Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts

Friday, July 31, 2009

How To Make Disney Italian Charms Bracelets

Disney Italian charms are made widely available to the demanding public and with good reason. These stylish and interesting charms come in a wide variety of styles and themes, all of which depict some sort of Disney related theme. And because practically all little girls love charm bracelets, giving someone such a bracelet created from Disney Italian charms is sure to put a satisfied smile on their face.

It is true that charms are collected and purchased for various reasons. However, among the most common and highly popular of such reasons are the ability to use them for charm bracelets. Charm bracelets serve as splendid accessories and are affordable enough to obtain for all of your outfits.Millions of people have already entered into the thrilling and addicting world of charm collecting. Numerous reasons could be attributed to the overall success of charms and charm accessories. Among such reasons could perhaps be the utter inexpensiveness of charms. In fact, they are so affordable, that they would never break your pockets, even as an addicting hobby. And speaking of addicting, charm bracelet making as well as simple charm collecting is highly addictive and entertaining. But of course, being inexpensive is only one of numerous positive qualities of charms.

Another reason which could perhaps be attributed to the overall success of charms such as Disney Italian charm, Disney 14k gold charms, and their accessories could be the overall simplicity that is involved in charm collecting and bracelet making. Actually, charm bracelet making is so simple and easy, that even the youngest child could do it. Imagine having a thrilling, affordable hobby that is simple enough for the entire family to sufficiently participate in. Regardless of age, anyone can find enjoyment in this fulfilling hobby.

Now, the first task that must be performed in order to sufficiently begin the charm bracelet making process is to acquire all of the necessary bracelet making supplies. Fortunately, because charms and charm accessories are in such high and constant demand, they are made widely available in numerous locations. All throughout the world, there are charm retailers which offer wide varieties of charms and supplies for the ever so demanding consumers. And because of the wide variety of charms available, finding the perfect Disney Italian charms to create your bracelet should be simple and hassle free.

The materials that you will need to create your charm bracelets are simple and affordable. Such supplies include the Disney Italian charms and the elastic string. Or, if you have decided to make a link charm bracelet, all you will need are the charms because they will link together to form the bracelet with no use of string. The amount of charms you purchase should vary depending on the size of your wrist or if the bracelet is to be a gift, the size of the recipient’s wrist.

Once you have acquired all of the necessary charm bracelet making supplies, you are ready to begin the easy, yet exciting process of actually making your bracelet out of Disney Italian charms. To do so, simply arrange the charms in the order that you would like them to appear onto the string. Once you have enough charms lined up, either tie a tight knot at the end, or use a clasp to close the bracelet. And voila, in a matter of a few short minutes, you have successfully created your very own, personalized charm bracelet.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Tips on Cleaning and Preparing Seashells for Crafting

What to Do with Those Seashells After You've Found Them

Who doesn’t go to the beach and come back with seashells? Most everyone manages to find one or two seashells; some people find hundreds. Whether you’ve found your own seashells this year, or purchased a bagful from the local craft store, you can make lots of beautiful gifts and decor items from seashells. If the shells are straight from the beach, though, you’ll have to do some cleaning and preparing.

Seashells are beautiful in their natural form but look even more gorgeous after they’re cleaned and polished. The first step in doing so is to soak the shells in bleach water - half and half. Soaking for a couple of days is usually the norm but some shells have stubborn stains that need extra time. The bleach water will not harm the shells so soak away. The bleach also kills bacteria making them safer to handle.

When the shells appear smooth it’s time to remove them from the bleach water. There are still usually some rough areas on most shells, so use one of several methods to polish the shells smooth. One way is to use a toothbrush with a cleaner such as Lime-Away. You can use other stiff brushes as well. Other cleaning items include scrapers, tweezers or dental picks. Use sandpaper or a small buffer to further finish the shells. Shells will look much more lustrous if you rub mineral oil on them. They must be completely clean and dry before oiling. Instead of oil you can also use clear nail polish.

If you intend to dye the shells do not rub with oil first. Instead, boil the shells for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse with distilled water that includes a teaspoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt for each cup of water.

Mix the dye according to package directions then let the solution boil with the shells immersed for another 10 minutes. If you’d like the dye to be very dark, lessen the water slightly and boil an additional 5 minutes. Drain water and allow shells to dry on paper towels, but never newspaper. Newspaper ink can transfer onto the shells, ruining the dye job.

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Paint Seashells Permanently (Seashells Jewelry Making)

Seashells Jewelry Making

In making of seashells jewelry, the last part in order to complete and get a beautiful result is to paint the seashells permanently.

Seashells are porous so they hold the paint well. It's not necessary to bleach, just to soak in water and let them dry in the sun. You can bleach them though; it won't hurt and will clean them and remove any dirt and bacteria. Recommend that we should using acrylic paints, these are permanent, and come in every color, and are easy to find in any craft store.

If we want a softer look of the paint to our seashells, dilute the Acrylic paints with some water, so we would paint the entire seashells a base white before applying other colors. Then let the painted seashells dry in the sun. Next and most important, as we don't want our seashell's paint to scrape off or get scratched, purchase a clear coat sealer, these are inexpensive and we will be able to get a lot of use out of one can. Also, if we want a little shine to our seashells, get a gloss or semi gloss, but they also come in flat matte. This final step is what will preserve the painting, and protect it from easily coming off. We might also like to try using the Acrylic Glossies paints, which can be baked in the oven and will give a hard ceramic like finish after they are baked. It might be interesting to try a few!

Seashells also might be more shining look if we polish them. We need to get them really clean first, put them on an ant nest with a cover to keep off the sun which can fade the colours. After a week, remove them. We can use the toothpaste idea, but some collectors do not polish their seashells.

Seashells Jewelry Making

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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Cleaning of Seashells (Seashells Jewelry)

Seashells Jewelry

Before to start painting of seashells that we collected at the beach, first thing we should do is cleaning the seashells. There are several known methods for cleaning your live seashell specimens.

  1. Burying: This is easiest way to clean the Seashells but will take about two months. Dig a hole somewhere in around your home or yard and bury the seashells about 18 inches (deep enough so animals will not dig them up). It shall need to remain buried until insects, larvae, worms, and bacteria remove all the tissue. The longer you leave them the better.
  2. Freezing: Use a Ziplock bag and cover it with full of water, zip it and then place in the freezer. When you are ready to clean them, let the bag thaw at room temperature until completely defrosted.
  3. Boiling: Boil the seashells in the pot with some of water for a few minutes (more seashells need longer). Use tongs to remove one shell at a time. So you don't burn yourself, grasp shell with gloves or a towel and gently pull out the animal tissue inside.
  4. Heating: As long as you don't mind the smell in your microwave, this is an easy method. The time it takes to cook your seashells can really vary by microwave, so just try it until you figure out how long for each seashell. Grasp cooked seashell with gloves or a towel and gently pull out the animal tissue inside.
After that, the last step that we should do is bleaching the seashells. When no tissue remains, soak the seashells in a 50-50 solution of bleach and water. The length of time depends on the type of seashells and the quantity of seashells being cleaned. We must remove them after the "periostracum" is gone. The periostracum is the flaky, leathery covering that covers most live seashells. To make your seashells a nice finish and more shining, you can wipe them with mineral or baby oil.

Seashells Jewelry

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Monday, March 2, 2009

Seashell Bracelet Making

Things You’ll Need:

  • Seashells
  • Small beads
  • Ocean jewelry charms
  • Yarn, ribbon or twine
  • Clear gloss
  • Newspapers or trash bag
  • Drill and drill needle (optional)
  • Jewelry clasp (optional)
  • Instruction

    1. Select and ready the work area. Cover the table or space with old newspapers, a trash bag or another protective material.
    2. Prep the seashells for threading. If they're straight from the beach, create a small hole in each one using the drill and small needle. (Sometimes craft stores and specialty shops sell seashells with the holes already made.) Then spray all of the shells with the clear gloss for extra shine.
    3. Organize a workstation for each bracelet. Once the gloss is dry, match the shells with the appropriate number of beads and ocean charms depending on the person's size and whether the bracelet is for an adult or child.
    4. Cut the right length of yarn, twine or ribbon with several extra inches. Depending on which material you use, either tie a knot on one end of the yarn or ribbon or secure the first part of the jewelry clasp to the twine.
    5. Thread the shells, beads and ocean charms in the order you want them to appear. Once you're done, tie the bracelet ends together and trim the extra ribbon or yarn, or fasten the other piece of the clasp to the opposite end of the twine.

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    Friday, February 20, 2009

    Drilling Holes of Seashells - Making of Seashell Jewelry

    Seashell Jewelry Making

    This article will describe some tips and advices how to drill holes of seashells in making of seashells jewelry. Drilling holes of seashells is quite difficult and shall be done very carefully. Seashells are often quite fragile. Be very careful drilling holes in them and also try to pick shells that are not chipping or flaking at the edges. There are a few precautions that we should know and take in order to prevent the seashells from crack and damage.

    1 - Drilling bits

    Use A Dremel. A Dremel tool works well also because it's higher speed than your regular drill. Especially good for delicate shells; use a very small bit. It wasn't possible to use a very fast speed because the hardness of the shell made the drill bit slip and mark the surface. Once the hole was started, continue with slow because even then the drill would overheat from the effort. We had to stop every 5 minutes and allow the drill to cool down for about 20 minutes to half an hour. Also suggested to use diamond points to drill.

    2 - Water

    When you drill with diamond points, always use water to cool the points or they will fail quickly. This also keeps the dust down, but wear a good quality filter mask or use a vacuume to catch any dust/spray. Seashell dust is toxic, and I don’t mean a little bit toxic. You can really hurt yourself if you breath it in, or get it into your eyes, a cut or sore, or ingest it. Sometimes the particulates are so small you don’t realize they’re in the air around you. When you breathe this dust in, it gets embedded in your lungs and it won’t come out. It will literally be there forever, and it's toxic. Obviously, don't put your drill in the water, just the tip of the bit doing the drilling.

    3 - Start Drilling

    Make sure the drill bit is sharp, and that you are using a high speed drill. Use the smallest drill bit that will accommodate the chain or whatever you're putting thru the shell. Secure the shell firmly in a vise or other arrangement to make sure it cannot move during the drilling.If the shell is thin, I would suggest putting tape over the spot where you are drilling to help prevent the shell from splintering or cracking.Lay the shell with the top up so that if spintering does occur as the bit reaches the other side, any splintering will be on the bottom (back) of the shell. If you're not comfortable using a drill, practice first on some scrap shells before drilling in those you want to use.

    Now when you start to drill, you’re going to do it like this: hold the drill in a straight up and down position so that the hole will be straight. Hold the drill firmly so that the bit won’t go skidding across the surface of the stone. (Now you know why you need practice pieces.) You’re going to touch the drill bit down semi-firmly, like you mean it, but then lift the drill bit out of the hole so water can pool inside it. Repeat. You can do it pretty quickly, too. Touch down, lift, touch down, lift, etc. When you’re almost all the way though, Stop. Flip your stone over and begin to drill from the other side. This will prevent a “blow out” or chipping the stone or glass where the hole should be. It takes practice to do this, so don’t be hard on yourself. Glass and stone will pretty much drill the same. Anything else may be unpredictable, so a practice piece is necessary.



    Seashell Jewelry Making

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