Earring Holder

"I do like having my ears pierced, because there are a lot more choices in pierced ears than clip-ons, and they are a lot more comfortable to wear.    Sometimes I completely forget I've got them in and end up going to sleep wearing them."  -Jennifer Garner

If you haven't been able to tell, earrings are how I like to make my statement.  They are just the right amount of flashy, without being overstated.  I had been making so many earrings, I was starting to run out of places to put them.  I found a cheese grater from a dollar store and had some left over ribbon laying around, so I decided to make a earring stand out of these items.  I know I could spray paint it to all be the same color or even paint designs onto it, however I like the cheese grater look.

There will be more earring posting in the future.  No need to worry.


If you are looking for a good book to read that has a little something to do with earrings, read the book Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.  This is a historical novel (and movie) about the famous painting by Johannes Vermeer.  The narrator in the book is Greit, who is a servant in the Vermeer household.  She inspires the famous painting and shows she is strong and brave in the process.  It is a fun read, especially for those art lovers.

Iron Man Earrings

"If you try to escape, or play any sort of games with me, I will taze you and watch 'Supernanny' while you droll into the carpet." -Agent Coulson, Iron Man 2

So,  Today was a big day in Marvel Universe.  Marvel's Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. premiered tonight and Iron Man 3 came out on DVD.  Pretty good day overall.  Agent Phil Coulson just makes me smile, so it was good to see him again on Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.  I wore my S.H.E.I.L.D. earrings tonight, but my Iron Man ones have made the rounds lately.  They are really easy to make and fun to wear.

Materials:

• Red Polymer Clay
• White Polymer Clay
• Gold Polymer Clay
• Earring Findings

Directions:

-Shape two pieces of clay into rectangular pieces.  Make one side slightly wider than the other on both pieces.

-Take gold clay and form the main mask features.  These will have a big U shape where the bottom of the U is very thick.  A strip of gold clay will also go below this U while saving some room to let the red show through. Do this to both sides.

-Add two eye slits with white clay to each earring.

-Attach findings and bake the recommended amount of time.

If you want to read the Iron Man book based on the screenplay, Iron Man by Peter David is available.  It appears to stick close to the movie and looks like it could be a quick and easy read. 

Blue French Horn Earrings (HIMYM)

"Think of me like Yoda, but instead of being little and green I wear suits and I'm awesome.  I'm your bro- I'm Broda." -Barney, How I Met Your Mother


After weeks of patiently waiting, How I Met Your Mother's season premiered tonight.  We got to see Ted and the Mother interact on the show and Robin and Barney prepare for their wedding.  This, the 9th and final season of the show should help to wrap up some questions that the fans have been pondering for years.  

To celebrate the show resuming and it's final season I decided to make some blue french horn earrings for myself and a few of my fellow HIMYM fans.  I don't think I can walk through the steps but I can say I used a picture of a french horn I found online and used that to make the earrings.  The blue clay I used was a combination between blue and white polymer clay mixed together.  

These earrings are, as Barney would say, "legend-...wait for it... and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is dairy".  So, if you are unwilling to steal a blue french horn to show someone how you feel about them, consider this a safer option.

I didn't read a book with this one, sorry.  There is a Barney Stinson Playbook and Bro Code paperback. If you really feel like going all out for this final season, read those for book club and make these earrings (or turn them into some cuff links for when you Suit Up!).

Sand-bowl Center Piece

"Those of you who seek lost objects in history, I wish you the best of luck.  They are out there, and they are whispering." -Clive Cussler, The Sea Hunters


The Dirk Pitt Novels by Clive Cussler are full of action, adventure, and water based fun.  Dirk Pitt works for NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency) and likes to do things his way.  Dirk is Indiana Jones if he was a marine archaeologist.  These books are fast paced and easy to get caught up in.  I have so far read The Mediterranean Caper and Raising the Titanic and have enjoyed them both. 

The craft was inspired from reading Raising the Titanic and the images of the debris on the bottom of the ocean.  The sand-bowl is easy to make and fun to turn into a center piece.

Materials:

• Balloon
• Resting Stand
• Sand
• Elmer's Glue

Directions:

1. Pour glue over balloon.
2. Pour sand over glue. Let dry.
3. Repeat these steps two to three more times.
4. Pop the balloon and peel remains away.
5. Fill bowl up as desired.

Bowl in process.

Side view of bowl.

Bird's eye view of bowl.

Although we all might not be adventurer's of the high seas, I will at least feel like I am when I look at my sand-bowl and it's sea style contents.

S'more Earrings

Ham :"Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?" Smalls: "Some more of what?" -The Sandlot


The middle of September reminds me the camping season is going to be coming to a close soon.  There are only a few good weeks yet to get out and enjoy camping in the outdoors.  When it gets too cold to camp it also means that s'more season has come to a end. (Yes, I know you can make them in microwaves, ovens and even over a fireplace, but it just isn't the same).  In honer of this little treat, I made some s'more earrings out of polymer clay.  These earrings are very durable and look great by the light of a campfire.

Materials:

• Light brown polymer clay
• Dark brown polymer clay
• White polymer clay
• Earring findings
• Small paint brush

Directions:

1. Make four small squares out of the light brown clay for the graham crackers.  With the back end of the paintbrush make three rows of three indents on each of the graham crackers.
2. Make two squares of chocolate using the dark brown clay.
3.  Make two white circles out of white clay. This will be the marshmallow.
4. Assemble your two s'mores. (graham cracker with poked side face down, chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker with poked side face up). 
5. Insert earring findings into the s'more. 
6. Bake at the temperature and time for your clay.

There is even a book that has s'mores in its title! S is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet Book by Helen Foster James has great illustrations along with interesting camping facts for a camper of any age.  Another take on the s'mores earrings would be to make them a little bigger and hang them off clothes pins to make some weights to hold your table cloths down while you are camping.

Button Bowl: Testing the Pinterest Waters

"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." -Marcus Aurelius

One of the pins floating around pinterest right now is for a bowl made out of buttons.  Now this object was designed by an actual designer, so he does not give instructions on how to make it.  Some people have tried to duplicate it and suggested various methods.  I decided to give it a try and see what I came up with. The final product did not turn out as clean as the original but is still colorful and functional.

Materials:

• Package of buttons
• Small balloon
• Elmers glue
• Scissors
• Something to set the balloon in while you work

Directions:

1. Blow up the balloon.  Tie it off and set it tied side down in a container.
2. Glue buttons in a circular pattern on the balloon.  Continue this until you reach your desired size.  You may have to stop and let these dry, use a hair dyer to dry them quicker, or keep pushing the buttons up because the angle of the balloon will cause the buttons on the side to start slipping down.
3. Let the project dry overnight.  
4. Spread Elmers glue over the entire buttons and let dry over night.
5. Pop the balloon.  I suggest cutting a hole near the tied part of the balloon and slowly letting the air out.
6. Remove excess scraps of balloon from the bowl.
7. Cut away excess glue as needed.

This project would be fun to make with a children's book club.  They could start the first layer and then would have to finish it up at home.  It you are looking for a children's book about buttons try Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin.  This book is fun, colorful, and keeps the soul dyed bright!

R2-D2 Earrings (Finally!)

"Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." -Yoda, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. 

I promised my R2-D2 earrings back in May (since I wore them to a wedding on May 4th aka Star Wars day).  I finally found my camera cord and I am able to post them!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make them!

Materials:

• Blue polymer clay
• Light blue polymer clay
• White polymer clay
• Black polymer clay
• Gray polymer clay

Directions:

1. Roll out a small cylinder of white clay to be the base of R2-D2. 
2. Roll a small ball of white clay and flatten it.  Attach this to the bottom of the cylinder.
3. Create two very small cylinders of white clay a little bit taller than the base cylinder.  Flatten out one side of each of those cylinders to be a 'foot' and attach them to each of the sides of the base. 
4. Take some gray clay and create half of a circle that's circumference is as big as the base of the cylinder.  Attach the gray clay to the top of the base.  You now have the basic R2-D2 form.
5. Create one long snake of blue clay.  Cut off four pieces and attach those to the legs on R2's sides.
6. Cut off two more pieces of blue clay and attach those to R2's front.
7. For R2's face cut off two more pieces of blue clay and attach.  Roll a tiny ball out of a piece of blue clay and attach that to the side of R2's head.
8. Roll one tiny piece of light blue clay into a ball and attach this to them lower right corner blue clay on R2's face.
9. Roll two black circles of clay.  Attach one to the upper left corner blue piece of R2's face.  Attach the other black circle to opposite side of where you places the blue circle, only attach this one a little bit lower.
10. Insert Earring into clay and remold R2-D2's dome.
11. Repeat this process for the second earring. 

My R2-D2 earrings counted the same as answering Star Wars trivia at the wedding (also known as how you got the bride and the groom to kiss at the reception). 

For the real Star Wars fans, you can read all the Star Wars books that have been printed.  These books break down into different eras.  Dawn of the Jedi is what you will want to start with if you haven't read the books yet.  In the mean time, Happy Crafting and May the Force be With You!

Back to School Craft

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela

School has been back in session for a week.  Nothing says back to school like a craft involving crayons and desk organization.

This craft goes along with any textbook.  (Which is not something fun to read).  For those who want to read a book about education read Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools by Jonathan Kozol.   This book is about the inequalities that school districts face and the unfair conditions this creates for students.  It is a good read and makes us think about what each of us is doing individually, even if we do not work in education. 

I can not claim that I made this craft.  It was given to me, however, it is pretty easy to duplicate.

Materials:

• 1 box of crayons
• rinsed out tin can 
• Multi-Colored Duct-Tape
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue Gun and Sticks

Directions:

1. Duct-Tape the top part of the can so that the edge is hidden and so that the can will not be seen over the crayons.

2. Hot glue the crayons to the tin can standing up.

3. Tie a ribbon around the whole project.   Add a message or tag if you want to complete the project or to use as a gift tag.

This is great for organizing a desk, keeping those box tops in for kids schools, or giving to a teacher or educator as a gift.

"The Lovely Bones" Craft

"'How to Commit the Perfect Murder' was an old game in heaven.  I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away." -Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones


The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold tells the story of Susie Salmon.  Susie is narrating the story from heaven and tells readers about her murder and the events the unfold because of her death.  Susie talks both about Heaven and Earth through her narration.  

When thinking about what to make that related to this story I struggled.  Many of the things to make related to closely to Susie's own death (a pair of mittens, a flower earth pressing, ect.).  An icicle seemed appropriate because of the foreshadowing nature it had in the book and the more optimistic pieces that seem to be represented by the icicle.  

Materials:

• Hot Glue Gun with Hot Glue Sticks
• Wax Paper
• Pencil
• String or Ribbon
• Clear Glitter

Directions:

1. On a sheet of wax paper draw a carrot shape to be the design for the icicle.

2. With the hot glue gun, build up glue on this carrot shape to create 1/2 of the icicle.  Remember the more layers the more like an icicle it will look.

3. While the glue is still hot, cover the glue with clear glitter and let cool.

4. Remove excess glitter and remove the icicle from the wax paper. (it is okay if some sticks to the icicle).

5. Attach ribbon or string by gluing the string to the flat part of the icicle.  Let cool.

5. On the non-glittered side of the icicle, build up the second 1/2 of the icicle with the hot glue.

6. Cover with glitter again.

7. Remove excess glitter.

I think these icicles would look great hanging from a window sill during winter or even hanging from a Christmas tree as ornaments.  It's never too soon to start planning for the holidays!  Enjoy and keep on crafting!