Freshly Waxed....

                                        Click here for Bead Soup

    No, this is not a hygiene post.
    I signed up for Suburban Girl Studios Waxed Linen Challenge.
    I've never worked with waxed linen before.
    I've been intrigued by, and wanting to try it out for awhile, but never actually got around to buying any.
    So when I saw Suburban Girl Studios challenge, it presented the perfect opportunity to do so.
    First I had to go shopping.
    I bought a three color sample pack from two different shops.









    I picked Pumpkin, Candy Apple, and Amish Blue from Hip Chickee Beads
    From White Clover Kiln I chose Gold, Salmon, and Light Rust.
    I had no idea what I wanted to make when I ordered, but when I opened the first package and saw the colors in person, a light bulb went off and I knew exactly where this project was headed.

    I have this very cool cigarette case I acquired a million years ago that I'm absolutely in love with.....

But I don't smoke!

    So this thing has been waiting around for a repurposing project forever.
    I'm a textile junkie, so you can see why I went nuts over this thing.

    It has a sticker inside that says "made in Japan", but it really feels more Moroccan to me.
    So incredibly rich in color and design.
    I've known that I wanted to try to turn it into a necklace for a while.
    I've had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but wasn't quite sure of the logistics.
    I split it to make two separate pieces.
    I used an actual cigarette box as a template, and cut a second one out of card board.
    I lined the insides with decorative paper, and glued them back together.
    Then I glued the boxes into the fabric case to reinforce them.
    I rolled the top edges in and glued those down as well to ensure the vintage fabric doesn't start fraying from wear.
    Then trimmed the inside edge with terracotta velvet ribbon for a nice clean finish.
    I forged two lids from copper sheet to cap off each box.
    Now comes the hard part for me. I need to punch holes in it to attach the cording and the lid. They need to be finished and reinforced holes because all four of them will get wear and tear.
    I need to get brave and try my hand at some riveting for the first time.....
    Flux Play has an excellent tutorial I discovered a while ago that makes tube riveting seem like a snap.
    I have copper tube, and my dapping tools should make it work quite smoothly.
    I just never got around to trying it out.....
                                   .....No time like the present.

              RIVETS TACKLED! WOO HOO!

       I did one sample rivet, which worked seamlessly, before I began hammering them in to my project.
    I also made my own tool for the first time.
    I used my Dremmel to grind a nail to a smooth point to open up the rivets.
    The tricky part was getting them hammered into place where I needed them.
    Obviously, I couldn't hammer the back side, as there's only an inch of space there.
    How I compensated for that was by opening up one side of the rivet, and pushing it through from the inside.
    Then hammering the other side open, which was now on the back of my piece.
    My bench block fit perfectly into the case to support the hammering.

    The side rivets were a little trickier to support.
    I ended up using my plinth, with a metal file wedged between the rivet and the wood, to work those.
    They are far from perfect, but I'll take it.
    They're not real visible with this project anyway.
    They are however, functional.
    This opens the door to so many more possibilities with my work.
    I really don't know why I've been afraid of them for so long.

"Casablanca" necklace and "Fez" earrings

    Now on to the waxed linen......

    The Pumpkin and Light Rust waxed linen cords were almost the exact same color so I only used one of those, but I did use all the other colors.

"Casablanca" necklace 

    I did a multi-strand necklace.
    Alternating different colors.
    I double knotted above and below each bead.
    Then knotted all the strands together every four beads, with a large whole bead at these junctions.


    For the first necklace I used a lot of orange, red and yellow to draw out the brighter colors in the textile pattern.
    In the second necklace I omit the bright yellow and orange and went with a more neutral color pallet. Concentrating more on the shades of blue.

"Casablanca" necklace 

    I used a mix of lampwork glass, vintage glass, plain and painted wood, vintage ceramic beads, Terracotta, ceramic art beads, African bronze cage beads, African glass trade beads, copper, and brass.
    As well as a huge selection of gemstones. Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian, etched Agates, Citrine, Honey Jade, Aqua Terra Jasper, Honey Opal, Mexican Zebra Jasper, Turquoise, Coral, Dragon's Vein Agate, Amazonite, Mooakite, and a vintage carved Ivory elephant.
    Each of the cases is finished off with bead accented tassels.
    Both necklaces have a copper hook and waxed linen loop clasp.

"Marrakesh" necklace

     I named each of the pieces in this collection after a different exotic city in Morocco.

"Casablanca" and "Marrakesh" necklaces

    Then I made a bracelet to go with it.
    The beautiful lace textured ceramic bracelet bar was accented with Pinotage Guilder's Paste to highlight the fantastic texture.
    The awesome speckled creamy ceramic donut is by Shelley Graham Turner of Tori Sophia Designs. Part of a prize I won from a Toltec Jewels challenge last year.
    I formed a toggle bar out of copper wire and used it as the clasp.
    Accented with some bead dangles and a mini sari silk bow.

"Rabat" bracelet 

    A last minute addition....
    I used the remainder of the waxed linen to make a pair of fun and festive earrings.
    I wrapped the waxed linen around a pair of copper washers.
    Tied off the tails with a bit of copper wire.
    Then embellished with lots of bead dangles

"Fez" earrings 

    It's hard to believe that I went through 25 yards of this stuff, but that's what I did.

    Thanks to our hostess with the mostest, Diana Ptadzynski of Suburban Girl Studios, for challenging me to try something new.
    I actually managed to try three new things with this project. Waxed linen, rivets, and making my own tool.
    I'd say this was a success!
    Thanks for stopping by. Please go check out the rest of the participants, and see what amazing creations they dreamed up.

Diana Ptaszynski - Suburban Girl Studios - Hostess with the Mostest

Kelly Hosford Patterson - Traveling SideShow - You Are Here

Kelsey Vincent - Jill of All Trades Craft

Susan Kennedy - Sue Beads

Linda Landig - Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings 

Kashmira Patel - Sudafulee...Always in Bloom

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Vanessa Gilkes -  Culturzine

Sandy Huntress - Keepsake Crafts

Kay Thomerson - Kays Kreationz

Sarajo Wentling - Sj Designs Jewelry

Kari Asbury - Hippie Chick Jewelry & Designs

Rebecca Anderson -  Songbead

Melissa Trudinger - Bead Recipes

Ann Schroeder - Bead Love 

Shaiha Williams - Shaiha's Ramblings 

Blanca Medina - Medibeads

Cheryl Brown - Dragonfly Beads

Johana Nunez Rivera - Art Incendi

Lori Bowring Michaud - Artfully Ornamental 

Kelly Morgan - Silver Parrot Designs

Barbara Bechtel - Second Surf

Kristen Stevens - Bead Journey

Heather Boardman - HMB Studios

Janet Bocciardi -Honey from the Bee

Kathy Lindemer - Bay Moon Designs

Lesley Watt - The Gossiping Goddess

Susan Kolovson - Bead Inspired

Jayne Capps - Mama's Got to Doodle

Michelle McCarthy - Playing with Clay

Cynthia Deis - Shiny Little Things

Karla Morgan - Texas Pepper Jams

Erin Siegel - Erin Siegel Jewelry

Becky Pancake - Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson - Sharyl's Jewelry

Inge Von Roos - Ingetraud

Caroln Lawson - Carolyn's Creations

Linda Youngman - Lindy's Designs 

Sandi Volpe - Sandy Volpe Handcrafted Jewelry

Toltec Jewels - Jewel School Friends

Michelle Mach - Beads & Books

Jen Cameron - Glass Addictions

Dorthy Winchell - Winchell Clayworks

Darlene Mansue -  D7 Studio

Cory Tompkins - Teal Water Designs