Carey Burns

It has been a long hiatus, but I'm back to blogging. Right now I have about six projects in process along with a very messy craft room! This piece came about in large part due to my hubby. He brought home a religious icon and said, "I thought you could use this." It sat for a while until I was looking through some metal items in my junk bin. Add caption The antique wooden box came from an auction and still has an old, hard-to-read tag on it. The ornate metal corners were from a beautiful photo album a friend had given me a few years back. I dry brushed some white, thalo green and burnt umber over the high spots of the metal to give the old brass even more character. Just an old box with small dolls in it... Old tag still in place! I love these corners so much I dry brushed the iron paint over the icon, but it hasn't rusted as well as I'd hoped. Will add another round of rusting agent tonight. Slightly rusted. Slightly unnerving? ...

I was looking through my findings, wondering what to make next when I saw a neglected zipper bag of sterling silver crimp tubes. These tubes looked fine on the outside, but when I'd try to crimp them shut, they would break along the fold in the metal. They've been in a sort of limbo where I didn't want to throw them away, but I could use them. Today, I found a use for them: as beads for a pendant! I've added links to where I've purchased items. My source for the small Swarovskis in Dark Red Coral seems to have dried up. Supplies: 3 sterling silver headpins (2 inches long) 1 sterling silver split jump ring (8 mm) 1 sterling silver filigree scalloped component 9 sterling silver crimp tubes (2 mm) 3 round Swarovski crystals in Dark Red Coral (4 mm) Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Flush cutters Instructions: 1.  Slide a Swarovski onto a headpin and follow it with three crimp tubes. Repeat for t...