Sunday, June 21, 2015

Tropical BoHo Necklace DIY

I recently received an amazing package filled with jewelry components from the Dazzle-It Tropical Punch line from the John Bead Corp. A variety of designers were sent a package from the John Bead Corp. Each package was filled with different items from the Tropical Punch Line. The challenge was to create a jewelry piece using these supplies and share it within the Tropical Punch Blog Hop.

My package was filled with so much summer goodness. With the BoHo trend still rising this summer, I decided to create a fun summer BoHo statement necklace. The only thing extra I added were the fun tassels I made using neon floss.

After making my necklace, I paired it up with a fun and flirty tank, mixed yellow summer cardigan and skinny jeans. Think a preppy boho Carmen Miranda. This is a fun and flirty line perfect for adding some sunshine to your designs.


Materials:

  • 1 pack Tropical Punch Flower Maker, rhinestone gold
  • 1 pack Tropical Punch Lucite Mix, Riviera
  • 1 pack Tropical Punch Lucite Mix, Siena Wall
  • 1 pack Tropical Punch Finding Kit, Gold Jump Rings
  • 1 pack Tropical Punch Petal Curves, Shaded Purple
  • 1 Pack Lucite Chain 16x30mm, Sugarloaf
  • 3 Skeins Neon Yellow Light Effects Floss, E980 DMC
  • Additional: gold jump rings, gold clasp and gold beading wire
  • Tools: needle nose plier, flat nose plier, wire cutter

 

Directions:

  1. Thread 5 tropical punch petal curved flower beads onto gold jewelry wire.  Then wrap the wire around the rhinestone gold tropical punch flower maker.   Wrap the extra wire around the flower maker center a few times, tighten and twist the ends together to close, cut extra wire.
  2. Repeat the step above for the second flower.
  3. Thread 7 beads from the tropical punch Lucite mixes onto gold jewelry wire.  Then wrap wire around the third rhinestone gold flower maker and pull tight, twist ends close.  Cut the remaining wire.
  4. Cut the Lucite chain in half and attach each chain half to the purple flowers, using the extra large gold jump rings.  Attach the mixed bead flower to the center of the purple flowers using a few small gold jump rings.
  5. Open the 3 skeins of neon yellow floss from their packaging.  Fold the skein in half, twist a thin strand around the center a few times and tie knot to secure to form a small tassel. Trim length till desired length is achieved.  Repeat for each tassel.
  6. Insert a small gold jump ring to the top of each tassel and attach to the bottom of each beaded flower.
  7. Finally attach 4 small gold jump rings to each Lucite chain end and add the clasp. 


Tips and Tricks:

  • Make your tropical flowers larger using 6 leaves instead of 5. Try doubled flowers using 12 flower leaves.
  • Make a layered flower necklace and add more tassels or fringe.
  • Add more rhinestones to the necklace.
Hope you enjoyed my post and get inspired to make your own tropical boho pieces.

See you soon,
Lisa :-)
xoxo

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Under the Boardwalk, Altered Book Project

Here is a great altered book project I created, perfect for using vintage ephemera. images, mixed with modern day papers, inks, found objects and recycled items.

Under the Boardwalk was inspired by the history of boardwalk communities by the shore. It was inspired by my adventures to the Jersey Shore particularly Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, Seaside, and LBI. Vintage beauty pageants, and Victorian Seaside Splendor. By 1950's amusements and confections, candy apples, calliope music and summer nights.

If you love to recycle and use recycled items in your works, this is a great way to do that.

To make your own follow these instructions below: 
Materials:

  • Sails and Shells Paper Pack, Canvas Corp.
  • Seashore style ephemera, and vintage images, Lisa Kettell Designs
  • Vintage or modern bingo cards,and wood bingo tokens Lisa Kettell Designs
  • Chipboard style card stock, Canvas Corp.
  • Basic office folders
  • Paper Straws, Recollections Line, Michaels Stores
  • Vintage style embellishments, 7 Gypsies
  • Inks, Tattered Angels
  • Found Objects: broken glass bottles, wood shapes, branches, cake balloons.
  • Other: crepe paper, German glass glitter, tiny star fish, shells, muslin fabric, ribbon.cocktail honey combs stirrers,color clothes pins
  • Tools/Glue: hot glue, hot glue gun, glue stick scissors, small paper hole punch, white floral wire

Directions:

  1. Cut 2 pieces of the chipboard style card stock to 8 by 10 inches for the cover. Then cut out 4 pieces of basic office folders and 4 pieces of chipboard style card stock about 5 by 7 inches, for the interior pages,
  2. Begin layering the cut interior pages with scrapbook paper from the Sails and Shells paper pack, Glue in place with glue stick.
  3. Assemble all the pages together and punch 1 hole into the pages with a hole punch about 2 inches in from the top and another hole 2 inches from the bottom. Make sure you punch the holes 1 inch from the side. ( the side I'm referring to is the area where the book pages will have its binding.)
  4. Thread each whole with white floral wire and twist around 3 small branches. This is your binding.
  5. Start decorating the top cover with bingo board, scrapbook embellishments, paper straws, found objects, images, additional scrapbook paper cutouts,
  6. Cut various strips of scrapbook paper from the Sails and Shells paper pack and cut fringe into them, then hot glue to the cover sides and interior sides,
  7. Age ribbon, scrapbook paper and objects with inks from Tattered Angels.
  8. Finally add the remaining embellishments: honey comb stirrers, ribbons, clothes pins and bingo tokens.


Tips/Tricks:

  • Use old book covers or bingo boards instead of basic office folders or chipboard paper.
  • Layer the whole cover with paper straws.
  • Create these books with your kids or family on a rainy summer day.
  • Turn this book project into a family vacation heirloom.
  • Make a theme book. Example: fairies and pixies, flowerland, candyland, wizards, Santa Claus, etc.









I Hope you enjoyed this project and have fun making one of your own. If you do please post pictures and share, so we can all see the magic.  Stay tuned for more fun projects.

Thanks So Much,
Lisa :-)