Re-Direct

I finally figured out how to re-direct my domain name to my blog, so no more web hosting fees for me! Now if I can just keep myself motivated to actually post things here, that would be fantastic.

Wire/Flowered Headband or Circlet

  

This headband is quick to make and really pretty for spring. The same technique can be quickly adapted to make this into a circlet. It isn't as sturdy as a plastic headband, but stays in place. Think of it more as something for special occasions.

Here are the supplies:

 1. I have no idea what you call this wire. I found it in the floral section of both JoAnn's and Michaels. It comes in green and brown. At least those are the colors my local shops had.
2. I then bought several floral picks at JoAnn's. The reason I went with floral picks is that they are made out of wire. If you want to use other kinds of flowers, you will have to glue them to the finished band, whereas these can be wrapped around it using the wire.
3. Pliers
4. Wire Cutters

Cut two pieces of wire 36 inches each. This will make a standard 16 inch headband. Take one wire and fold it in half. Wrap the other wire around this bent one approximate 1.5 inches up from the end. Wrap it at least 4 times, because the other end will end up having 3 or 4 wraps and you want the ends to look similar.

Now start "braiding." During this step, I think "inside/outside." You twist the first two wires from left to right, then the last two. Twist them three times so that each time you do this part, the wires that move to positions 2 and 3 change. Then twist wires 2 and 3 together three times.

Repeat this until you are about 1.5 inches away from where you want the headband to end, approximate 14.5 inches of this "braiding."

Once you get to the other end, wrap only wires 1 and 2 and make a bend in whichever one ends up being longer.

Wrap the remaining three wires around the end of that bend, securing it. 

Trim off the little extra bits so that the ends of the wire will all be on one side of the band. Make sure when you bend the band to shape that these little ends are on the outside, not against your head. Use your pliers to flatten them down so they won't scratch. You can also cover this end with glue or glue some fabric over it if you are worried they might be scratchy.

Here are the views of both ends:

      

Here is a view of the band:

Bend the completed band into the shape of a headband:

Use the picks, which you can take apart, to embellish the headband however you want:

Detail of embellishments on the band:

If you instead want to make a circlet, fold one end of the band into a hook. Make sure you have made the complete band large enough to fit on your head.

Hook the band together and shape it into a circle:

Add your embellishments:

Detail of embellishments on circlet:

And that is it! I think these are lovely and am so glad that I got this request!

Jewelry for Sale!

For some reason, I'm not that interested in selling my jewelry. I will, if pressed, but in general prefer to give it as gifts. But a friend of mine met a jeweler and talked me up to them, so you can now buy some of my jewelry in their store.

I know, shameless self-promotion. This is why I don't like to sell. Anyway...

The name of the store is Manya's Jewelry and it is located in the Valencia Town Center mall in Valencia, CA. The people who own it are really nice and Manya designs her own high-end jewelry items for the store.

End of self-promotion.

Halloween 2011

This year I didn’t have to come up with my own Halloween costume theme. The weekend before, I was invited to a musical opening where the audience was encouraged to dress in 1920s attire. 1920s it was!

I spent some time researching authentic 1920s attire, not wanting to simply buy a ready made “flapper” costume. The first weekend of my search I went to several thrift stores and vintage costume shops looking for the basis for my outfit. I did find some 1920s reproduction dresses which were gorgeous, but way out of my price range. The other ready-to-go option was a vintage clothing store where the owner offered free alterations with a purchase. They had a dress which reminded me of Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, which was close, but ultimately I decided against it because I thought it was a little earlier in fashion than 1920, was more of a “day” look, and because I wanted to have more of a hand in making my own costume.

As usual, Goodwill was a good source for some dresses at 1/2 off which could be used in bits and pieces on the completed outfit. I bought 2 more dresses than I ended up using. This one attracted me with the beading, although completely out of style with what I needed:

I found a dress with the right silhouette at the Salvation Army, also 1/2 off. Sorry for how blurry this is, but I forgot to use a flash.

After deciding on my color palette, I went with a friend to downtown LA to buy some trims. After an exciting day of searching through bargain bins and racks of fabrics and trims piled up 15 feet or more, I returned home with what I hoped would be enough to transform the dress into the 1920s flapper outfit I saw in my mind.

The same friend who I went to LA with has a lot of costuming experience and she helped me pin the trims in place. When it came time to sew, she helped with the row of fringe around my hips, resulting in my needing to cut my underwear off as they got sewn into the dress. The sacrifices one makes for fashion!

Here it is pinned on the dress form:

I returned home with the dress pinned and sat down at my sewing machine only to discover that the foot on my machine was too wide to accommodate the trims I was using. No dice with the machine, everything ended up having to be sewn by hand.

I ran out of time to finish the headband I had planned, but in the end the dress looked pretty good at the premiere. I have one more weekend to tweak it for Halloween, but I think I’m pretty good with it.

After this Halloween experience, I’ve gained many hours of practice at hand sewing and seam ripping. Next year my machine better work for me!

Hooray! New Blog!

I don't know what will happen once my old blog officially goes away in a few months (I'm not gonna keep paying for it!), but by then maybe this new one will be on its way to being something steady so it won't matter if old posts fall off.

Here is my actual newest video:

I hope this works better than the old format!

Off and running...

Wire Dragonfly Pendant

This is my latest video! Making a beaded dragonfly pendant. I used iolite beads in various shapes and sizes and copper wire.

Oh, and FYI - I have a Facebook fan page now, and I'm probably going to let that take over and phase this one out. I neglect this one anyway. Please head to http://www.facebook.com/CamilleIsCrafty and "Like" me if you want to know about my videos as soon as I post them!

Wire Hearts

I was somewhat inspired by the new Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland to make some hearts! Here is the result: