Etsy Craft Party @ Tempus

Wow what a fun time on Friday!

It was interesting coming all the way from the Four Corners area to Tampa. With rain threatening all day (and a down pour just before our arrival) I tucked my table in a far corner safely under a covered patio area of the printshop. I was so glad I remembered to bring lighting. Even though it was slightly dim I still had enough light to see my table from afar.

Well as I got set up I got to chat with the ladies at the tables around me and found some very loveable people! Alas once the people started to show up I had no time for photos, food or fun craftiness. I was kept going with a pitcher of chai tea. And for better or worse it helped me say alot in a little time to the people that were frequently in rows listening to the crazy pregnant woman with the sparkly things ;)

The cupcakes I hear were wonderful!!! I even had a client after buying one of my rings offer to bring me one, but sadly by the time I was able to get to the sunflower confection (11:30pm) it was .... melted and ant nibbled.

There were so many people and everyone was having a ton of fun! I so wish I could have taken a "spin" on the spinning wheel as one of my long lost dreams is to have a floor to ceiling loom and weave my own cloth... but that's another dream for later on ;)

Coryn and Adam did an amazing job putting together this event! It took a lot of time and energy but you could tell that they really put their heart into whatever they do! I had a wonderful time!

DIY Jewelry Displays part 2

again here the materials list from the first post:
For the Neck Forms:
Bookboard (or 3ply Chipboard)
Thin Headliner Foam
Fabric
Trim
Adhesive (one that can be used for adhering foam as well as paper and fabric)
Boxcutters or Heavy Duty Shears
a Cylindrical Form (for molding)
Steel for weighting the Form

For the Stand:
Steel Tubing 3/8"
All Thread Pipe (called a nipple in the hardware world)1/4"
Washers 5/16'
Nuts 3/8"
Finials that fit a 1/4" nipple
Antique/Vintage Metal Lamp Bases
Spray Paint

#6
Trace the template onto the fabric side of the foam, allow 1/4" for the curve of the form. Cut out.

#7
Use a sparing amount of glue I used "Fabri-Tac" brand, it has intense fumes (smells like nail polish remover due to it's high acetone content) so be outside or in a really well ventilated area.
It dries fast so I only apply a small amount, working from the bottom/front to the top/back. That way if there are any areas that are cut short it'll be in the back. Also you can go back and use snippets to cover areas in the front that are exposed.

#8
Trace the Template twice on the backside of the fabric you are using. Make a 1/2" (allowance) larger outline around the templates. This allows you to fold the fabric over the edge to glue on the backside. Cut out the shapes. One of the pieces will be for the front and one for the back.

#9
If you have a curvy shape like mine you'll want to start gluing in the back so you can stretch or pull the fabric tight as you go. On the inside curves I cut small incisions (like tabs but not all the way to the inside line) so that I could wrap it w/o buckling the fabric. Start by applying the glue to the chipboard on the backside then drape the fabric (right-side facing you) over the foam covered form and press the edge of the fabric into the glue. Continue working your way down the form a little at a time tugging tight each time so you have a smooth surface.

As you work your way down be careful not to get excess glue from your fingers on the front of the fabric. (you can step away and wash the glue from your fingers frequently - this also allows the sections you're working on to dry a bit)

#10
Flip over your form, now covered in fabric on the front. This time you might want to start gluing from the bottom up, due to the inside curve at the top. Take the second piece of fabric you cut and start gluing it on covering the fabric folded over from the front. If you cut the fabric without an allowance match up the edges of the form and the fabric. If you have an allowance apply the glue near the edge of the form but not all the way so you don't have glue dripping over to the front. Then you take the fabric an apply it not gluing the edge down if you have and allowance - it'll have a floppy edge that you'll trim with scissors later to get a clean edge.

#11
Take your chosen trim and measure around the edge of the covered form before you start gluing. Or you can leave it uncut (like I do) and cut off the piece when you get back to the starting point.


Voila!

At this point you can use the forms for flat display
or you can continue on to build the stand.



Sorry about missing some of the photos. I forgot to take advantage of some picture opportunities. Maybe when I make my next batch I'll get some more.

DIY Jewelry Displays Part 1

Well thanks to the pioneering spirit of my maternal grandparents I knew I could make some pretty amazing jewelry displays from scratch. After all they are all hand assembled in Korea, Hong Kong or China anyway. No offense meant, I appreciate the value of craftmanship is still present in the world .... Anyway I stayed up nights thinking about how they construct the neckforms available to retailers here in the US. I decided that a form on a metal stand was by far the most versatile and impressive I'd seen. So I came up with a materials list:


For the Neck Forms:
Bookboard (or 3ply Chipboard)
Thin Headliner Foam
Fabric
Trim
Adhesive (one that can be used for adhering foam as well as paper and fabric)
Boxcutters or Heavy Duty Shears
a Cylindrical Form (for molding)
Steel for weighting the Form

For the Stand:
Steel Tubing 3/8"
All Thread Pipe (called a nipple in the hardware world)1/4"
Washers 5/16'
Nuts 3/8"
Finials that fit a 1/4" nipple
Antique/Vintage Metal Lamp Bases
Spray Paint


#1
I started with drawing a template on one of my boys old game boxes (it's essentially 1ply chipboard) and drew the ouline onto the 3ply chipboard I bought at the art supply store.

#2
I cut it with my jewelers saw. I cut like butter but ... broke a few blades. I have only 0/8 sz blades (very fine tooth). So the next ones I tried a boxcutter & shears. The boxcutter didn't work (dull). The shears worked but my fingers were sore the next day.

#3
I took the cutout's over to the sink and ran them very quickly under a small stream of water from the faucet. Just enough to dampen but not soak. This is the trial and error part. If the board gets too wet the layers start to separate. If this happens just tape the edge together with masking tape.

#4
I gently bent the board around the cylindrical form which I thought would be the perfect thickness with out being too big of a radius. I tried a few different cans and bottles but - as you can see the arisol container is what I stayed with. To keep the form from curling I used one of my huge old files to keep the angle I wanted.

* for future displays I'll probably have the rest

of the form curve outward, so that it projects
out a little rather than going straight down.

#5
After drying for 30 min I removed the chipboard form and set it out side to cure in the sun for a few minutes (that's all it takes in the FL summer sun). I did have minor layer separations on each of the pieces at this point so you can probably ommitt this step and let it dry at a slower rate - I'm just impatient ;)

next post Finishing the Neckforms ......

wow it's been a while!

Hi!

sorry to have been distracted - I found out in March that baby #4 will be with us sometime in October, so life has finally calmed down a bit. Now that we're adjusting.

I've been realizing that part of my sales not going anywhere is because I really didn't have any "mainstream" pieces. Well I've made a few new pieces that I've put in my shop >

I hope they are as well received by the public as they are by my family and friends ;)