Carey Burns

Work on the Creepy Charlottes continues! I ended up adding more rusting solution to the Salvaged Dolls and really like the colorations now. I found some nice brass-toned chains for the necklaces and trimmed them down to size and needed to figure out what kind of dangle I wanted from the bottoms of the pendants. I had beads on-hand, but they didn't look right so I went on a shopping trip. I ended up finding some gorgeous Swarovski teardrops and some cool brass-toned skull and crossbones charms. I bought them both so I could decide which looked best. After hemming and hawing, I decided the Swarovskis went better with that chunky black glitter. What do you think? Now that the Charlottes are as rusted as I want, I'm going to add some highlights and a wash of color. With luck, they'll be done by the weekend!

I've made a bit of progress with my Creepy Charlottes necklaces! I've added paper and glitter to another bezel and even found the perfect paper for a round bezel - featuring Edgar Allan Poe! Both papers are from Tim Holtz. Perfection in a pendant? Perhaps. While the glue was drying, I decided to rust all three of the Tim Holtz Salvaged Dolls so I painted on a layer of the iron paint from Modern Options Sophisticated Finishes . The iron paint hides their features a bit but just wait! Once they were dry, I coated them in a generous layer of the rusting agent and let them soak in a pool of it on both sides for the entire day. Rusting away the day... After the glue dried under the glitter, I added some T im Holtz Heirloom Roses to the Poe pendant. I had used Adirondack Alcohol Ink to dye them a bloody red for previous projects and had just enough left over for this one. The roses are a shout-out to the Poe Toaster. Once the Creepy Charlottes have th...

Monday's roll around too quickly! Over the weekend I got a lot of cool crafting done and I can't wait to share the results in WIP Wednesday, but first, we have to get through Maker's Monday. This week I have another easy peasy necklace idea for anyone else getting in the Halloween spirit. I myself have decided to go with the Halloween spirit full-force and have started decorating my living room. Life is too short, right? So let's make a Creepy Key Necklace! Supplies: 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Word Key 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments Oddities Bat (sadly, these are now retired) 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ball Chain (nickel finish) 1Tim Holtz Idea-ology Jump Ring (nickel finish) Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Instructions: 1.  Open your jump ring by clasping it in the pliers with one hand and holding it firmly between your thumb and index finger of your other hand (or another pair of pliers). Gently twist the plie...

My last post mentioned necklaces for WIP Wednesday and here they are: Creepy Charlottes! I know technically these aren't Frozen Charlotte figurines, they are Tim Holtz Idea-ology Salvaged Dolls and they're available at many craft stores as well as online. Creepy Charlottes coming soon! I didn't think to take photos of each step until after I had my papers trimmed and glued in place, but the idea started with a bezel, a coveted Susan Lenart Kazmer Spellbinders Media Mixage hobnail bezel, to be precise. I had bought up a good supply of these bezels because as far as I know, they aren't being made anymore. You can still find them online. Happy hunting! Months ago, I had thought of making some necklaces out of hemp string tied noose-fashion around a doll so I snagged a package of Salvaged Dolls. They've been on my desk, waiting for that motivation and me learning to tie a noose. (seems I should know how to tie one, doesn't it?) Thanks to insomnia, I had ...

I'm trying to get back into the blogging groove and decided to start out with a Maker's Monday. Over the weekend, I had a serious case of Halloween Fever and ended up making a few easy to assemble necklaces. I also started two necklaces that will be featured in this week's WIP Wednesday. Let's get to it! Supplies: 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Typed Token Halloween 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Philosophy Tag 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ball Chain 2 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Jump Rings (any color, one large, one small) 1 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Swivel Clasp I like to mix metals in projects Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Instructions: 1.  Open your large jump ring by clasping it in the pliers with one hand and holding it firmly between your thumb and index finger of your other hand (or another pair of pliers). Gently twist the pliers away from you and the jump ring should open. Slide it onto the hole of the large Philosophy T...

Today's Maker's Monday post is probably one of the easiest thus far. I've been in my head for almost a week and kinda forgot about posting today. Oops! So, at 9 p.m. last night I was racking my brain for a quick and easy project. I present to you: Creepy Cameo. You've probably guessed I'm already in Halloween mode at my house. I actually went to one of my favorite stores and bought three huge orange and black crepe pinwheels and a few reproduced vintage decorations and put them up. This cameo is sure to keep me in the spirit and goes well with the orange shirt I'm wearing.  Supplies: 1 Tim Holtz Crypt Cameo 1 Tim Holtz Jump Ring in Nickel Satin Cord (cut to your desired necklace length) Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Scissors Instructions: 1. Cut the satin cord to your desired necklace length. I've been wearing longer necklaces lately so I opted for about 29 inches. 2.  Open your j...

Some might say I'm becoming obsessed with the Vintaj line. All of their findings and charms just work so well together, I just can't help myself! This week is no exception. I present to you, a charming Butterfly Necklace. Supplies: 1 Leaf Sprig charm 1 Fluttering Wings Butterfly charm 2 Squared Bead Caps (7 mm) 1 large brass hoop (Confession: this is Vintaj but I don't know where I bought it!) 1 brass-toned headpin 1 round Swarovski in Peridot (8 mm) 1 length of brass-toned chain (28 inches long) 3 brass-toned jump rings (7.25 mm, 16 gauge)  1 brass-toned lobster clasp 2 small brass-toned jump rings   Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Flush cutters Instructions: 1.  Open one of the larger jump rings by clasping it in the pliers with one hand and holding it firmly between your thumb and index finger of your other hand (or another pair of pliers). Gently twist the pliers away from you and the jump ring sh...

 Another Maker's Monday, another pair of earrings! I'm using gold-filled findings this time and some lovely Swarovski rondelle crystals in Denim Blue. Variations on this basic jewelry project are endless! I linked to where I purchased my supplies but you can buy them elsewhere.  A dainty pair of earrings A note about gold findings: When I first started making jewelry, I didn't want to use gold because it was expensive and the findings I could get locally were gold-plated and just looked cheap. Gold-filled findings have more gold in them as compared to gold-plated so they should wear longer, be less prone to tarnishing, and the gold won't "flake off." A brief explanation can be found in this Artbeads.com article.  Supplies: 2 gold-filled headpins (2 inches long) 2 8x6 mm Swarovski rondelle crystals in Denim Blue 4 gold-filled saucer beads 2 gold-filled ear wires Add caption Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on y...