Ornament Thursday

Celadon!

2009-03-26T23:03:00.003-04:00

We have some beautiful spring greens for you!!!

Featured above:

Celadon Dreamer
Michelle Zimmerman creates a dreamer box from one of her molds and Helen Bradley grabs another for her jewelry project.

Embellished Ear Wires
Lynn Kvigne of Beading Help Web shows you how to create these embellished ear wires in spring colors (like Celedon!)

OT Goes Celadon
Lisa finds calm in the color "Celadon"

Linda Augsburg's gone heliotrope!

2009-02-26T10:44:00.004-05:00

By Linda Augsburg

Happy Ornament Thursday! This month's theme is heliotrope which wikipedia describes as a pinkish purple. I forgot the pink part when I designed this piece, so forgive me on that. But I bet some of my Ornament Thursday friends got the color right! Let's see.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Check out Linda's necklace and don't miss the giveaway!

Heliotrope-Ornament Thursday
Did someone say violet?

Heliotrope: Purple by any other name…
Lisa waffles on what shade of purple is really "Heliotrope"

Ornament Thursday is here!
Michelle Zimmerman gets funky with these home made mica shift bead earrings and Helen Bradley secretly raids someone else's bead box for a fun silver bracelet.

Shelly...
Michelle shares a heliotrope layout of her her and her fish!
http://fromichelle.blogspot.com/2009/02/heliotrope-thursday.html

As for my creation, I made it to go with a black and heliotrope dress that I bought a while back. I bought the beads a while ago as well, and finally got them turned into this necklace. So now I only have 4 months to wait until I can wear my halter dress with this four-strand piece. The inner strand is all fire-polished glass, and the other three strands have mini freshwater pearls mixed peppered in here and there. And the great clasp is from Star's Clasps.

As for my giveaway, everyone who comments on this post on my blog or on this month's Ornament Thursday post will be entered to win some of the very same beads I used in this piece. I seriously overbought for this necklace, so I have almost five strands of the glass and more than 30 of the pearls remaining. The deadline for posting is March 11 at noon Central Standard Time. I'll announce the winner on here on my blog and on the Ornament Thursday blog March 13. Please be sure to provide some way for us to contact you.

Teaser!

2009-02-26T00:09:00.001-05:00

Here comes Spring. And here come the flowers, among them the heliotrope. So this is the inspiration for this month’s Ornament Thursday projects. And here’s a little teaser from Linda Augsburg.

And speaking of a little teaser, Linda’s also offering a giveaway, so check back on Thursday for all of the project links and Linda’s giveaway!

OT goes OWOH!

2009-01-27T20:17:00.007-05:00

This year the Ornament Thursday Team is putting it's focus on color!

We'll be bringing you projects all year long in different hues to inspire and excite you!

We've also added some neat extras each month like prizes, Q & A's, interviews and more.

And in that spirit, we have jumped on the Gypsy Caravan and are participating in One World One Heart!

Some of the team are giving away their creations this month on their individual blogs, so be sure to click the links below to check them out and comment... but our Featured Artist this month, Deanna Chase is giving her creation away here on the Ornament Thursday blog!

This month's Featured Artist is Deanna Chase!

Hello! Let me introduce myself. I am Deanna Chase, a participant of the Ornament Thursday blog circle and I am a full time lampwork artist. Lampwork is an old fashion term for melting glass, also known as torchwork or flamework. These days we lampworkers work our glass in a surface mix torch of oxygen and propane for a nice clean flame. In the old days they did it over an oil lamp, hence the term lampwork.

My main business is making lampwork beads to sell to jewelry designers. I rarely make my stuff into jewelry, as I find I just don’t have a lot of time. I like to leave that to the jewelry artists. I also make handmade contemporary marbles. There is a small but dedicated group of collectors out there.

For this month, I am offering a prize for One World One Heart to a randomly chosen commenter here! Just post a comment and you'll be entered to win a pair of earring beads (just the beads, you will need to make them into earrings).

Thanks for stopping by!

Deanna

Check out Deanna's designs at Chase Designs... her etsy store at CDLampwork and also Chase Designs and even more here! And do check out what the rest of the Ornament Thursday Team is up to here...

Another OWOH Giveaway!
Michelle's got a LOVELY Celeste prize for you!

Beading Help Web's Ice Blue Topaz Celeste Necklace
Got some teeny tiny beads, sterling wire and a plain toggle? Lynn shows you how to put it all together for a fabulous clasp or focal pendant!

Creating Ice Blue
When a color you love goes out of production, make your own!

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda Augsburg shares her celeste-inspired card.

Heather's Ramblings
A bright blue sky and beach scene for dreary weather

Icy Blue Born of Fire
Lisa sees ice in the desert of all places.

Uniquely Mine for $20
Cindy Gimbrone hooks up lovely ice blue cashmere into a celestial colored neck scarf. Finished off with an artist made button - it's uniquely hers for $20!

Last Ornament Thursday of 2008

2009-01-07T22:04:00.004-05:00

We have some real dedicated OT'ers who posted their last ornaments of 2008 on Christmas Day!

A big shout out to Cindy Gimbrone...

And Linda Augsburg...

And Melissa J. Lee...

Now go check them out!

BeadStyle magazine
A seed-beaded ornament for the holidays

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's sharing her favorite OT project!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off a simple snowflake necklace for her final seasonal piece of the year.

And be prepared for what the Team is up to in 2009!

Ornaments so easy... even a kid can do them!

2008-12-18T22:27:00.002-05:00

And kids did!

Today Michelle volunteered in Addie's class and each student made an ornament for their parents.

Easy for them, easy for you, so check out Michelle's blog for full photos, details, and information!

One more OT for the year! Hope you'll join in!

Here's who's ornamenting today at Ornament Thursday!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva

Make a Confetti Ring to Wear at Your Next Holiday Party!

Holiday Sparkly Fan Pull
Lisa creates a dress up look for a ceiling fan

Linda's snowman
Some paper, beads, and fabric are transformed into an adorable snow guy.

Poinsettia Madness
Beautiful poinsettias in glass.

Poinsettia Ornament
Polymer clay and glittery snow recreate a Christmas memory

Strands of Beads
Melissa has a quicker than quick snowball pendant for a perfect last minute gift.

Shiny Little Things
Felting for the Festivities!

Ornaments so easy... even a kid can do them!
A recycled idea from last year using pearl UTEE!

Ornament Thursday #2

2008-12-11T09:38:00.003-05:00

Another Ornament Thursday comes again, and we've got some special stuff for you!

Michelle McGee's ornament was inspired by the Graphic 45 Botanicabella collection...

"Using the Secret Garden paper, a tree template, and some Ranger products, I created this lovely little vintage tree complete with a bottle of Christmas memories dangling from the bottom..."

Now go check out Michelle's tree, and the rest of the creations of our team, and 2 very special guest artists...

(If you would like to be a guest artist this month on Ornament Thursday, see this post for details.)

Cindy Gimbrone Puts Up Her Xmas Tree!

Fused Glass Xmas tree ornament sparkles from Cindy's real Xmas tree.

Friendly Plastic Ornaments and Sew simple mittens

This week in the countdown to Christmas, Michelle shares her recipe for Friendly Plastic Ornaments and Helen sews another tree ornament

Gingham and beads and buttons, oh my

Counterchanges smocked gingham forms the foundation for this homespun ornament

HHH Enterprises

We are pleased to have this special guest join us this month!

New Beaded Ornament

See our special guest's beautiful creation!

Secret Garden Christmas Tree Ornament

Michelle's got a special tree from the Botanicabella collection!

Strands of Beads

Melissa shows off a simple winter rose bracelet project this week.

4 Full Weeks of Ornaments starts today! Join us!

2008-12-04T10:13:00.005-05:00

Ornaments aren't just for your tree...Lynn Kvigne's quick and easy project using (what else!) wire and beads transforms an ordinary household object for the holidays!

Here is what Lynn has in store for you over at her blog...

And also in store... join us!

And also in store... join us!

Ornament Thursday is officially one year old, and we're up to our ears in ornaments!

This month all 4 Thursdays before Christmas will be Ornament Thursdays, and we're looking for a few good ornaments!

If you'd like to participate this holiday season along with the OT Team, we'd love to have you!

Here's how you can join us...

Create an ornament, and if you follow our project, you'll know, we use the term "ornament" loosely... anything ornamental qualifies.
Post the ornament to your blog on the Wednesday before the upcoming Ornament Thursday
Email Michelle at: eggsb@comcast.net with a direct link to your posting, (this should not be a link to your general blog, but to the posting of your ornament.) To be included in the posting on our Ornament Thursday blog, you must have your submission to me by midnight EST the Wednesday night before the scheduled OT
Voila! You're part of Ornament Thursday!
If you miss the deadline, you are always welcome to post a link to your creation in the comments section of the OT blog posting!

Happy Ornamenting!

And here's what the Team's been ornamenting!

Brandi's keepsake childrens coaster ornament!
Super fun and easy ornaments to make for the whole family!

Christmas Past and Needle Magic at http-design.com
Michelle is addressing the ghosts of Christmas past and Helen gets down and dirty sewing a Christmas ornament - stand well clear, she is dangerous with a needle.

It's ORNAMENT Ornament Thursday!
Michelle's got some cheap, easy mini clipboard ornaments to share!

It's Ornament Thursday Again: Icicle Time!
Lisa takes a look at handmade icicle ornaments from Ruskin Designs

Needlepoint Stocking on BeadStyleMag.com
Linda's ornament this week is a mini stocking in needlepoint.

Strands of Beads
Melissa makes cute and quick Christmas tree earrings this week.

Beading Help Web's Holiday Candle Wraps
Super easy and festive "ornaments" for your candles!

It's Ornament Thursday... Big Time!!!

2008-11-27T19:34:00.002-05:00

Our post today comes from Linda Augsburg!

An Ornament Thursday note from the Ornament Thursday Crew

It’s the 1-year anniversary of Ornament Thursday (or something like that). And to celebrate, we’re offering our readers four weeks of ornaments (or decorative items) to celebrate the season. Our incredibly diverse and talented group of artists have created a bevy of beautiful and ornamental items for your enjoyment, so every Thursday between now and Christmas day, you’ll have a new batch of ornaments to inspire you. If you want to join us in Ornament Thursday, leave your link in the comments each week so visitors to this blog can check it out.

As for me (Linda), my way of welcoming you all is to offer these yo yo trees. I found them in a magazine years ago—a magazine I have since misplaced, so sorry to whomever designed them, I tweaked your design a bit and can’t offer you credit. The original pattern was for the little trees, as I recall. But I though they seemed too small, so I cut out a bunch of yo-yos to make bigger trees. I ran across some finished and some unfinished yo yos the other day on another cleaning binge in my craft/sewing room and thought “Ornament Thursday!” So I’m sharing them with you.

Yo Yo Basics: It’s as simple as cutting out a circle of fabric and running a gathering stitch 1/4” from the edge of the fabric. Make sure you’ve got a good knot at the end of the fabric, because you’re going to need it to hold the gathers in place. Once you’ve stitched all the way around, simply gather the fabric up along your stitches until you have a little fabric ball—the opening should almost close. Take a few stitches around the knotted end to secure the two thread ends and knot the thread.

To make the trees: For the smaller trees, I cut circles with the following diameters: 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, 3”, 3.5”, and 3.75”. For the larger trees, I cut these sizes: 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, 3”, 3.5” 4” 4.5”, 5”, 5.5”, and 5.75”. You’ll need a cardboard to put in the bottom one, 2” diameter for the small one, 3” diameter for the larger one. Before you close up the largest one, you’ll slide that cardboard inside and make sure you flatten the yo yo so the gathered opening is in the center. Attach a jingle bell or a brown pompom to the center of the ungathered side of the largest yo yo by sewing or gluing it in place. Once you’ve made all your yo yos, flatten them with the gathered edge in the center. Stitch your hanger on the smallest one, having the flat side up. (I just cut a strand of pearl cotton a little longer than I wanted my hanger to be, knotted one end, stitched through from the gathered side to the flat side and back through from the flat side to the gathered side, and knotted the ends together.) Hot-glue the yo yos together, gathered side up, placing the glue about half an inch from the edge of the largest yo yo and stick the next smaller one to it, having it centered. Continue building your tree until all but the one with the hanger are attached. Glue the smallest one in place hanger-side up, gathered-side down. You can add a bow to the top of your tree, or a star, or whatever you’d like.

The thing I love about these trees is that I used up some Christmas prints that I got for free. For my taste, they were prints that I wasn’t going to use in a Christmas project like a quilt or a stocking where their unusual prints would be very visible, but gathered up in yo yos, you don’t really notice the print as much as you notice the festive colors. Also, you could probably mix the fabrics if you wanted to. I can’t decide if they look more like bells or trees, but I’m calling them trees. And since I cut these circles out a while ago, the colors are pretty traditional red and green, which is fine for me. I think they’d be very retro in some of the new Christmas fabrics or in some of the more modern Christmas color schemes.

So join the fun the next four weeks and post your link in the comments each week.

Happy Thanksgiving and here’s to the holiday season!

The Ornament Thursday Team is Grateful!

2008-10-30T15:48:00.005-04:00

This month the Ornament Thursday Team is all about...

GRATITUDE!!!

Our featured artist this month is the talented Brandi Lung-Gill who has created these amazing gratitude journals as Thanksgiving Day favors!

Here's what Brandi has to say about these pretty journals...

"My project the month is gratitude journals! I made these as favors for Thanksgiving! I put the book together with a Bind it All Zutter! Way easy to use!

Every fall I dig out my Kaleidacolor ink pad in Autumn leaves and try to find fresh ways to use it! This year my muse was Stampin Up's new stamp Gratuitous Graffiti!

I dug out my Ranger glossy paper,a brayer and white ink pen and went to town! I always use glossy paper with brayer to get best color saturation!

I added lace to a few of the books to fem them up a little :) I took white lace and rubbed it with one of the colors from the Kaleidacolor ink pad to keep the same custom color pallet!

The technique that was used to put it all together is the bandanna technique . I am looking forward to stamping the inside of my pages with these great stamps from my friend Sally."

For more photos and information on Brandi's journals and what the rest of the Ornament Thursday Team is up to... visit our links!

(And we're grateful for all of you as well!)

Thank you!

Cat's Attitude of Gratitude
Michelle at http design has a fun take on gratitude - think about it - what do cats give you when they love you? Mice!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's grateful for Ornament Thursday!

Gratitude Screen
Michelle's grateful for OT!

Linda shares her expression of gratitude
Of course there's a story behind Linda's shadowbox on the BeadStyleMag.com blog

Lisa looks at the meaning of the word
Just some reflection this month

Ornament Thursday - Gratitude
I am grateful that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

There are so many ways to say thank you
Helen from http design puts wordle.net to work to create these earrings which say thank you in so many ways.

journals

Brandi’s got some journals to share!

Gratitude...

2008-10-16T08:39:00.002-04:00

This month's Ornament Thursday theme?

GRATITUDE

And this month's Ornament Thursday teaser comes from...

Brandi Lung-Gill

She's made some Thanksgiving favors that you'll be grateful to see on Ornament Thursday!!

Check back on Thursday, October 30th for a full photo and all the links to the Ornament Thursday Girls' projects!

Something wicked this way comes...

2008-09-18T17:19:00.003-04:00

This month's Ornament Thursday theme is...

BREW

And Melissa Lee has something wicked brewing for us!

Check back next Thursday, September 25th to see what the crew has brewed!!!

Ornament Thursday... ACADEMIA

2008-08-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

August's Ornament Thursday - Academia!

This month's feature brought to you by...

Lynn Kvigne, Editor, Beading Help Web

Did you guess the teaser?
This month's Ornament Thursday theme celebrates the kick off of Back To School - Academia! I love to read, and fortunately my children have discovered this love as well. While I can just as easily use a scrap of paper or an old magazine subscription card for a bookmark, I prefer to do something a little more stylish! This month's OT project is one that I've done over and over with great results - it's quick, easy, and you can use up orphan beads for a design that reflects your personality!

This is also a great kid's project, and they can use the bookmark that they make all year long!

Easy Wire Bookmark

Level: Easy/Beginner

Materials12-16g wire (sterling, copper or craft wire)
Head pins
Beads, crystals, small bells, charms
Jump rings

Just a note - sterling silver wire makes a sturdier bookmark, but because it will be continually exposed to air, it will tarnish. Copper wire can be hammered to strengthen, and oxidization will eventually color the wire to a warm brown. Craft wire tends to flop a bit, even after hammering. You can experiment with wire and find the type that you like to use best.

Cut a piece of wire 9" long using a flush side cutter. File the ends smooth. Create a small closed loop at the end of the wire. Using a round object that's about 1" diameter, create a shepherd's hook at one end of the wire. Slightly curve the loop outward.
Create a tight spiral at the opposite end of the wire: Make a tiny loop using a round nosed pliers and close the loop using a chain nose pliers. Create the spiral by holding the loop in the jaws of any pliers with flat inside surfaces - I recommend 2-3 revolutions around the original loop.

Hammer wire to strengthen.

To decorate your bookmark: Make wrapped loop dangles using head pins and beads, bells, or crystals. Attach dangles to the closed loop at the end of your hook using jump rings. Another option is to hang charms in a theme (gardening, wine-related, Red Hat) on the closed loop using jump rings.

That's it from Beading Help Web this month! Check out the other OT gals projects...I know I am going to!!!

Art Bead Scene & The Golden Rule
The Art Bead Scene editor shares a few words of wisdom for jewelry designers.

Back to School-Make your own Pencils
School is back in session, everyone needs new pencils. Why not glass?

BeadStyle goes back to school
Lindsay Haedt's on her way to the classroom, but not before Linda shares one of her recent designs

Beading Help Web Wires Up Academia
Lynn Kvigne to read! While you can easily use a scrap of paper or an old magazine subscription card for a bookmark, why not whip up a stylish book mark instead?

Check out the "homework" project from Joolz by Lisa
A collab effort works out great when you plan ahead

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's learned how to Mail!

First Day
Michelle's School Book - it's academic!

Michelle's Edumacation

Michelle has yet another go at decorating Helen's workstation, this month, less scary than last but oh, so funky

Swelldesigner goes crazy over school supplies!
Alexa shows you how to turn pencil grips into ultra funky accessories

August Teaser!

2008-08-14T22:14:00.002-04:00

Lynn Kvigne of Beading Help Web has whipped up a project using wire, charms and orphan beads that's heavy on Academia!! Check back in two weeks for the final project AND free instructions!!!

2008-07-31T16:54:00.002-04:00

Our absolutely fabulous team member, Lisa Liddy has provided our wonderful featured piece for the month of July, and it is truly RED HOT! From Lisa: I live in Arizona and it really is “red hot” here with temps this week hovering at 110 degrees and the humidity around 50%…we usually are at 15% so the difference makes it uncomfortable in those rare moments between the A/C’d house to the A/C’d car to A/C’d anywhere else. In the spirit of the Red Hot theme for Ornament Thursday, I decided to finally finish a project that has been strung for over a year! Here’s another look at the teaser: And here’s the finished project: And here’s a little of how I got there. The glass lampwork beads are from an amazing talented German artist named Andrea (Annikalilly is her seller name…sadly she hasn’t sold or posted in over a year) and over the years I would win one of her auctions on a rare occasion. I was going to the Gathering (an annual conference glass beadmakers…and their bead junky friends!) for in KCMO a couple of years ago and had heard all my bead friends talk about “trade beads”…not being a beadmaker, I knew I’d have nothing to trade. Then I had the idea to get a set of Andrea’s beads in flame colors! She made me a special set so I had about 15 or so to trade with my friends (most of whom I met in person for the first time at that event). I was pleased to be able to trade and to share with them the art of a fellow beadmaker I admired and I was especially pleased to have these flame-colored beads to share. I managed to hang onto one focal and some spacers and proceeded to string them with some Hill Tribe silver woven spacers onto beading wire. I tied a loose knot and forgot about them for a year or so…As you can see below, I had Swarovski crystals on there at first and the wire curled pretty much after I unknotted it. I decided that the crystals weren’t going to work with the final idea…the proportion was going to be too small next to the large chain necklace…so they were ditched. I also restrung the beads onto SoftTouch wire (my favorite) as I couldn’t get the other into the Wire Guardians. The idea was to make a somewhat removeable beaded block that could be changed out of a fun chainmaille necklace I adapted from a magazine. The necklace started out all chain and then I decided to take out a section of chain in the center and add my favorite curved lampwork focal that I got from Melissa Vess. I also made a wired section with amazing glowing boro disks from Sonya Husko. And now I have a Red Hot focal section! I put a crimp bead and a wire guardian on each end and crimped so I had a loop to add to the silver ring. Then I opened up the silver ring, attached the three silver rings from the side of the necklace and the loop end of the beaded section. Closed the ring and repeated on the other side. Voila! Instant necklace. And now it’s time for a dip in the pool! Stay cool the rest of the summer! Here’s what the other OT gals have been up to. We’ve got a few more coming so be sure to check back! Art Bead Scene ABS Editor Cindy Gimbrone Goes Red Hot Crazy! Beading Help Web is RED HOT! Lynn Kvigne takes up the torch and shows you how to make a toe ring using fine silver. Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva Trendy, Popular and Red Hot! Katie’s Beading Blog Check out Katie’s Red Hot faux coral necklace! It’s a punch of color with a summery feel. Linda Augsburg at BeadStyle Magazine Linda shares a red-hot card she created Michelle is RED HOT! Well, really, Margot is… Savvy Crafter Hotsie Totsie Plexi-glass Flower pendant over on Candie’s blog! Strands of Beads The heat is rising, and Melissa is making a Red Hot Firecracker necklace! Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield The Swelldesigner gets red hot with a Hunka Hunka Burner Necklace! Too Red Hot Our own Michelle Zimmerman has been hard at work this month sculpting a devil of a project for your enjoyment.

It's RED HOT!!

2008-07-17T20:43:00.002-04:00

Mid-July... what's on your mind?

We here are Ornament Thursday are ssssmoking!!!!! Smoking hot, that is!

We are feverishly working on our Red Hot projects!

Joolz by Lisa has a hot little number to share with all of us... stay tuned to see her full project and all the rest on Thursday, July 31st!

Stay cool!

Ornament Thusday has an Independent Party!

2008-06-26T10:57:00.008-04:00

Our lovely Michelle of http design has featured her sculpture for us this month... and all of our OT Girls have gone independent! Check out Michelle's creation and the hot links for all the OT Girls!

The house is full of plaster hands in various positions and colours but my real hand is unstuck in time for this month's Ornament Thursday!

This pendant is called Indepence from Race and Religion. I've sculpted a woman's face and used bits from Krafty Lady Art Moulds. Her cheeks and hair are from parts of a key and keyhole mould. Kristine, the Krafty Lady herself, has a quality product that is wonderful to use. I've not found a medium yet that can't be used in her moulds... Friendly Plastic, Premo, Fimo and Kato clays, plaster, wax, Magic Mud, hot glue.... but I digress. (sorry)

Originally the woman in this pendant started as pink clay and African American features. I wanted to see what oil paint did to clay so now she's nicely aged and has a lovely glow about her... but she's not so pink. The reverse is backfilled with textured black clay (thanks Lynne!) and has a brass tube running down the length to hold her weight (thanks Tommie!)

Here is what the other OT members have been up to this month:

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a Swelldesigner
Craft some red, white and blue drink charms from vintage wartime posters. They'll make a big bang at your 4th of July cookout!

Art Bead Scene
Field of poppies bracelet project from Heather

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Celebrate the Independent Spirit

Hurray for Red, White and Blue
Lisa takes a shot at teeny tiny beads for a change

Linda at BeadStyle Magazine
Childhood memories of Independence Day's past inspired this necklace.

Strands of Beads
Melissa sees stars this month while considering the meaning of independence

What is America to Me?
Michelle's favorite words on our country...

Michelle's take on Independence
Over at http design, Michelle has sculpted a piece which gives a different perspective on independence.

Labels: Fimo, Friendly Plastic, kato clay, Krafty Lady Art Moulds, Lynne Schwarzenberg, Magic Mud, oil paint on polymer clay, Premo, Tommie Howell

INDEPENDENCE

2008-06-20T00:46:00.003-04:00

Both of our pals at http-design are participating in our Ornament Thursday this month!

Check out a teaser of their ideas at their blog!

Insectica!!!

2008-05-29T17:16:00.008-04:00

It's Ornament Thursday once again and we've gotten our creative juices flowing!

This month, the theme is

Insectica

And Linda of Make it Mine Magazine created a dragonfly top for summer.

Who else has been bitten by the bug? Well, check out the other Ornament Thursday players this month:

Art Bead Scene
Dragonflies are all the rage, art beads & brass combine in a 1920's inspired necklace.

Beading Help Web's DragonFly Anklet
Make this cute anklet for summer in just minutes!

Humblebeads
Flying to a fashionable ear near you, a free project from Humblebeads.

Katie's Beading Blog
Make a fun little winged thing from a handful of wire and beads.

Linda at Make It Mine magazine
Make your own dragonfly top--check out the instructions and video!

Savvy Crafter-
See some cute as a bug pins over on Candie's blog....

Swelldesigner
You'll get butterflies when you see this summer-inspired necklace with butterfly pendant

The Insects are out
Insects are crawling out and about at http design this month as Helen and Michelle get clay happy with some cool designs.

fromichelle
Insectica

Here's what Linda says about her project!

"My project wasn't inspired by any long story or anything! I found the top on sale and loved the lines of it, and the yoke seemed perfect for a little detail work. Coupled with that the fact that I needed to do a demo at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) trade show, and here you have it. The stenciled dragonflies with their crystal-accented wings go all the way around the yoke. I added a crystal dragonfly at the bottom of the breezy top. Here's how to make one yourself. In addition to the instructions and step-by-step on the Make It Mine blog, we also have a video showing the stenciling and crystal setting steps."

Happy Bug Days from The OT Team!

Just a little tease!

2008-05-15T11:13:00.002-04:00

Looks like the Ornament Thursday group has been bitten by the creativity bug! It should be fun to see how the crew interprets this month’s theme: insectia. Consider this your preview, and come back in two weeks to see what everyone’s done.

Insectica...

Our preview this month has been brought to you by Linda at Make it Mine Magazine!

Check back next Thursday...

2008-05-08T13:34:00.003-04:00

Check back next Thursday for a little teaser on this month's Ornament Thursday theme...

Insectica

Linda at Make It Mine magazine

It's the Mother of all Ornament Thursdays!

2008-04-24T09:57:00.008-04:00

Because our theme is... Motherhood!!!

Our featured artist this month is Michelle McGee who has created an adorable little booklet on Mommy-isms!

Have you ever said any of the following?

Go ask your dad.
Don't make me come in there!
Go play outside. It's a beautiful day.
Why on Earth did you do that?
Don't run in the house.
Life isn't fair.
I don't know is not an answer.
Say your sorry and act like you mean it.
You should know better.

Check out Michelle's entire booklet of Mommy-isms, plus a materials list for making the booklet with step by step instructions including photos of each page.

And it's time to share what all of the lovely OT ladies have created this month...

In honor of Mother's Day, we present...

MOTHERHOOD

5 Generations of Mothers
Hali's first attempt at an altered book featuring family photos of great grandmother down to her niece.

Art Bead Scene
Add art beads to needle-felted flowers for the perfect Mother's Day corsage.

Candie Cooper
See a sweet project that Candie and her mom made together.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Celebrating Mother Earth with a ceramic pendant tutorial

Katie's Beading Blog
Make this easy talisman for new moms or moms-to-be

Linda at Make It Mine magazine
Quilts inspired by Mom's Mom

Modern Glass Link Earrings
Modern Glass Links for the Mom who's a classic!

Strands of Beads
Melissa and the Short One celebrate motherhood with a little origami

The Swell Life - Swelldesigner's blog
Make this cool and colorful buckle inspired by the iconic "MOM" tattoo

UR Charmed Mother's Necklace
Easy to make and personalize necklace for Mom or Grandma!

Michelle Zimmerman - http design
Michelle creates a floral tribute to motherhood

Mommy-isms by Michelle

Just like a mother...

2008-04-13T01:28:00.004-04:00

Just like a mother to be overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid, and under the gun!

Today is not Thursday, so I am a little late in posting this month's teaser for Ornament Thursday's theme: Motherhood.

I will be featuring my project this month on the fine art of Motherhood, and here's a little sneak peek at what you'll be getting:

Just a little teaser until Ornament Thursday on Thursday, April 24th!

If you'd like to see what else I'm up to, head on over to my blog and check it out!

Michelle

Great Ideas are Sprouting on Ornament Thursday!

2008-03-27T04:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to Ornament Thursday!

Once again, our talented artists have created a group of original projects based on our monthly theme. With spring finally on the way, we’ve decided to celebrate the season by focusing on the theme of “Sprout”. We hope you enjoy viewing these projects as much as we’ve enjoyed creating them. Feel free to start your exploration here: our featured artist, Lynn Kvigne, has created a wonderful sprouting lentil project. Lynn’s description and a full view of her inspired piece can be found below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Alexa Westerfield - a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Now that's it's time for spring, ideas are "sprouting" all over the place. Alexa creates this eye-catching notebook to keep them in order.

Art Bead Scene
Some good karma is sprouting up at the Art Bead Scene with Heather's Lotus Flower Bracelet

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
The Brooklyn National Anthem sprouts every year when Cindy's in Spring mode. See what it inspired this year!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie giggles and remembers a furry friend, brings back an old mold, and sprouts up a beaded LOLhammy ceramic ornament

Helen Bradley and Michelle Zimmerman at http design
It's spring and we're sprouting all sorts of wonderful art at http design. Michelle is toting her art to the market and Helen revisits a fun art school assignment for her inspiration.

Humblebeads
Humblebeads celebrates spring with a Berry Good bracelet inspired by some juicy disk beads.

Jennifer Heynen of Jangles
Jennifer has come up with a cute little necklace to remind you of spring.

Katie's Beading Blog
Create some spring flair of your own with this easy bead embroidery idea from Katie's book, Hip to Bead.

Kriss Cramer - Spring Is In The Air
Not much of a horticulturist? Me neither! But I love flowers and I enjoy growing these ones with some paper, paint, and rhinestones.

Linda and Tea at Make It Mine magazine
Tea decided to join the fun this month. Check out her quilt blocks and Linda's purse.

Melissa J. Lee - Strands of Beads
What do Korean playing cards have to do with a sprouting spring? Check out Melissa's blog to find out.

Michelle McGee - S-P-R-O-U-T
Michelle just can't stop creating in green! A little wooden birdhouse becomes a beautiful palace!

Savvy Crafter
Candie shares some happy spring memories with a cheerful felty flower idea!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean tells a touching, poignant tale of some beads who help one another, and after a small amount of sturm and drang they get it together and help each other! In fact, they prettify whatever YOU choose! Go see! It's fun!

Spring is Sprouting for Joolz by Lisa
Even without a green thumb, Lisa managed to "grow" a garden of sorts this month.

Sprouting Up with Beading Help Web
Lynn Kvigne's used wire and a lentil bead to create a "sprouting" pendant for wire workers who want a bit of a challenge!

The Goddess ROCKS!
Inspired by a river rock shaped like an ancient goddess statue, Hali paints, melts crayons and adds glitter to create a sparkley celebration of Spring.

The Impatient Blogger
How does your garden grow? With metal mesh, Czech glass beads and vintage French images all in a row! Margot just returned from Paris where she discovered a treasure trove of vintage paper. This scanned and sized postcard image fit the theme of sprout perfectly and the necklace was in search of a new home...add some teal metal mesh bows and accents and voila...a design sprouts forth!

Vintage Girl Teams Up With Her Vintage Momma!
What does a gal do when she finds herself far from her crafting supplies? Why, she raids her mom's basement and then puts dear old mama to work! Stop by and you'll see why mom's basement is fertile ground for things that sprout!

Beading Help Web Sprouted Up This Wire Wrap Pendant!

Earlier this month, I "teased" you with just a snippet of my Ornament Thursday project...and now it's time to do an unveil!

My husband looked at this pendant and said "Sprout?" so I devised my best PR spin to convince him. It's made from a) a lentil bead (get it, like a seed?), b) has swirls at the top to represent the tender green shoots emerging from the earth, and c) a tiny little swirl at the bottom to root my sprout into the fertile ground and nourish it for life.

Okay, he rolled his eyes and said "If you say so", but I convinced myself. :-D And the design must be pretty good, because I've already had a commission from someone who spotted it and wanted it in another color.

A high level of materials and tools are listed below...Materials:
16g dead soft wire (3" section, 2 1/2" section)
26g dead soft wire (approximately 24")
10mm lentil shaped bead

Tools:
Sharpie Marker
Round-nose or "wrap and tap" pliers
Chain-nose pliers
Flush cutters
Liver of Sulfur or hard-boiled eggs for oxidizing (optional)

For full step-by-step instructions, including photos, visit the Beading Help Web blog. This is an intermediate project; I'd suggest you have some familiarity with wire wrapping, and if you'd like, try it using copper or craft wire before moving to sterling silver.

Have a blast making your own version of Sprout!!

New ideas are SPROUTing up all over!

2008-03-13T11:38:00.004-04:00

Wondering what the Ornament Thursday Team has been up to this month?

A whole lot!!!

This month's theme is....

SPROUT!

And Lynn Kvigne, Publisher, Beading Help Web has a special project planned that you are really going to want to see!

Head on over to her blog and check out what she thinks alfalfa tastes like!

Get Luck-y with the OT Gang!

2008-02-28T07:30:00.008-05:00

Greetings!

It’s Ornament Thursday again and our team of amazing artists decided this month to get luck-y and create projects based on the theme of luck. They’ve outdone themselves! Check it out! Thanks for stopping by and all the Ornament Thursday Gang wishes you luck and happiness today and always. Look below for a full view of what Cindy Gimbrone our ‘featured artist’ of the month has created with her lucky spiral project, she's also written a two-part tutorial posted on two of our OT blogs! FABULOUS!

Art Bead Scene Lucky ABS! We're part 2 of Lucky Knots!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva Luck is knotted up in Part 1 of this tutorial

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie is inspired by a lucky Leprechaun to make a fairy tale, treasure filled necklace

Jennifer Heynen of Jangles Lucky Charms Bracelet...The name says it all. This bracelet has everything to bring you good luck.

Jenny Harada Jingly Good Luck Charm

Joolz by Lisa As Luck Would Have It...Lucky Earrings

Katie's Beading Blog Make your own luck with these fun, swingy earrings!Labyrinth O' Luck Hali has created a finger labyrinth journal designed after a 4-leaf clover.

Linda Augsburg at Make It Mine magazine Lucky doesn't begin to describe the adventure I had making this T-shirt...

Lucky Lucky to be... based on a coin holder a friend made for me...

Lucky To Be Me Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? Well, YOU, of course. No matter who you are when you look into this magical mirror, you'll be reminded you're lucky to be you!

Lynn Kvigne - Beading Help Web Irish Proverb Window Ornament - step by step instructions for making this year-round ornament that may bring luck right through your window!

Melissa J. Lee - Strands of Beads Good fortune is yours with this cookie-inspired necklace.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! You'll "make Jean's day " if you check out her lucky Pendant with a Clint Eastwood eighties twist

Swelldesigner Swelldesigner gets lucky this month with some super colorful, sparkly painted bangles

The Impatient Blogger Luck starts with a wish...Margot shares an project she created for Simply Beads last August.

Savvy Crafter Get Lucky over on Candie's blog! She's giving away some Lucky charms and see her earrings made with napkins! Bon Appetit!!

Were you wondering what the OT teaser was? Were you lucky and guessed it was a glass spiral handcrafted by Cindy Gimbrone? Here’s the complete picture – a design by Cindy called Lucky Knots and Lampwork. She’s written a free, two part tutorial complete with pictures. Part one is on her blog and part two is on Art Bead Scene’s blog where she’s one of the editors.

February's Ornament Thursday Teaser!

2008-02-21T07:40:00.002-05:00

Been waiting to see what the OT girls are up this month? Well, you won't have to wait much longer!

Our theme this month...

LUCK!

And consider yourself very lucky for getting a sneak peek at what Cindy Gimbrone is working on this month...

Cindy's got a super cool ring up on her site, too! Go take a look and try to help her name it!

Love Story Ornament Thursday's Most Auspicious Debut

2008-01-31T07:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first installment of Ornament Thursday! Our incredibly diverse and talented group of artists have created a bevy of beautiful and ornamental items for your enjoyment. Our theme this month was Love Story and as you can see everyone gave it their own twist. Enjoy!

As a little bonus, we’re going to give you one of the projects from each month, see the post beneath this one. This month Margot Potter shares a free project from her book Sparkletastic and shows a project she created for Beadalon.

Please note that all of these designs we've created are under copyright laws and none may be used directly or as derivative works for more than your personal enjoyment. You can not sell them as finished goods or to a magazine as a project. Be inspired by our ideas to make your own wonderfully unique creations, this is our gift to you.

Lovingly,
The Ornament Thursday Gang

Hali's Flowers of LOVE in Ancient Bulgarian 2 paintings in stylized Cyrillic spell out L-U-V

Art Bead Scene The designers at Art Bead Scene have two jewelry love stories for you! Elaine Ray links together a little love with her ceramic heart components while Melanie Brooks Lukacs tells a little tale of romance in a Gothic Garden

Cindy Gimbrone Beads Cindy's Love Story is about a hook and beads

Earthenwood Studio Bead Blog What is sweeter than a mix CD for your Valentine? A yummy gift box in which to present it, filled with candy themed decorations, including a cute bracelet and cell phone charm!

Heart mobile Jenny’s painted paper pulp hearts.

Humblebeads Heather shares her favorite bracelet design in a Valentine inspired color scheme.

Jennifer Heynen of Jangles Jennifer has made a fun "Ornament" for her neck that looks good enought to eat.

Joolz by Lisa This "Love Story" will last all year long! Lisa shares how beads and books work together.

Katie's Beading Blog Here's a happy little heart project for you - use it to embellish a bag or your jeans, or as inspiration for a necklace or bracelet.

Kriss Cramer - Art Interrupted Grow Love! Nurture and care for your loved ones every day. Use this heartfelt book, you can make yourself, to remind you of all the love you have to give.

Linda Augsburg at Make It Mine magazine Linda's love story project is a dress she embellished by stenciling dancers and a big band along the hem. Read why and learn how to do it yourself on the Make It Mine blog.

Michelle's Love Story... The band is getting back together again! Ornament Thursday celebrates the story of love...

Savvy Crafter Candie's love affair with big rings continue...she's making her own now! Love Stories and more over at the Savvy Crafter! XOXO!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Ah, Love ! This satirical creation of Jean's immortalizes certain women's profound affecton for their ... handbags!!!

Strands of Beads Love speaks many languages. Learn how to say "I Love You" in an untraditional way with Melissa Lee's whimsical jewelry project.

SwellDesigner Alexa shares with you her truly swell and punny Valentines!

The Impatient Blogger Love is in the air at The Impatient Blogger! Margot shares two vintage inspired jewelry designs that are oozing with romance...in a good way!

All Images Copyright 2006 Margot Potter

(CLICK ON IMAGES TO VIEW CLOSE UP)

These are my offerings for the Ornament Thursday January theme of Love Story. The first is a project I did a while ago for Beadalon that I just love. It’s very Victorian in design though the couple was cut out of a 1920s magazine advertisement. I’m such a dorky, romantical sap of a girl and a sucker for word play of all kinds; this kind of design is right up my alley. The second is a necklace from my last book Sparkletastic. It’s like a little vintage valentine replete with wedding cake style pearl swags and frosted Lucite and crystal flowers. Isn’t this the sweetest little necklace? Aren’t they the cutest couple? Isn’t this totally over the top? It’s as gooey as it gets but luckily it’s not at all sticky. Just sos ya knowse. YAY!

If you click on the images you can read the instructions for Keys to My Heart and see the materials list. The frame I used was from I Kan’dee but they’ve been most unfortunately discontinued. Ranger is working on a 1”x1” frame that would work nicely or you can always do a quick foil tape and solder for the pendant.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Margot

This Week's Teaser...

2008-01-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Are you looking forward to this week's re-debut of Ornament Thursday?

Well, we are, too!

The team has been working hard to present their most creative projects that represents this months theme...

LOVE STORY

Can't stand the suspense?

Well, here's a small sneak peek at one beautiful project created by Jean Yates!

Check back this Thursday for all the hot links!

testing

2008-01-22T12:47:00.001-05:00