iCraft

Up and coming in my iCraft Exhibit:

5 OOAK bracelets at awesome prices!

I have decided to use my five iCraft placements to feature particular styles/colours/pieces in a rotation. One week devoted to that weeks theme. Keep coming back during the week, as new pieces in the theme will pop up. But remember, this is the kind of "exhibit" where you can purchase what you like...and we strongly suggest that you do so, so that your favourite doesn't become someone else's favourite!

First up is: Chunky Bracelet Week.

How a Bead Becomes a gEM's - Part 1

I would like to show you how a bead (and I have many!) becomes a necklace, a bracelet, or a pair of earrings...in general, how a bead captures my attention, and becomes a gEM's!

Creation Station

Where do I get my beads:

I prefer to buy my beads in person. It isn't about examining each bead, rolling them over in my fingers, planning a future piece...it's about grabbing whatever catches my eye. I find this more difficult to do with on line shopping.

I have a favourite bricks and mortar bead shop. I have been shopping here for over a decade:

Arton Beads

If you are ever in the Toronto area, I highly recommend this shop. The owners (River and Alice) own two stores, side by side. One store (the original) sells findings, wood beads, glass beads, lots of stringing material and more. The "new store", the one highlighted on their website, sells gemstones, pearls and sterling silver findings and beads. Make sure to visit both stores!

Where do I find inspiration:

art work over my bead table (beside the window!)

My inspiration comes from the beads themselves. I know my beads. I know what I have, and I often find myself thinking about my collection when I'm ready to fall asleep at night. Occasionally, I will sit down at my bead table, and scour through my containers, pulling out pendants and beads until one calls out to me.

some beads

My creation station is messy, and only half organized. While some boxes of bead tins are labeled (wood, focals, etc.) that doesn't mean that there aren't more wood beads somewhere else. I have multiples of all my tools (3 round nose pliers, 2 tape measures etc) and scraps of materials (really, it's the garbage) from previous creations still in a divider on the beadboard (of which I have 3).

That is step one of my uncomplicated process!

you should have some!

I am hooked on making bracelets, in particular chunky bracelets.


It must have something to do with the season, and our change of clothing. We find ourselves shortening our sleeves, or even taking our sleeves right off! A perfect canvas is exposed (even behind a billowing 3/4 sleeve) for showcasing a fantastic bracelet!

Pattern. Chunky. Wood. Funky. Colour.

In particular (but not exclusively) I have been making bracelets on a clear stretchy cord (from what I have seen, and tried, this cording makes the most inconspicuous and tight knots). The great thing about stretchy bracelets is that they are so easy to slide on (no fiddling with clasps or toggles!) and they don't slide too much around your wrist...making it easier to sip your fave summer drink!

Enjoy!

have you been here?

Have you been to icraft.ca ?

icraft is a Canadian venture, similar to Etsy...where you can buy emmsgems in Canadian dollars! Okay, you can buy a lot more than just emmsgems, and you can buy in other currencies too.

Check out iCraft!

Be sure to visit my creator exhibit: emmsgems

local!

Etsy has a fancy little buying feature: shop local. You can enter the name of a city (like your own), and find all items created by artsies and craftsies in your neighbourhood! You can shop handmade local - or find something special to send to a far away friend from their hometown!

Here is a local treasury:

dressing for the kitchen

It's as if a light went on in my kitchen last week! I finally understand why people wear aprons. I am fairly "new" to kitchen endeavours: a "green" chef and a "raw" baker.

I am constantly running my hands under water, and drying them on my kitchen hand towel. I find myself tempted to just wipe my hands on the dishtowel, and sometimes even the hand towel, in order to save my hands from drying up. Then it hit me....like a bag of flour...if I was wearing an apron, I could just wipe my hands on it!

I'm embarrassed.

Here are a few of my favourite aprons:

Jungle Apron from Solanah

Fresh Squeezed from Snazz

50's Cocktail from Wheredidyougetthat

New...vintage...there are so many cute options!

You can even use your favourite fabric and make your own!

from the Patternstash

Am I crazy to say, "Bring back the apron!"

what's new to me

My exposure to Etsy, "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade", has opened my eyes to a whole new world. The obvious is that I am open to all kinds of neat things to purchase. My purchases have included reusable produce bags, lip balm, note cards, a scarf, and some soap. I admire purses and totes, jewelry and paintings.

But Etsy and her sellers have sparked a renewed interest in craft. I have always wanted to sew and crochet, and I own a sewing machine for whipping up quick fabric creations. But I had never heard of "felting" before now, nor had I known that such adorable doodads could be made with felt. To me, felt is a material for school children.

But now I see felted bowls, needle felted beads...

fiveforty

artbydonnarose

3FUN

So much fun! So much potential!

True felt is made from a natural fibre, usually wool, through stimulation combining friction and moisture (or by using special felting needles). Essentially, the structure of the natural fibers is tangled and bonded...forming felt.