What's a charm swap all about? Ask Re-Maker!

are you joining our Sweet 16 Birthday Charm Swap?

I hope so! This post might inspire you, it's from Re-Maker, an Etsy shop we love and one of the 2012 swap participants. I love her writing, her photos and her take on our swap! 

check out the blog post here and check her out, too!

Join us for a Birthday Charm Swap!

Do you love making charms?

So do we!

To celebrate our 16th birthday, we are having a charm exchange that you can be part of. You'll be able to make and share charms with artists from around the world and you'll receive a set of beautiful charms in return. As you join the swap, you may want to also join the We Love Ornamentea facebook group to watch as swappers post pics and updates about their projects. We'll also make Celebrity Swapper announcements there first.

The theme for this exchange is Birthdays and Sweet 16 and you are invited to interpret that theme in your charm and your packaging in any way you wish. We have no strong restrictions on colors or materials for this swap, BUT please make your charms smaller than 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches. Any bigger, and this would be a pendant swap!

the details!

• Charms due September 21st, 2015, by 7:00 p.m. Please submit 6 charms, no larger than 1.5x1.5 inches. Please make your charms wearable, meaning they can't be made of something that decomposes or decays (sorry, no teeny, real cupcakes! but sculpted cupcakes would be fab!)
• Please wrap or bag your charms individually with your name and (if you wish) contact information. We recommend including your contact information: it can be fun to see what people do with the charms you make! The wrapping is part of the fun with charms, so feel free to continue your theme to the packaging.
• Please fill out the submission form completely and include it when submitting your charms.The submission form will be available here on the blog, and at the shop, starting on September 1st.
• If you will not be able to attend the Pick-Up Party on Saturday, September 26th at 1:00 pm, please indicate whether you want your charms held for later pick up or mailed to you. the Pick Up Party will coincide with both Keith O'Connor's trunk show AND our Cup-Cake Pot-Luck. 
• ALL AGES are invited to participate! In the past we've had MANY young charm makers and we swap child-made charms with other child-made charms. 

Ornamentea Attn: Charm Swap
509 N. West Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

• Please click here to purchase shipping in order to receive your charms by mail after the swap. Shipped charms will be mailed out on September 28th and 29th via USPS Priority Mail. The shipping fee covers US shipping only; if you are an international swapper, please contact Galen at the shop to discuss how we can best get your charms back to you! 

The submission form is available RIGHT HERE. You can print it out at home, or stop in and we can give you a copy to fill out. 

Still confused? Check out these blog posts about past swaps and exchanges. You will be inspired! 

Put a word on it...stamping things

This stamped spoon idea was spotted recently on the Free People blog...I like the idea of stamping a tiny message on an implement. How about 'we're expecting' or 'will you marry me' or even 'I got the job.'

At some houses it might be a good idea to write 'chew with your mouth closed' or 'use your napkin.'

What about 'do you really need to have a second cup of coffee?'

If you want to make stamped ANYTHING, including some charms for our charm swap, check out this video of stamping tips. Those gals from Free People could have used the tips, they stamped their spoons on the sidewalk outside their building! I bet the backs of the spoons and the charms were just a bit wonky, don't you?

Stamping a curved item like a spoon IS tough. I suggest you work up from a flat disc or cab setting to make sure you have the hang of it. Also, you can tape your charm or disc down to the bench block (not the sidewalk!) to keep it steady.

For stamping supplies, including some really neat stamps, check out our tools page.

If you really DO want to stamp on spoons, try Sarah Tector's Family Heirlooms class on March 12th.

Charm Swap Inspiration

I'm so excited about our upcoming charm swap that I might just make TWO sets of charms...I just can't decide!

I've also been doing a lot of browsing, looking at other swaps around the world. Oh...there are some GOOD ones!

These charms are by Lynette Andreasen, a metalsmith and teacher who lives in Mesa, Arizona. She sells her work here and you should check it out...I love these textured coppery charms with the tied-on beads. Very nice. Check out the blog post that shows bracelets made with swapped charms. There are two different takes, both are very wearable and compelling.

Mis-matched earring swap!

Elaine Ray, magical bead maker, participated in a Mis-matched Earring Swap organized by Diana of Suburban Girl Studios. This swap sounded pretty exciting to me, but this time of year I can't take on any more 'extra-curricular' activities. I abstained.

I was actually pretty surprised that Elaine DID the swap. Read her blog post to find out why I was so surprised. 

Kudos to Diana for organizing the swap. I know, first hand, how MUCH work goes into planning and executing a swap. It can seem kinda thankless when you are the organizer, up to your eyeballs in charms or earrings or bead mixes. It can seem overwhelming. Diana did a fab job on this swap, however. I especially love the theme. Mis-matched earrings are super-trendy right now (yes, again!) as you can see right here on this website among others. We have super-hip 20 year olds making them at our work table every week.

What do you think about mis-matched earrrings? Are they for you? Is this a trend you'll wear or ignore?

Charming Inspiration - Makin' Charms

 

I've been working on my swap charms. They are tiny baskets. The ones for the swap are sort of like that top one-with linen and silver wire. The bird-cagey one below it is an attempt to make a, well, a bird cage. It ended up turning into a regular basket. My swap baskets are a bit more colorful that the ones shown here-I'm adding linen so I have quite the rainbow to work with. 

See more Charming Inspiration here.

Are your charms done? 

And here's a basket tutorial for you:

click the picture to see the wire basket how-to

Free Images - The Vintage Workshop

I love this image of a little girl with her sled that I found at The Vintage Workshop. Amy has so many incredible images that could be used in charm swaps or artwork...

visit the Vintage Workshop by clicking here.

join our Lucky Charm Swap by clicking here.

(and I'm hoping we have a teeny bit of snow here in North Carolina today! my fingers are crossed!)

Charming Inspiration - Celebrity Swapper!

Diana from Suburban Girl Studios is joining our swap...I love her porcelain beads and charms.

These packages are going to be SO exciting to open!

You can visit Diane's etsy site here...she sells finished jewelry using her beads and charms.
You can get more swap information or pay for your swap shipping here.

Charming Inspiration - Lucky Charm Swap

Our charm swap due date is coming up fast. Because you have an extra day this year (it's a Leap Year, so there is an extra day in February, get it?) I know you are really working on an amazing swap. You probably don't even need any inspiration, do you?

Well, just in case:

Amber Dawn's amazing blog with the sweetest, teeniest charms (and she just might be joining our swap!)

Just Simply Charming a blog by the authors of A Charming Exchange (great book!) with 1,000s of ideas

the Art Charms Yahoo Group where you can see and post a 1,000,000 pictures of charms

the Salvage Studio blog with loads of great, found-object charm ideas (and I love, love, love that fork charm hanger necklace idea!)

The Graphics Fairy with amazing, copyright-free images for you to use on your artwork...

Now, some of these blogs and sites were set up for specific swaps or books or events, meaning that the most recent post may be a bit old. Don't let that deter you. There are still lots of great ideas on these sites...click away!

Charm Swap Ideas

If you are thinking about participating in our Lucky Charm Swap you are probably already working on your charms procrastinating until the last minute. That's what I often do. I can't help it.

I spend a lot of time deciding on just the right thing to make.

And then I change my mind. This year, however, I decided right away.

The charm swap rules are here and it's pretty easy to participate, even if you don't live in our area. You can download the registration form and, if you'll need it, pay for the shipping package. Make sure your charms arrive here by February 29th and you can pick them up on March 2nd or we'll ship them to you. I'm really looking forward to the swap this year as there are several 'celebrity swappers' who are participating. You never know who's charms you'll get in the swap, so it's a always fun to open up your package!

This year, I've already started on my teeny-weeny woven wire baskets. I have 3 1/2 done, which is pretty good. If you need inspiration, you can check out Amber Dawn's site, Inventive Soul, for tons of charming inspiration. You can also get some information about International Charm Day, April 28th.

You can read here about how I participate each year.

Lucky Charm Swap

You know you love Lucky Charms!

Join us for a Lucky Charm Swap and you'll find yourself opening a packet of 7 lucky charms early in March. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day AND spring!

The charms are due here at our store by February 29th and the packets will be available to pick up on Friday, March 2nd at our Charm Pick Up Party. If you aren't local, don't worry, you can still participate. You'll just have your charms delivered by post, instead.

The party will include a free charm-making project with shrink plastic and we also have an optional Etched Lucky Charm Bracelet Class that you can sign up for. Of course, it's a party so look for lots of yummy treats and drinks, plus in-store special deals, demos and fun.

  

Get ALL the Charm Swap details here, including the sign up form.

We'll mail the charms out the week following the pick up party and depending on where you live you should get your box within a week or so.

Watch this blog for lots of charming inspiration.

Do you have a blog? Help us out pass the word by adding our Charm Swap button to your blog or re-blogging a charming project from our Tutorials. Just email cynthia AT ornamentea DOT com so we know who is sending all that love our way!

International Charm Day

This sweet charm and really sweet package is from artist Mandy McDonald. She's a long-time favorite of mine and her charms are really amazing. This bird charm was featured in a post on the International Charm Day blog by artist and swap-creator extraordinaire, Amber Dawn. The copper wire nest is topped by a sweet Humblebeads bird...wow, I wish I had gotten one of these!

International Charm Day? What's that? Well, it's a charm holiday. Yes, it is a 'made up' holiday, but so is Mother's Day and most of the other holidays we enjoy.

I like to celebrate Charm Day by hiding hand-made charms around Raleigh as I go about my errands that day. In the past I have hidden charms at the library, the grocery store and even at my favorite hardware store! I package my charms with a note telling the recipient who I am and why I hid the charm. It's not too late for you to celebrate International Charm Day...go get inspired at the blog!

Here are a few charm inspiration ideas for you:
a stamped spoon charm
a collaged crystal 
a bird on a nest
a silhouette charm

*and YES, we will have another charm swap here at Ornamentea...soon, soon, I promise!

Do you love Secret Messages?

Of course you do! Join us in January for the Secret Message slumber party at Ornamentea. You'll make a three-charm necklace featuring three new book charm projects. There will also be food and lots of fun.

See you there!

Planning Ahead! International Charm Day

I have written before about International Charm Day, a holiday devoted to sharing and enjoying handmade charms. This holiday was created and is promoted by Amber Dawn, a charm and polymer clay artist who runs the world's best charm swaps and creates the tiniest cupcakes imaginable. I was recently featured in an interview on the Charm Day blog and I shared the directions for this easy-peasy book charm there. Go read the interview. 

And International Charm Day is April 28th. How will you celebrate?

How Charming-International Charm Day

Today, April 28th, I distributed charms in and around Raleigh, NC as part of International Charm Day. I left charms hidden at Askew-Taylor paints, the Cameron Village Library, and the Fresh Market. I had grand plans for giving them directly to strangers but at the last minute I chickened out and decided to hide them around town with notes attached. I also had grand plans to hide ten charms in ten different locations but I was didn't end up doing that much running around today.

International Charm Day has no set rules: you can celebrate however you wish. I like the idea of making art to share with strangers (are you listening, Patti?) and so I decided to do a Charm Giveaway. Not all the charms are the monkey charms pictured, some are seashellish, a few are steampunky paper and resin...

If you find a charm, you'll know it's mine as it will have a note that says:

Hello! You have found a charm hidden by me in celebration of International Charm Day. Please wear it or give it away. I hope it made you smile to find this charm!

I also have my blog address on the note. Hopefully someone will contact me!

International Charm Day

International Charm Day is coming up on April 28th. I plan to celebrate by giving away 10 charms to friends and strangers (maybe you) that I meet in the course of my day. I will take pictures of the give-aways (with the recipient's permission!) and tweet them at Ornamentea.

This crafty holiday was started by Amber Dawn, the queen of charm swaps. You can visit her International Charm Day blog here.

So what do I usually do on Wednesdays? I might go to Ornamentea, and then to lunch with my smallest daughter, visit the farmer's market, maybe the library, go out with friends for a drink...I'll see you around...

Charm Exchange! I've got work to do!

There is a Charm Exchange Slumber Party coming up at Panopolie. I have been thinking of revisiting my ICE Resin and paper charms or maybe riveting some papers to metal. I still have about half of my initial 1,000 resined paper bits lurking on my table in the studio, so making some charms would give me a reason to put them to good use. Etched metal discs are also compelling to me right now...so that is also an option. Hmm, maybe a disc with resined paper attached with a tiny bolt?

The nice thing about making charms is you can work out several ideas and experiment as you produce the tiny trinkets. Sometimes I will make a series of ten or twelve and then not want to swap them because they all look so good together! I have made several charm bracelets from the many charms I have swapped and enjoy looking at all the tiny detail. One of the other great things about charm exchanges is that you have to just do the work. There is a deadline. Since I am such a procrastinator, I really enjoy that aspect of it.

We're going to have a few Celebrity Swappers at the Charm Exchange. Our first to turn in her charms is Elaine Ray. She made some really great ceramic charms. Maybe I'll get one!

International Charm Day

Finally, a holiday you WANT to dress for! The talented Amber Dawn has created a holiday (this weekend!) to encourage charm wearing/sharing and creating! I love it.

Read Amber's blog post here, you can join and win prizes and don't forget to wear your charms!

Crafty Slumber Party at Panopolie

We had a Charm Exchange Slumber party at Panopolie this last weekend and it was lots of fun. There were three make-n-take classes and, of course, charms were swapped. Some of the charms are shown above, including some packaging. I sometimes get so excited just looking at how the charms are wrapped that I hate to unwrap them! Susan created tiny bags cut from circles of calico and wrapped up with vintage buttons to hold her soldered charms and Tracy stitched seed catalog papers together into flat bags to hold her botanical-themed charms. Ndidi sewed her charm onto a paper tag - a simple but effective presentation. Sometimes the presentation does not last - several folks at the exchange unwrapped their charms and put them, instantly, onto their necklaces or bracelets!
We always keep our work areas VERY, VERY neat and clean...
Dawn used the new metal punches to create a tiny stamped charm...
Elaine and Susan were able to share the stamps without any arguements. It is nice to share.

We made stuff, swapped stuff, chatted, learned new things and generally had a good time. If you weren't there, we missed you!

Some pictures that were taken that didn't turn out (and I am so sad!) so I didn't post them include one party attendee wearing a tiny basket on her head, one party attendee who brings her own wine glass, and a giant, giant mess created when a pot of pigment just, somehow, spilled on it's own...sorry, ladies, I have to have some quality standards!

The next Charm Exchange? It's coming up in early October...we are thinking of having a themed swap. If you have a theme idea, please post it here in the comments section or email me...

can't wait for our swap? Try Amber Dawn's very well run swaps or visit Swap-Bot.

Charm Exchange Slumber Party Coming Up...

We have a Charm Exchange Slumber Party coming up at Panopolie in a little over a week. I am participating (of course!) and we have some other great folks already signed up. Are you coming? You'll need to get your 10 charms in a bit early so we can sort them, or you can just come to the party and swap with folks in person...

There will be three make-n-takes that night; Resin Plique-a-Jour, Shrink Plastic Messages and Stamped Tags. I am doing the Resin Plique-A-Jour and you'll learn to create resin-based enamel-look charms. We'll work with the ICE resin, which I am personally addicted to. You'll make a locket and a dangle that you can use on a necklace or bracelet. The other make-n-takes are fabulous...and folks can do one or all of them.

We don't have themes for our Charm Exchanges but my personal theme was Work From My Stash. Seriously. I know this is a bad thing for me to say (I do SELL beads and do-dads!) but really, I think most of us have lots of materials that we could use to make some groovy charms without doing any shopping. Just sit down in your favorite workspace and MAKE 10 CHARMS. That's it. No excuses. I did this and I was really happy with what I made. They are all different, more or less, but they all use some beadies or goodies that I have had just hanging around. A few use bezels left over from my last charm swap*, a few use filigree left over from writing the book, a couple are projects that almost made it into the new book. It was fun to just make the tiny beauties and write a note with each and then wrap them up. I made 17 before I could stop myself! Since we are closed tomorrow it's the perfect time to do this; you can't come see us even if you want to!

So, you, go make some Stash Charms...and then call Panopolie and sign up for the Charm Exchange on Friday when they open back up after inventory.

I'll see you at the party!

*my last swap was with Amber Dawn and I do owe you a post with pics of the amazing charms I got in exchange...it was a Black And White swap...