Soft Chains - Cashmere I-cord Chain Link Bracelet

I've been thinking of using super soft materials for chains well, for a while... I guess basically since the spring fashion shows. I die for these Chanel's temporary tatoo chains, but they're also 75$ - so you know, I have to be content to covet and not own these, I fear. I wish I had the cash, though!

So anyhoosals - my brain was kicking around the thought of using soft and otherwise relatively unsuitable materials to create a series of chains this month. Leather, suede and even cashmere, I find the textures delectable, and because I used some leftover Handmaiden 4-ply Cashmere for this one - even the colors are yummy! Yeay!

This is just a basic I-cord chain link*, but I've got designs in the works for much more complex pieces. I just have to get working, and find out what actually works for me (and what fails miserably, as any good artist knows!) If anyone's interested, I'm toying with the thought of making this into a pdf. Please let me know if you'd like that, and thanks for stopping by! *Here's a link to the Ravelry page for it!

Quick Craft - Suede "Chain" Bracelet

nother cute project on Craft:'s blog, I knew I had to make one for myself. The only question was, leather or suede? And then, what color??? I have bunches of scraps in some very delicious colors, so the choices were tough.

After it was all said and done, the magenta pig suede was the winner. I had a bunch of small pieces of it, and in suede - it was an experiment to see if this would even work! The real issue is, that the original links in the pattern are 3" long, but I knew I wanted something smaller; I wanted to make a bracelet, and I have freakishly tiny wrists. So, I re-sized the links to 2" long total (meaning they'd be 1" after folding.)



At first, they seemed much too floppy to hold up. Not nearly enough structure for this project, I thought. So, I put it down for a few weeks. And then, I had the thought that after folding they should have more structure than they seem to! And I was right! A few links later I was finished, and that makes this one of the easiest jewelry pieces I've made in a long time! I used a doll-sized belt buckle to anchor the top, and it finished much prettier looking than the bottom (with no anchor.)



It was mentioned one can finish this project in one evening, but I'll give you this caveat; if you're using really sharp shears, like Gingher's - that I did - you'll probably want to space this one out a little more. I have a death grip on mine for some strange reason, and so I can only cut so much before my right thumb gets a dent in it from the scissor handle, and hurts - alot!

I love easy and quick projects, so I'm going to try and showcase more of the ones that inspire me the most! I'm also planning on more leather chain projects, this was so fun & easy I couldn't stop at one! Haha! Stay tuned in April for more of this same project, as well as a few of my own twists on it!

What are your favorite easy projects? They can be just fun or functional, and if they're both, I'll swoon. I love when form marries function!

*Fancy lettering from Daily Drop Cap - so fun & addictive!

October, already?!?!?!?!

I can hardly believe it! Partly because I'm going on a cruise in a few weeks, and partly because by the time I get back, it's going to be the holiday season again! Ack!

So, does anyone remember my contest? Well, I still haven't heard from one of the winners - Vickie S. who's blog is Red Hot Polka Dots. If you don't email me by the 8th, I'll have to redraw another winner.

I want to be able to have all my contest winner's packages out and on their way before I go on vacation! So - anybody craving a cashmere tsumami kanzashi bracelet, or a pair of tree branch earrings - stay tuned! If I haven't heard from Vickie in a week, I'll put up another contest post and redraw another random winner.

Where did this year go, I mean... I know it's mostly gone - but damn! I wanted to get so much more done already by now. So many goals and ideas just floating in my brain, getting crammed into little corners here and there. I really hope I can get more of them out of my head and into reality from now on...

Contest prizes!!!

There's only a dozen comments on my 200th post giveaway, so I thought I'd sweeten the deal a bit!

You won't be getting ALL tsumami kanzashi, but I didn't have a better box photo! Haha!

First prize will be a flat rate priority mail box with goodies either sewing or knitting related (I can do other themes too, like bath & body, if you prefer!) Trust me, this will be worth the comment-spam-annoying-thing! Just a comment could get you a whole box of fun crafty supplies and finished items! (Oh, and there will be cake pops, too!)

Second prize will be a cashmere button bracelet with tsumami kanzashi flower snap (or permanently attached, your choice.) Alternatively, a pair of Tree Branch Earrings - custom made for you. (These are my favorites, with vintage robin's egg blue faceted beads.)

Third prize will be a mystery stash giveaway. Basically, I'll send either fabric or yarn from my stash, in colors you like. Depending on my stash, of course - it's small, but it's fierce! Hehehe.

I hope to get more comments for my contest, if there's only a dozen I could make a batch of cake pops and send about 3 to all of you! Hahaha!

To enter, you'll need to use the link at the top of the post to comment on the original 200th post. Comment here all you like, but I'll just consider it flattery!

Whiplash November - Yarn Ball Earrings

I wasn't quite sure what to make for Whiplash this round, I'd had a few thoughts - but most of them required more time than I'd allowed myself. What can I say? I like complicated projects, hehe. Anyhoo, when this idea struck, I knew it was magic. How simple, just embroidery floss as "yarn," wound into balls, as earrings.



Well, it proved a little more difficult in practice; but I think the effort was well worth it for the finished effect. All I did was wind the floss around an eyepin, being careful to conceal the end. Making two the same size and shape was the hardest part, it just took a bit of patience. A dot of fabric glue secured the end; then I bent the wire into a loop at the top of the ball and snipped the excess off. A little bit more bending to make it all perfect, and that was really all it took. Easy peasy!



I based the color palette for these on Ravelry's colors, (have I mentioned I got my limited edition Beta t-shirt the other day? I bet I forgot… squeeeeee!) I have the color numbers of the embroidery floss, if anyone is interested - just let me know!

Tree Branch Earrings - For Sale!!!

I'm very proud to finally offer for sale my Tree Branch earrings! It's taken me much longer to get my act together and build a little inventory than I'd hoped; but I'm happy to finally be ready!

Tree Branch earrings are offered in two sizes, small and large (less than 2" long, and longer.) They can be customized with any color beads and wire desired, although I'm still trying to find copper colored ear wires that won't discolor skin. Want multiple bead colors? I can do that, too - as well as multiple bead sizes or styles.

Right now I'm using hypoallergenic and sterling silver ear wires, but other metal findings are available upon request. If you have a question I haven't answered here, feel free to contact me via Etsy, or email (Crafty |NOSPACE| Ginger |AT| Gmail |DOT| com.) Custom orders are always welcome, and I really like working on them!

Eventually I'll also get around to using the tree branch wire concept to include more products, but I don't want to give too much away now and spoil the surprise! LOL I have a bunch of ideas, and even a few prototypes in the works already; so keep an eye out for new products!

Lastly, an apology - I've probably mentioned a little bit too much by now, that I was feeling a bit burned out about my store lately. My tsumami kanzashi snaps weren't selling like I wanted, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't seem to pump up sales. So, I took a little break. A few weeks off (okaaay... maybe a few more than a few!) to clear my head of all that negative thinking. I think I made the right choice, because I'm feeling much better about my store, and where I want to go with it.

What do you do to clear your head when you're feeling stressed? I like bath bombs, but I've been too busy to make any lately! I finally had to hop on the Lush bandwagon, and order some bath bombs. They're certainly more colorful than mine, but I hate having to scrub the tub afterwards!

Hidden Treasure!

I just found the greatest show on the Travel channel yesterday, called Hidden Markets with Marisa Tomei. She travels to different cities, and visits local markets finding all sorts of wonderful treasures. I must confess, this show speaks to my greatest loves - travel and shopping! I wish I had found more souvenirs to pick up on my honeymoon in Europe, we went through several markets in Barcelona, Marbella and Nice. We also went to this wonderful medieval village in southern France, called Èze; but the shop owners were so frigid! I tried to give my best Bon Jour, but was barely greeted most places. Eh, the other market people were very friendly and forgiving of my lack of French and Spanish.

I'm really looking forward to shopping some local markets on my upcoming trip to Hawaii. I'll be hitting Maui, Kailua Kona, Hilo and Honolulu and although I am interested in doing some of the standard tourist stuff, I would love to get a chance to see the local crafts in person - like quilting! As well as local markets, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be really grateful! I'm also hoping to find some local yarn or fabric - anything crafty, really!

And The Winner Is...

With so many great suggestions for what to knit next, it was really hard to pick a winner! A few highlights - Marsha recommended a Moebius scarf from a ball of Suri Dream, Obssesed with knittting suggested a Morning Surf scarf with KP Shimmer, and Bunnysquirrel thought my La Luz multi would make a beautiful My So Called Scarf - among bunches of other great suggestions! I'm so grateful to all who entered, you really made it tough to decide what to knit next, in a good way! LOL

I had to go with Michelle's combination of the Montego Bay scarf and my remaining SWTC Bamboo - it was just too perfect not to knit it next. I'm still dying to try Sea Silk, but I can't find it locally, and buying on the internet can be tough to choose colors, or pick the right one. Michelle, please let me know what color beads you'd like most (I have pink, dark lilac, robin's egg blue and white pearls available. The white pearls are slightly larger, though.) I'll also need your address, you can email me or leave another comment with your email address, so I can get in touch with you.

A great big thanks to everyone who entered, I really appreciate the time you took to stop by and leave a comment! I had lots of fun with this contest, so I may have to do another one soon! God knows I've been having a tough time deciding lots of things, lately!!!

Another few days...

Ok, so I decided to keep my contest open a couple more days. I'll close it Monday morning, just before I pick a winner. Actually, I may have to award more than one winner, there's been so many great suggestions! Thanks to everyone who's entered already, I really appreciate the help deciding what to knit next! And if you haven't yet, scroll down and enter! All it takes is a comment, and you could win a pair of my newest product - sterling silver Tree Branch earrings!

U Pick My Next Knit Contest!

I still can't quite believe I finished knitting my Wisp in less than a week. I wasn't planning on having it done this fast, and so I hadn't given much thought to what I would knit next. This is where you come in! Help me decide what to knit next, and you could win a pair of Tree Branch earrings! Leave a comment with what you think I should knit next, (links are welcome, too!) and a short reason why (if you've got a minute more!) If I pick your suggestion you'll get to pick a pair of earrings from the stock I have on hand. For the most part, they're the same except for bead color/shape.

More about me - I'm a relatively intermediate knitter, I've tackled a cami, mini skirt, and a couple other projects where gauge was critical. I've done lace and circular knitting, although not on DPN's - I find them hard to hold and weird to work with. My favorite kind of project is both functional and beautiful, although I do enjoy more whimsical items every now and again. I'm not into socks (due to aforementioned dislike of DPNs,) or hats; but I do have a few Blythe dolls, and enjoy the tiny knitting.

I like almost anything ocean or sea related, and my favorite colors are aqua, lilac & other cool jewel tones. My stash isn't huge, but I do have some great stuff I'm looking to use, here's some highlights -

• Araucania Quellon - Cotton chenille, 1 ball (99yds,) + 2 partial (hand-dyed, these pool)
• Noro Gisha - Ribbon yarn, just under 600yds
• Knit Picks Suri Dream - mohair fuzzy yarn in aqua, approx. 500+yds (3 balls, +one partial)
• K1C2 Douceur et Soie - mohair/silk laceweight in seafoam, just under 3 balls approx. 650yds
• SWTC Bamboo - Super-soft purple/blue variegated, 2 balls - 500yds
• Handspun - Tiffany blue with pearls, approx. 100yds

Right now I have pink, purple and robin's egg blue tree branch earrings, but I'll have more colors available later in the week. Feel free to ask any questions, I'll do my best to answer them for you! Contest ends next Friday, July 13th (also my Mom's birthday!) 3 entries per person, only please! I'd like to give everyone a fair shot. Thanks for playing!

ETA: I'm also open to new yarn purchases, so feel free to suggest them as well. Those were just a few I'm looking to use up. I love finding new favorites, too! Also, please check out my Flickr stream for pics of these yarns, and others in my stash. Thanks again!

First Ravelry Swap - Tree Branch Earrings

It's been a while since I made any Tree Branch Jewelry. I wrote the tutorial out last year, and had great plans of adding jewelry to my Etsy store. Well, it's been a few months since then, and I've taken a step back from the store; but I'm super excited to get back to making these. I messaged Amy on Ravelry, about her Douceur et Soie yarn (Ravelry has this great feature where you can mark your yarn for sale or trade.) She didn't need any extra yarn, and honestly I don't have that much of anything great in my stash, at least that I'd be willing to part with. LOL

She was interested in Tree Branch earrings though, and one of her favorite colors is Robin's egg blue. Ok, I'll confess… I have a few kinds of Robin's egg beads in my stash. LOL It's probably the color I have the most of, in different sizes & materials. I had the perfect little beads for her, although I'm not sure if they're glass or gemstone. They could be Swarovski, although I'm not that familiar with their color palette. I think they look quite nice with the sterling silver wire and findings, though. And they have me jazzed to add them to the store eventually, we'll just have to see how long it takes me to get my act together on that one! LOL

These are not the actual earrings I sent to Amy, I'll confess I liked them so much when I was making the first pair, that I had to make a second for myself. What can I say? I'm a sucker for Tiffany blue! (Totally, utterly gullible that is! LOL) She shipped the yarn out so fast, I wanted to make sure she wasn't waiting too long for her earrings, and I knew I'd just have to make another pair for me! LOL

Six Weird Things

Shirley, from Warm Fuzzies, tagged me for the "6 Weird Things" meme, and although I seem to be about a month behind everybody else, I'm happy to share my weirdness. I'm just not sure if there's anybody left who hasn't done it yet! LOL

RULES: People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

1. At meals, I must have something crunchy, or I won't eat very much. I have issues with soft foods, and I'm very picky about eating them. Pasta is ok when it's hot, and with rolls or bread; but if it cools, or I don't have a side, I'll just push it around the plate. (Consequently, I microwave freshly made pasta, so it stays hot extra long.)

2. When I was 13, I worked at a comic book shop. I got paid in comics and Star Trek; The Next Generation trading cards. I'm not kidding! I think I'm only missing 7 cards out of the 300+ card set!!! LOL Yes, I'm a total geek... I stil watch ST;TNG fairly often!

3. In high school, I used to dream in German. By my junior year, I'd taken 6 years on German and was pretty fluent. I even spent some time translating Grimm's Fairy Tales. Now I wish I could understand the few words I hear on tv every so often.

4. I crack my joints, a lot. I mean a lot! And not just my hands and feet, I crack my neck, back, knees, hips and well, if I can twist it enough, it'll crack. Teachers and parents have been telling me to stop for as long as I can remember, saying I'll get arthritis, or worse. But honestly, it hurts worse when I don't crack them.

5. I wanted to own and run a jewelry gallery/store when I was younger. All together I've had 5 years of silversmithing, and I really miss it. It's been about 3 years since I had access to a jewelry lab, and although I still do some metal work, it's not as involved or detailed as my work used to be. This isn't that weird, but I thought it was interesting anyway!

6. I've decided to quit drinking coke during February, and I'm using a really interesting motivation to do it - a Blythe doll! Seriously, I'm very addicted to both the sugar and caffeine, and have decided to kick the habit. I knew I'd need some serious incentive though, and so far, it's working very well! 3 more weeks to go!

I'm tagging Girl on the Rocks, June, my sister Jenn and Laura. I think everyone else I know has already done this one, but if you haven't I'll be happy to tag you too! Weird things are fun and funny!

Tree Branch Pendant

Getting things ready for my upcoming Sampler donation has really tapped me out lately, but I've been wanting to get back to my Tree Branch jewelry for a while now - so I did! This pendant is about 6" long, and is made of copper craft wire and round pearls in gold and bronze. The wire is not real copper, only copper colored, but I've had a devil of a time lately trying to get findings to match. Do you think it would look weird on a silver chain? I'm so picky, I always balk at having to mix metal colors when I don't want to. (If you know where I can get findings this color - PLEASE let me know!)

I added an extra loop on the side, so it wouldn't hang completely vertical, but have a swaying, windswept branch-ey feel to it. I'm thinking of adding this to my Etsy store, but I keep going back and forth because it doesn't have a chain right now. Any thoughts? I'd really like to hear them about this piece, I'm a little unsure of it right now.

My New & Improved Craft Room!

Whew! I knew a few weeks ago, when I decided to add another wall of shelving to my craft room, that my timing wasn't great - being Christmas & all. I went ahead with it anyway, if you know me, you shouldn't be surprised, I'm a stubborn ass sometimes! And here's the outcome! I'm super pleased with myself, I need order in my craft room; chaos drives me crazy! LOL


It's basically just hang tracks on the wall, with adjustable brackets & shelving. To that, I added lots of clear bins, large & small, rolling carts and my sewing machine (which is on a rolling desk.) I moved the pegboard section out from the closet, where it's much more functional. That also opened up a ton of space in the closet, which also has hang tracks and adjustable shelves. I'm really happy with the outcome, it's such a tiny room at 10ft by 10ft, so I really have to keep things clean, or it starts looking cluttered so fast!

Oh yes, I almost forgot! I got a serger for my birthday! Woooo Hoooo! Can you tell I'm excited? LOL It's a 5/4/3/2, so it'll do just about any stitch I need - that is when I figure out how to thread it! Now I just need to get some thread and practice! I've been wanting to make a convertible Infinity dress for a while, but sewing stretch fabrics on my sewing machine was always tricky. I'm looking forward to mastering it, but I'm also nervous, (I seem to always feel this way before I dive into something daunting!)

I'm still rearranging things; before cleaning it, I had just thrown things into bins without much thought to keeping anything together. So I'm still consolidating like items together, and I find the more I do that, the more space I actually have! It's a nice feeling, I know I have plenty of extra storage room, for all of the craft supplies that will be going into it this new year! It was super tough to get a good shot of the whole room, it's so small! Hopefully, I'll have the details all cleaned up so I can post closer up pics. (I'm still clearing out some holiday suprises!)

Crafty Goodness!

I received some awesome gifts this holiday season, and had to share! Shirley sent me a beautiful hat, gorgeous crochet earrings, an adorable tape measure and a to-DIE-for skein of Fiesta La Luz Multi silk yarn (in Alaska colorway, a lovely blend of purples and turquoise.) She also sent some chocolate goodies and some fruit leather; thanks again Shirley!


From my sister came a set of Knit Picks Options interchangeable circular knitting needles. I LOVE these! They've sped up my knitting considerably! She also picked up a couple of the chunkier needles and a larger cable. She also gave me a copy of Scarf Style, by Pam Allen. I love the turtleneck shrug/scarf on the cover, it's so funky & fun! It has the Lady Eleanor wrap pattern, too; which I've been itching to try for a few weeks!


She also got me 1/2 lb of roving; half from Fun With Yarn in awesome jewel tones. The second 4 oz is a pretty pastel blue, and I love them both! Thanks Jenn! She also spoiled me with a killer felted bag for my birthday - out of Malabrigo! It's a wide bag, so I'll need to add a little support to the sides to keep them from flopping in or out. I have a few ideas, I'm just working out what will be the most subtle option.


My Mom gave me a bunch of knitting magazines, Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting and SelvEDGE; as well as an awesome Japanese beading book, and pretty aqua beads! She also gave me 5 balls of Knit Picks Suri Dream (in Ocean,) which I'm planning on using for a Squiggle shawl. Some non-crafty gifts included a pair of lovely Christmas ornaments, a super-soft (& strangely thin) scarf, and a lovely journal. Thanks Mom!

.:Tree Branch Earrings Tutorial:.

These are made with copper colored craft wire and genuine apatite beads.

I've decided to enter these in this month's Whiplash contest - Gifts & Decoration. I wanted to wait & post pics of the first pair I made, because they're a gift for a special friend; but I didn't want to spoil a Christmas present (it's no fun to know ahead of time!) Good luck to all of the participants, and Happy Holidays, too!

Hand wired tree branch earrings would make a lovely Christmas gift! (Don't worry! They're super easy, and quick too!)

Materials you'll need:
28g wire
Briolette beads, or any kind you'd like
Small jump rings (optional)
Earring wires

Start by cutting a length of wire, between 18" - 24" (go longer if you want longer earrings, shorter if you prefer a more petite size.) Thread the largest bead onto the wire, and pull the 2 ends even. This doesn't have to be perfect.


Hold the wires between your fingers, close to the bead, and twist them together. The goal is to get a nice even twist, but be careful! Twist too much, and you run the risk of snapping one (or both,) of your wires. When you twist the wires together, try and balance them, instead of wrapping one wire around another. Holding the wires in a "V" while you twist will help achieve a balanced twist. This will form the lowest hanging branch.




Next, take another bead (I used increasingly smaller beads, as I wired them, you're working from the bottom towards the top,) and thread it onto one of the wires. It doesn't matter which wire. Move it close to the first bead, and then play with the spacing, until you get a result that pleases you. Pull the loose end back up to the other wire, and hold there.

Twist the second branch into place, remembering not to twist too tightly! I find that odd numbers of branches look more organic than evens, and that asymmetry also makes them feel more branch-like. (Basically, if they're perfect, they won't look like real tree branches, so little irregularities are a good thing!)

The rest of the beads follow the same way, I used smaller beads, and gave them smaller branches each time, to lend a realistic feel. You can wire whatever kind of beads you want, into almost any shape you want.

To finish, I simply twisted about 2 " past how tall I wanted the earrings to be. Bend on a circle shape (I used a double-pointed knitting needle, sz2) and wrap the end around the stem. Clip closely (see below for picture of clipped & bent ends,) and fold the ends as close to the stem as you can, with pliers, if you have them. I added a jump ring to the first pair I made, but it's not a necessity though. Attach to the ear wires, and you're done! Easy peasy, and oh so pretty!

I'd love to hear comments & suggestions, I'd be happy to help if you need it!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Tree Branch Earrings

When I was little, my family and I vacationed on a wonderful lake in Michigan. We had a cute little bluff cabin, it had the most amazing view. I never got to stay in the front bedroom (the adults had first dibs,) but it had 2 walls of windows, and the sunrise was incredible coming up over the lake & the hills. I'll never forget it, but I'm glad I have a very good visual memory of what it looked like, because it was sold & demolished several years ago. It was so sad to be so forced into letting something go, but it really proved to me that everything changes, and you just have to be grateful for the time you get.

I'm grateful that I can still remember what the fireworks looked like from the middle of the lake; and the awesome little secret passage from the kid's bedroom to the bathroom. It went through the back of the closet, and wasn't very secret, but I loved it anyway. The town's called Beulah, but it's not the same anymore, either. Lots of money to build lots of big houses meant the small town charm faded. I'll never forget it, though; the smell of ripe wild raspberries and the cool breezy forest hikes. Another Michigan treasure is Gwen Frostic, a wildlife artist who owned a print shop near Beulah (she's since passed, but her work is carried on by her children.)

It was a yearly treat to go into the print shop, we got note cards, stickers, framed prints, books and really anything else they'd print on. The shop was as close as I've ever seen to nature come straight indoors. Tree branches on every wall, windows to the outside forests and prints of nature covered the walls, and the large printing machines were showcased in the front. They were always going, and I can recall staring for what felt like hours. Every detail was so cared for, even the book paper had deckled edges, and it looked so organic. If you like nature, check out the website, I absolutely LOVE her prints!

I've been very inspired by nature lately, even though the Chicago weather's cold & snowy! I saw this concept in a very high end jewelry catalog, and knew I could replicate it with materials more in my budget. Although I have long dreamed of being able to use tourmaline, sapphire, gold & all sorts of expensive supplies!

These earrings were totally easy peasy to make, and I'll be posting a tutorial soon! You can use any wire/beads you want, from colored craft wire & plastic beads, all the way up to gold wire and gemstone beads. These are fine silver wire with lilac freshwater pearls.