waited for him to get his little bits and bobs and then went to Hobby Craft. I could NOT wait! :)
This is where I found Wirework magazine which ended up being a bargain and I was well chuffed with it! Prior to this I have discovered Wirework magazine through browsing online and following the group of Facebook. As you probably know, I was not disappointed! :)

Some of the latest additions to my collection/supplies are some new beads, loads of wire, fimo, etc. Here are some pics:

I have never used Fimo but I am definitely looking forward to it. Making some handmade beads with the designs that I want should be a lot of fun and maybe I'll get the other half involved in this just for fun too! :D What are your recommendations for using Fimo? Maybe any tips?

Latest Attempts

Over the past few weeks I have been very busy with family visiting, work, home life, etc; so had less time to spend practicing my jewellery making. Finally things are calming down a little so I managed to spend a few hours with my wires and beads. I have also recently invested into two magazines and I must say I was very impressed!!! Here are the two magazines I went for: Make Jewellery and Wirework.

I had a quick browse through both and they've been great help! Wire Jewellery had some designs for people with a bit more skill however they look great and definitely can be done. This is an English magazine so easily accessible in UK. I bought mine from Tesco an it was around £5 I think. Not bad value for money!

Now the other magazine I bought is Wirework and I can't praise it enough. This magazine is perfect for newbies! It has basic tutorials with detailed step by step information and pictures. It's so helpful and it's probably the most useful bit of literature I own for wire jewellery learning. One down side to the magazine is that it's American magazine. So it's nothing too dramatic however I had to travel a little to get it from a Hobby shop. It was approx £4 and is the best value for money considering tutorial books are probably 5 times as expensive and have more or less the same info.

So after reading through the magazines I have attempted some of the designs. I have made and finished properly my first Big-ish project. I have made this bracelet yesterday as per design from Wirework magazine. Here is the picture of the final result:

It's a pretty straightforward design and it looks great! Hope you guys like it. If anyone wants me to post step by step tutorial because you can't get access to the magazine, then just let me know. I have also made a suggested variation of the design which can be used in the bracelet or perhaps for making a necklace or earrings.

So guys, any feedback or questions are always welcome! So feel free to comment/ask! :)