Hello people! Sorry for not publishing this yesterday. It's been a busy few days...
I just love flower pins. I have many of them. They're so bright and cheery and perfect for spring! Here area few of my favorites.
This is one of the ones I wear most often. I love the simple restraint in rendering the daisy and it's got such clean, clear enamel, even after so many years! It dates back to about 1967 and has matching earrings!
This lovely blue flower with subtle shading is from a bit earlier - perhaps 1964.
This one is my favorite color of pink - Shocking! The detail in these pins is one of the nicest aspects of them. Look at the hand applied dry brushing of black on the tips of the petals.
On a more somber note - a flower broch for film noir - this pin is plated in a gun metal finish and features a single stone as its center.
Another bright and cheerful daisy pin - this one is a cluster made up of plastic daisies and beads. It's like a little tuffet! It also has matching earrings, but, remarkably they were bought at completely different times and from different vendors.
This charming yellow bloom has cupped petals and a salmon pink center.
This is the prize of my collection. The "petals" are made of fibers and the pin features an enameled leaf, stem and center. Notice the center is dry brushed as well. I saw this pin in a different color way in a museum exhibit once. It's was fun to see it and know I had one at home.
Join me on Twitter! I'd love to see your bright, shining screen name among my followers...
Hello people, Brini here with a new episode! I know it’s been a while, but we’re back with some great new content. Thanks for your patience!
This week we’re making charm bracelets! They’re so easy to make. You’ll need:
Charms you make or buy
Chain and clasps, or open link bracelets
Jump rings
Needle nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters
The process is simple, just connect the charms to the links of the bracelet or chain with the jump rings. The needle nose pliers are very helpful with this process. They allow you to manipulate the tiny rings and hold them in place while positioning the charms and links. The round nose pliers act as another pair of “hands? when opening and closing the rings. If you’re using chain and clasps, use the wire cutters to shorten the chain to fit around your wrist, and then attach the clasps on either end.
We also made charms with beads and headpins. For this you’ll need:
Beads of your choice
Headpins in the same color as your bracelet or chain
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters
Thread the headpins with beads of you choice. I like varying the size and color of beads to create different effects. You can begin with large beads and graduate to smaller ones or vice versa. Other ideas include stacking sequins to make cylindrical beads, using buttons and bead caps. Once the beads are stacked cut the head pin off about 3/8? above the top bead, then, using your round nose pliers bend the tail around into a loop. Bend the loop back to center and you’re ready to attach it to your bracelet with a jump ring.
All the supplies you need can be found in most craft shops. There are wonderful bead stores in most big cities that have a terrific supply of beautiful beads that can be bought one bead at a time. Those shops usually carry beading tools, chain and jump rings as well as beads. Here are a few internet sources:
