Recent cuff-links & other items

I’ve continued to make Richard various cuff-links. Most are fairly simple. A selection below:

Dragon pin/pendant and darth vader.

Various cuff-links. All dragon inspired (darth vader tie pin visible also).

A dragon pin/pendant.

Various cuff-links. All dragon inspired (darth vader and dragon tie pins visible also).

Various cuff-links. All dragon inspired (bees in background).

Cuff-links made from cheap Chinese necklaces, with cuff-link blanks glued on. Cheap, effective TARDIS inspired.

Cuff-links made from cheap Chinese necklaces, with cuff-link blanks glued on. Cheap, effective TARDIS inspired.

Bee cuff-links. Inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and the recent inauguration of the Order of the Honeybee.

Bee cuff-links. Inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and the recent inauguration of the Order of the Honeybee.

Recent cuff-links & other items was originally published on Kelly's Creations

Cuff-link storage

One thing Richard complained about for a while was how to store all the various cuff-links and tie pins I keep making him for gifts.

Thoughts turned to what would work best. At first I tried a paper-mache book, with the intention of using a ring holder for cuff-link storage. This didn’t really work as planned.

In the end I found a pine box with drawers on eBay and after a bit of effort came up with the following:

 

Successful import of missing posts

Well, I’ve completed the export/import from the old data base file backups of the old self hosted website. The cross posting meaning it has appears on wordpress.com also.

The attachments also transferred ok on the self-hosted site, but not wordpress.com. At least that missing content is restored.

Another thing I’ve done is changed around the theme settings, with a new header image of pieces of my work, which works ok, there are several versions that will be different on both sites and the site logo has changed too.

Now I just need to track down photos of newer items to post in the time I was offline, can’t believe I overlooked it for about 2 years, so many other things took my attention alas.

However, a bit of a sneak peek of items is below.

Successful import of missing posts was originally published on Kelly's Creations

Successful import of missing posts

Well, I’ve completed the export/import from the old data base file backups of the old self hosted website. The cross posting meaning it has appears on wordpress.com also.

The attachments also transferred ok on the self-hosted site, but not wordpress.com. At least that missing content is restored.

Another thing I’ve done is changed around the theme settings, with a new header image of pieces of my work, which works ok, there are several versions that will be different on both sites and the site logo has changed too.

Now I just need to track down photos of newer items to post in the time I was offline, can’t believe I overlooked it for about 2 years, so many other things took my attention alas.

However, a bit of a sneak peek of items is below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Green memories

I decided I wanted a new ring and a new bracelet.

The ring was pretty simple and not really any difference between it and previous efforts. I rather like the style and simplicity. I intend to try experiments with a few other designs, but that’ll be for another day.

I then started to try something else with another ring. But the results were not to my liking sadly.

I have had some memory wire for a while and not really been sure what to do with it until today when an idea struck me. I’m quite happy with the results for a first attempt. I’m by no means in my opinion good at this sort of thing but muddle through best I can.

The most important aspect however are not the results as such but the distraction that making items brings from fatigue, chronic pain and depression. All of which are a part of daily life, so any respite however small is welcome.

I’m quite happy with it though 🙂

I’ll be trying a couple more I think. As long as I can find enough suitable beads that is, the next one will have to be purple I think as I’ve already got a red one I found in a charity shop.

Until next time 🙂

Here be dragons!

So I’ve been meaning to finish off making a set of dragon cufflinks for Richard and this weekend I finally got around to it.

They turned out nicely, if bigger than I first intended.

Richard loved them  🙂

I’m rather pleased with them too. so much so that I might make similar as pendants for myself.

Until next time 🙂

Design & fustration – take 2

The original post I wrote got eaten somehow by the Android app for WordPress, phone rebooted due to low battery during the upload and both the app and the website seem to lose all but the original title – oops!

Red flower glass beads used on rings.

Anyway, I wrote in that post that I’d had the frustration of trying to design a pair of earrings, a necklace and maybe a bracelet to complement a new dress I have. The red flower glass beads I bought recently – and used recently for some rings – are perfect for it, but finding the right combination of spacer beads and enough of them proved a pain! my stash of beads, findings and so on is a bit disorganised to say the least.

Red flower glass bead ring and first design idea.

In the end I found enough and changed the colours/types of beads around a bit and produced the following:

Earrings.

Ended up a bit longer than I first intended, but I think they work nicely, though still not entirely sure about the dangly bits on the ends, I might cut those and the loop off and leave it with a knot at the bottom instead.

Next onto the necklace. I was at first a bit stumped on how to do it, then made these connectors:

Next I was trying to think of how to provide a focal point. Lacking a suitable bead that would work in my stash I came up with the following:

Focal and connectors

Focal and extra connectors taken from a broken necklace

Final design of focal and connectors

That gave me the final design and it just remained to decide the method of wearing it (ie ribbon or chain etc). I couldn’t find ribbon I wanted in my stash, so chain it was.

The final design:

final design

final design showing matching earrings and ring

Final design

Enough work for today I think. My back hurts now, but I’m happy with the outcome. Cuff-links will have to wait till tomorrow if I get chance.

Yet more rings.

Just a very quick post with a photo of yet another ring I made quickly last night.

I again managed to make it a bit smaller than intended!

The two similar rings from yesterday’s post were very happily received by people at my slimming world group. Though one was too big for intended recipient. But it didn’t last long before being snapped up by another group member, it happened to be the perfect size for her 🙂

I have no intention of making many more as I’ve always wanted this to remain a hobby. I think itd lose most of the therapeutic value were I to try and make a business of it. I also don’t think I’d cope well with deadlines etc owing to my health issues. The occasional item as one offs because someone liked what I’d made is fine though perhaps. 99% will be for myself and or as gifts for friends and family. 

Anyway, back to it I guess.

More rings

A quick post with some more rings made as below.

Not entirely sure about the one on the right. I have run out of 18ga wire, think 20ga is too thin and weak for the design, but those beads won’t fit 18ga, so a bit more thinking on that one I
think.

Happy enough with the other two though, made quickly for someone at my local slimming world group. Think one might be too small the other too big. but won’t know until tomorrow evening. If so I’ll keep them myself.

Until next time.

Xx

More gifts

It was Natalie ‘ s birthday recently, so as usual I decided to make jewellery as a gift for her.

First up were a couple of pairs of earrings for her.

The pair on the left were made from some beads I used before Christmas for earrings, originally as a possible design for a gift from her to her nan to match a necklace  (in the end I ordered some red discs instead, which worked better, nat liked them herself though so I gave her them. Turned out her mum rather liked those and asked for some  (not pictured, her mum’s friend also wanted a pair too ).

I decided to make them a little different for this pair though. I like items to be unique!

Next I made a pair with some new beads I’d gotten. I ended up ordering these as I couldn’t for the life of me remember where I’d bought those others I’d previously used. They were not the same at all as it turned out, but I rather liked them anyway.

The colours are not quite as in the picture though, they’re more a reddish browny colour, hence red beads with them.

Next I decided to make something different for another gift for Nat.

I found a tutorial on pinterest that inspired the rings made below.

I decided to make one for myself and one for Nat. I rather like the beads I found and think they work well in this way.

My first attempt I wasn’t too pleased by  (middle top ,and ot ended up smaller than intended! Still if gave me the practice to get the next two better.

I used a different gauge wire with the next two. Which worked better.

Originally I gave the ring on the right to nat, but she swapped it for the one on the left as it wouldn’t fit her fingers  (wanting it to be a surprise gift I didn’t know her ring size ). I might make some more as I’ve some different colours that’d work like this I think.

I need to make myself another I think too as the one on the left only fits my little fingers, not a finger I usually wear rings on.

Finally a picture of all the items together. Also visible is two of the cats I found in a charity shop for 99p. I kept the purple one,and gave nat the other one pictured  (there were 3, but I gave the 3rd to Richard for his mum ).

Hopefully should have more soon as a lady at my slimming world group liked the ring and asked for one in green.

Until next time 🙂