Fave Crafts Blog hop today- December

Click on the picture above and it will wisk you away to the Blog Hop!

Hi Fave Crafts Blog Hoppers, welcome!
Take off your shoes, sit down in the over stuffed chair by the fire, have a moment of peace at this busy time of year. Would you like a cookie? A cuppa?? A back massage???
Just breathe!!
Do it with me, take a deep breath in slowly one...two...three...four...five... right to your heart...seven and breathe out all stress, rushing, and relax one... two...three... all the dark and grungy thoughts and emotions...five...six... you are loved!!!

December is rushing by at the speed of light. I feel a little crazy and I am still working on Christmas presents. That is one thing that having money would do for me, I could go buy everything in the summer and just relax for once for Christmas.
Those laughing people you see during the holidays have money or they are on the very edge of sanity. I would be the latter.
I am though, glad you stopped by and I needed to breathe too!

I have a quick Christmas ornament I want to share with you.
Here is part one
Here is part two


And now to part three...

You will need:


Cernit Lemon and Glamour White
Wire cutters
18 or 16 gauge red colored copper wire
A Sharpie fine point permanent marker
A 1" star cutter
Bamboo skewer
Star Stamp I used a retired Stampin' up Christmas star stamp
Pearl-ex Powder Aztec gold

Mix the white glamour and the lemon together one to one until one color.

Roll the mixed color through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Stamp the sheet with the stamp.

Rub on the Pearl-ex Aztec gold powder with your finger.

Cut out with the star cutter and poke a hole in the top with the bamboo skewer.
Pick up the star gently and make the hole bigger with the skewer.
Bake in a preheated 275 degree F. oven for 25 minutes shut off oven and let cool.

While the star is cooling take the wire and holding one end of it on the pen, wrap the other end around the shaft of the pen.
Wrap tight as you can and wrap down and close to the last wire.
It feels like you are pulling the end wire down and next to the last turn on the pen as you go.

Pull off the coil and the cut off the end of the wire that is left, face the flush side of the cutter toward the spiral.

Grab the next turn of the spiral with your cutters and face the flush side of the cutters away from you and cut the wire right at the end that is above the turn you are cutting.

The ends should be almost matching.




The wire loop should be a little apart and one end will almost be above the bottom one.
Pull them just a bit more apart the way they naturally come apart.

Thread on the star through the hole.

Hold the other side of the loop and thread on the tree.

I am holding this with the wrong hand because that hand is taking the picture ;-D.

Move the ends gently back together. Sometime I have to go past one of the wire and move it back to get it in the right place too.

The Ornament is now done.

And you have the hints for the necklace, and the gift tag and you could also leave both holes out and make a brooch out of this too. Oh and don't forget about an embellishment for a card or scrap book too.









I also finished this project and tutorial Marie-Tangle beads

Part one

Part two

Part three












I finished this Steampunk Album with my friend Jodi. Click on the picture to see some pictures of our progress. From there you can see part one.

I also almost finished a doll using printable cotton paper and one of my own designs here



Here is last months Blog hop if you are interested http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/11/fave-crafts-blog-hop-today-november.html

Christmas tree ornament part 2

From part 1
This is for the wire part.

Side cutters

chain nose pliers
round nose pliers
Nylon jaw pliers
18 or 16 gauge red colored copper wire


I used 1 gauge wire for these, but the 18 gauge works just as well and is a bit easier to work with.

Start a spiral with the chain nose pliers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

With the nylon jaw pliers grab the spiral and keep rolling it up. The nylon jaws keep from scratching the wire color off.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Make it about 3/8"  or a tiny bit bigger.

Fold the wire over the spiral you just made and press flat with the nylon jaw pliers.

Bend the end wire up right in the middle of the spiral with the chain nose pliers.

Put the end wire in to the front of the tree in the top hole.
Bend the end wire up as close to the tree top as you can.
I hold the spiral with my thumb and bend the wire against the back of the tree at the top with my other hand.

You can if you want flatten it with the nylon jaw pliers.

With the chain nose pliers bend the end wire over the top of the star a little.
Or you can do it with your fingers.






 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Take the chain nose pliers and bend the end wire straight up now. You grab the wire at the bottom of the wire right at the front of the tree.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Grab the wire and hold it close to the last bend and then bend it at a right angle.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Grab the wire right at the bend with the round nose pliers and roll the wire over the round nose.
Keep holding the wire with the round nose pliers while you do the next step.

Grab the end of the end wire with the chain nose pliers in your other hand and pull the end all the way around the round nose pliers. Continue wrapping the end of the end wire around the  the up wire underneath of the loop.
Keep wrapping until the loops reach the top of the tree.

Take the end of the end wire and bring it down in front of the tree top and wrap that around the wire underneath the spiral.

Clip off the end with your side cutters underneath the spiral so it doesn't show.

Flatten the spiral and the loop with the nylon jaw pliers.

It will look like this in the front.

And this in the back.

I added a holly and berries for a necklace and left it plain with out a hole in the bottom of the tree for the Christmas present tag.

I will come back and show you how to make the holly and attach it and how to finish the ornament next.
Stay tuned for part 3.
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/12/fave-crafts-blog-hop-today-december.html

Christmas tree ornament

These are fast and easy and might be just the ticket for a quick gift.

Cernit in pearl green and Verdi gris
Aztec gold Pearl-ex
Blade or craft knife
Christmas tree stamp- mine is old and from Stampin' up
3 hot set red rhinestones
18 or 16 gauge red colored copper wire
Clay machine
Bamboo skewer or knitting needle
Side cutters
chain nose pliers
round nose pliers
Nylon jaw pliers

Condition and roll out 1 1" ball of each Verdi gris and pearl green.

Roll into short coils about 1 3/4" long.

Twist together.

Pancake the clay.

Stamp the clay sheet with your christmas tree stamp of choice. Press in well, but not too much to cut through the clay.

Cut around the tree with your blade or craft knife leave at least an 1/8" all the way around the tree.

Poke a hole in the star at the top with your bamboo skewer.
Widen the hole,by picking the tree up gently and drilling in to the hole.

Poke at the bottom too and widen the hole too.

Open the jar of pearl-ex and put a small bit in the lid. Rub your finger in the lid, get the clumps off and rub on to the tree. Do not press hard but rub in circles. Completely cover the tree.














Add red rhinestones.
Bake in your oven at 275 degree F. for 25 minutes and shut off the oven and let cool in the oven.
This a great project for kids.

Come back for the wire parts!!

To be continued.
Part 2
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-tree-ornament-part-2.html

Part 3
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/12/fave-crafts-blog-hop-today-december.html

9th Giveaway- part 4

This ornament is part of the 9th Giveaway also.

This can be personalized for you.

Leave your comment on this post under words of wisdom for this ornament.

Closes on the 16th of December 6pm pst.