Alton Brown Live

Alton Brown Live
What a fun night!
If Alton's show arrives in a town near you
I encourage you to attend!
He's a witty, funny & very clever entertainer!

See that hand on the left, 5th row?
Yeah, that was me...

Just in case you missed me
Here's a selfie! 

VIP badge personally signed by Alton.
Super nifty!

Biggest surprise of the night.
At the start of the show #Altonbrownlive
Alton announced that he would be picking questions
from the audience
via Twitter
and answering them after intermission.
Guess who got picked 1st?
ME!
My question and the above picture was splashed upon the big screen!
Such a fun, silly moment for me.
Had a wonderful time at
#altonbrownlive

Super Easy Knotted Bracelet Tutorial Pt. 4

A quick word on jump rings...

The reason I use these types of jump rings
is because they are durable!
Especially on
bauble, charm & dangle bracelets!
They will take a beating
and keep all your wee
trinkets & treasures all on the cord!

As you can see
they come in various metal tones too!

Super Easy Knotted Bracelet Tutorial Pt. 3

Now that we've learned about what cord/thread/yarn to use
lets move on to
the other items needed
 for this bracelet...

A focal bauble/charm/dangle...

A strong jump ring...

I use the double jump ring.
Super strong and wears very well.

Various beads...

Allot of these beads are broken jewelry left overs...

or from previous projects where there are only
a few beads left.

I also use found objects
like these glass crystals.

These beads are strung on head pins...

These are two types of head pins that come in various metals, lengths
and ends.
I prefer the long one, that way I can wrap the them tighter.
These items can be found at you local or online craft store.

Buttons!

Once you've got all your supplies together,
you'll need a neat work tray/space to keep it all together in...

Like this one...

I'll talk about tools in my next post tomorrow!

Super Easy Knotted Bracelet Tutorial Pt.2

Supplies needed to make this bracelet

If you cannot find the cotton waxed cord
then there are three other cotton threads
that can be used instead.

Patons Grace 100% Mercerized Cotton is
the same gauge.

Lion Brand's
Bon Bon's
100% cotton
might work just as well

Here is a comparison of the 4 types of cotton threads.
(From left to right)
Cotton Waxed Cord, Lizbeths 100% Mercerized Crochet/tatting cotton thread,
Patons Grace 100% mercerized cotton yarn
 and lastly Lion Brand's Bon Bons (in green)

A closer look at the four types of cord/thread/yarn that can be
used for this project.

Super Easy Knotted Bracelet Tutorial Pt.1

I made this super simple
waxed cotton cord
knotted bracelet
in about an hour.

A few items on this
are either found objects or repurposed jewelry parts.

Button was on a sweater that
I cut up for a 'wool-felting' project.

Waxed cotton cord can be found at craft stores...

in various colours...

however, the gauge will be mostly the same.
Unless you go to a bead shop that has a quality line of
cords.

My Jewelry Making Station Complete

So these are the systems I use...

as they are now in my creative
artists loft space...

my goal is to clear the tops of all three systems
before the end of summer...

and re-purpose all the empty storage containers.

I do work on a somewhat
chaotic art tabletop
BUT
my supplies MUST be organized or
I can't function.

I'm not sure is these photos debunk the
Chaos & Artists theory
or if it supports it!

What do you think?

Jewelry Making Station Pt.4

This is the last bead/jewelry storage system
I have.

Where I live there are a large number or artists who
live nearby. SO, when folks move
allot of time good storage/furniture gets
donated to other residents.

Lucky me, this was a FREE BE
the rolling computer desk.

I use it with all the 50 cent plastic boxes
filled with beads...

I categorize my beads by type & colour.
For example
All the natural stones are housed together,
separated by colour.

Glass/clear beads, same, colour and so on...

Trinkets, charms, baubles and dangles are all together.

Semi-precious stones...

Artistic or handcrafted glass beads
are housed together.

And keeping them all colour coordinated
helps when I'm in the middle of creating something
and need to grab quickly.

I even keep sequin in their own storage system.

I'm re-vamping this system presently
since I sold several batches of beads
I have to reorganize and re-purpose
the empty containers.

Jewelry Making Station Pt.3

Once again, another drawer system
for my jewelry supplies…this one is
the Rainbow roller...

I use various 'dollar store' ziplock bags
and plastic storage containers.

I use these wee plastic bowls and larger ceramic
saucers to hold Work In Progress projects.
This way I can clean up my craft area,
if I'm going to put a project on hold for awhile.

More ziplock storage use.

Many years back
I was given a travel jewelry making system.
I didn't like the bag
since I rarely travel and make jewelry
so I took out the plastic containers
and keep them in this drawer system.

I use the bag for my art travel kit.

This is the Rainbow Roller cart.
I have 'lunch trays' on top
with various beads I've yet to store
and another one for project.

I usually put jewelry related things on top
when I either find, re-purpose or purchase new materials.
I'll organise them later, when time permits.