Spring really never sprung but it is surely summer here in Jersey today. It is almost 80 degrees outside. I am wishing the pool was open! I have been busy getting started on the summer decor around the house so that once it is time to get outside for power washing and pool opening I will be ready. In the meantime the craft room has been buzzing as well. I have been making bracelets per requests. I have been totally enjoying it as I really feel I am creating a one of kind piece for someone. I am no kind of jewelry designer but I am one crafty good girl! When this whole bracelet thing started I wanted to figure out a way to make my charm bracelets my own, meaning I wanted the bracelets I was making to be different from what one might buy at a local craft fair. Starting off I know these bracelets are not high quality jewelry but the fun trendy jewelry we wear for a season or so. Back at Christmas when Rory and I started making the charm bracelets I made sure that the bracelet blanks we purchased were lead and nickel free. So important!!! I had settled on copper core bracelet that were plated in sterling silver. I liked the color much better than stainless steel. I have been wearing many of the bracelets that I made since the Christmas season. You can clearly see that the copper starts to show after about 2 months of wear. I am pretty hard on jewelry so another may get 3 months before seeing the silver plate start to wear. Funny thing is that I liked the bracelet just as much even after the copper started to show. Someone else might not feel that way so now when I sell a bracelet I show the person the one I am wearing and let them decide if they still want to buy the bracelet. The second thing I tried to do was to create a "signature" for the bracelets. Right from the beginning every bracelet had the following charms in addition to the "themed" charms. First the angel My thought is that we all need an angel close by. Second is the 2 silver teardrops. Water is the life force that goes back to everything. Every bracelet I have made so far I can theme back to water. I have made the following:
snowflake/snowman: snow comes from the raindrop
seashell/beach: the ocean water
runner bracelet: beads of sweat from the labor of the run
memorial bracelet: the tears at the loss of a loved one
gardening bracelet: the water needed to grow
generally speaking we can always have tears of joy, I see a new baby bracelet, wedding, etc.
I could go on and on . . . .
The third charm that is on every bracelet is a "made with love" tag that is shaped like an envelope. You can buy this charm anywhere. I like it because I want the person to know that I really did love making the bracelet.
The fourth item on each bracelet is a their initial hand stamped on a sterling silver metal tag. This is how they know I made it for them. I have enjoyed learning metal stamping. It is fun and noisy too!
The other thing I decided was the package needed to be specific to the bracelet. I either made a graphic or used themed cardstock for the box. It makes a huge difference when I bring the person the bracelet. Plus it keeps me using all my papercrafting supplies. I really have loved making all these bracelets and I find I am using charms for all kinds of things. I have added them to cards, made wine charms for glasses, added them to dress up candles. Simply put, I just love playing with them. Here are a few pics from this week:
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| Made 2 like runner bracelets - You go girls run like the wind! |
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| Made 4 like memorial bracelet -RIP Leon G. |
Lysa
