#TBCCrafters Craft Hop- Easy to make Jewelry @HouseofGems

*I received the products in this post for purposes of review.  All photos and opinions expressed are my own.

Check it Out!  I love jewelry and I love making my own jewelry. I have found that I can make my jewelry for a fraction of the cost of buying it already made.  From very simple earrings to necklaces and bracelets, the freedom of doing it myself allows for creativity and customization. 

I wanted to share some of the easy jewelry pieces that I have created lately thanks to House of Gems. I received an awesome shipment of supplies from them a little while back. 

As you can see in the above picture I received pretty much everything I needed to get started.  Beads, cording, glue and all sorts of goodies, even a beading tray!

I got these great Ships Wheel charms that I just love and I knew I wanted to make not only some earrings but also a necklace with them.

The first thing I did was gather all my supplies.

• Suede cording
• Charms & Beads
• Ribbon & Cord Clasps
• Fishhook Ear Wires
• Jump Rings
• Eye Pin
• Pliers 

The actual making of the jewelry is super easy. For the necklace, I cut a length of suede cording allowing enough to add my ring charm to the center and have about a 22" length.  I then attached my ribbon and cord clasps to each end of the cording as shown in the picture above.

I added a ships wheel charm to the ring at the end of my cording by attaching a jump ring to it and then to the ring.  I also added a clear bead charm by placing the bead on an eye wire then cutting it and bending the end into an eye.  

To create the matching earrings, I simply attached jump rings to my charms and then to my fishhook ear wires.

Using some of the other supplies I received I created some more earrings.  The ones above are beads on eye wires with a hope charm added to the bottom.  I used blue beads to represent Colon cancer awareness.

These cross earrings are very simple but beautiful.  I used base metal findings to match the charms.

And for my daughter I made the earrings above.  I know, they may seem strange, but she is a huge The Walking Dead fan and these are charms that represent different characters on the show.  I am planning a bracelet that includes all of these charms to match for her as well.

If you are not sure how to use jump rings, there is a great video HERE on the House of Gems site that will show you the right way to open and close them.  They also have a host of other how to videos if you are interested in other aspects of jewelry making. 

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Upcycled Shutter

Check it Out!  I love creating things that I can use on a daily basis, things that solve a problem and have a designated purpose.  Since Delmar's passing, one of the things I have been doing to keep myself and my mind ocuppied is organizing.  It is really mind boggling how much paperwork we have amassed in this house!  I don't want to say I am a pack rat but I tend to hold onto things that I like.  One of those things is greeting cards I have received.   I just can not bring myself to throw them away, especially the hand made ones my dear friend Rose sent me.  Not only are they beautiful, but they are inspirational!  I keep these cards on the shelves in my craft room, tucked in amongst the jars and supplies I have.  I have been thinking of a way to display them.  While rummaging through my storage closet, I found these old shutters and an idea hit me!

I realized that the slats could provide an excellent place to store cards and other treasured items.  Turning them over so the center bar doesn't show allows full usage of each slat.  

My supplies for this really quick and easy craft included:

• Shutter
• Eye hooks
• Cup hooks
• Ribbon
• Sand paper

The first thing I did was remove all the hardware from my shutter.  This included the hinges and knob.  Then I took it outside and gave it a good sanding.  

I decided to leave the shutter unpainted. I really love the weathered wood look. 

Next I attached cup hooks to each of the bottom corners.  These will be useful for hanging keys, chains or other things. Then I added two eye hooks to the top edge corners so that I could attach a ribbon for hanging.

Using a long piece of this gorgeous ribbon, I ran it through both eye hooks and then tied the two ends together into a bow as shown above.

I really love how it turned out!  I'm thinking of making another one that is designated for the mail.  It's a great place to keep bills and important papers that come into the house.

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Upcycled Popcorn Tin into a Memory Can

Check it Out!  Since my husband passed away I have found and been given different things that I know I want to keep in one place.  From poems to letters to objects, these are all things that I want to keep not only so that I can reflect on them but for our children.  There will come a day that they will be leaving our home and I want to be able to share these things with them.  As they have been piling up over the last few months, I realized I needed to come up with a way to store them.  But I needed a way that would allow the children and I to access them but also protect them.   

I have a few of these popcorn tins that were given to the kids at the holidays and since they have a lid and plenty of space inside, I realized one would be the perfect solution.  I just needed to upcycle it. 

My supplies for this project included:

• Popcorn Tin
• Black Spray Paint
• Knob or drawer pull for the lid
• Gemstones
• Word Stickers by Jolee's Boutique
• Wide ribbon
• Lace
• Ruler
• Hot Glue

To get started I spray painted my tin with the black spray paint.  It took a few coats to get it to cover completely.  Remember to do this step outside so there is plenty of ventilation. 

I then wrapped my ribbon around the center and glued it in place.  

I chose the words "treasured" and "memories" from my sheet of word stickers and added them on top of the ribbon strip.  I spent a little time pressing and rubbing them so that they would stick well and added a few gemstones to the end swirls for accent. 

My can was looking a little plain so I decided to add some more of the gemstones to the base.  In order to keep them evenly spaced I used my ruler as a guide for the spacing.

My lid was already black so I didn't need to do anything to it except add a knob to the top.  I didn't have a knob or drawer pull so I created one with a few wooden pieces glued together and painted white.  After finding the center of the lid, I glued the knob on and added a gemstone to the center top of it.  Then I glued some lace to the rim of the lid to finish it off.

This memory can now sits next to our memorial table and the kids and I can add to it and look through it whenever we want.  

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Beach Themed Wine Glass Candle Holder

Check it Out!  Last week I posted my DIY Sea Shell Candle craft and showed you how to make your own candles with sea shells and tea light candles.  This week I am going to show you how I created a beach themed candle holder that is perfect for displaying those Sea Shell Candles. 
This idea was born from the desire to display some of the wonderful treasures that my husband and I found on our last trip to the beach together.  Most of these treasures were collected by my husband.  We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, our last trip together, and I just have a need to want to see them on a daily basis.  A memoir of sorts.
It all started with a wine glass.

My supplies for this craft include:

• 1 Stemmed Wine Glass
• 1 Small glass plate
• 1 Pringles Can Lid
• Twine
• Mod Podge
• E-6000 Adhesive
• Sea Shells & other beach treasures
• Sand
• Charms & Beads

The wine glass was picked up from the Dollar Tree and the little plate is one of a set that is now incomplete after our house fire 3 years ago. 

The first thing I did was wrap twine around the top of the wine glass stem leaving tails. I used the E-6000 to adhere it in place. 

I wanted to have a layer of sand on the base of the wine glass so that it would be a bed for my sea shell candle.  I applied a liberal coat of the mod-podge and then dipped the base into my bucket of sand.  I then allowed it to dry.

I needed a base to keep my treasures inside the glass from moving around and to trap the sand inside so I used a Pringles can lid.  I trimmed the edges off leaving a flat piece of plastic that was the exact size of the glass rim.  Using hot glue I arranged my treasures on the base and secured them adding some sand into the cracks to cover any hot glue that was showing.  To add my sand to the glass I tilted it on it's side and poured in enough just to cover the base and around the treasures. Using the E-6000 I glued the base to the rim of the glass while holding it upside down.  I allowed it plenty of time to dry before flipping it back over and shaking it a little to spread it out.

I could have left it just like that but I wanted to add some more of the treasures around the outside of the glass.  This is where the plate comes in.  I placed the glass in the center of the plate and added some more sand and treasures around the plate.

I added some shells to the ends of the twine along with some beads and a charm.  I also added a raffia bow. I then added a little spanish moss to the top and placed my candle on top of that.

I love how it turned out and I am now gonna make a pair!  I like being able to touch the sand on the outside and move the shells around.  And I really love the memories I get from looking at it!

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - DIY Sea Shell Candles

Check it Out! I am a beach bum at heart and I love all things beachy!  Sand, sun, sea shells...love it all! 

I have been thinking about redoing my living room in a beach theme.  The paint is the perfect blue!  Unfortunately I have to start small and it will take baby steps to get it done but I will eventually get it exactly the way I want.

I love candles as well and was thinking about how cute it would be if I had some sea shell candles.  I have seen them in stores before, but never wanted to pay what was being asked.  Well since I have some really beautiful sea shells already, I realized, I could just make my own!  And it turned out to be really easy!

My supplies were super simple.  Sea Shells and tea light candles.  

Remove the wick from the center of the tea light and place it in the center of the sea shell. I knew I had to melt the wax and wasn't sure exactly how I was gonna do that, but while I was making myself a cup of coffee, it hit me!  My coffee maker has a warming plate on it! So I simply replaced the candle back into the tea light and placed it on my warming plate.  It only took a few minutes and the wax was melted.  It doesn't get too hot so I was able to pick it up and pour the wax into the sea shell covering the wick base.  

You could use colored candles as well for a more colorful sea shell effect. These would be perfect for a beach themed wedding or party too!

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Memorial Block

Check it Out!  I am super excited that my TBC Crafters post is being featured on The Brand Connection!  Head over HERE and see how I made my Memorial Block.  I am so proud of the way it turned out and can't wait for y'all to see it!  I would really love it if you were to show me some love and leave a comment or share the post via your social media!  Thanks!

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - CupCake Liner Valentines Wreath

Check it Out!  I have no Valentine's Day decorations.  I'm not kidding, not one!  So when thinking of what I could craft for this week I decided it was time to make myself something with a Valentine's theme.  I don't have a lot to work with in this area but I found these great cupcake liners marked down to $1.00 and I loved the patterns so I made a wreath using them a few other materials.

My materials for this craft included:

• 1 pack of cupcake liners
• 1 styrofoam round wreath
• 3 heart picks
• 1 button
• Lace
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue
• Sequin pins
• 1 XXL Glue Dot

To create this wreath I folded my liners in half and flattened them. I had 2 patterns of liners so I decided that I would alternate them.  
Since I wasn't sure exactly how I was gonna pull the covering of the wreath off, I used sequin pins.  I did this for 2 reasons, so I could move the liners if needed and so the styrofoam wreath didn't become distorted from the heat of hot glue. 

I laid the liners across the wreath and then layered them to cover the wreath.  Using the sequin pins to hold the liners on the bottom, one on each corner.

To create the back border I glued the flattened liners along the edge of the wreath.  I again alternated the patterns.  I used my glue gun on low temp and had to add a bead of glue to keep the liners closed.

I spaced the liners so that my pattern looked like a scalloped edge.  It looked really plain so I grabbed some lace that I had lying around to use on the inside.

To add the lace I used the sequins that were already holding my liners in place.  I simply pulled out the pin, added the lace and repinned. I did this all the way around the inside of the wreath.

To create the flower I took one liner, flattened it.  I applied my XXL Glue Dot to the center and added 5 folded liners with the points to the center.  I fluffed it up a bit and added a button to the center.  I also added some ribbon and my heart picks to finish it off.

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Solo Cup Wine Glass

Check it Out! I've seen these creative "Redneck" Solo Cup wine glasses everywhere lately.  And I also noticed that they were not exactly cheap.  I really like how unique they are, even though I don't really consider myself a redneck! lol  I do live in the south so it is only fitting that I have one, but I was not about to pay $10 for one so I figured I could make it myself!  And I did!

Last year I picked up these great solo cups on a clearance sale for only 33 cents each.  They aren't the cheap disposable ones but sturdy melamine ones that can be put in the dishwasher.   I sagged all 4 that was left.  I've just been using them as regular cups and then I realized what I had!  So on a recent trip to the dollar store I picked up a $1 glass candle holder while I was there.  Using my E6000 adhesive I just glued the cup onto the top of the candle holder and tada! A Solo Cup Wine Glass!

I just love a super quick, easy and cheap craft! 

#TBCCrafters Craft Hop - Matchbox Jewel Box

Check it Out!  I received an Origami Owl locket for Christmas and I LOVE it!  I have always wanted one because I just adore the ability to open the locket and change out the stones and charms according to theme.  

I have discovered that you can find the little charms in many different places.  Amazon for one and I found them at a very reasonable price at my craft store!  Since I got a gift card to Joann's for Christmas I was able to purchase some extra stones.  Now these things are tiny so I was thinking about how I could store them.  I don't have a traditional jewelry box and I think they are a little to small and would get lost in there anyway so I wanted to come up with another way to store them. 
So the other day I needed some matches to light a candle and I found a good little stash of these small matchboxes.  

As I was opening the box to get out a match I thought about how my little charms would fit nicely inside and a new idea was born!

My supplies for this Mini Matchbox Jewel Box included:

• 3 Mini Matchboxes
• Patterned Scrapbook Paper
• Jeweled Brads for the drawer handles
• Beads for the feet
• Ribbon
• Assorted embellishments
• Glue - Double sided tape and E6000 adhesive

The first thing I needed to do was connect the boxes to create one piece.  Using double sided tape I stacked and adhered them together.

I wanted to make it easy to get my items in and out of the little drawers so I needed some drawer knobs.  I used these gorgeous jeweled brads as my knobs by simply punching a hole in the front side of the drawer, attaching the brad and folding the ends over on the inside.

Using the back side of the drawer as my template I cut pieces of paper to line the insides of the drawers.  

I needed to cover the matchboxes to hide the writing and those gaps between the boxes, so I chose my patterned paper to match my jeweled brads.  I cut a strip to fit around the outside and adhered it with double sided tape. Then I just slid my drawers into place.

Using 4 small coordinating beads, I created feet for my box.  I simply glued them to each corner of the bottom of the box with the holes facing down.

I then embellished it with ribbon and assorted items.  
I really love how it turned out and it is indeed perfect for my little collection of beads and charms.  I can't wait to fill it up!