The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

August 16, 2008
by Tammy
0 comments

Crafty Bloggers Unite 08/16/08


It’s a weekend of catch up for me, starting with my crafty blog links which I usually post on Fridays. I keep thinking I need to write a list of things to do, but then again, maybe it’s best not to actually see that big long list in front of me!

About Family Crafts
Now is the time to start sharing your Halloween ideas and, more importantly, photos of your home-made costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and haunted decorations.

About.com Cross Stitch
A Pattern-A-Day in August ’08 continues. Don’t miss the new free patterns!

Aileen’s Musings
Meet Fleurita the Flower Nymph, she’s quite the fashionista! Learn how to create your very own flower nymph and enter her in OTM’s Art Muse Contest.

Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Gear up for fall crafting with a chance to win a Crafty Chica Bobble head and her book along with her tour schedule, touching quilt stories, a free Halloween raven template with a paper and jewelry tutorial, a fashion illustration guideline for sketching your new fall fashions and how to sew a book cover just in time for back to school.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Links are still hot! And so is metal clay. Tammy offers some ideas for making metal clay links and then incorporating them into an easy earring design.

Layers Upon Layers
Come meet Angela Mabray, the Crafty Goat, as she shares her recyled art inspirations!

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Practicality wins at Sweater Surgery and the craft supplies get a new home with a freecycled wood shelf how-to.

The Impatient Blogger
The Impatient Crafter Margot Potter has a special guest in her new craftertaining video sampling! Jenny Harada comes to the little school house to share how to make your very own fuzzy monster!

August 15, 2008
by Tammy
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I Heart Beads and My UPS Guy!

Woot! It’s raining bead and books at my house. The UPS guy dropped off a box late yesterday and, surprise, it contained copies of my new book from Wiley Publishing! That means that those who took advantage of Amazon’s early ordering should also receive their copies soon. I have such a busy day ahead of me that I’ve been dreading in a way, so this was a really nice surprise that lifted my spirits.

August 14, 2008
by Tammy
7 Comments

Free Metal Clay ID Bracelet Project

Metal Clay ID Bracelet

Metal Clay ID Bracelet

I’ve been meaning to post this for awhile, and now that I have my fancy new weblog template in place and images are working again, here you go, another free metal clay project.

It’s call “ID Me” and is from my metal clay book, Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry (Picture Yourself).

Just click on the filename link and the pdf file will open for you: idmeprojectpymcj_ch07part2x

August 13, 2008
by Tammy
2 Comments

Monster of a Video from the Impatient Crafter

Margot Potter has another great craft video posted at her blog, and this one includes a special guest crafter, Jenny Harada. In this particular how-to, Jenny shows Margot (and the rest of us) how to make an adorable and funky cloud man.

Jenny makes all kinds of cute monsters and more that she sells through her Etsy store, and she also has kits available for anyone who would like to make her own manic monsters.

August 12, 2008
by Tammy
0 comments

Metal Clay Calendar CFE

I saw this posted over at my About.com Jewelry Making forum from Holly Gage. The deadline is looming:

The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry Calendar 2009
Submissions deadline: Aug. 15, 2008
Release date: Late – October 2008

I am seeking images to feature in our next annual calendar, The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry 2009. All jewelry forms – necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and others will be considered. Unique and diverse design styles and techniques are desired. Metal Clay is the predominant material, but other media – resign, gems, metals, enamel, and more may be incorporated into the design. High digital images will be accepted by mail or e-mail:
Gage Designs
c/o calendar submission 2009
P. O. Box 614
Bowmansville, PA 17507
E-mail: hgage1@ptd.net

Artwork submitted must represent work that is unique and original in design. New unpublished/unseen work is preferred. Group shots or individual pictures will be accepted. Please don’t send actual pieces. Professional photo quality is a MUST. Please consider the fact that viewers will only see your photo not your orginal work, so clear, uncluttered photos with an accurate representation will be priority for the selection process. Images should be 300 dpi, in tiff, jpg or psd format with no compression.
Artists retain copyright of their work. Each calendar page measures 8.5 x 11,
Opened it is 11 x 17.

Please include the following:
1. Name
2. Address
3. Website and/or e-mail (indicate if this information should be included on the calendar)
4. Title of piece
5. Materials used
6. Dimensions
7. Brief Description (50 words or less)
8. File name
9. Has the work been published before

Please direct all inquires to: Holly Gage, e-mail: hgage1@ptd.net
http://www.HollyGage.com
To view or purchase the 2008 calendar go to: http://tinyurl.com/yw7a4n

August 11, 2008
by Tammy
0 comments

Jangle Beads on Sale

It looks like I’m not the only Etsian with a sale going on right now. Jennifer Jangles Beads has slashed prices up to 25% off for this week only. Jennifer is known for her colorful and fun ceramic beads. She even has a recently published book out on how to make them: Ceramic Bead Jewelry: 30 Fired & Inspired Projects

Her sale ends pretty soon, Sunday 8/17/08, so don’t think too long about snapping some of these up while you can get them at reduced prices.

August 10, 2008
by Tammy
3 Comments

Metal Clay Link Up

I finally got some more textured fine silver links up in my Etsy shop! And, since I think they are very cool, I also wrote up instructions on how to make the links on my About.com Jewelry Making site.

Not sure what to do with these links even if you buy them from me or try to make them yourself? How about this new earring project I just posted:

Fine Silver Link, Pearl, and Crystal Earrings.

Basically, I connected a few pearl dangles and a chain section with a crystal on the end from the center of the link, and then I added ear wires to the top. Voila!

August 9, 2008
by Tammy
1 Comment

Bridgland Studios Wins National Jewelry Award & Business Grant

And the winners are Jay and Jennifer Bridgland of Bridgland Studios!

They are the winners of Halstead Bead’s 3rd annual business grant competition. Here are the details from a company press release:

Oakland, CA – August 6, 2008 – Halstead Bead, Inc is proud to announce the winner of its 3rd annual business grant competition, Bridgland Studios of Oakland, CA. Owners Jay & Jennifer Bridgland will receive a $6,000 grant of start up capital and supplies in recognition of their entrepreneurial skills and design talents.

The Bridgland Studios line primarily consists of necklaces and pendants as wearable works of modern art. The Bridglands create blown and sculpted glass forms using a type of glass blowing known as flameworking. Their latest collection of glass couture uses borosilicate glass crafted into focal pieces which are available in a wide array of colors, patterns and textures. The finished designs incorporate sterling silver, stainless steel and neoprene accents that give the couture jewelry a contemporary appeal. “Our vision,” says Jennifer, “is to elevate and redefine the concept of glass couture artwear.”

Jay Bridgland has been a flameworking glass artisan for many years but only recently focused his career on jewelry. He honed his unique style under Italian glass masters in Venice, Italy. He continues to work in Venice for part of each year and also instructs glass flameworking classes at The Crucible School of Fire Arts in Oakland, CA. “It is wonderful to receive this honor and know that others believe in our vision,” says Jay.

Together, entrepreneurs Jay and Jennifer have developed the business side of Bridgland Studios by focusing on the details of management. “We were very impressed by the Bridgland Studio business plan. This company has created a complete strategy to support their wholesale accounts and provide stunning jewelry to the end consumer,” says Halstead Bead Marketing Director, Hilary Scott, a competition judge.

That hard work is already paying off for Bridgland Studios in the competitive world of fashion and design. The company’s jewelry has a broad wholesale and retail base and is sold in museums, galleries and fine retail stores across the country. The jewelry collections are also available online at www.bridglandstudios.com.

The Halstead Bead Business Development Grant is an annual competition for new companies in the mid-level segment of the jewelry industry known as bridge jewelry. Details on the award and all of this year’s top finalists can be found at www.halsteadbead.com/grant. Past winners include Ananda Khalsa Jewelry and Belle Brooke Designs.

Halstead Bead, Inc. is one of North America’s leading jewelry supply wholesalers. The firm was established in 1973 and supplies professional jewelry designers and manufacturers around the globe. Halstead Bead, Inc. is wholesale only and sells jewelry components such as findings, chain, wire and beads in sterling silver, gold filled, and more.

Her is a model wearing one of their amazing necklaces!

August 8, 2008
by Tammy
0 comments

Crafty Bloggers Unite 08/08/08


Another week has flown by, and we are already smack-dab into the next month. I have a short break between school semesters, though I’m already working on class stuff for the fall. I have been scheduled to attend so many meetings and non-teacherly stuff, that I figured I better get my real work done before I go back to work or I’ll be running around like a crazy woman the day before school begins. I don’t do the last minute thing well. I just fret too much, so I’m much more comfortable hammering at it early rather than late.

Though this means crafting play time is on hold for me, yet again, I realized today that I am crafting a curriculum, and it really has a lot of similarities to designing a jewelry project: You have to determine what your audience may or may not know and normally assume they know little or nothing about the topic; You must put together instructions, preferably combining visual as well as textual elements; You need to think ahead of possible bugs in your great process and address those early on; You must be able to break steps and ideas down into small chunks so they are more approachable to the novice.

While I don’t always feel like I’m in the crafty groove, just because I am not working with a pair of pliers in my hands, doesn’t mean I’m not crafting something. It just may not be a “something” I can wear to work the next day!

Okay, enough about me, me, me. Here are what some of my craft blog buds are up to.
About Family Crafts
There comes a time every summer when our thoughts must turn to going back to school… You can make it fun!

About.com Cross Stitch
Get your creative juices flowing with these ideas for Cross Stitch Projects.

Aileen’s Musings
Come take a peek at MMCA Marketplace’s Grand Opening! Peruse the talented artists’ shops to see some fresh, new and exciting works of art! You will find jewelry, collage, purses, hand turned bowls, prints, fabric collages, assemblage and more. Also find out more details and enter Aileen’s 2fer Blog Giveaway!

Art Bead Scene
Have you got something to say? Enter the Art Bead Scene’s monthly creativity challenge to win some awesome prizes!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The paper and fabric are flying this week with origami napkin rings, T-shirt jewelry, inchies set in hot wax, free envelope and Japanese paper downloads and even a recipe thrown in for good taste!

Crafty Princess Diaries
That little voice inside of you has something important to say. Listen to it no matter if it has to do with crafts or your life in general.

Layers Upon Layers
Would you like to stretch your collage muscles to include more abstracts?

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Sweater Surgery Flower with a little Help from Sherri Haab’s New Book- Felt, Fabric, and Fiber Jewelry

The Impatient Blogger
The Impatient Crafter Presents: Summer CHA Fabulous Crafty Rockstars! Join Margot as she schmoozes with some of the craft industries biggest celebs in this fun YouTube video!

August 7, 2008
by Tammy
2 Comments

For Your Creative Juices

No, this is not a craft video, but it so so creative and wonderful that I think anyone who is the artsy-fartsy type (and if you are reading this blog then that means you) will love it.

My DH and I were lucky enough to see Pilobolus live about 18 years ago when we were living in Orlando. He had received tickets to some kind of architect awards event, and this dance company was part of the wing-ding somehow.

As it happens, I had also seen them perform on PBS before this, and I was taking a lot of dance classes at the college, even though I was an English major. One of the classes I took was called Choreography and Performance, and students were required to choreograph and stage a dance number and then audition for a show the school was producing. For my number, I lifted the idea I saw where a Pilobolus dancer was dancing under a huge piece of tulle. She was wearing nude colored tights and leotard, so with the lighting, it made her look nude, though of course, you didn’t see anything specific! I did something similar where there were two of us dancing under our own pieces of tulle (amazingly the theater department had a ton of the stuff in storage for whatever reason). I tried the nudie thing, but the teacher and costume guy had issues with that (party poopers!) So we ended up wearing nude colored unitards that had dark swirls cover certain critical parts of the body. Still, it turned out pretty cool, and yes, we made the auditions.

I can’t tell you how much I find myself missing the old dance days when I see something like this, but at least I have other creative outlet in my life. If you are ever in need of a little creative juice jump start, this video is a perfect remedy.