May 10, 2011 | DIY
(Pamela Love ring img source)
I fell in love with this tough but earthy Arrowhead Ring from Pamela Love (link is to the matte pink version) awhile ago. Sporting a hand-carved arrowhead set in a thick silver bezel, this ring also has a line of silver flattened discs at the base creating a Southwestern-feel setting – which looks great with all the sheer pieces, bleached denim, and leather we’re seeing for Spring. It’s taken me awhile, but I’ve finally figured out a way to recreate something similar to this lovely piece (less the $528 pricetag!). Definitely not for the faint of heart, this 3-stage tutorial will take you some time, but the results are amazing. It uses Apoxie Sculpt**, a new non-toxic, moldable crafting substance I’ve discovered recently, to emulate the black resin setting. So, for around $40 total, here we go….. (more…)
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May 4, 2011 | DIY
Since it’s Rings Week here at Chic Steals, I wanted to share with you a quick n easy way to add a bit of pizazz to a store-bought 2-finger ring (with a flat top) and some scrapbooking embellishments. It’s DIY in 5 – minutes, that is. The easiest, quickest ways to take a piece from blah to fab and update it to current trends.
Lucky Magazine posted a photo of this gorgeous Zoe Chicco knuckle ring waaaaay back in 2008? or so, and I kept the clipping on my inspiration board. As usual, they were way ahead of the trend, since it’s only been since 2009/2010 that we’ve been seeing 2- and 3-fingered rings adorning the fingers of fashionable girls the world over. At $495, I found this beautiful ring beyond my budget back in 2008, and it’s sadly unavailable now besides. [BTW if you’re wanting this style but don’t want to DIY, Soixante Neuf sells a veeeery similar bejeweled ring so if you feel like spending $216 then the same style can be yours!] You can also probably find this double-finger ring covered in jewels from some lower-priced trendy retailer like Forever 21 or elsewhere if you look hard enough. But of course, I wanted to make my own – similar to the original!
It wasn’t until recently (around the holidays last year) that Jolee’s Jewels dimensional scrapbooking stickers came out with a new line of colored stick-on jewels in their settings…something that’s pretty hard to source for jewelry or embellishment projects, sticky-back or no. (Ever found set acrylic jewels (i.e., jewels in a silver or gold pronged or rim setting) in Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s? No? I found a small selection in M&J Trimming last time I was there, but it was very limited, and though yes, the BeDazzler
will “set” gemstones onto fabric, the settings are really cheap-looking and the gemstones have to be super-small to fit into the Bedazzler nozzles. So anyway, large set gemstones as embellishments have been near-impossible to find – until NOW!)
You Need:
*Jolee’s Jewels “All that Bling” Vintage Gems dimensional stickers (I used gems from the Royal and Light Blue and the Baby Blue and Silver packs); or other set jewels
*flat-top 2-finger connector ring (the one in the photo above is the Hearts Two Finger Ring from Payless)
*jewelry glue/glue for metals (my fave is GS Hypo Cement)
How-To:
1. If using the scrapbooking stickers, you may want to pull the sticky back off first and figure out how you want to place your jewels. I found it was easy to position my jewels on the ring top while they were sticky – but super-difficult to pull them off one by one and add the glue. Your choice!
2. Once you’ve decided on the placement, just spread some glue onto your ring base, and position the jewels on top. Allow to dry for 24+ hours before wearing.
And that’s…amazingly…it!
Here are some picks for base rings if you’re looking to buy online…though you could probably find good bases at Claire’s (which is where the ring I actually used is from), Forever 21, or other retail brick-and-mortar stores that cater to the young and trendy crowd. Here are some more picks from online:
Or alternatively, you could glue the jewels onto a piece of metal (like an old piece of jewelry; a sheet of embossing metal; or a metal jewelry blank from Michael’s newly-added hammering and embossing section)…and then glue TWO separate flat-pad ring shanks onto the back of the embellished metal, right next to each other, to create the two-fingered ring.
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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May 2, 2011 | DIY, Media
Arbitrarily I have decided to make this week all about rings here on my site. One-fingered, two-fingered, sterling, precious metal, gemstones, faux, real, what-have-you – it’s all about finger-adornment!
If you have any questions about rings: how to organize them, how to clean them, and (best of all, IMHO) how to make them…either leave your questions in the comments or shoot them to me via the Formspring.me Ask me anything box in my right sidebar. —–> I’ll be getting to them all week long, so send them my way!
So first things first, here are some books to learn from and be inspired by:
1000 Rings: Inspiring Adornments for the Hand
I love this book! This is the perfect coffee table/inspiration book for anyone who loves rings.
30-Minute Rings: 60 Quick & Creative Projects for Jewelers
This is another one of my faves: beautiful photography and inspiring projects featuring a variety of techniques.
Make Your Own Rings: Easy ring projects to do at home
Another technique and tutorial book; this one also includes tutorials for rings made of Precious Metal Clay (PMC; similar to Art Clay Silver), which is a material people familiar with PolyClay can learn to use quite easily.
The Rings Book (Jewellery Handbooks)
Jinks McGrath, a well-known name in metalsmithing, has written this book which details ring-making for bench jewelers. Though this is certainly not for the hobbyist or beginner, the principles and techniques covered in this book are for fine jewelry and will familiarize anyone with how to properly create a durable piece of jewelry and work of art.
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
Sorry, but we’re talking long-haired elves in tights. I figured a list about rings would not be complete without the One Ring, hmmmm? (Plus, the extended editions add almost an hour of cut footage to the movies -hence, more elves in tights. All the more reason!;-P)
And to get further in the mood, here are a two DIY Ring Tutorials I’ve shared here on the blog:
Spiked Crystal Ring
DIY Rhinestone Panja
Only…TWO??!!
Well, I’ll just have to remedy that!
xoxox
Carly
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Feb 17, 2011 | DIY
Yesterday I coveted it, so today I’m going to show you how to make it. It’s DIY in 5 – minutes, that is. The easiest, quickest ways to take a piece from blah to fab and update it to current trends.
From left to right: Giambattista Valli, Alexis Bittar, Giorgio Armani, VPL Victoria Bartlett.
photo credits: Style.com, Wireimage.com; photo array by me.
With the coming of Spring, jewelry tends to go lighter, translucent, and more plastic-y…and the bib necklace is no exception. But finding just the right clear acrylic piece for a necklace is pretty tough; jewelry supply stores usually don’t sell large bib-style acrylic pieces, for one thing. You could always design it yourself and have it cut by Ponoko.com – but there’s a steep learning curve for the design software, usually multiple prototypes are necessary before you reach your final design, the service is pretty expensive for just once, and hiring out lasercutting seems a bit over-the-top for just a single piece for yourself. No, fast, cheap, and easy is the name of the game, so when I spied a set of acrylic purse handles at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store, I figured one would be perfect for a necklace.
Project Difficulty:
(Easy/Beginner)
You Need:
*1 acrylic purse-handle
*2 silvertone rectangle rings or D-rings (also found in purse-making section)
*1/2″ wide satin ribbon
*2 silvertone scrapbooking brads (not pictured)
And…
*pliers (optional: wirecutting pliers)
*scissors
*awl
*lighter/flame
How-To:
I love how it looks like the purse handle is smiling at you. Happy Handle!:-D
1. Use the pliers to remove the top rings from the handle – usually I find these rings, being sized for purses, are too big and bulky in relation to the size of the handle to use as-is for a necklace. (It literally looks like you’ve slung a purse handle around your neck…something I don’t want to be too obvious in the finished piece.)
2. Attach the rectangles or D-rings that you got separately to the ends of the handle with the pliers – twisting apart and then re-closing like a jump ring with 2 sets of pliers. (If you couldn’t find any rings or don’t like that look, you can always skip this step and just thread the ribbon ends through the holes in the ends of the handle instead.)
3. Cut two long pieces of ribbon and thread each through the rectangles/D-rings. (Make sure each ribbon piece when doubled-over, is still long enough to tie behind your neck.)
Cut the ends at an angle and heat-seal them with a lighter or open flame.
4. Use an awl or the scissors to poke a hole through the ribbon center near the rectangle/D-rings. Attach a scrapbooking brad through the hole and fold over the brad legs. (You can also trim them if they stick out beyond the width of the ribbon by using wirecutting pliers.)
The doubled ribbon ends you then tie behind your neck in a knot or a bow depending on your preference.
Wear paired with brighter-than-bright colors for a Spring 2011 feel, or over bare skin for a more upscale vibe.
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Jan 6, 2011 | DIY
Yesterday I mentioned it as a more realistic alternative project to the New York Times‘ labor-intensive 3-hour DIY (!), so today I’m going to show you how to make it. It’s DIY in 5 – minutes, that is. The easiest, quickest ways to take a piece from blah to fab and update it to current trends.
Wherever I go I’m always on the lookout for clothing, accessory, or jewelry components that can be used in quick ‘n’ simple DIYs. That’s why
these silver cuffs I spotted in the jewelry-making section at Jo-Ann Fabrics, from the brand-new
Dazzling Geodes line of findings (from Plaid Enterprises) caught my eye. (Technically they’re supposed to be used as a base for adding geode slices and embellishments.) And incidentally, like most of the fashion- and culinary-obsessed, I am a frequent visitor to Luxirare.com. and the Dazzling Geodes cuffs reminded me a lot of
the arm-cuffs she sells in her web-store.
A Luxirare Cuff.
$95 for one of these cuffs is pretty reasonable considering she designed these and has these custom-cast with embossed LUXIRARE logo, and they look pretty hefty and durable…but if you’re in the market for something similar you can use 2 of these affordable findings to make your own version.
You Need:
*2 silver cuffs from the Dazzling Geodes line (available at Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts stores)
*silver-colored dead-soft jewelry wire
*wire cutters/pliers
How-To:
1. Cut 2 short pieces of wire.
If your wire is kinked at all, close the pliers on it and drag in order to straighten it.
2. Line the cuffs up side-by-side and wrap a wire piece around the outer edges where the two cuffs meet.
3. Weave the wire around the edges (I made a “V” shape as I wrapped), trim the ends down, and use the pliers to push the sharp ends back out towards the outside of the cuff so they won’t scratch you.
3. Cut a longer piece of wire and secure the center of where the cuffs meet. Twist the ends around each other on the inside, pull ends towards the outside and trim appropriately.
You’re done! And it may have taken you all of 10 minutes.;-)
Wear with minimalist clothing, sharp contrasts, and architectural details…and stay cool, calm, and cagey with this on your wrist.
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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