Experiment: Garter Belt Weave
I discovered this weave on Pinterest and searched all over the internet before coming across a materials list. The weave appears to have been designed by Dylon White and he offers instructions for sale here. I ordered my rings from Blue Buddha Boutique as usual and quickly got to work once they arrived.
Ripple Earrings
These earrings are another find from Rebeca Mojica's book, Chained. They're basically box chain using multiple sizes of rings. I was really bummed that there wasn't a supply list included in the book and thought I wouldn't get to make them. Luckily, the people over at Blue Buddha Boutique took this into account and started offering a kit with enough rings to make two pairs of earrings. I split the kit with my chainmaille loving friend and we quickly worked up some beautiful earrings!
Sip and Paint, Anyone?
Have you heard about the sip and paint classes that seem to be popping up all over the place? After seeing articles about them all over, I finally attended my first class in April at Palettes and Pairings in Kirkland and loved it. I was initially really nervous about going because I haven't painted anything since junior high, but my painting turned out great!
Coiled Butterfly Bracelet and Earrings
This is the limited edition large size of Coiled Butterfly from Blue Buddha Boutique. This project came as a kit with enough rings to make 2 bracelets, so I split it with a friend. Be warned that the kit does not include instructions (though they can be found in the Fall 2012 issue of Wirework Magazine). I even had enough rings left over after finishing my bracelet to make some matching earrings (I used my own ear wires and 2 jump rings I had already since the ones included were too thick to fit through my ear wires).
Menu Board
Have you ever been stuck in a dinner rut? When this happened to us, we got into a bad habit of "I don't know what do you want for dinner" before giving up and going out to eat. Eventually, that had to stop. We started looking at our recipe books and picking out things we'd like to try and nailing down the week's menu before going shopping. This turned out lots better than wandering around the store hoping dinner inspiration would magically appear. To help us with our planning, I made this wipe off menu board. I first saw one at a friend's house and she, of course, found it on Pinterest. It's super easy and super helpful!
Three Row Reversible Japanese Lace Bracelet
Here's my first try at Japanese lace. It's a pretty simple weave and looks great in bright colors. I first saw the two row version in a book, but decided I liked the three-row variation better.