jewelry – Page 5 – Karla's Cottage

Pretty Poured Paint Pendants for a Party

celebrations, Hand painted, how to's, jewelry, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 28, 2018

Sugarwings wanted some gifts to give to her birthday party attendees, and I wanted to make something special for a gathering I am attending this week, so we saved the drippings from our last day of painting to make some necklaces.

This is how it starts.

Ugly, huh?

She laid a piece of parchment paper under her work area to catch drips, then spread the paint with a spatula so it would be thin enough to use in a pendant tray.

The name for this is ugly too. These are called "skins".

Bleck!

But once you start looking up close, you find some lovely, little areas that are ideal for jewels.

A generous dusting of glitter went over the wet paint, then we let it dry a week.

The next step is isolate the pretty areas and place 1" glass nuggets over them.

They are glued to the paint covered parchment, cut out after the glue dries, then the parchment paper is peeled off the back and the domes are glued into pendant trays.

I use a decent sized dollop of glue, press the dome into the tray tightly, then clean off the excess glue that oozes out.

This one had a surprise heart show up.

After drying, I slide them onto a leather cord and tie slip knots onto it to make the length adjustable.

I've also tried just dipping the bottom of the glass into the paint, but I don't think it is as solid of a hold as gluing the paint skin to the nugget then gluing that to the tray. Plus you get more control over the paint this way, you can pick and chose where you want to glue the glass down.

Sugarwings also made this painting to give as a grand prize to the scavenger hunt winner. I was proud of her work, she knew exactly what she wanted to pour and how to do it. This is done with the end of a water bottle! We cut off the curved bottom of the bottle and placed it in the center of the canvas. Then, she slowly and carefully poured one color after another onto the bottle piece, and let the paint flow across the canvas to create petals of a flower.

This kiddo is growing up. She is attending Jr High, taking martial arts, and has a whole new sense of self confidence to go along with her joyful, zest for life. I'm impressed with her as well as her paintings.

A Cameo Makeover

how to's, how-to projects, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / April 19, 2018

I found a deal on these resin cameos, but thought they were a little too obviously resin.

So, I thought I'd age them up a bit.

I used this Martha Stewart stain, but a dark glaze would work too. Or if you were quick and careful, watered down brown paint would do.

Just brush it on, wipe it off, leaving the darker tone down in the creases and shadows. Here are some before and afters.

I was happy with the way they turned out.

Gifts for the Shore Trip

jewelry

By Karla Nathan / April 11, 2018

Two lifetime friends of mine are meeting me in St. Augustine to celebrate our 60th birthdays together for a few days on the beach. So, I created some beachy themed jewels as gifts for them each.

These are for Debbie, who is into hiking and nature. I thought it was beachy, with earthier elements.

Each piece goes with the others, but doesn't match exactly. I find matchy-matchy jewelry too much. Colors and styles that coordinate are more my preference. This set has chalcedony, aquamarine, labradorite, mother of pearl, pearl, jade, moonstone, amazonite, and jasper. I am not sure what the larger, pendant piece is. Does anyone know?

The soft blues are for Sandy, who says blue is her favorite color. I've used lots of amazonite, aquamarine, pearl, and larimar. Gotta love larimar for the ocean!

Oh, there is also some kyanite, that is a new one for me, and I fell in love with them at the gem show. These reminded me of blue moonstones. They are the oval shaped ones on the silver earrings.

Planning and a anticipating a trip can be as much fun as going there, and I loved choosing special beads for my long time buddies.

Opal beads!!!

jewelry

By Karla Nathan / April 5, 2018

At my latest trip to the gem show, I was thrilled to find opal beads! I've always admired opals, but the beads had been elusive on my hunts. This time, I found a few strands, and at very reasonable prices.

My only problem was that very few of them fit onto head pins to make into jewelry. I think they were meant for stringing, and that isn't in my set of skills.

These tiny beads could be a reason to learn how, though.

The handful that fit onto the pins were immediately turned into a necklace for myself, along with moonstone, pearl, beryl, and rose quartz. All of my favorite pale shades of pink and cream, with a hint of fire and opalescence were gathered together to make this piece to wear on my beach vacation next week.

I also made a bracelet for myself, all in white, cream, and clear. There were Herkimer Diamonds at the gem show, and at first, I made up a bracelet full of them. Then, realized that those guys are SHARP. So, I remade it, with just a couple of dangles with those stones. I'll have to come up with a design for a necklace with some, because I'd like to use more of them.

While my tools were out, I turned some Herkimers into earrings for a friend's April birthday. And Kyanite with labradorites for Kia, and just laboradites for Avahni. I'm taking those two teens on a cruise for my birthday, along with the two littlest grandfairies and wanted them to have some beachy colored jewels to wear.

Plus, kyanites for Kia!!?? Of course.

Jewels from the sea

jewelry

By Karla Nathan / October 14, 2017

Before the Sister Trip to Siesta Key, I created a necklace for Sissy, with abalone shells, mother of pearl, and other semi precious stones.

Bobbie got a pearl, mother of pearl, and pink quartz bracelet with a marcasite heart charm.

I really love making jewelry, once I get started, it is hard to stop. So, I've complied a few for sale during A Snowbird's Song. I'm not allowing myself to make too many though, or that is all I'd do. There is too much work to get done for me to allow myself to play with pretty stones all day!!

Gifts from the sea

jewelry

By Karla Nathan / February 17, 2017

My sisses and I love the beach, and some of my favorite times have been spent there with them. For Valentine's Day I wanted to send them a remembrance of our Sister Trips, so I made some beachy toned, genuine stone necklaces.

Each one has a hand blown glass bead that contains our dad's ashes.

I went with ombre patterns of sea colors for a mermaid feel and added the abalone hearts for the holiday.

And because I love my sisters!

A friend had given me the large amazonite stones, and I couldn't wait to use them in something. What a beautiful color they are.

I've also used some in these mermaid bracelets I listed on Etsy.

Don't they look like ocean water?

You can also find this mermaid bracelet in the etsy shop.

As well as a few more.

The Boutique is back in business, brimming with baubles and beads- and BARGAINS

jewelry, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 29, 2017

Thanks to Beth and Hope, my BOUTIQUE is re-opened!

(What was wrong with it?? Well, a combo of misadventures that all stemmed from the messages they send to me being lost. For some reason, my email address is not compatible with their site or their site is reprehensible to my email server, because I just ain't gittin 'em. That wasn't solved, but the website was re-instated and is running again. I'll make an effort to manually check the admin page for messages now, since I know I will not be getting email notifications.)

Things are looking up in the studio, the smell is going away, my shop is back, I've happily been able to get back to work.

The first thing I did was clean up the store. Somehow, many of the photos had jumbled up. For some reason, quite a few of the items were illustrated with a picture of a vintage "Carter's Little Liver Pills" box (sold a year ago).

Hmm… maybe my site was trying to tell me it was ill and needed help??

Anyway, odd random pics are banished, and items that have been lingering are MARKED DOWN DRASTICALLY.

I thought about having a percentage off sale, but instead went through each item, piece by piece, and marked them down individually, because many are over 50% off.

There are ten pages of sale items, 50% off and more. Please check them out here, if you are bargain shopping. And please keep in mind that I refund excess shipping after the packages are weighed.

My next step was to start taking photos of these wrap style bracelets. The first ones into the shop are the "Sweetheart Collection" just in time for Valentines Day!

I've also created a "Romance Collection"

There is some Cinderella blue in the Sweetheart Collection.

And some brighter blues in the Mermaid Collection.

There are single wraps, double, triple and quadruple too. They come in a wide variety of prices, depending on how many beads and what kind.

Baubles, bangles, beads, and bothers

jewelry, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / January 23, 2017

The last two weeks have been very frustrating for me. First, my studio developed an odor.

That odor blossomed into a stench.

Before I knew it, I was dealing with a pungent REEK.

The smell seems to be a dead mouse in the wall. But I don't know why it is lingering so long. At first, I was patient. I simply packed up beads and hauled them to the dining room to work on.

I figured that in a few days, I could take the bracelets that I'd made and head back to the studio and list them in my Boutique.

Little did I know that the REEK would grow.

And that my website would disappear.

As in- gone-

all gone-

not there-

no access because it doesn't exist anymore!

Sob.

I tried everything I could to contact the webhost, Pappashop, got no answers. So, I've hired Hope at Paper Relics, who designed the pages, to look into it for me.

In the meantime, my boxes of beads and I are hanging out in the dining room with a stack of over 40 bracelets and I just keep on making more, biding my time until the studio is stench-less.

Once the room is safe to enter without my eyes watering from the hideousness of whatever is decomposing, I hope that my beloved Boutique has been restored.

If not, there is always Etsy. But, that just isn't the same. I miss my online store! It probably ran away from home because I'd neglected it for so long. It thinks I didn't love it any more.

But I do.

Please come home, little store!

Appreciations

celebrations, jewelry

By Karla Nathan / January 1, 2017

Way back in October, I found these large, Larimar beads in Florida. I bought enough to make some Christmas gifts, even though it almost drives me to drink to not give out pretties IMMEDIATELY upon purchasing them.

I was soooooo proud of myself for making necklaces in the fall and saving them for Santa time!

This one is made with aquamarine, moonstone, labradorite, mother of pearl, amazonite, and silver.

These two are designed by Sugarwings for her Hippie Chick Mommy and Mommy's partner. My girl went with me to the gem show, and spent over an hour finding just the right set of rainbow stones to use for the matching pieces.

I used silver, which was good for most of it, but the jump rings I had were too fine, and not strong enough, the pendants were easily pulled off when the piece snagged on a scarf. I've gathered the faulty gifts back up and have to replace the delicate jump rings that held the pendant on with something sturdier. oops!

Jewelry making was just what I needed to make me feel better last fall while I was down after my minor cardiac procedure. 2016 was a year of beading for me, working with my hands was very healing.

Last spring, when I first had the arrhythmia symptoms, I'd recently been to the gem show and had a bagful of beads on the dining table. I felt pretty crappy and didn't want to go out to the studio, so I turned my dining room into a jewelry workshop.

Bracelet after bracelet , necklace after necklace, was made this year, some for myself, some for friends and family. It was good for me to be able to be creative when I wasn't feeling up to par, and gemstone beads are an addictive item. The more I made, the more I wanted to make.

It wasn't practical, I wasn't selling the items. And I think I gave away at least $500 worth of beads in the pieces that I made.

But making all of this gemmy goodness was sooooo good for me.

My limited energy wasn't allowing me to be up to doing my regular work in the studio, let alone making kits or setting up classes.

Yet, being creative in any way is very important to me. This little hobby helped me get through some tired times and cheered me up.

Oh, I don't want to make it sound like I was a complete invalid, I'm fine, the whole cardiac thing was minor. I'm very, very fine, I was just feeling down for a matter of weeks multiple times over the past year.

Enough that between feeling yucky or being busy with our remodeling project, my business was put on hold. So, I am grateful to have had an outlet to keep my hands busy with pretty things that uplifted my weirdly, thumping heart.

2016 was jammed with wonderful moments, smiles, and loveliness. And I'm lucky that my health problems were as minor as they were. (I'm beyond very, very fine now, and my heart has not done any odd pitter pattering since I had the repair job done). Having those issues makes me appreciate my creative energy and not take it for granted. Being out of commission art-wise, can be as heart breaking as having a faulty thumper.

Earlier, I posted some of my vows for the new year, and now I think that I need to add another. Besides Joy, and Merry, Grateful, and Thanks as words for the year, Appreciation needs to be up on the list.

Appreciation sounds a lot like Grateful, but in this case, it is a bit more. To me, it will mean slowing down to think about what I do, what I make, and appreciating my own skill and drive to create. And knowing how being creative keeps me going, and makes me who I am. Not taking it for granted.

Keepsake bracelets for our annual Sister Trip

family, jewelry, tributes

By Karla Nathan / November 5, 2016

Three years ago, Bobbie, Sissy, and I met in Siesta Key to spread some of our father's ashes. Since then, we have been meeting there in October for a sister trip. Each visit, we bring some special gifts, in sets of three, so we have matching sister presents as mementos of our stay.

This year, I wanted to share some of the bracelets I've been making, so I used my best, beachy colored beads in amazonite, turquoise, aquamarine, chalcedony, azurite, crystal, and added in moonstones, and pearls, to remind us of moonlit walks on the white sand beach.

But to add a very special touch, I had some blown glass beads made up with our Daddy's ashes.

I didn't even know this was a thing, until I was at a Montessori fundraiser and bid on a custom piece by Cremation Marbles. That got me thinking about doing some extremely personal and sentimental additions to the bracelets I'd already made for the 3 of us.

On Vaughn's ( the artist) website, he asks to have a spoonful of remains mailed to him, but since I am nearby his studio, I asked if I could save postage and drop them by myself. Not only did I save a few bucks, I was treated to a show and got to watch the whole process.

He makes a variety of projects, I'd bid on a pendant at the silent auction. He was kind enough to let me get three beads in place of the piece I'd won. They were so much fun to watch being made, that I ordered a couple of extras for my boys, to make necklaces for them.

Here is a colorful one for my son. I'll probably just hang it on a leather cord. Vaughn made a couple of extra beads as a bonus too, those are a cobalt blue and I'll make a necklace for my grand fairies from those.

Blown glass colors can come out randomly and change with the heat of the flame and the kiln, so I knew that the beads he made for the sister trip might not be all the same. But they sure turned out perfect! I love our Gulf of Mexico Blue beads, the shade is ideal.

Don't the tones of the glass blend beautifully with the stones? I'm so pleased with Vaughn's work, and loved meeting his cute little family. And I hope my sisters love these as much as I do. I smile every time I glance down at my tiny bit of Daddy when I am wearing my own bracelet.