Springtime Gypsy Earrings

This year, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Blogger Networking Event at CHA (hosted by FaveCrafts). This is an opportunity for us bloggers to meet with crafting manufacturers so we can get the word out to you readers about new and awesome products.

One of my favorite products from the event had to be the sweet treasure trove of Swarovski crystals from PrimaBead.com. I am like a magpie -- I adore anything sparkly! I used some of these gorgeous crystal beads to make a pair of gypsy-inspired earrings. These earrings are super-easy to make; if you can open and close a jump ring, you can make these!

Springtime Gypsy Earring Instructions:

1. Start with a chandelier-type earring finding.
2. For outer beads, place 3 bicone beads on a head pin. Create a loop at the top of the head pin and attach to the earring with a jump ring.
3. Attach the rest of the crystals to your earring with jump rings.
4. Attach earring to earwires (I didn’t use a jump ring so that the earring would face forward. If you prefer your earrings to swing sideways, use a jump ring.).

Materials List:

1. Swarovski crystal beads (I used these, these, these, and these.)
2. Chandelier earrings (I got mine at Hobby Lobby -- there are lots of different styles to choose from).
3. Earwires, jump rings, and head pins (Again, I got all my findings at Hobby Lobby).
4. Round-nose jewelry pliers

I would love to see your version of these earrings! If you like these, pin them on Pinterest!

Mix n' Mingle Bracelet

Isn't this bracelet adorable?

I made this bracelet with the Darice Mix and Mingle Beads starter kit and it couldn't be easier! The kit allows you to create your own charm bracelet easily, with coordinating Pandora-style beads and a pretty silver snake chain bracelet. Just string the beads on the chain in any combination you choose and you've got a bracelet in less than 5 minutes!

This particular starter kit is the "Wedding" kit. Just look at the ridiculously cute little wedding-themed charms.

Squee! The tiny ring! The tiny bride and groom! I die. Seriously.

Wouldn't this make a great gift for a bride-to-be? 

If a wedding-themed bracelet isn't your thing, that's OK! There are lots of different starter kits: pink ribbon (for breast cancer awareness), owls, patriotic, birthday, shopping, sea life, and more. You don't even have to buy the starter kits; you can buy the chains, beads, and spacers separately to create your own look!

The coolest part of these bracelets is the price -- less than $10 for a starter kit! 

Click here to shop Consumer Crafts' selection of Mix and Mingle products!

Disclaimer: I received this bracelet kit for free from Consumer Crafts, but I was not asked to do a review/post. I reviewed because I liked it!

CHA New Products: Spellbinders Media Mixage

I had the opportunity to attend the Spellbinders Media Breakfast Event so I got to see the debuts of their new products. In a word? Amazing!

The main feature of the event was the new "Media Mixage" products.  These new dies, bezels, metals and more are designed for jewelry making, home decor, art journaling, scrapbooking, mixed media projects, and more.

In the Media Mixage line, Spellbinders has teamed up with Susan Lenart Kazmer, a renowned metalsmith and jewelry artist, to distribute her unique and beautiful bezels, ephemera papers, and more.

Spellbinders founder Stacy Caron with Susan Lenart Kazmer

The other cool new product in the Media Mixage line is the new Artisan X-plorer. It is a cutting/embossing machine like the Spellbinders Grand Caliber machine, but the X-plorer is a high pressure machine for easier cutting and embossing of metals, artboard, canvas, and other thicker materials.

The new Spellbinders Artisan X-plorer

I am excited to try out these products. I don't make very much jewelry any more, but these new products may be just the thing I need to get started again. However, I am curious to see if the Artisan X-plorer machine is really that different from the myriad of other die-cutting/embossing machines on the market today. It will have to really do something amazing to stand out in the crowd.

For more information on the new Spellbinders products, check out their website.