Sunday 29 June 2014

Love DIY Wire Ring



Hello everyone,
This tutorial will help you to make your own wire ring, which spells out love, (shown on the ring finger on the picture above). I know that there are loads of these tutorials online, but this again is my own and I have tried to find the easiest possible ways to make something that looks incredible. This project should only take 5-15 minutes.

So, before we start you will need(1);
~Wire (mines a 0.6mm thickness bought from Hobby Craft),
~Round Nose Pliers (any pliers will do, but round nose give better results on curves),
~Scissors.


(click on the images to enlarge)

To begin, take your wire and cut it approximately between 15-20cm, the longer the wire piece the more  you have to work with, but also more excess waste. Take your pliers and make a loop at the end of the wire piece (2). This can be done by wrapping the wire around the one side, making sure you move the plier as you do so. Once you have done this you should end up with a small loop(3), take your pliers again and make a slightly bigger loop (the nearer to the end of the plier nose, the smaller the loop will be), further along the wire(4) (this is the start of the letter 'L'). At this point make sure that the wire is pointing towards you.


Next make a small loop where you would like the corner of your 'L' to go (5)(only loop around your pliers once) and make sure that your wire faces back to its original direction(6). After that you should see your ring start to take shape. Make another loop (trust me there are many more loops to come), this one should be slightly bigger than the others(7). Make sure that after this step your wire is pointing upwards(8).


Take your wire at the point just after the 'O' and bend so that the wire points downwards. Then bend again at an angle to create the 'v' (9) and then again so that the wire points horizontally(10). This time take your pliers under your wire ring and bend into a letter 'e' (11). Your 'Love' wording is now complete.


Finally (sorry about the picture quality, I couldn't get a clear picture it was that small), bend the excess around a cylinder object like a lipstick top or something lying around. Measure the ring against your finger and thread the other side of the wire through a loop (13), normally I would thread it through the first loop, however it did not sit properly on my finger, so I threaded it through the bottom one instead.

Use your scissors to cut the wire down and use your pliers to loop (again) the threaded wire around, this stops any sharp edges scratching your finger. 


Your ring is now ready to wear (sorry if those instructions were confusing in parts, the pictures should help). I am hopefully going to post more of these jewellery making projects, If you liked this or any other tutorials be sure to share and comment as it is much appreciated. And if you are a loyal follower of my blog follow me on any of my social media or subscribe to my feed to ensure that you do not miss out on any crafty ideas and projects! 

Keep the Creative Juices Flowing! Enjoy!x

Sunday 22 June 2014

Harry Potter Inspired Spellbook DIY


 
Hello Everyone!
Ok in my last post I lied, here is another tutorial, again inspired by possibly my most favourite series of films- Harry Potter. Before we start you will need:
~Paper,
~One Piece of Card,
~A Computer and Printer,
~The pictures at bottom of page on an a4 resized File
(print with page1and 4 on outer side of 2 and 3etc.)
~Coffee,
~water,
~Glue gun and Sticks,
~Fabric look-a-like leather (any strong, dark fabric will do)
 


To begin print the pictures and fold in the centre. This will make it easier later.
Gather your coffee, brush and water and paint the paper on both sides. (you can use tea if you wish, coffee just has a stronger colour). Its a good idea to use a hairdryer to help speed up the process.
 

 
Once you have applied your first layer add another, this time darker and only around the edges; it's a good idea to use the hairdryer again- so keep it on the side. When you have finished with the coffee and everything is dry, cut around the pale peachy outlines and refold along the centre lines.

 
Next we are going to start assembling the spell book. Take your fabric and cut it to a similar size to the pages. Then take your card (I used a light yellow colour card for this and it worked well), fold down the centre and glue to the back of your fabric cover.

 
After that take the folded edges of your paper pages and line them up. Glue gun along the top and make sure that non of the pages fall out when you flick through.

 
Your nearly finished! Simply glue the spine of the pages into the centre fold of your card and voila!
The very last step is to add the title of your book onto the front, I simply used gold and silver marker paint pens. Once they were dry I lightly rubbed over the word to make them look distressed and old.


 Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Keep the Creative Juices Flowing! Enjoy!x

Saturday 14 June 2014

Ice Skate Polymer Clay Tutorial



Hello everyone, 
I'm back with a new tutorial! Recently I tried to find an online tutorial on how to make an Ice Skate charm- however I could not find what I was looking for. So here we have my own tutorial! Hope you enjoy!

Before you begin you will need these things;
~White, Brown and Grey Polymer Clay,
~Super Glue,
~Jewellery Findings,
~Emroidery Floss (any colour you wish),
~A Range of Modelling tools.

(click images to enlarge)

To start take your clay and roll each colour into balls(1), then mould the white clay into a foot shape by pressing and rolling the one side(2). Once your white foot is done add a small oval indentation at the top of the thickest part of the foot(3) (this will be the end where you would put your foot in).


Next roll out the brown clay and place your clay foot on top(4), then cut around the outer shape of the clay foot(5). Press the brown clay to the underneath of the sole and add a brown clay heel(6). To prepare the grey skate, roll a sausage of grey clay in proportion with the rest of your clay ice skating boot(7).
 

Add the grey sausage onto the sole of the boot and mould into a hook at the toe end(8). Add and eyepin and bake using the instructions on your clay packaging. I usually put my Fimo in for 20-30 mins on 110 degrees Celsius(8). Once your clay is baked and cooled position the clay skate blade in some blue tack. This will help to position the charm as you add the floss laces.

 

 Take your super glue and dab a spot 3/4 of the way down the clay boot, towards the toe. Quickly position the centre of your embroidery floss on top of the glue(9). Do the same thing repeatedly in a zig-zag pattern to the top and don't forget to pull the threads tightly(10). Finish off by tying a bow and glue it in place(11). Once everything is in place and dry you can add a lobster clasp or other findings and varnish it for a shiney finish.


Hope you liked this tutorial! Be sure to share and comment! Also add me on my social media, Keep the Creative Juices Flowing! Enjoy!x

Thursday 12 June 2014

DIY Rose Ring



Hi everyone! This is a quick, easy tutorial that will teach you how to make your own rose ring.
Before you begin to make this creation you will need;
~Polymer Clay of your chosen colour,
~Super or Industrial Standard Glue,
~A Blank Adjustable Ring (can be purchased online on eBay, amazon etc.)

To start simply take your Polymer Clay and mould into a rose. There are a number of tutorials on other crafty sites. I used;


Once you have baked and made your rose flower you can either varnish it or leave it as it is. The next step is to glue it to your blank ring and then we have a quick, easy, finished ring! 

Other good ideas would be to make multiple roses and glue onto a blank ring like a bouquet! Hope you liked this simple tutorial! New tutorial will be coming soon! Keep the Creative Juices Flowing! Enjoy!x



Thursday 5 June 2014

Decopatch!

Hi everyone! I hope the following post will give you some new crafty ideas! This technique is easy and quick to do with great end results- DECOPATCH! You simply tear (or cut) the paper into smaller pieces and then coat the surface and apply. You can change the appearance of almost anything the only downside is that decopatch does not work on fabric.
 
(Can you believe it was sunny in the UK when I took this picture?!)
 
The image above is of my rabbit garden ornament that has been decopatched and placed outside before Easter. (Note: If you are going to place decopatched items outside make sure you varnish them first!)


 
This is simply an mdf word decopatched in different papers and then hung on the wall!
 
The following picture is a decopatched art mannequin (I'm quite proud of this idea. So much more interesting than the boring wooden ones!)
 
More info (such as UK stockists and handy tips) on decopatch can be found on my Hints and Tips page at the top of my blog. Keep the Creative Juices Flowing! Enjoy!x