EASY Midi Ring Tutorial

Midi rings are super cool! They have become a super-big trend for summer. I totally love the bohemian feel of these rings, and they are really easy to make yourself. All you really need is wire and some pliers!

You can use any color wire, or really any gauge (not less than 22g, it will be unstable). What's also great about these rings is that you can bend them into any shape, any design.

Here, I made one out of black wire and glued gems to the ends. This tutorial, I will be showing you how to make the super-simple silver wire one.

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are pliers, a nail polish or marker (to bend the wire around), and wire, of course. You can grab some wire yourself through these links: silver 18g wire, bronze 18g wire. This will provide for a nice sturdy ring. 

Step 2: Cut off a coil of wire. At one end, use your roundnose  pliers and start a loop. Continue to make a loose loop, as seen in the picture. Now, bend this wire around your nail polish top, using it as a mold (find one that is the approximate size you need your ring. Remember, midi rings are smaller then regular rings). Continue looping until your wire is used up.
If you're wondering, my nail polish color is Opi Cajun Shrimp!

Step 3: Make a small loop at the end to finish the end. If you need to trim your wire beforehand to make it the appropriate length, do this before looping.

That's really it! Like I said, easy; five minutes to make your midi ring.

I have a bunch of styles here. Technique is basically the same, just switching up the gauges, amount of loops, and directions of the loops and swirls. 

Do not use my photos without crediting me, and if using this tutorial please link back!

Miu Miu-inspried Shell Bobby Pins

I think its definitely too early to be thinking about this fall and winter, but in the fashion world, they have already moved on to next year! I saw the Miu Miu collection and though that the mix of stripes and spots were super-cool. However, I wanted to make a summery tutorial, especially because I have a lot of shells laying around.

Shell bobby pins! These are great for summer because they are bright and very eye-catching. I painted these with a mix of stripes, dots and used similar colors, from the Miu Miu collection. 

You don't have to use the same patterns or colors that I did, you can paint them in any color to match your outfits! You can even add glitter for extra shine. As you can see, the bobby pin disappears (be sure to use a pin that is your hair color) and it looks like the shells are floating in your hair!

Let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are shells, E-6000 glue, a paintbrush, paint, polymer clay, and bobby pins.

Step 2: Take your shell of choice, and place a marble of scrap clay in the empty spot where you want your pint. Squish it to fill the basin, and then press in your pin to make an indentation. Carefully pull the pin out to leave that indentation there.

Bake your shell and clay for about 15 minutes at 125 degrees (I use a toaster oven). The brand of clay doesn't matter, but I always use Sculpey.

Step 3: Once your shell has baked and cooled, add a dollop of glue to the top of the pin. Push the pin back into the indentation you made, and press down to adhere; let the glue dry. I made three different ones, from different shaped shells!

Step 4: Once the glue has dried, its time to paint. This step is pretty loose, you can paint any pattern you want. Obviously, I channeled the Miu Miu collection and mixed patterns and bright colors contrasted with dark black. I used acrylic paints and nail polish and they both work fine, but I would reccommend nail polish because it stays shiny and adheres better.

Do not use very big, heavy shells, as these won't adhere well and they will weigh down too much.

These are a super unique accessory that will surely make a statement!

Color Monday: Rooibos Palette

The deep reds and oranges of tea leaves, plus green for contrast. A very warm yet calm palette!

Feel free to use these colors in any art project you have!

Till Death Skull Necklace: Men's Jewelry Tutorial

My first men's jewelry tutorial!

This necklace by We Are All Smith features two gold skull beads on a ball chain. I thought it would be a great and easy introductory tutorial, and it comes together really fast. Plus, it's customizable to fit everyone's tastes, whether guy or girl!

I opted for a wood bead instead of two skull beads for contrast and to give it a summery feel. Also, I used antique bronze chain instead of black. As I said, it's very customizable.

This is a great tutorial for all guys, and anyone would love to have this necklace. It's lightweight and simple, great for everyday! 

Let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are pliers, a paintbrush, gold acrylic paint or nailpolish, ball chain, a large-hole skull bead, ball chain ends and a clasp (or you can just use a ball chain connector if you have one!). I used antique bronze ball chain. You can use whatever color you want, but I would avoid silver because it wouldn't look as good with your beads.

The original necklace has two skull beads, but I decided to use a skull then wood bead for contrast. If you have two skull beads you want to use, that's fine!

Step 2: Paint your skull bead gold, it took me two coats of paint. Take your ball chain and cut to the length you want your necklace to be. Take your ball chain end, and crimp shut over the last ball on the chain. If you have a connector, don't worry about adding these ends or a clasp. 

Step 3: Add your skull bead, and then your wood bead. Add your ball chain end to the other side of the chain now, just like you did in your last step.

Step 4: Finish by attaching your clasp and jumpring to either side of the chain!

Finished!

The most important thing here is to get large-holed beads that will fit through your ball chain! For girls, maybe add a large-holed crystal or pearl bead along with the skull. Experiment painting the skull different colors, or even add glitter for a girl's necklace!

Do not use my photos without crediting me, and if using this tutorial please link back!

Cheap-o Pave Crystal Earrings

Another one of my "cheap-o" tutorials, now for earrings!

You don't have to spend big bucks to make a pair of those popular pave crystal earrings. Pave is a type of gemstone setting where the gems are uniformly placed, and placed close together. This technique is used in these earrings, to give maximum shine! However, we are not using diamonds or expensive gems......

We are using acrylic nail gems!

You still get shine, yet don't have to shell out a lot of cash. Along with a couple more ingredients, these earrings come together nicely and can be made in many different colors!

Let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are acrylic nail gems (similar here), earring posts, polymer clay (I use Sculpey), a toothpick and E-6000 glue. DO NOT use superglue for this because it will leave a white dusty look on the clay.

Step 2: Make two uniform sized marbles of clay, flatten a little so that one side stays dome-like, while the other gets flat to lay against the ear. It helps to push down the sides of the marble gently against a flat surface. You have to pick a clay color that matches your gems, so the clay background won't stick out. I have red gems, so I have red clay here.

Step 3: Get all your gems ready. Bake the clay  (I do 15 minutes at 125 degrees in a toaster oven). Take your toothpick, pick up some glue, and attach the post to the flat side of the cooled clay.

Step 4: Stabilize your earring post (after it has dried) by pushing it onto a piece of scrap clay. This helps you while holding it, you don't have to try to hold onto a little post! Pick up a teeny tiny bit of glue on the toothpick, add it to the back of your gem, and press onto the clay. It helps to start at the very bottom, work a row around, and then make another row sitting on top of the last one. Continue in this pattern, until your whole clay is covered in the gems. Let all the glue dry.

Repeat with the other earring!

Finished! The amount of gems will vary depending on what size you use. I used 3mm gems.

You can make these in different colors, different sizes and shapes! 

Very cool!

Do not use my photos without crediting me, and if using this tutorial please link back!

Ombre Crystal Earrings Tutorial

Summer is coming, and bright colors come along with it! Ombre is everywhere these days, and it basically just means blends of color. I like the soft look of ombre blends, and how the colors can be either pastels or brights.

You can create a similar look by using like-colored crystals in a spectrum to make easy earrings!

This is another really easy tutorial, and all you need is some wire, crystals, and earwires. 

You can also make these in a solid color if you need them to match a certain outfit, or just use two or three different colors. Here I used four.

Let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed is wire (22 gauge), 4mm crystals, two earwires, and roundnose pliers.

Step 2: Cut two equal lengths of wire; I cut these straight from the coil so that they were round and equal length. You can use any length, depending on how large you want your earring. Mine were about 2.5" across. Make two loops with your pliers, one at the end of each earring. Twist the loop so that the open part faces the straight end of the wire.

Step 3: Lay out the bead scheme you want. I had a lot of oranges, yellows and reds. String on your beads in order of color, making them blend somewhat. The number of beads you use will depend on the length of wire, but make sure it is an even amount. I used 20. DO NOT fill them all the way up to the end of wire, leave a large space as seen.

Step 4: Find the middle (mine is after 10 beads), and bend the wire there gently, making an oval shape. With the extra wire at the end, thread it through your loop (open the loop up with the pliers), and then re-close the loop, securing the wire in.

Step 5: Take your extra wire, and bend it at a 90 degree angle to the right. Cut off excess, leaving just enough to make another loop. Refer to the picture.

Step 6: Finish off the wire by making a loop. Attach this loop to an ear wire, I am using kidney earwires here but if you have fishhooks that will work too.

If you haven't, repeat all the steps to make another earring to match!

This is how big the earring will turn out if you use my measurements.

These are very simple to make, and quick as well. They would be great gifts!

The combination of the sparkles and the rainbow of color makes these very summery!

Do not use my photos without crediting me, and if using this tutorial please link back!