Art by Debbie Saenz

Beads on Wheels = Jewelry

When we go on road trips, my beads come along too. It works out perfect since my hubby loves to do all the driving. We pop in a book on tape and I pull out all my beading supplies and time flys! Last month I made quite a few pieces and came up with some new designs that I love. Take a peek...

I made this one to go with a dress I was wearing while traveling. I just love all the blue/purple colors. The larger blue beads actually change color according to the light. love it!

And I got into making a few more pair of earrings 

These blue iridescent globe earrings sparkle like crazy

A silver bracelet that goes with everything

Lately I've been enjoying the look of brass...I love its pink tone. I already gave these two bracelets away as gifts. I plan on making more of these to sell in my Etsy Shoppe.

I made these earrings to go along with the bracelets above

and then decided to make a matching necklace, but I'm not so sure I like this one. I have a different idea. I might remake this one.

I brought this one along and changed one of the stones out for a different one that lays nicer. It was really bugging me...sometimes I'm just too much of a perfectionist. Ugh! It's not always a good thing. 

Here's one I made and I just love the way it turned out and have worn it many times already. It goes with so many of my outfits.

 Here are the matching earrings

This is not the best picture, but I wanted to show you how the necklace lays. I have to tell you what happened to my beloved little point and shoot camera...that's another story, a sad one:(

I've have a blast creating jewelry on our road trips. It seems most of the jewelry I make lately is either for a gift or for myself. 

BUT, if you see something you just have to have, let me know, and if I have the beads, I can always create another and list in my shoppe. Just let me know :)

 

Road Trip Creations

Yes, it used to be really ridiculous, at least that's what my hubby would tell me, when my creative supplies took more space in the car than my personal luggage...and I don't pack light. I like my wardrobe to give me plenty of options. 

Last Monday, my daughter ran the Boston Marathon. We drove 18-1/2 hours to Boston MA, and then back. That's a whopping total of 37 hours on the road!

To my husband's surprise and delight, on our last few road trips, I've been able to narrow down my crafting supply luggage quite a bit. It actually only took up half the back seat! 

37 hours on the road =

• 5 necklaces
• 5 pair of earrings
• 2 bracelets
• 1 ring 
• 10 felted birds
• 2 books on tape
• 10 states

...and  loads of fun! 

I work out a box lid on my lap. It helps with the get-away beads that inevitably happens. I only pull out the supplies I need for the item I'm currently working on. I decided to work only in brass and wire wrap. That helped me limit what I needed to bring :)

My Road Trip Creations:

I was totally playing here...I need to tweak this one a bit!

I can't wait to make more rings. 

Here are my cute little birdies. They still need wings, tails, and beaks. They are a work in progress. I think they would be adorable sitting in little wire perches...with ribbons, maybe some beads...and oh! I have so many ideas!  I'll show you what I come up with in a future post. 

It was such an exciting day to watch my daughters dream of running the Boston Marathon come true!  This is my favorite picture of the day. Sarah's face says it all! This was taken at mile 6 and her smile continued to the end of the 26.2 miles. I'm sure she was running on a cloud! 

My daughter Sarah with her medal and her very proud family! 

Mod Podge Monday will resume next week :)

Mod Podge Monday: Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Necklace

Whew! last week was a whirlwind. I was working on Mod Podge projects for Plaid's booth for the winter CHA show which will be in Anaheim CA this year. I saw the pre set-up booth and WOW! it's going to be awesome...and oh how I wish I were going! I can't show you my projects just yet, but very soon!

Here's a project I created some time ago... and since it's been soooo cold here in Atlanta, I thought this wintery box and snowflake necklace would be great to feature for Mod Podge Moday! 

Have you ever used Sparkle Mod Podge? If not, you've got to give it a try...there's something...well...so...sparkly about it. I know I've said this before, but I love to use it on "girly" projects. 

I designed this cute little Winter box using Sparkle Mod Podge. Snowflakes must have sparkle, right? And, notice the doilies?

Have you ever thought about Mod Podged jewelry? Well, here it is! I created a necklace using wood snowflake cutouts. Drilled some holes, doctored them up with some paint and Mod Podge, added jump rings, beads and chain. Ta-da! Aww, the variations are limitless! 

You can get my complete instructions here:

Download Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Snowflake Necklace

Also, just a reminder, Shannon's fundraiser ends this Wednesday, the 18th. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about it in my last post here.

I think I'm gonna go grab a cup of hot tea and warm up by the fireplace! 

Linking up with:

Skip to my Lou

sumo's sweet stuff

Hand Felted Brooch

In Downtown Buford, at the Tannery Row Artist Colony, the Gallery where two of my paintings are currently hanging, they offer a gathering each week called Thursday Things where artists and various others share their knowledge and expertise just for the fun of it! I've attended several lately and wanted to share what I made last week (in a simple tutorial). 

When I walked in, I was surprised to see a table full of wool, fresh, right off the sheep's back! We were going to learn Hands on Felting taught by Mavis Stevens, a Fiber Artist.  

The off white color was the fresh unwashed wool and the colored wool, which was clean and dyed, came from Hobby Lobby. We first began with the fresh wool. We were all told to grab a clump, but honestly, I was hesitant to touch it as my germaphobia kicked in. But since I needed my hands to begin the process, I gave in and just tried to enjoy the lanolin that began to envelope my hands as I manipulated the wool.

I did run across a thorn that was in my fresh wool clump. Ouch! I don't know if that hurt more than the sharp felting needle I kept poking myself with. We used needles with "spurs" to hand felt our wool. Poke, poke, poke, that's what we did over and over again before we added the colored wool. And then more poking. So far, I don't know if I have the patience to hand felt wool...it took forever! I did learn that they make machines to do this. Hmm, seems so much quicker and easier...if I were to become a master felter that is! But probably not :)  

Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I cheated, after I gave mine a good bath at home, I threw it in the dryer to finish felting the wool. Mavis said if we "shocked" the wool with heat it would do the same thing. Yes! I like that method. 

As you can see, I sewed in some bling to my wool creation....just a touch as not to take away from the pretty colors of the wool.

Then I created a brooch by adding a pin on the back. 

Ta Da! I think it turned out really cute and gave my simple and plain shirt some pizazz. 

Thank you Mavis! Now I know how to hand felt wool,

something I always wondered about...

Linking up to:

Primp

The Trendy Treehouse

Valentine Pretties and a Fast Train

The holidays are passing me like a fast moving train, a blur. How can it be almost Valentine's Day already? Life happens and my little Etsy shoppe just sits and waits. At least it doesn't complain. My goal for this year is to get 100 items in my shop, maintain it and grow that number. And I really really want to work on my ideas for inspirational mixed-media art. Oh Time, where art thou?

I ordered this beautiful red velvet ribbon from M & J Trimming since I couldn't find it locally. Doesn't it just scream Valentine! I think these Valentine bookmarks turned out so pretty! 

Here are my Valentine earrings. I call them "Key to my Heart".

All items are for sale in my shoppe.

On to the next train...

Blessings xo,

Debbie

Vintage Style Jewelry Stand Tutorial

I have been wanting a vintage dress form for a while now to use as a prop when I photograph my jewelry. Well, I've not been able to find one at an affordable price...the cheapest I've been able to find them for is around $100. Some are priced at close to $1000! Yikes!!

Since I know my hubby would flip if I spent that much money on a prop, (It's hard for me to fathom that idea too) I decided to revamp an ordinary jewelry stand with vintage style! And all for under $10. Now that's a deal!

This is a vintage French stockman mannequin and sells for several hundred dollars. Love it!, but not for that price. I've seen mannequins decoupaged before so I thought, "Why not decoupage a jewelry stand?"

This is a simple project anyone can make! Come on, I'll show you how...

 

A few Supplies:

White velvet jewelry stand (I got mine at Michael's using my coupon!)

Mod Podge - Matte

Tissue paper from an old pattern

Glass drawer pull

Hot glue

Black acrylic paint

Drill

Kraft knife

Paint brush

Carefully remove the top part and set aside.

Tear the pattern paper into pieces; start with about 20 or so.

 

 Lather that baby up with plenty of Mod Podge!  It will soak into the fabric so be generous.

Adhere the pattern paper overlapping as you work. Allow the paper to hang over the sides. It will wrinkle a bit but try to smooth it out as much as possible by "painting" Mod Podge over the paper. Cover the round top that you removed earlier the same way.

Trim the paper and decoupage it toward the back with Mod Podge.

You may also cover the base. I went back and did this later, but you could do it now. Give everything a nice top coat of Mod Podge then allow the glue to dry completely. . I left mine overnight since it was pretty saturated with glue (Normally I'm impatient and use my hair dryer). I added another layer of paper to mine which makes it a bit darker.

Once it's all dry, it feels like leather. Maybe it's all that glue!

 

 Drill a hole through the top 

Cut an x in the center of the top with a kraft knife then use hot glue to attach the top and secure the glass knob into the prepared hole. 

Paint the back of the stand with black arylic paint (I used Plaid's Wrought Iron instead of black).

 

Ta Da! Now you're ready to display your jewelry creations vintage style!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. If you have any questions, just send me an email or ask in the comment section and I'll get right back to ya.

Also, If you end up making this, I would love to see your jewelry displayed. you can share a photo on my Facebook page. I'm sure others would love to see it as well. 

Happy Creating xo,

Debbie

Another e-book

12 Fun & Fabulous Mod Podge Projects

Free to Download

I've been published in another e-book with my friends Amy Anderson from Mod Podge Rocks and Holli Long. It's completely free to download from Fave Crafts right here. As before, with the previous e-book, Quick & Easy Decoupage e-book, all the projects have complete, easy to follow instructions. 

I contributed several projects, but my favorite is this Butterfly Inspiration Charm Bracelet. 

You can easily make one of these pretty bracelets too! Change it up with photos or pretty papers; the options are many! Just go here to download the free e-book for the full instructions. 

Blessings xo,

Debbie

Bib Necklace - A Special Request

I recently had a special request for a bib necklace. I made this one after some time of collecting just the right pieces to create a one of a kind necklace. Apparently bib necklaces are the rave now! I have a new appreciation for them after spending hours working on this one and noticing them more and more. I'm still not sure if I would actually wear one....maybe with just the right outfit?

I used several pieces from my vintage jewelry collection and others I found at local thrift and antique shops...and oh yes, my mission was fun!

I used several pairs of earrings (one vintage), rhinestone buttons, and a scarf clip to complete this piece. After sawing off the backs (Yea! I was excited to use my new jewelers saw!) then played around with the design for a while until I arrived at something I liked. I  glued them onto a piece of felt. Once the glue was dry, I used thin transparent nylon thread to stitch the pieces to the felt. Not all the pieces allowed me to do this...for those, I used extra strong glue. I then added the ribbon and glued on another piece of felt. When everything was dry, I cut off the excess felt around the jewels with my little tiny scissors.  

I then added little tufts of tulle in betweeen the jewels to soften the look.  

I have more ideas for bib necklaces with beautiful fabric flowers with rhinstone centers and little jewels tucked here and there hanging off a chain instead of ribbon. Oh now I just need some time to make them. I hope the rave for these necklaces hangs around for a while longer because I might not have time to make more until next year. I've been very busy working on Plaid projects inbetween trying to beef up my little Etsy shop, which always seems to fall by the wayside. For now, I guess I better get back to writing instructions for the load of Plaid projects I just completed. 

Blessings xo,

Debbie

AHH! to have the right tools!

I met with the very talented, Dana Ruth, the owner of Atlanta Art Worx, a jewelry and metalsmithing studio located in the Artisan Resource Center in Atlanta, GA. Dana is a metal craft artist who designs and fabricates jewelry. I was in AWE while in her studio which was laden with all the tools to create magnificent metal art!

My reason for contacting Dana? Well, I have this ever-growing collection of vintage brooches, pins, and clip earrings. I needed to know how to correctly remove the backings to be able to incorporate my vintage findings into new pieces of jewelry.

Dana's work can be found in many stores and galleries throughout the country. Here's just a peek of Dana's work:

I love how her work has an industrial feel and look to it.  You can see more of Dana's work here on her website. 

Here are all my new tools!

Dana kindly showed me exactly what I needed and even gave me a lesson! I learned how to properly load a jewelers saw with the right size blade with just the right tension. She taught me about the different files and which ones I needed.

Now my vintage jewelry collection can be revamped into new creations! 

I'll share what I come up with as soon as I can.

Blessings xo,

Debbie

Beads, Beads, and more Beads

Ever since my hubby and I celebrated our 20th, I've been into making jewelry again! Between that and the recent Intergalactic bead show at the Gwinnett convention center, more and more new ideas for jewelry creations have been stirring around in my head. 

Last weekend topped it off when I found an estate sale with lots vintage pieces to add to my growing vintage jewelry collection!  Yea! now for some time...that seems harder and harder to come by lately. Maybe I can grab some time in between the 7 projects I've got to do for Plaid.   

So here's how it all began....My hubby and I took a long road trip for our 20th. We called it our "butterfly trip", more on that in another post. Well, I always need something to do with my hands - so along came my beads. I even trimmed it down a bit from what I had originally packed. My hubs thought 3 large tote bags loaded with my beading supplies was just too much to lug! I kinda saw his point (even though, hey, what if I just needed that certain color) Yes, I obliged and weeded out and only brought 2 tote bags full. 

Yes, beads were everywhere! On my lap, by my feet and stacked up on the middle console  while in the car. I hardly had room for my feet and my hubby kindly reaccommodated his arm on top of all my bead boxes.

I beaded for hours and am sure to be finding beads under the seat for a while. 

Dangling beads...ahh yes!

and matching earrings too!

Another bracelet

and the earrings to match

I really like the eclecticness of this one!

and Ta-Da earrings to match!

These are just a few of the many sets I made during our road trip...Look for some of these in my Etsy shoppe soon!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Beads Galore! The Intergalactic Bead show was, to say the least, overwhelming. It was really hard to focus on what I needed for my ideas....with ALL the options.

 and this is just a peek of part of one side of the room.

Table after table was spread with luscious beads! Ahh what one can do...

Here are my  finds at the estate sale. I can't wait to use these to make some beautiful pieces of jewelry! Oh sometimes the ideas make my head hurt. 

And since I've been into the scrabble tiles lately, I made some for my Etsy Shoppe.

 

and I've been wanting to experiment on dominoes. I like the way they turned out. Look for these too in my Esty Shoppe too :) 

 Until next time XO,

Debbie