More Chances to Win a Copy of My New Book! Huzzah!

Amphora from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry by Margot Potter Copyright 2010

This is a project from my new book and I wanted you to see the whole piece clearly. You'll actually learn to make every element in this design link by link! I am mad for the 16 gauge wire these days, now I need to get my hands on the 10 gauge. Insert mad scientist laugh here.

Have you won a copy of my new book yet? If you haven't...and you haven't buckled down and bought one...there are more places you can go to leave comments and try to win! Who doesn't love free stuff?!

For a chance to wine a free copy of the new book please visit A Bead a Day Blog and Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to be Done! Both Lisa and Jean gave me terrific reviews too. Love that people are getting my vision. Books are a huge undertaking, kind of like a little birthing with lots of birthing pains. Then you send them off into the world and hope that they are embraced. It's a strange thing, really.

You can also get a great deal on a bundle of three of my favorite books at JTV! Don't forget to check out my first Series Two Jewel School DVD: The Art of Making Earrings while you're there.

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

xoxo
Madge

ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts: Fun Feathered Fascinator by Avalon Potter

Fun Feathered Fascinator by Avalon Potter for ILovetoCreate

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!Click here for today's daily giveaway!

ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts

Fun Feathered Fascinator

Copyright 2011 Avalon Potter

Recently I have noticed a fashion trend toward feathers. They are on clothes, jewelry, they are even glued into people’s hair! I didn't feel like the little skinny feather in your hair made much of a statement, so I made this week’s project as an over the top salute to the new feather trend. It’s fun, crazy, and creative so I hope you have as much fun making it as you do wearing it!


Supplies
Aleene's Liquid Fusion
Aleene's Jewel-It Adhesive
Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Studs™
Multicolor felt bird scrapbook sticker
Black plastic headband
Feathers (Hot Pink, Yellow, Green, Red)

Instructions

1. Attach three feathers together by applying Liquid Fusion to the bottom of the feathers. It should be spread slightly so it has almost a fan effect but no gaps between the feathers. Let dry for 2-4 hours.


2. Next take your felt bird and lay out your seven crystals around the tail to the head. It should go in this order: purple, light pink, red, orange, dark yellow, light blue. Then put a dark blue on the eye. Put a dab of Jewel-It on each crystal, apply to the felt bird in pre-determined spot. I used glue since the felt was made of man made fiber. Allow to dry for 10 minutes.


3. Use the Liquid Fusion to glue you felt bird to the bottom of the feathers and let set for a few minutes before the next step. Now on the back of your feathers apply a line of glue on the middle feather and attach to the side of the headband. Let dry for 2-4 hours.

Third Free Jewelry Making Project from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry

Magnoliophyta Copyright 2011 by Margot Potter from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry

Hey Boys and Girls!

I am unpacking and exhaling from my trip...but I will announce the winners in this blog next Friday, for both posts, so add another comment here if you want to double your chances of winning a signed copy of my new book! Two winners from each post will be selected!

Here is this weeks FREE project from my new book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry! This is the last one, hopefully you've enjoyed. The vintage plastic beads are from Beadin' Path, I have a small dragon hoard of them. These are the beads I use on my personal, oversized, plastic jewelry I wear at shows. Fabulous! This is (IMHO) a fun book filled with great new techniques and creative inspiration. If you'd like a free copy, leave a comment below. I will announce two winners from this post and two from last week's this Saturday! Don't forget to comment on both to maximize your chances of winning!

xoxo
Madge

Magnoliophyta
New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry
Margot Potter

I love flowers, but they don’t love me. I’m highly allergic to pollen. I brave the outdoors and when I can’t do it further, I drape myself with floral themed accessories and clothing. These lovely Lucite flowers came to life with the addition of brown Artistic wire stamens and tendrils. I love the unexpected combination of frosted plastic, sparkling crystals and shiny wire. Making the tendrils is so much fun you might even find it a bit addicting. I can’t stop looking for ways to integrate them into projects.

Finished length (from top of ear wire to bottom stem): 3”

Materials
2 45mm wide frosted Lucite green 3-petal flowers
2 20mm orange Lucite flowers
2 15mm golden yellow Lucite flowers
2 burnt red Lucite floers
6 6mm light topaz SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS rounds
20 gauge brown Artistic Wire

Tools
Jump ring maker tool w/4mm mandrel
12mm oval bead to form ear wires (or a 12mm dowel)
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Wire rounder tool

1. Wrap the wire tightly around the jump ring maker tool mandrel working up to the top of the mandrel.

2. Cut wire coil from mandrel and gently pull apart.

3. Cut 1.5” segments from wire. Use round nose pliers to form a large loop in one end and a small loop in the other.

4. Wrap the wire tightly around the jump ring maker tool mandrel again, working up about halfway to the center of the mandrel. Remove coil.

5. Use wire cutters to create jump rings, go back and make a flush cut on every ring.

6. Cut a 2 2.5” sections of wire and create a large loop in one end of each segment.

7. Cut 2 1”, 2 1.25” and 2 1.5” segments of wire. Thread a 1” segment into the top of a red flower bead and add a crystal. Use round nose pliers to gently turn a small loop at the end of the wire and a larger loop at the top of the wire. Repeat.

8. Thread an orange flower followed by a crystal on the 1.25” wire segment. Loop ends as before and repeat for second orange flower.

9. Thread a golden yellow flower followed by a crystal on the 1.5” wire segment. Loop both ends and repeat for second golden yellow flower.

10. Thread the orange flower wire segment and a coil on a jump ring. Secure jump ring.

11. Thread a second jump ring with the red flower wire segment and a coil into the first jump ring and secure. Keep coils on the outside.

12. Repeat for the golden hello flower segment and a coil on a third jump ring threaded into the second and secured.

13. Thread the top jump ring into the large loop on the end of your 2.5” wire segment and thread this into the large green flower bead.

14. Use round nose pliers to coil the wire flush to the top of the green flower bead.

15 .Repeat process for second earring.

16. Create earwires using a large oval bead as your form upon which you will wrap a 1.5” segment of wire.

17. Use round nose pliers to form a loop in one end of the wire while it’s still wrapped around the oval bead.

18. Gently bend end of wire and use tool to remove any sharp edges on exposed end.

19. Attach ear wire to top of each green flower earring using chain nose pliers.

Second FREE project from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry!

Atlantis COPYRIGHT 2011 Margot Potter from New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry

Hey Howdy Hey, Boys and Girls! It's time for your second of THREE FREE projects from my new book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry. This is a book about dimensional, architectural designs featuring both beading and shaping wire. I really think it provides a fresh take on looking at ways to play with wire. If you'd like a FREE signed copy of my new book, leave a comment here and I will randomly select TWO winners! I'll announce them next week with the third and final free project. Atlantis Necklace

New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry by Margot Potter

I began with the idea of hammered wired flat half circles creating a scale like effect as they cascaded from the neck. My initial vision was all metal, but as I began to problem solve I realized that a beading wire base with pretty blue beads would create a fabulous foundation for the links. Then I started thinking on a larger scale and added beaded accents to mimic the half circle motif. Finally I added swingy beads at the bottom of each half circle to give the design some movement and interest. Then I tried this on and gasped. Wow. I felt like a mer-queen!

Materials

18 gauge gun metal Artistic Wire

129 7x8mm aquatic blue AB Czech glass pillow rectangles

Gun metal spring ring clasp

2 8mm gun metal jump rings

16 size 2 gun metal crimp beads

.018 49 strand Beadalon Wire

Tools

Chasing hammer

Steel bench block

Bench block pad

2 pairs chain nose pliers

Round nose pliers

Crimp tool

Flush cutters

1. Create the wire elements first. Each of the half circles starts with a 5.5” segment of Artistic Wire. You can wrap this around a dowel or free wrap it into the half circle shape. The opening should be 2” wide on each. You need to create 13 total.
2. Use your round nose pliers to form loops at the top of each half circle that face towards the back of the circle as in photo.
3. Flat hammer the curved portion of your half circle.
4. Use the round end of the chasing hammer to add texture to the front of each half circle.
5. Attach an 18” segment of beading wire to a jump ring using a crimp bead. Thread on a bead, one end of a half circle, six more beads and the other end.
6. Add your one end of another half circle, six more beads and the other end.
7. Repeat this process seven times. Add a final bead and attach the wire to a second jump ring using a crimp bead, leaving some play between the beads by rounding the design before you crimp.
8. Attach a 4” segment of wire after the first bead in your first beaded segment on the necklace using a crimp tube and chain nose pliers. Slide on seven beads, attach to the space before the last bead in the first beaded segment using a crimp tube. Repeat this process, adding beaded half circles inside of every wire half circle.
9. Attach the second row of six wire half circles to the bottom of every two main half circles on the top row. ‘
10. Create 36 loop topped head pin dangles using 36 of the beads. Attach these to the bottom of each bottom row half circle.
11. Attach the clasp to one of your jump rings at the end of the necklace.

Free Jewelry Making Project #1: New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry Dragonmoon Choker

Dragonmoon Copyright 2010 Margot Potter From New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry
North Light Books July 2011

Well, it's here. My seventh book is out! It all started with an idea, which I turned into a formal query with sample designs, sold the book and then fine tuned the concept over the course of several months. I turned in my final designs last March. We shot the book last August. And now here we are, from concept to finished product.

I'm thrilled, of course, to see my idea come to fruition. It's a satisfying feeling.

I'm proud of this book and I think you will enjoy it thoroughly. There are some very different, yet simple to recreate techniques and inspirations. The pieces are sculptural and architectural in nature. It's a fresh take on both beading and shaping wire. Honestly, I had a different aesthetic vision for this book, far more stark and simple. The photo above is one of my shots. I want you to see that vision and the pictures I took of the designs. Stay tuned.

So without further blather, here is the first free project from my new book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry! I will share THREE free projects here over the next three weeks, so stay tuned! I am quite fond of this design and of course, those who know me well know this little dragonfly was the start of my career, so I have essentially flown full circle.

Dragonmoon
Chapter 4
New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry
Margot Potter for North Light Books

This little dragonfly has become a recurring motif in my work. I have always been fascinated by dragonflies. This incarnation has a decidedly Asian feel. The pattern was an organic experience, I wanted to use the coral beads, but I wanted them to be removed from the neck where they might prove scratchy. I wrapped a second wire around the beaded core adding some blue glass rondelles which created a wave like effect. As I wrapped, I began to visualize a dragon’s tail and when I reached the end, I knew I had to make a little dragonfly to conceal the clasp and give this design a sculptural feel.

Finished Length: 16”

Materials
115 4mm pea green opaque Czech glass rondelles
133 small red coral fringes
101 4mm lt. topaz blue translucent Czech glass rondelles
8mm citrus green Lucite moonglow round
18 gauge non-tarnish silver Artistic Wire
24 gauge silver plated German style wire

Tools
Wire cutters
Chain nose pliers
Chasing hammer
Anvil or steel bench block
Bench block pad

1. Remove a 20” segment of 18 gauge wire. Turn a loop in one end. Slide on 115 green rondelles. Create a second loop in the end to secure beads.

2. Use the hammer and anvil or steel block to hammer the loops at each end of your beaded segment.

3. Wrap the 24 gauge wire in between the first and second green bead tightly.

4. String on 5 coral beads and 4 blue beads. Wrap wire tightly around the base between the sixth and seventh bead. Make sure the beaded segment is wrapping up and over the top of the wire. You will need to maintain that as you work, the idea is to keep the raised beaded segment from touching your neck.

5. Continue wrapping the coral and blue beaded segments between every sixth and seventh green bead on the core wire. Each beaded segment has six green beads beneath it.

6. When you reach the final beaded segment, secure the wire tightly around the end of your core wire. Cut off excess wire and tuck the tail flush.

7. Create your dragonfly by removing a 7” segment of 24 gauge wire. Slide the Lucite bead on the wire to the center.

8. Bend wire flush to each side of Lucite bead. Grasp the bead between your thumb and forefinger and hold the bottom of the wire tails in your opposite hand. Twist the bead one time.

9. Thread 18 coral beads on each wire tail followed by 8 blue beads. Wrap the wire tails around and over the top of the opposite wire tail as in picture. Repeat for both wings.

10. Thread one wire with 9 blue beads. Wrap the wire end back over the tail at the fourth bead and the third bead. Cut off excess and tuck wire into underside of tail.

11. Use the other wire to securely wrap dragonfly to the end of the core necklace.

12. Remove a 9”segment of wire. Thread a blue bead on the wire to 1.5” from the end. Fold the wire and grasp the bead in your thumb and forefinger. Twist the wire holding the wire ends securely as you work. Repeat this process two more times, each twisted segment should be slightly longer than the first. This is called the 'pinch and twist' technique.

13. Gently curl your twisted wires as in photo. Attach to the base under the dragonfly. Cut off excess wire and tuck tail under with pliers.