I wore my Crafty Princess Jewelry Teacher hat this weekend. My big sis was down with her troops, and I was given a request to bring tools, findings, and stringing material because the gang wanted to make jewelry. They had recently been to an AC Moore store in the area that was going out of business (sad, no?), so they had loaded up on beads galore. Wish I had been there! Anyway… who am I to say no to my sis and my niece and nephews? Of course, you know I was giddy with excitement that they would want to learn the joys of crafting jewelry. So, I loaded up my tool box and other bags of jewelry goodies and met them at our parents’ house.

Of course, Aunt Tammy was late, as usual, but it was so not my fault this time. First, I woke up to discover one of our cats (who is diabetic) had decided he was “over” the food we were feeding him, so that meant I had to race to the vet (who didn’t open until 9) to get some different food for his highness before it closed early that day, and then there was some whopper of an accident on the interstates, so I had to take 400 back roads to get on at the next exit. By the time I got there, I felt as if I’d driven across the state of Florida!

We rendezvoused at the local Picadilly cafeteria, and after a quick lunch (I swear those kids ate in like five minutes!), I was informed that plans had changed slightly. The big kids were headed to a movie; the old lady sisters and their mom and the baby nephew were headed back to grandma’s house for jewelry making. Humph? Well, I did have to wonder that my teenage nephews wanted to make jewelry, but hey, it is a good way to impress girls, or at least I would think.

So, back at grandma’s I spread my wares on her kitchen table, and we began. First, I restrung a bracelet that my mom had tried to make using supplies from a kit she had purchased. I think the stringing material was that icky old tiger tail. I can’t even believe they make that any more. Her poor bracelet was not only too long (after she’d made it too short and had restrung it once already), but it was coiled like a snake on crack.

Then my younger sis (I’m the middle child….and yes, everything you’ve heard about us middle children is basically true!…ha..ha) began to pull out some old jewelry that had many ills and aches: ear hooks missing, clasps broken, and just plan ug-lee. I tended to her precious jewels like a doctor and did what I could to revive them, though considering all the jewelry I’ve given her over the years, I guess I need to give her more because her stash was pretty sad. At least I can say her jewelry that needed repairs was not of my making!

Finally, it was time for the lesson. My older sister has dabbled in jewelry making for years but never got that serious until recently. Her techniques have been primarily limited to stringing and bead tips and making earrings with head pins and the occasional memory wire bracelet. Even limited to that, though, she has a really good design eye when it come to combining colors and textures, so I’m very hopeful this turn towards jewelry again will stick. She had a number of questions but her main one concerned crimp beads: Why use them? When do you use them? How do you use them?

I began to explain to her the why/when/how, and as I did so, I could see by the look on baby sis and gma’s faces that it was like I was talking Latin or Martian or something. Big sis pretty much got it, and I held her hand while she tried a few crimps on her own, screwed up a few, I fixed them, she tried again, etc until she found some success.

She is a tad put off that this will require yet another tool (oh, she has no idea what she’s getting into folks!), but I’m hopeful she’ll come to the crimp bead side of things soon. Heck, I should just send her a pair. I know she’s probably thinking she just doesn’t need another tool. The addiction hasn’t taken total control of her yet!

As we were wrapping things up, I asked her if she’d like some brass and copper wire to take home because I had just ordered a pound of each, so I was feeling very wire wealthy. “I don’t even know what I’d do with it!” she told me. Hello! Ever hear of that fabulous book by a semi-famous sister called Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings (which she just happens to have a signed copy of)?

Of course, I was just razzing her, but the whole experience made me realize how far I’ve come from the person who was also just doing basic stringing with bead tips. Heck, I was using chipped stone beads for at least a year or more before I discovered “round” beads! I don’t even want you to know how long it too me to discover round-nosed pliers!

This very, very long rambling post, then, is written because I just never stop to think about how much I’ve learned over the years when it comes to crafts, jewelry making especially, and I hope other crafters might take at least 60 seconds right now and think back, remember when, and give yourself a little pat on the back.

I mean it. Do it now! You are so, so smart, and you worked hard to learn everything you know now. You deserve this minute of reflection.