Novel Jewellery Design

Hello world!!  I am here, we have had a small break (though we didn't manage to do much more than a few day trips!) but mostly we have been at home, planning the next work effort, but mostly just 'being'.  It feels like I have been away from this blog forever, and I apologise for this - most of you will know that I have a five year old daughter, and when she is home from school, life takes on a different rhythm.  We are a little more relaxed about things, we eat a proper breakfast, we talk, and we make things.  Jewellery-making is - obviously - a favourite past time in our house, and of course, all her attempts, from threading a simple pendant to stringing a few wooden beads to make a bracelet, are met with excited "ooohs" and "aaaahs" from her very captive audience.

Recently my mini-crafter grabbed a few supplies from my spares drawer, laid them all out on the table, and announced she was going to make some wooden tile pendants.  She called me ten minutes later to show me her creation... and I let out the loudest whoop when I saw her novel approach to pendant making.

All beautifully glued together.   And the best bit?  When you get bored of wearing your pendant, you can stick it to your fridge.

Smile!

Tieta Loves Cheese - A Tutorial on Magnets

My Tieta Carme loves her cheese.  Tieta, is Catalan for an auntie, a familiar form derived from the word 'tia' (aunt), connoting that she is someone that you are quite close to.   I am.

It was always a family ritual that when any one of us went away somewhere far from home we would bring back a souvenir for everyone, and she got either cheese or make up, but usually cheese.  Even when I was quite small and used to come to London as an unaccompanied minor with my red Iberia bib bag with all my worldly paperwork stuffed into it, I remember going back with a selection of British cheeses for her...   In those days when I was the souvenir recipient I was much keener to get the odd airport toy or sheet of stickers myself, but now I have moved to the cheese side, and I totally get her.  

I recently discovered that there's a universe full of people out there who collect vintage French or Swiss cheese labels for fun.  Well I jumped onto that bandwagon sooner than you can say reblochon, and found a wonderful seller of quirky graphics, Harmonica Godlfish who had just the images I had in mind. Do check out the shop - it is pretty magical. 

So in honour of my favourite tieta, I made some cheese label magnets to adorn her fridge.

Resizing the images to fit the 25mm trays was a bit of a technical pain in the proverbial, but we got there.  I printed out a sheet full, and cut them to size using a craft punch.  Then I coated the images with a bit of hairspray (here Sainsbury's value range, cheap as chips).  They were laser prints on good thick paper and I was going to be using epoxy resin stickers, so not crazily worried about the inks running here, but still.  One precaution won't hurt.

When dry, I glued the self adhesive epoxy stickers over the top of the images.

I had already cut the images and centering the sticker correctly was nowhere as difficult as I'd envisaged (normally I stick first and then cut the image around the sticker).

Then I ModPodged some blank cabochon settings, and popped the domed images into those, wiping away any excess out of the sides.

Inspect your work.  Be pleased at how pretty it turns out.  My fingers were stained from a previous project, I do normally wash my hands but that black paint proved a nightmare to clean.  Thank the world of science for surgical spirit which removed most of the mess!

I have recently come across some fantastic self-adhesive neodymium magnets, which means they are very strong, but they come with an equally strong sticker that you just peel off and attach to wherever you need.  They will be in the shop shortly. 

And they went onto the backs with a pretty neat finish (unlike every other time I have used glue and made a humongous mess of the backs)

I like the way they click together...

Hey, I'm easily amused.  Even now I can still have great fun with a magnet, much like my five year old does.

Magnets are finished.  I love these so much, I'm going to make a set for myself.  And maybe for all my cheese loving friends, and perhaps for an ex-boss I am still in touch with, whom we used to call 'le grand fromage'.  Apt, methinks. 

But these, these are for tieta.  x

A Little Intro

So this is me, Jasmin *hi*, and this is my blog about making your own personalised jewellery.

Some of you will already know me from my new online jewellery supplies shop. I have recently started this little jewellery craft shop as I love all forms of jewellery, making and wearing!   I discovered this hobby some years ago and I am still addicted - and this type of jewellery making in particular really grabbed me because it allowed me to put my love of painting and graphic design to good use.

This blog is dedicated to this very specific kind of jewellery you can make yourself - personalised jewellery that allows you to use your own artwork or photographs, embedded in glazes and resins or sitting behind glass, to be adored and to adorn - beautiful and meaningful pieces of keepsake art that you can make yourself easily at home.  It is a hobby that is enjoyed by many people, a lot of whom have turned it into a profitable small business, and I hope this blog will go some way to convey the enthusiasm I have for the craft.

This blog will go hand in hand with my supplies shop, Jasmin Studio Crafts, and I hope it will eventually become a showcase of work, both mine and yours, and an archive of ideas and inspiration, tips and techniques that we can all contribute to. I want it to be a place where you can learn and ask questions, meet like-minded individuals and show off your latest creations.  I will be offering tutorials, reviewing new products and sharing freebies and you will be first to hear about special offers on products from my shop.

Taking my jewellery hat off now - I am also a mum to a beautiful little girl who stretches my imagination more than anything or anyone I have ever known, and fills my every day with joy.  And she is turning out to have a very crafty side too - I'll call it an added bonus.  :)

I have 1001 loves and hobbies - from dollhouse miniatures to books, to cooking to walks - but there is always something jewellery-related that seems to take over these days!

Anyway back to topic - want to learn to make gorgeous jewellery such as this?

Then, on with the show!