Playing With Paper Doll- My Avatar

Posted on Mar 5, 2010 in Other Crafts & Crafty People | 2 comments

I bought this book Journal Spilling by Diana Trout at Amazon.com after Hanna reviewed her book on her blog, and I’m not sorry I did.  I was was afraid to try my hand at “messing around” with my journal but this book helped me overcome my fear and I hope you will be encouraged to also try this form of art.  I’m not very good at drawing but I practiced and practiced and somehow was able to draw my “avatar’s” face that resembles me -ON A GOOD DAY!

On page 42 of Diana’s book is how to Make a Self Portrait:

Here’s how I came up with my self portrait.  I really would rather call it my avatar since this is how I would like to be perceived.  Kind of putting your best “face” forward.  On a good day this is how I hope to look like.  I cut out my top and skirt from my favorite catalog (I don’t go to the mall anymore, I do all my shopping online), and drew a face of me (kind of).

This is how envisioned myself: nice hair, make-up on, manicured hands, skinny jeans, high heels and a bag which I crocheted myself on a good day when I got all my ducks in a row, did I say that right?  ‘Sorry, English is my second language.  I will not be complete without my paper bead necklace.

Here I am on my nicely painted journal from an earlier post.

I still don’t have the heart to just throw paints and scribble on my journal (Sorry, Hanna) but I am just getting my feet wet.

Let me tell you this, it was so much fun, I was a kid again, transported to the time when I played with my paper dolls.  Would anybody want to try this with me?  We can schedule a play date, meet here with all your cut out tops and bottoms for your paper dolls and play, just leave me a comment here or email me.

I hope I have inspired you to try something new today  and fearlessly crafting.

New Creation for Etsy Shop

Posted on Mar 5, 2010 in Paper Bead Creations | 3 comments

I would like to share with you here, jewelry that we did before posting them on our etsy shop.  I hope this inspires you to try your hand at making jewelry with paper beads.  This big and beautiful flower was made using our small round paper beads and fashioned into a flower using craft wire.

Here it is on the neck

The flower is attached to a black or rhodium plated chain.

This necklace made with fire agate and white toned paper beads was posted on etsy but I have not shown it worn on the neck, so here it is.  This is a substantial neck piece even if it is made with paper beads because of the fire agate.

I hope we have inspired you today.

Evil Eyes Paper Bead Bracelet

Posted on Mar 4, 2010 in How-To's / Tutorials | Comments Off on Evil Eyes Paper Bead Bracelet

Paper bead jewelry is truly versatile in the sense that you can mix it with so many things and make that piece unique.  We had fun the other day, going to our local Ross store and chose some inexpensive jewelry that we can take apart and mix it with our paper beads.  This particular one, is made with our larger round paper beads and “evil eye beads.”

Here is Kayla with a video tutorial

Tip:  You have to end and tie your elastic with a larger hole bead, in this case a paper bead, this way you can hide your elastic knot inside that bead.

I’m so happy to see some happy blooms….

You still have some colorful left over eye beads and crystals for your next project.

Petite Paper Bead Flower

Posted on Mar 3, 2010 in How-To's / Tutorials | 17 comments

It’s time for us to make flowers again,  our way of sweet-talking  spring then we know summer is not far behind.  This is a great way to use your tube shape paper beads, we have made this in the big paper  tube as well.  It is very simple to make and you can use it for a cell phone charm, scissor keeper or glue it into a ring finding for a ring.

We have a video tutorial for you, you can apply the same technique to bigger paper bead tubes as well, outcome would be a big flower.

Here it is as a ring

As a scissor keeper, my neighbor Sue came up with the idea!

Other ideas: earrings and hair pins

Paper Bead Quote Hangers

Posted on Mar 2, 2010 in Paper Bead Creations | 1 comment

Do you have a favorite quote that you read from time to time, one  that inspires and help pull you out from the bottom of whatever is holding you down?  Just like I collect old books  I love collecting quotes, because they are not only from people who has experienced them and been there, it gives you encouragement that somehow this too shall come to pass.  There are thousands of quotes out there from famous people, ordinary folks and movie lines.  Do you have a favorite movie line?  I thought it would be nice to display a favorite quote or movie line.  I would like to share with you what I did, it would be a new line on my etsy shop, Paper Bead Quote Hangers.  I wrote some memorable movie lines or popular inspirational quotes, embellish them paper bead dangles and fashion a hanger or handle from different shape paper beads.  I thought it is a nice thoughtful gift to someone.  Here’s a couple, that I made today.

This is from the movie Message In A Bottle:

I put the little bottle dangle which opens and you can put little keepsakes or even a tiny photograph.

I love how this one turned out, with the purple water color and glitter.

I attached an origami star that I made from an earlier post.