Artisan Headpin Challenge

I am a huge fan of  Art Jewelry Elements.

It is a bonus to have so many talented artists all sharing in one place.

It is one of the few blogs I subscribe to and always read.

When they suggested an art headpin challenge, I was intrigued and emailed right away to sign up.

Just one problem....

I did not actually own any art headpins.

Which leaves me 2 options: buy some or make some.

Well, I am a making kind of girl.

So here is what I came up with this weekend.

Well that is just the first half of the story.

Want to see some of the designs I came up with using those headpins?

Ok, here they are....

Which is your favorite?

Leave a comment below for a chance to win this pair.

Just tell me your favorite pair shown and your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  

I will choose and announce a winner September 17th.

This is a long contest...

Tell all your friends

And good luck.

Want to see more fabulous art headpins?

Visit each of these blogs for more fabulousness.

Guests:

Alison Herrington

Renetha Stanziano

Karin Grosset Grange

Gloria Allen

Deb Fortin

Cate van Alphen

Mona Arnott

Shai Williams

Sarajo Wentling

Kathy Lindemer

Solange Collin

Melissa Meman

Patricia Handschuh

Tammy Adams

Melissa Trudinger

AJE Team Members:

Caroline Dewison

Lesley Watt

Cathy Mendola

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Susan Kennedy

Laney Mead

Diana Ptaszynski

Lindsay Starr

Niky Sayers

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment with your favorite pair from this post and your email before September 17th for a chance to win....

Collector Series-Running in Circles

I am deep in a major project that I will be sharing with you soon, but for now, let me show you this fun necklace from the Collector Series.

I added handmade, vintage and purchased components and charms.

Then I filled in the spaces with extra jump rings.

There are some fun goodies on this one.

Hope you are having fun creating as well.

Thanks for stopping by....

Plaster dipped silk flowers...

Have you seen plaster dipped silk flowers?

I saw them last fall and was enchanted. 

 I wanted to try it for myself.

Sometimes, the crafting gods deliver what I need right to my doorstep (almost).

Last winter, a small silk flower arrangement blew into our yard on a windy day.

There were red, white and blue silk roses stuck in a piece of styrofoam.  

The flowers were all faded and my husband was going to throw it away.

I saved it just for this project.

I mixed plaster with some water to make a little thinnner than pancake batter consistency.

Then I dipped each rose into the mixture and pushed it down several times to coat all the petals.

I hung them on this card display.

The newspapers below are very important.

The red and blue roses required more than one dipping to cover the flower as much as I wanted it to.

These were the white roses and I only dipped them once.  I liked the finer, more delicate look only one coating created.

They have the look of porcelain.

The blue and red ones were dipped twice and have a chunkier look to them.

You can also see where they were touching the hook below on my rack as it left a mark when the flowers were removed.

I wanted to make a coastal arrangement to say good bye to summer.

First I spray painted this hammered aluminum two-tiered stand.

Then I added my plaster flowers and some coastal touches.

I started with some spanish moss to fill the trays.

Then I added starfish, seashells and pearls.

I gathered another handful of smaller shells and went back to fill in some bare spots and cover  any chips in the plaster.

I also added some of the plaster-dipped leaves.

It is a fun coastal arrangement.

Right now it is on my front porch next to the door.

For these photos, it is on my workbench on the back porch.

I think something like this would be so fun to do for a coastal wedding.

Some sisal rope would be a great addition as well.

I really enjoyed this process.

It was fun and easy to do.

They are pretty fragile so it not something you want to do for things that will be banged around or handled a lot.

Once I am done with them in this arrangement, I may do a fall version with leaves and a Christmas version with either poinsettias or evergreen branches.

I removed my roses from the stems, but you could make an arrangement in a vase too.

The plaster hardens in the cup relatively quickly but it was hot and humid when I did mine, so they took a minimum of overnight to dry.

Thanks for stopping by....

                  Linking up with these great blogs.

Pink Set

I showed some pink pieces before here.

They were outside my comfort zone/normal style.

Today I will show you some pink pieces that are more like me.

A bit more bohemian and rustic.

The components such as waxed linen cord, steel findings and recycled silk strips give very feminine pink beads a bohemian edge.

These are pieces for the girly gypsy.

I made them for the same magazine challenge.

They were not chosen.

That is ok.

That means I get to either wear them or sell them.

Here is the fun triple strand bracelet.

I like the braided silk strand.

It adds a softness to the piece.

One of my polymer beads in the focal.

I love the bracelet most of all.

I wear a lot of scarves, but not a lot of necklaces.  

I do wear bracelets though.

I think this one is headed right for my wrist.

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.