Purple Mountain Girl

Just finished this rack for keeping track of my earrings inventory.  Very easy, especially if you can sweet talk your husband into building the frame for you AND drilling all the holes!
Materials:
2-1 X 3 pine boards
1-1 X 2 pine boards
1-roll (50 ft) of electrical wire, 14 stranded THHN

Cut all of the pine boards in half.  Use the 3 X 1 halved pine boards to build a simple square frame.  Trim the halved 1 X 2 to fit inside the frame to reinforce the square that you created and screw these to the inside of the frame.

Drill holes all down the sides at whatever distance apart you need for whatever you want to hang here.  We drilled the first hole at 3/4", then at 2-3/4" all the way down.

String the electrical wire through the entire rack and secure each end, one at the top and one at the bottom very tightly.  I stuck a nail in the hole with the wire, wrapped the wire around the nail and tied a simple knot at the end.  It took about an hour to make the whole thing!

The task that took the longest was creating little tags for each design and hanging those!

The overall size is completely customizable so this little project is a great way to use up left-over wood.

So, I'm Jewelry-Sitting for my friend Guitta and we moved out of a store that we both rented space in at the end of December.  Now, I've got this stand of all her cute, very non-Tammy's style earrings sitting in front of me and every time I sit down to work I see them and start thinking those would look good with...and, yes, I snagged a pair.  Leaving the comfort-zone, stepping outside of the box...

Today, I have tendonitis in my right arm and it hurts so badly that I can barely think and certainly not make jewelry so I thought I would share Guitta's very cute (and reasonably-priced) earrings with you before I start wearing all of them!  I think there's a pair to match almost every T-Shirt I have...

Click a photo for a better view and more info~

Recently, I began making bracelets with suede lace.  You know, the stuff that we made necklaces with at camp by stringing plastic pony beads on and tying a knot in the back so that if you ever wanted to take it off, you had to cut it and then you were sad because you could never wear it again.  Yes, that stuff.

I had some prepared ends lying around and they kind of fell together and I pulled and Voila! this cute little knot happened!  I did some making and measuring and came up with the triple wrap "join" bracelet.

Here's how to make your own~

You don't need much to get started:
-At least 48" of suede lace, although this will depend on the size you want to make.
-Two ribbon crimps, 6-8mm wide.
-Two 3mm jump rings.
-A toggle or lobster clasp, large-ish is better.






1) Choose two colors.

2) Measure your wrist.  Cut two lengths of suede lace using these measurements:
-6" wrist:: Cut two 20" pieces.
-6 1/2" wrist:: Cut two 22" pieces.
-7" wrist:: Cut two 24" pieces.

 3) Make sure that each piece is straight and not twisted before you add the crimps.  Do this by doubling the piece and laying it on a flat surface.




4) Hold the ends of one piece together and add a very, very small bit of glue to the tips of the suede.  Center the crimp to make sure that the suede ends are not hanging out of either side, then close the crimp.  I use jewelry pliers to do this so they don't scratch the crimp.  If you're digging these bracelets, you might want to buy a pair because they're specially made not to scratch metal.  Repeat for the other length of suede.

I know... what the heck is jewelry-sitting?  Well, my sweet, little friend Guitta makes lovely, large and colorful jewelry, the exact opposite of what I make.  Originally from Lebanon, she returns there for half of every year to visit with her elderly parents.  She and I were "neighbors" at The Boulevard in NoDa and then again at The Boulevard at Southend.  She just left and now, I'm jewelry-sitting!  We jewelry makers have to stick together because it's a very competitive vocation. 

Guitta's using a shelf in my space at The Boulevard, but she gave me some extra pieces to restock.  So, I brought them home and promptly took everything out and tried it on!  She has such a great eye for combining colors and different types of beads.  I wanted to share some of her pieces with you~ 

$ 48, 18 inches

$ 20, 18 inches

$ 29, 18 inches (My favorite!)

Wear long or doubled, $ 32, 32 inches

$ 48, 18 inches

$ 24, 18 inches (another favorite)

$ 25, 18 inches ; matching earrings $ 3

$ 26 each, rectangle pendant is on 20 inch chain and square is on 18 inch chain

$ 46, 18 inches