Winning!

I’ve mentioned before that when it comes to jewelry, I am pretty much a minimalist – Simple earrings and the occasional necklace.

Recently, I’ve been on the hunt for a new pair of no-fuss studs I could pop in my ears and wear daily.  Well, you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that I was the lucky winner of this lovely pair of turquoise earrings from Little Bug Jewelry!

Jane creates beautiful bead, metalwork and wire-wrapped jewelry.  Her shop contains a variety of accessories (from sleek stacking rings to bold statement necklaces) to compliment men and women of all styles.

Click here to browse her selections!

DIY Simple Polymer Clay Bead Necklace

My sister and I wanted to get a little crafty last week and decided to make some polymer clay bead necklaces!

I don’t typically wear much jewelry, so I came up with a design that was simple, customizable and could be worn with pretty much anything:

Materials (all of these can be found at your local craft store or in your kitchen):

  • polymer clay (we used Sculpey Premo)
  • aluminum foil
  • baking sheet
  • toothpicks
  • paint brush
  • glaze (we used Sculpey Satin Glaze)
  • thin cording
  • scissors

Directions:

1. Roll clay into approximately 1-inch balls and poke a hole through the center using a toothpick.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place beads onto the sheet and bake the clay according to the package directions.

3. After beads have cooled, paint with two coats of glaze.  Hint: Use a toothpick to hold the bead while glazing to prevent it from getting all over your fingers.  (Skip this step if you want your beads to have a matte finish.)

4. Measure and cut cording to your desired necklace length.  Remember: Necklace must be long enough to fit over your head!

5. Once beads are completely dry, thread both ends of the cording through the center of each bead and knot to secure them.

6. Show off your new necklace!

Got questions or suggestions?  Leave them in the comments – I’ll meet you there!

Hey there … stud.

I’m one of those people that picks a no-fuss pair of earrings and keeps the same set in for months (or years) on end.

Recently I’ve been itching for a new pair – I love my simple hoops, but I think it’s about time to change it up.

Here are my current favorites:

Every Day Chevron by truche – Raindrops by TheAngryWeather – Sunset Rocks by uppermetalclass

Do you have a piece of jewelry that you wear all the time, or change infrequently?

Resistors

Though I’ve only ever worked with or seen them a handful of times in my life, I’ve always thought resistors were one of the more interesting and attractive of the electronic parts.

They’re small, curvy and come in some of the neatest color combinations.

It seems that Eva also has a fondness for these little components – As she fashions them into intricately unique and pretty pieces of jewelry, such as this Climbing Ladders Necklace.

To see more of her work, you can visit her shop – Aula46.

This weekend I’m off to Dad’s again – We’ll be running 12 miles tomorrow.  Only 2 weeks until the half-marathon – So we have to squeeze in a very long run this Saturday to get our legs ready for the long haul May 1st!

Have a relaxing weekend and I’ll see you back here Monday!

Hump Day Finds

This weeks Etsy discoveries are all unintentionally jewelry-themed!

Paper Wrapped Spiral Pendant by Robayre

What a great idea for a pendant!  This one is made from the wrapped pages of a retired library book.  Clever, unique and stylish!

Song Bird Silhouette Jade Ring by Zougeebean

I love the colors and simple look of this piece – A great, chunky ring that is sure to make a statement!

Butterfly Series Cooper Bracelet by Orange is the Sun

This beautiful, natural bracelet is inspired by the Malachite Butterfly.  This piece would be lovely worn alone or others – Visit Orange is the Sun’s shop for more!