Upcoming tutorials!

I have 3 tutorials that i hope will be up in the next week! two are floral bracelets and one is a nice modern piece. both are more advanced than just stringing but i hope they'll give you ideas. Also, a photo of the steam punk bracelet from the tutorial.

Steampunk Bangle from an Egg Ring

This is a little Tutorial that's been hanging around my desktop for a while. hope its popular. feel free to re post, just mention me as the original source.
You Will Need;

• a steel/ aluminium egg ring
• 2 flat topped screws
• 4 washers that fit said screws
• 2 dome nuts that fit said screws
• a piece of flat chain, watchband or leather buckle

Tools;

• wire
• superglue/epoxy
  
• heavy duty wire cutters or bolt cutters
• a drill
• a vice
• heavy duty chain nosed pliers
• a small metal file
• sharpie or permanent marker
  

1. Using the wire cutters or bolt cutters, cut open the egg ring. be careful as it will spring apart quite forcefully

2. file away the edges so the egg ring is smooth

3. secure the egg ring bangle in the vice. using chain nose pliers, bend the ends around into a spiral

4. again in the vice, mark out and drill 4 holes in the egg ring - approximately evenly spaced. have these holes match the diameter of your screws.

5. thread 2 washers on a screw then thread through one of the holes nearest to the opening of the egg ring screw on the dome nut. repeat on opposite side.

6. secure on your watchband with wire by threading it through the two remaining holes and wiring it on. glue with superglue or epoxy and remove the wire once the glue is dry.

Here is the finished result;

sorry its a cruddy picture.

Finding beading sites

I'm always looking for something new - a new way of wire wrapping, a new stitch, a new use for toggle clasps, a different type of chainmaille or a new technique in polymer clay.
The problem is all the blogs that are dedicated to this sort of thing interconnect an share posts, so i end up looking at the same thing again and again. you've really got to look hard for something new.
so here are some of the things i do to find new techniques;

• go to deviant art - artisan crafts - jewelry. I like looking at the different ways people use beads as art.
• go to Xmarks - a web favourites/bookmarks organiser, and search bead blogs.
• go to the guilds and specific forums; wire artists guild, polymer clay artists guild, ganoskin blog, beadforum.com.au
• use stumble upon an select the channel; hobbies- crafts from the stumbleupon toolbar. try and adapt techniques you see to beading and jewelry making.

Doing these things youll soon find overlooked techniques and tips that you can cannabalise and put into your own jewelry, making your work unique.

I do not mean copying an original piece that someone else has creative ownership of, but rather noting what you do and don't like, what you do and don't know how to do, and what you think you could use.