Crafty Tip (cross stitch and embroidery)

The threads for embroidery and cross stitch come as a 6 ply thread. However, when working from patterns, they generally only ask for you to use 2 plys at a time; meaning that you have to cut a thread to length, then carefully draw out 2 plys; leaving the other 4 for later use.

These can quickly mount up especially when doing a colourful pattern. They can also get horribly tangled and you can forget which number colour they are (each shade and colour has it's own number; many of the shades are very similar)

Here is a simple way of keeping your threads tidy and remembering their shade number.

Just cut a strip of card (cereal boxes are great for this) then add little cuts down the sides as in the photo. This way you can wrap your left over pieces around the width of the card without them sliding off. Also you can write the shade number above each one. This means that even if you don't use those pieces for this project; you can always find the right number shade again for another project - thus saving you money - and who doesn't love to save money?

Visit our studios

Crafty tip - oxidizing copper or silver with an egg

Let me first tell you that I was not the brightest light bulb in my chemistry class. Or the physics class. My math teacher told me when he heard that I wouldn't take math in the last year that we would be getting along great. It was not even that I couldn't have done it, but I didn't like it. I am not the scientific kind of person. I like words, I like languages, I was from the other side of town, so-to-speak. In the 11th grade, my chemistry teacher didn't even know my name. He knew it after he caught me imitating him in the hallway. Too much information, sorry.
What I am trying to say is chemistry is not for my mother's daughter. Just the word „LOS“ scared me. „Liver of sulphur“ wasn't any better (although my cats raised their heads on the "liver" part and put it back down on the "sulphur" part). So what was I to do when I wanted to oxidize my first piece?

Some of my new jewelry friends told me how to do it with an egg. An ordinary egg? Maybe they didn't want to be my friends after all and made fun of me? They convinced me they were being serious.

Are you ready to rock'n'roll, sorry, I mean to boil?

Let's go ahead.

Step 1

You take an egg (no, it doesn't have to be a brown one) and boil it until it's hard.

Step 2

Put the egg into a plastic bag or a bowl with a lid. I used the bag for you to see better. Now smash it. Don't be shy. Do you see the steam? It's good to put the egg in there hot because the fumes spread better and that's what we want I've been told, the fumes from the shell.

Step 3

Here comes our piece, in this case it's a little “hat” made from copper with jasper beads. It's not really a hat, but it reminded me of one when I saw it from the side. The copper is still shiny here. As my camera is playing tricks on me at the moment, it doesn't look super shiny here, but you can tell the copper is still light-colored and unsuspecting as to what is going to happen to it soon *insert mad scientist's laughter here*

Step 4

The piece goes into the bag with the egg. You see I don't let them touch, that is only for the reason that egg is not easy to pick out of some wire crochet pieces. If you don't smash the egg that hard, you can even eat it afterwards, but I always have the feeling it works better like that. Now you close the bag and leave the two of them in there for a while. I just left them in the oven overnight. No, not in a heated oven, that would be stupid even for someone who is not a smart cook, I had to protect them from my cats.

Step 5

Here it comes fresh out of the bag. Look at that copper, it's gray! Gee, that was some tough egg. Now if you like to, go to work on the surface, depending on if you want the whole piece to be dark or if you prefer highlights. This is definitely too dark in my book, so I would scrub it down in places, but I'll spare you this part.

Yes, LOS is faster and yes, I guess it's more predictable, but it is also a lot smellier and it's chemistry.

As for me, I will have a smashed egg sandwich now, thank you very much ;-)

Visit our studios

Crafty tip: How to thread those big hole beads

Large hole beads

You fall in love with a beautiful bead, you buy it and now you want to make a piece of jewellery. But how do you get the darned thing to sit nicely on a hatpin?

There are special findings for big hole beads on the market, made from silver och copper, but they are quite expensive. Here are some less costly tips.

The first problem, of course, it to prevent the hatpin of just going through the bead. You can use beadcaps, but it can be hard to find any who fits on your bead.

A selection of findings

I usually use either so called daisies (the flat flower shaped beads to the bottom middle and right) or similar OR a round bead, 3 or 4 mm depending on the size of the hole. The bead can be metall, glass or chrystal (but I will not bore you with my stash of round glass beads and fireppolished in every possible colour!). If you choose a good size the top of the bead will fit snuggly inte to your lampwork bead wich steadies it on the hat pin.

Wobbel

The next problem is tht once stuck on the hat pin, the big hole bead will wobble around. The hole in the bead is about 2 mm and a hatpin in less than 1 mm. I solve this buy using seedbeads size 11/o. I thread them on the hat pin and than slips the lampwork bead over them. And suddenly there's no wobbeling!

Seed beads on a hat pin

No wobbeling no more!

If you wish you can find seedbeads matching this precise bead but I seldom care about that since the seedbeads doesnit show anyway. If I have a black core bead I use black seeds, otherwise I use clear.

See the seed?

A little warning, though. Avoid beads that are in any way lined or has a special finish on the surface. The lined beads can be to narrow for your hat pin and the finish beads to wide for your large hole bead.

Written by Susanne Folin, Babs Beads & Design

Crafty Tip: Cleaning Silver Jewellery

Many people ask me how to take care of their silver jewellery.

When you first purchase an item of silver jewellery, it has a beautiful shine, but in time silver tarnishes, turning a golden hue and then eventually, black. In time silver tarnishes from the interaction of silver and sulfides in the air. This is a natural process. Higher sulfide levels are associated with humidity and/or air pollution. Keep in mind that the more humid the climate, the faster sterling will tarnish.

So what is the best way to keep that silver shine? There are two main methods:

(1) Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth. You can buy chemically treated cloths which work a little faster.

(2) Sterling silver dips are fast and easy. But, be careful to read the small print before putting any piece of silver in a dip. Many dips will take the color and polish off gemstones and pearls. Also, when using a dip, if you leave the piece in too long, or don't rinse it well enough with fresh water, white residues will be left on the piece when it dries. The residue is difficult to rub or pick off.

When using a silver dip, dip the piece quickly in and out of the dip. Then immediately rinse it in clean water. When the piece dries, buff it with a soft cotton cloth. The buffing brings out more of the shine, helps take off any residue left on the piece. A dip should only be used when a buffing with a dry cloth does not work.

The simplest way is usually the best way. Get a clean, soft cloth and polish your silver. It will be beautiful again!

Once you've used some elbow grease to obtain the perfect shine, you will want to keep it for as long as possible. Storing your silver carefully will help preserve that shine!

Use a jewellery box with many compartments for storing silver jewellery items separately. Each piece of silver jewellery should be kept in its own box or pouch. It should not be stored together, or with any other types of fine jewellery; gems scratch and damage silver jewelry. Silver chains should be laid flat or hung up, to avoid knotting and tangling.

While you are cleaning the house, it’s wise to take off all your silver items. Some cleaning chemicals, including ammonia and chlorine, may discolor, damage, or cause a film to form on your silver and dull its appearance. Also, when you go to bed or play sports, remove your jewellery to avoid kinking, scratching, and breaking.

Taking these steps will allow you to enjoy your jewellery year after year!

I wish i could do that

Tired of trashing photos because they don't cut it? Tired of re shooting again and again and still get crummy photos?
You can still use those not so perfect photos by tweaking them a little thus avoiding re shoots.
Every program has a layers tab and there is where you are going to perform some tricks.
i use Ps so the nomenclature will be theirs, but it is pretty similar in all programs.
Here's a quick and dirty mini tute:

• Make a duplicate of the layer
• Go to Image>Adjustments>Levels
• Move the first slider on the right until you get the whites
• Adjust the colors with the middle one
• If need be increase the contrast with the last slider
  
• When you get what you need click ok.
  

Now flatten the image. The overcast is gone! The white background is white!

If you need to fine tune the colors.

• Duplicate layer

• Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves
• Adjust the RGB channel by clicking on the line and adding points. Move them until you get what you want.
• Click ok then flatten the layers.

i usually treat each color separately on it's own layer one at a time merging after i finish each color and duplicating the resulting layer for the next color adjustment.Then i crop the image,and perhaps touch up a resilient shadow:)
You will be surprised how much you can improve your photos.
Now, out of focus is not so easy to improve it means re shoot sorry:) !


neki desu