Not into big bling but...

I am not into big fat bling.  Too big is too much for me.  It gives me the impression that big fat bling are for those who like to show off.  It can also be heavy and too much in the way.  I am really not attracted to that kind of jewelry.  There is a but.  Here is the biggest piece of jewelry that I made:

I didn't inteded to be that big.  It is made with nuts and one washer.  To assemble it, I took macrame cord.  It is also the macrame cord that is used to wear it on the neck.  Yes, it is a necklace.  Never wore it, never did a wear test, never thought I would done it.  Maybe I had a Napoleonic complex that day.  I must have been in a strange foreign mood to do it.

I like doing jewelry with item found in the hardware store.  I should return there to find new inspiration.  Doing barettes with that stuff is also fun to do!  Men that have longer hair should revendicate the right to use barette made with bolt and door's hinge.  I guess it would make a strong fashion statement.  Men jewelry fashin is too much conventional and classical.  They have to revendicate getting out of the usual.  They deserve some variety and out of the box jewelry.  It would look great in an informal party!

It's good to do: soap making

At this time of year, I often do some soap.  Often, I will give them as a gift.  This year, I just made some soap just for the fun of it.  If someone need some, they will be ready to give.  What I liked the must is the colours I got from this year batch.  I used mauve and red colorant.  I also used an honey soap base for the mauve ones.  For the red ones, I used my usual soap base.

It is nice to have some dark colored soap.  I am pleased with the result.  It also smelled good as I was heating the honey soap base.  I usually use an honey soap base once a year, to give luxurious soap as a gift.  I just haven't done it last year.  Maybe I should use that soap base a bit more often.  I haven't try them myself.  I guess would be time to test drive a few, just to see if quality control is good (-;

Soap making is relaxing.  The most boring part is to heat the base.  It is the longest part of the process.  The other little bit boring part is to let it cool, before unmolding the soap.  What I like the most is having a helper with me.  It help with the whole process.

Finding application with unused items

I have some string/crochet yarn that I have.  I have a few rolls of them, in black and blue.  It is unused. It look like this:

I was thinking of using with my dyi loom.

As seen on the photo, the end result on the loom was not what I wanted.  It was fine.  I would end up with a fine cloth but I was not ready to do it.  So, I was left with the thread/yarn and no project.  Now, I have decided to use what I get for embroidery.  I think it will do the trick.  I like to take an item and used it for another purpose.  Well, I am ready to try.  If it doesn't work, I will try something else.  If I use the two together in a embroidery project, the end result will look great, I think.  I won't need to purchase embroidery floss for a long time, at least, if I don't need particuliar colour for a project.  I have a good stack of embroidery floss too, so, I don't have to worry for a while.

Embarrasing ring

My very first attempt at a beaded ring making, well before I even took classes:

It is not a really successful attempt.  It is a total failure.  No redemption possible.  A big no no.  At the time, I really knew nothing about it.  I took a project in a book, knowing nothing about what was needed.  While I was doing it, I didn't understood why I didn't having the result on the picture and I found it was hard to do.  I took metal wire.  I think I didn't have all the correct material.  I was in a clean slate state.

It is my most embarassing result I ever had.  The bigest blunder.  It is the deepest failure I ever had.  Nothing worst can be done now.  I am happy to have learned what I learned in my jewelry classes.  Since that ring, my proeject were much better.  I did have some projects that didn't come out as I wanted but they were way much better than that.  I could come up with something presentable with the other unsatisfying projects.  This one is totally waisted.  I have kept it as a reminder of what should not be done.

I am doing much better than that now.

My searhead--forgotten and found

I found this project not long ago.  I haven't thought of that spearhead in a long time.  It was a spearhead out of metal that I made while I was taken my jewelry classed near my workplace.  I made this spearhead from the lost wax technique.  I made it in wax and send it to get it in the end result, as seen above.  I show both side of the spearhead.  On one side, there is an hole and on the otherside, there is two holes.  They are small and are a bit difficult to see on the photo.  I think it was hard for the one in charge of my wax mold.  I took that spearhead as it was.  I think that the small holes give it  a certain charm.

It does not show the drilled holes on the site, on the right side.  I intend to put that spearhead on a chain.  I will have to find a chain small enough to go through the hoes but strong enough to hold the weight of the spearhead.  Or I put a heavy dury thick wire in a wire warpping way or do some eyelets.  I would put a chain in the eyelets.

It was nice to find that spearhead.  It is mainly finish, as a project.  Not much is needed to finish it.  It is the kind of project that I like to make.  It wasn't that easy to make it, especially the finish, the pattern on the spearhead.  It wasn't my idea but it was a good one, as I look at the result.

Making earring on the go

It was nice to make those earring.  Not much material eaither.  Some french hooks, chains, beads that look like cristal balls and some pins.  With varying the lenght of the chains, it makes various earrings.  There is one pairs where I didn't put any chains on them,

The first photo is the material I took to make the earrings.  The second photo are the beads are on the pins.  The beads are ready to be put on the hooks.  The last photo are the end result of the whole project.  There is one last bead that I haven't put on the photo.  I think to make an necklace with the last bead.  I haven't decided on the look of that necklace yet.  I am tempted to put that bead with other transparent beads that I have but I wonder if it will be too much transparent beads on the same necklace.

I will have to think further on the necklace.I will probably have to go throught my bead collection.  Maybe I will end up finding the perfect match for the last bead.

Soap from honey baw soap

 I made some soaps from an honey soap base.  I like the colour I got.  It is those from the photo above
On the photo below, I took the usual clear base.  I also like the colour.  But I prfer the shape.

It feel good doing all those soaps.  It also smelled goo while I was doing the ones with the honey.  Maybe I should do them more often.  Now, I have some reserve soap to give if I am asked aboiut it.  Could give some too.

I have also made two big bar of soap that I will cut up in smaller bars.  They are red as on the secon photo.  I kind of forgot how it was relaxing to do.  The most boring part is to melt the base.  The most fun is to put the essentiual oils and the colour.  Waiting for the soaps to cool is another wait to have.  Doing soaps in the afternoon is the best time to do it.  Starting after eating and early is the best.  It give the time to melt the base and the soap in the mold to cool down.  If is not cooled enough before nightime, it can be change from one place to another to finish cooling.