ABS Ornament Blog Hop

Deck the halls with lots of clay, fa, la, la, la, la, la....

Welcome to the ABS Ornament Blog Hop.  I'm so excited that you've joined us for the 3rd annual event.  It's no secret that I'm a Christmas nut.  Jess and I have had a tradition since our early newlywed days (almost 20 years ago) that we make ornaments for our tree each year.  Jess was busy crafting paper ornaments this year and I have been having fun with felt, beads and clay.  Everything has a handcrafted, woodland motif which goes nicely with the birds, nests, pine cones and snowflakes that we've been collecting and making over the years.

Grab a cookie and let's get this ornament party started!

Supplies:
Original white Sculpey polymer clay
Holly cookie cutter
Roller or pasta machine
Large rubber stamps
Black Stayz On ink
White glue
White fine glitter6" steel wire 21 gauge
12mm polymer clay disk
14mm beaded bead
10" sari silk ribbon

Directions:
1. Roll out the clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine or to an 1/8" thick with a roller.
2. Cut out the leaf shape with a cookie cutters.
3. Stamp the image unto the clay, use gentle and even pressure but don't stamp the clay too deeply or it will stick to your clay.  (At this point poke a hole with a thin straw or use a small hand drill to create a hole after the clay is baked.)
4. Bake the clay according to the manufacture's directions.
5. Apply a think layer of glue in the white/negative spaces of the stamp, sprinkle on the glitter and let dry.
6. Pull the wire through the hole and create a wrapped loop around the top of the ornament.
7. String on the polymer clay bead and beaded bead.  Create a large wrapped loop at the top.
8. Tie on the ribbon.

Why original Sculpey clay?  I don't recommend this clay for many projects, but this one has a very porous nature that reminds me dough ornaments and a nice off-white color. You'll find it in a large box where they sell Sculpey III.  This will keep the ornaments matte, non-plastic looking and more like a natural piece of clay. 

Resources:
Clay, beaded beads, glitter, ink and stamps: Michael's.  Polymer clay bead: Humblebeads.

 
Grab another cookie and head on over to see what the other creative designers whipped up for the ornament hop!  

Art Bead Scene

Humblebeads - you are here!

Treasures Found
Song Beads
Viki O'Dell
Sue Beads
Modern Nature Studio
Diane Hawkey
Suburban Girl Studio
Jen Judd Rocks
Ellie's Bijoux
Island Girl's Insights
Life By The Seat Of My Pants
Too Aquarius 
Shelley Graham Turner
Artfully Ornamental
Charis Designs Jewelry
Harrison Hollow Designs
Silver Nik Nats
Bead Soup Mix
Toodles and Binks
Bead Recipes
Play Sculpt Live
BeeTree by M.E.
Billi RS Rothe
A Half-Baked Notion

Challenges & A Pinterest Photo Tip

This Artisan Whimsy group is having a Berries & Leaves challenge and I thought I'd join in the fun.  I see many entries that could do double duty in the Art Bead Scene's November Monthly Challenge which has a leaf/tree theme goin' on.  And to really multitask this was also my earrings on the Earrings Everyday blog - eh, what can I say, I get around. 

The berries are handcrafted polymer clay beads with little flecks of silver leaf.  The leaves are pewter components from Green Girl Studio.

 

I wanted to share a super simple way to make your images more pinnable and feature them in the gift area of Pinterset.  It's quite simple, flip your images or better yet, angle the jewelry when your photography them, so they pointing in the right-hand side of the images rather than the left.  

If something is pinned from Etsy or your website with a price, Pinterest includes a little banner on the top left side with the price.  This automatically enters it into the Pinterest gift pool by price.  Handy - and who knows who might find you in the gift area.  

If I had kept my image like it was in the bottom photo, the price tab would have interfered.  Just something to think about.  I used PicMonkey to flip my image and lighten them.  And here is another example below.

The top photo is more pin-friendly!

Giveaway Winner

 The winner from my Cyber Monday giveaway is Julie from Waay Outwest.  

Here are more of our ornaments that will be in my jewelry Etsy shop later today.  Jess is an ornament making machine.  He loves creating these beaded treasures, I think it's because he gets to play with the bead spinner - which is just too much fun. 

He hasn't stopped making ornaments since our party Saturday.  My dinning room table is filled with paper ornament balls, I had to put a stop to it, they were starting to take over.  I could see a room filled with them and Jess buried under the holiday rubble. 

Every year we spend time making ornaments for our tree.  Some year there is  theme, other years we just have fun and make whatever strikes our fancy. We are going to make some pine cone themed ornament this weekend for round two of our ornament making party.  We'll be pulling out the clay, rubber stamps and felt once again.

Can't wait to head to the tree farm and pick our our evergreen canvas to decorate this year!

Cyber Monday Free Projects & Givewaway

Welcome to my Cyber Monday blog party!  Grab a cup of cocoa, put on some Christmas music on Pandora, enjoy the inspiration here and the holiday shopping and deals in my Etsy shop when you are done!

I have a trio of holiday inspired projects for you using some of my new leaves and berry beads.  Perfect for the holidays, but nature-inspired enough you can wear them long after December.  The best part, these simple designs whip up in a matter of minutes and would make fast and easy gifts for the nature-lovers on your list.

Frosted Leaf Earrings

Supplies:
2 leaf charms
10 5mm brass jump rings
10 3mm brass faceted cubes
2 7mm brass jump rings
2 15mm brass jump rings
2 28mm brass kidney earwires

1. With two pairs of chain nose pliers open a 5mm jump ring and string on a brass cube, close jump ring and set aside.  Repeat 19 times.
2. Attach the 7mm jump rings to the leaf charms.  String the leaves unto the 15mm jump rings.
3. String five of the cube jump rings on each side of the leaf.  Close the 15mm jump rings and slide them unto the loop at the bottom of the earwires.  Squeeze the bottom earwire loop with the chain nose so the jump rings can't fall off.

Leaves: Humblebeads.  Brass: Vintaj.  Brass cubes: Rings & Things

Winter Bird Pendant

Supplies:

Pewter bird

12mm polymer clay disk

32mm polymer clay leaf

2 15mm brass jump rings

4 6mm brass jump rings

10 5mm brass jump rings

1 2" eye pin

6 2mm silver beads

6 3mm brass faceted beads

28" gunmetal chain

1. Create a jump ring rosette with the three of the 6mm jump rings. 
2. On the eyepin string the polymer clay disk, jump ring rosette, bird and brass cube. Create a simple loop on top.
3. With two pairs of chain nose pliers open a 5mm jump ring and string on a brass cube, close jump ring and set aside.  Repeat 4 times.  Repeat the same process with six silver beads on six jump rings.
4. String the bird pendant on a 15mm jump ring, string on 3 jump rings with silver beads and 2 with brass beads, alternating beads.  Repeat on the other side of the jump ring.  Attach the two ends of the chain and close the 15mm jump ring.
5. Attach the 6mm jump ring to the large leaf, add a brass cube before closing the leaf.  String onto the other 15mm jump ring, attach the jump ring to the bottom of the bird pendant. 

Holly and Berry Earrings

Supplies:
2 polymer clay leaf charms
2 polymer clay berry beads
2 5mm brass jump rings
2 6mm brass jump rings
2 1" brass eye pins
8 4mm brass faceted cubes
2 28mm brass kidney wires

1. With two pairs of chain nose pliers open a 5mm jump ring and string on a brass cube, close jump ring and set aside.
2. Attach a 6mm jump ring to the leaf, slide on the 5mm jump ring with the cube before you close the jump ring.
3. On the eyepin string the berry bead and create a simple loop on top. Attach the leaf to the bottom of the berry dangle. 
4. Slide the leaf and berry on the earwire, close the bottom loop of the earwire with chain nose pliers.  String on three brass cube beads.

Supplies: Leaves and berry beads: Humblebeads.  Bird: Green Girl Studio. Brass Cubes: Rings & Things.  Brass findings: Vintaj.

The Giveaway:


The winner will receive this beaded holiday ornament that Jess created and a $20 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!

To enter share this blog post on Pinterest, twitter or Facebook.  Leave a comment below letting me know you shared these fun projects and spread some holiday cheer!  Make sure I can contact you if you are the winner.

You only have one day to enter, the winner will be picked tomorrow morning!

The Sale:

20% off in my Etsy bead shop until Midnight.  Use discount code THANKS20.

30% off in my Etsy jewelry shop until Midnight!  Use discount code HOLIDAY30.

Ornament Party

We hosted an ornament making party at the new house today.  We gathered together supplies to make felted ornaments with cookie cutter shapes.  These are the ones I finished.  It took me half the day, I not quite sure why I was so slow.  I guess it was the good company, great laughs and yummy treats that made it hard to work quicker!

 Here they are on my beaded tree.

I have been enjoying nesting in the new house.  Today we added a few holiday touches to put everyone in a festive mood.

 We were stocked up on chocolate - the crafter's fuel.

 Happy crafters!

My sister made her ornament into a mitten pin to wear on her sweater, she is such a clever girl.

 A few of our finished and not quite finished ornaments.

 Had to share a cute picture of my aunt's pup, Finton - he is always a welcomed guest!

Jess was happy to create his paper ornaments again, spending the day hunting unusual and interesting images from harvested Martha Stewart Living magazines.

 Here are the stacks waiting to become the ornaments below.

From the time I get up in the morning until the moment my head hits the pillow at night I am completely and thoroughly happy here in our new home.  It's all put together and the nesting has began.  We are looking forward to decorating for Christmas next weekend and have been working on some crafty projects for the house thanks to Pinterest!