Bead-Making Lab, explores bead making using different materials such as clay, plastic and paper. These butterfly charms are the perfect accessory for summertime.
These butterfly charms are created with a rubber stamp and colored with permanent markers. Use them individually for earrings, or punch a hole in each wing and attach three or more together for a delicate necklace on a chain.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
– 3″ (7.6 cm) rubber stamp
– Permanent ink pad (I used StazOn Ink.)
– Opaque shrink plastic
– Permanent markers
– Scissors
– Large hole punch (1⁄4″ [6 mm])
– Brown paper bag Baking sheet Oven mitt
1. Press the rubber stamp firmly and evenly on the ink pad and stamp the design onto the textured side of the shrink plastic. Allow the ink to dry.
Fig. 1
2. Color the stamped design with the markers, working from the center and coloring toward the edges. Remember that the color will darken considerably when the plastic is baked. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 2
3. Cut out the stamped design with the scissors. Leave a large border around the antennae to prevent the small pieces from becoming too fragile. (Fig. 2)
Fig. 3
4. Use the hole punch to make a hole at the top of one wing if you’re making earrings; for a necklace or bracelet, make holes in both wings.
5. Cut the paper bag to line the baking sheet in a single layer. Place the cutout butterflies on the paper with the stamped side facing up. The pieces should be placed several inches apart because the plastic bends and folds as it shrinks.
6. Bake the charms in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 1 to 3 minutes. The charms will curl and then flatten while they bake. When they flatten, they are done. Remove the baking sheet from the oven immediately and allow the charms to cool before removing them. (Fig. 3)
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Fill the year ahead with handcrafted beads that you can make yourself by following tutorials from Bead-Making Lab!
Imagine a year in beads. We’re talking 52 handmade varieties all handcrafted by you! Bead-Making Lab makes this bounty of bead making possible with instructions for bead designs that run the gamut from sophisticated to playful.
Bead-Making Lab is organized by material, and single-spread lab tutorials for each bead design make the book simple to use. The tutorials are brief, accomplishable, and rewarding. Choose from traditional materials like paper mache and polymer clay, or opt for new materials such as resins and shrink plastic. Once you’ve selected your medium, follow the lab instructions for the bead-making technique of your choice. Try a new technique each week! With how-tos including molding, carving, painting, gluing, drilling beach glass and pebbles, and creating fiber-art beads with felting and embroidery, you’ll have a year of unique projects ahead of you. Bead-Making Lab also offers ideas on how to turn your beads into jewelry and gives you a sneak peek at some contemporary bead artisans’ best work. Get busy beading, crafters!
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