Create a stamped message bracelet!

click here to get the full instructions or purchase the kit!

Carnival Bracelet Kit & Tutorial

 Our new Carnival Bracelet Kit is now available.        Click Here to get yours today!
We also have the tutorial avaliable for only $0.99! Click Here to grab the tutorial!!

Try It Tuesday - how to make a silk-wrapped bangle

Join us on Tuesday, July 8th and you'll learn how to make a silk-wrapped bangle that you'll love to add to your wrist stack.

Shh, don't tell anyone but we may have some pretty printed fabrics, too!

See more info about our Try It Tuesdays here. 

Snow Day Crafting

We are closed at the shop today. Our entire town is blanketed in at least one inch of snow/ice. For us, here in NC, this means that we are frozen, literally. We'll thaw out later this week, but for today at least we are all staying home to do whatever we love to do on snowy days.  For my family, that meant getting up super early to go outside and watch our dogs skitter along the surface of the icy back yard. Children who need dragged out of bed on a 'regular' morning are happy to pop up, breakfasted and dressed and ready to go outside on a snow day. Now we are back in, warming up and moving on to crafts and games and books. Maybe a bit more of the first.  Below I've got three great projects you can probably make with beads and materials you have at home...

my three favorite projects to make on a snowed-in day-

Slide Knot Bracelet You can make this! Use some of your favorite beads and (if you have it) waxed linen. No linen? Try leather cording, Conso thread or even rayon gimp. This project is from one of my favorite designers, Erin Siegel, click here to see the instructions and more ideas from Erin.  Dangly Earrings These use jump rings and left-long head pins. You have those parts...mix it up with seed beads and some of your favorite larger beads. Watch a how-to video here.  Wire Wrapped Bangle This just requires beads and wire. 20 gauge, 18 gauge, whatever you have. Full instructions can be downloaded right here, and this looks best with a mix of beads.

Cynthia is on Beads, Baubles and Jewels. Watch it here!

Have you watched my most recent project on BB&J lately? It's up on the site, now...check it out by clicking the picture link.

Watch me on Beads, Baubles & Jewels!

The BB&J episodes I filmed with Katie Hacker last year are going to be up on BB&J today. Curl up with your laptop or tablet and watch me add Decopatch to mica, rivet accents, and even rivet 'unrivetable' things like ribbon!

The projects are the Illuminated Mica Earrings, where I add Decopatch paper to mica for a quick, lightweight earring project. The second half of the show is where I'll show you how to work with the mylar lacing I love. It's so shiny and sparkly and looks metal, not just metallic. I also show you an easy way to make a small tassel using our hand-dyed Shimmer Floss. I've been wearing tassels of this floss all summer and like the extra sparkle in the shimmer floss. The bracelet uses the mica tag idea again, plus a ribbon tab idea.

Click on any of the pictures to visit the Beads, Baubles & Jewels page on our website. All the parts are there, plus links to the tutorials. You can also watch my episode right there! 

Don't forget to check out the show Facebook page, and let them know if you like my episode! 

Autumn Nights Hemp Bracelet DIY

Cleaning out the closet...

We LOVE this bracelet featured on Makezine.com this week. The printer-cables are colorful and cheery, and we love the idea of putting those old printer parts to work, making you look good. See the full post on Makezine.com right here. 

Since we have a little broken-down technology hoarding problem in our house* we know there HAS to be a printer that isn't working in the closet. That closet is super-packed with items my husband knows he can get working again, or things he's saving for 'parts.' I think this bracelet qualifies as 'parts,' don't you?

This would be an  easy project to make. You just need:

end bars (find them HERE)

jump rings (find them HERE)

and a clasp (find them HERE)

oh, and you'll need a broken-down printer...but maybe you can find one in that closet?




*when I say 'we' have a technology-hoarding issue, I know you know that I mean that my fabulous hubby has a technology hoarding issue. I collect beads, craft supplies, vintage dishes and textiles. That's not hoarding...

Lenny and Eva Sale

We are closing out some of last season's Lenny and Eva items and you can benefit. These make really nice gifts for a Lenny and Eva collector, or you can just add them to your own bracelet stack. To purchase any of these you can call the shop or visit our Facebook page.

Road Trip Leather Bracelet with Tiny State Charms

 Our newest tutorial, the Road Trip Bracelet, is a perfect way to commemorate your summer travels. This leather-and-chain bracelet uses tiny state charms and a message disc you stamp yourself. Perhaps instead of
'Road Trip' you stamp the trip dates, or your destination coordinates? You could also make one with the states you've been to, and leave room for the ones you still have to visit. Click the picture to see more about our Road Trip Bracelet download. You'll learn how to create a loop-riveted cuff, stamp a nice clear message, and how to add a really easy (and really pretty!) patina to raw brass stamped items. You can order it today, for instant delivery, just $2.90.

Kit and Project - The Guitar and Bass Bangle

Create a leather tassel, easy-peasy, with this bangle bracelet project. 

This free tutorial is inspired by our new e-book, Punk Chic Jewelry, written by Erin Siegel. Check out the link in the sidebar for a peek inside the book. Click the picture to download a free copy of the tutorial, or purchase a kit.

Waxed Linen Blog Hop Project - The Tordu Linen Bracelet

I was so excited to join in the Waxed Linen Blog Hop. I'm addicted to using linen in my designs. It just adds the right pop of color and I'm always amazed how it works with so many other types of materials. This bracelet is made with our #20 ball chain. That's big. The teeny strands of linen seem too fine to stand up to the chain, until they are wrapped and twisted around. Suddenly, they are colorful and substantial. 

This project also includes directions for making a little linen tassel. I LOVE tassels...and I love making little ones, too. I can use just about anything to make a tassel on-I've used a ruler, a scrap of cardboard, even my phone! In this case, I used a handy Sharpie marker. 

One note about this bracelet-the wrapping can make the chain a little stiff at first. After wearing it for an hour, the stiffness goes away.

I hope you enjoy my project tutorial-the full instructions, including a printable how-to, can be found here. If you are a pinner (I am!) there's a pinnable image at the bottom of this post, just for you!

I'm going to be giving away a kit to make one of my bracelets - in the color shown above - to one winner randomly selected from the commenters on this blog post. Yes, I'll ship it to you anywhere in the world! And that REALLY BIG ball chain I used in the project is 40% off this weekend only...check it out right here. 

UPDATE: Susan won the kit! We use Random.org to pick the winner. We count the number of commentators, discarding any anonymous commentators (as they can't win!) We then plug the numbers into their random number generator. Susan's number popped up! Thanks for playing. 

The other hoppers are listed below. Please visit them and check out their projects. I'm going to be doing that all weekend. 

Diana Ptaszynski (our Waxed Linen Blog Hop leader)
Kelsy Vincent
Susan Kennedy
Linda Landig
KashmiraPatel
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Vanessa Gilkes
Sandy Huntress
Kay Thomerson
Sarajo Wentling
Kari Asbury
Rebecca Anderson
Melissa Trudinger
Ann Schroeder
Shai Williams
Blanca Medina
Cheryl Brown
Johana Nunez Rivera
Lori Bowring Michaud
Kelly Morgan
Barbara Bechtel
Kristen Stevens
Heather Boardman
Janet Bocciardi
Kathy Lindemer
Lesley Watt
Susan Kolovson
Jayne Caps
Sharyl McMillan-Nelson
Michelle McCarthy
Karla Morgan
Erin Siegel
Becky Pancake
Kelly Hosford Patterson
Inge von Roos
Carolyn Lawson
Linda Younkman
Sandi Volpe
Toltec Jewels
Michelle Mach
Jen Cameron
Dorothy Winchell
Darlene Mansue

(and these ARE all links, I have no idea why some are underlined, some are brown, some are purple...Blogger is being finicky this week...just click 'em, they work!)

Create Stackable Stretchy Message Bracelets

Romantica Braided Silk Wrap Bracelet How-To

This new project uses silk dupioni ribbon and some very romantic charms. The locket is dramatic and makes this a better-than-everyday wrap bracelet. 

Check it out here.

Join us for First Friday!

Join us tomorrow night for a FREE First Friday project from 6-8 pm. You can make a Leather Braid Bracelet at our work table for free, grab some Chick-n-que for dinner outside and then you can hop on the R-Line and hit all the other First Friday spots.

Can't make it Friday night? this project is just $5 all weekend at our work table.
Watch the Vine video below to see how we did it!




Follow us on twitter and vine so you don't miss a video!

Dessie Cuff Project and the Ball Chain Contest

We are in love with the #20 big ball chain here at the O. It's so dramatic and hefty. We can't stop using it for just about everything.

The Dessie Cuff, above, uses a length of the chain, lashed to a cuff bracelet with leather. We've also put large-hole beads on it, braided it, tied it, painted it. I'm thinking about Decopatching some.

We also have a contest for you. We want to see what you make with our #20 ball chain, and we are going to offer a $50 gift certificate to the winner. Visit the contest page here to find out the details. 

If you want to see how to make the Dessie Cuff, visit our Tutorial page for full instructions.

Knotted Bead Bracelet DIY - The Silver Branches Bracelet

This project from Erin Siegel is so wintery-perfect. Icy silver beads float on waxed linen cording and that branch toggle just completes the forest flavor. This is a perfect addition to your stack!

Click on the above image to download the tutorial right now.

A new Tutorial - Rolo Chain Bracelet

click to see this new tutorial, and to download it for free, or just watch the video

New Tutorial - Wooly Wrapped Bangles

Click the picture for a free how-to PDF.

And here's a video how-to:

New Tutorial and a New Designer - The Knotted Friendship Bracelet

This Knotted Friendshop Bracelet Tutorial was created just for Ornamentea by Erin Siegel. Erin is one of the authors of a favorite book here, and we love her easy-to-wear designs. She is going to be doing projects for us every month and we can't wait to see what she cooks up.

It's funny, I have designed about 90% of our projects for, well, for-EVER. When I decided to find some designers to add to the styles represented here I immediately thought of Erin's work. Her designs are so on-trend and yet still so approachable. I look at them and think 'I'd wear that' and 'I'd wear that, too!' She was super excited to create for us and I was just as excited. It was kinda like two 12-year-olds finding out they had the same gym class. I almost cried when I saw the first project. Friendship bracelets, so perfect for the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Anyhow, you should visit Erin's blog and see what she's up to. You can also shop for her designs on her etsy shop. Yes, this bracelet is available to purchase, which is good if you are too busy braiding your hair for gym class to make one.