D.I.Y. Wire Wrapped Ring

March is National Craft Month! Did you know that? Megan shared the news to me this morning in a text message. So, I stopped procrastinating and put together a post that I hope you enjoy.

Keith and I visited the Art Institute in Chicago for my birthday. I fawned over ancient Greek pottery, became absorbed in Monet's paintings and devoured a delicious chai tea while overlooking their modern wing. It was the best. And this happened:

What.a.babe.

While, I was walking through an exhibit about Greek and Egypt and came across these two tiny wire wrapped ring of gold. I got really excited and pointed them out to Keith because I have been making these wire wrapped rings for a few years now and it was fun to see such early examples of them. So, I decided to try and make a tutorial on how to make them on this blog. It seems really complex, but it's not, I promise and soon you will be whipping them out in under three minutes.

 Okay, you ready? Let's go.

 You need:

• A bead
• Wiring, usually I get 18 gauge
• A mandrel (this you might need to order online)
• pliers (any craft store has)
• cuter (any craft store has)
• wire straightener (most craft store have this)

Cut a length of about two to three feet of wire. For a good rule of thumb if you are doing a full wrap, go three feet, only half or smaller go two. I usually just measure with arm spans. Once cut, straighten wire, by holding on end and running the straightener through the wire around three times. Try to get out all the kinks and this will make it a bit stronger too.





Move the bead to the center of the wire, and fold the wire gently to make a small indentation around the wire. Like so:

Place the bead on the mandrel. Make sure you place it on the size that you want to make it, then if you are wire wrapping only half, add half a size. If you are doing a full wrap, add one size. Once the bead is on the right notch on the mandrel, pull both sides of the
wire to the back end.

Wrap the wires around the back end so they cross over, like so.

Take one side of the wire and place over the bead, the other side goes under.

Take one of the ends and start to wrap around just the bead.

Once you have a good three or four loops around the bead, start with the other side of the wire and do the same amount.

Remove from the mandrel, and it should look like this.

Pick one side and start wrapping the wire around the base in small tight coils. You should be able to do this with your hand, but some gauges might need some pliers help. I always take the loose wire and wrap by going through the hole to the outside, like so:

Once you get one side, repeat with the second and try to make them even.

Clip off the extra wire and use your pliers to push the rough edges down so they will not hurt you when you wear them. Repeat on both sides.

There you have it!

I hope you enjoy making these. I love working with metal, so I find these rings easy and fun to make, and weirdly calming to make as well. I am sorry for the format of this post, I was trying out new things and I wasn't getting what I wanted, however I thought it looked okay. I promise I will figure out how to blog better one of these days. Until then, happy crafting!

Gift Idea: Monogram Mug

So, I found this cute little pin on pinterest, however every time I saw it it had no link to a directions page. So, I kept putting off trying it. Well, I decided to give it ago, so that I can make someone a special gift this holiday.

It's really easy and really cute. I hope the person who is getting this, likes it!

So here's how to do it:

You need:

• a sharpie, I used gold
• A white mug, got mine cheap from Target
• a letter sticker, found mine in the scrapbook section

Stick the letter to the mug. Slowly start putting small dots, using the tip of the sharpie to outline the letter.

Keep going until you have outlined the whole letter. Then start on the fancy designs you want to make. Like this:

Then once you are done. Peel off the sticker and discard. Then put the mug in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it though. Then pull it out and let it cool down for one hour before giving it a quick wash by hand. This lovely gift is a handwash only present :)

Anyway, happy making! :) 

Gift Idea: Dark Chocolate Gummy Bears

One day, I walked into a small candy shop and saw a bag of chocolate covered gummy bears. Thinking Keith might like them, I bought them, then quickly ate the entire bag. NO JOKE. They were delicious. So, I decided it was time to make some to give out as a small gift for some friends. So, here is the recipe. They sound weird, but really they are quite delicious.

Melt that chocolate. I used dark chocolate and my fancy chocolate melter. You want a smooth consistency, without it burning. Using the microwave is tricky, because chocolate can end up burnt quickly.

Once it's melted, drop in a gummy bear. Be careful not leave it in too long, or it will get gummy and melt. I used a fork to flip it over and cover it with chocolate goodness.

To look like this beauty.

Place on waxed paper to dry. They might not be the prettiest thing I ever made, but man they taste pretty good. I plan on wrapping them out and giving them out to a few people who like candy almost as a much as I do.

I plan on posting a few other gift ideas for the upcoming holidays. So keep an eye out! Happy making :)