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I haven’t spent enough creative time, and I’ve missed blogging too. They go hand in hand as I like to document the things I’ve made. To ease back into it, I made a couple of kit projects. I don’t do a ton of kit projects. I do like kits, but more generally design kits such as the ones Allegory Gallery offers, where you take the materials and do what you will. But sometimes an actual project kit strikes me. And I find I’m really liking Candie Cooper‘s kits. So first, one of Candie‘s.

I bought this in December and just didn’t get around to using it until now.

Kit materials including a gold tone jingle bell, various strings, wooden beads and pom-pom balls

I thought it was cute and fun, and I think she was having a sale after Christmas. I’d been eyeing it, so I bought it. In her project video, Candie mostly talked about it as a package topper or possibly an ornament. At first I wasn’t going to put patina paint on it, but why not? The thing I love about Vintaj patina paints is that they dry so fast. Otherwise I wouldn’t want to use them as often. I’m less patient with stuff that has to be done in steps with waiting time in between. I used the verdigis and made it look a little older and well-loved. I always think that gives things personality and a story.

Here are two photos of the finished product: one in the light box and one hanging in my studio. I didn’t end up using the larger pink pom-pom. Candie called the pom-poms in the kit Hill Tribe. They are super high quality and soft. I don’t use pom-poms often, but honestly I’m ruined for other pom-poms now. I’m going to keep it up year-round as just a fun embellishment.

Side-by-side pictures of finished kit of fibers, beads and bell, now painted verdigris, as an ornament, one laying down and one hanging.

Next up, I got a memory wire bracelet kit with some braided leather and TierraCast findings and some Dakota Stone beads when Goody Beads and Dakota Stones were doing a live during the recent The Great Bead Extravaganza – Tucson Experience. I don’t make a lot of memory wire bracelets, partly because I don’t have the strength to properly bend the ends, so mine are always janky. There is a special tool for it that could help, but I do not need another tool that I won’t use often. The kit came with heavy duty memory wire, TierraCast findings (curved tubes, spacers, end caps and a charm) and braided leather. The samples were made with the addition of a combination of size 6 and size 8 round gemstones. The kits and a variety of bead strands were being sold. I chose a kit with some brown leather and silver findings. I bought 8mm mookaite and 6 mm crazy lace agate. I thought those stones looked great together and also with the brown leather. Very boho. I added an enameled peace sign charm, and a couple of jump rings and headpins for my dangles.

Wrap bracelet of brown braided leather, silver metal and round gemstones in mookaite, crazy lace agate and small charms.

I really like how it turned out despite my bad loops. One tool I did invest in is a leather cutter. Tory from Goody Beads said it is important to get a nice clean cut on the leather so it doesn’t ever fray. Wow! I love the cutter. It sliced the leather like butter. I can definitely use this going forward.

Red plastic and silver blade leather cutter tool

There were a number of leftover materials, so I made a fun second single wrap bracelet. I used some of the memory wire and one of the curved silver tubes. I added a coiled piece of the new multi-color Artistic Wire in the silver/gold/black colorway. I spied some wooden beads laying on my table so added those, as I do. Then I got out more wooden beads, a glass hoop (the yellow between the two wooden rounds on the silver tube) some multi color O ring metallic spacers and a little wooden animal.

bangle bracelet with silver tone metal, coiled back, gold and silver wire, a variety of wooden beads, one yellow glass hoop, a bunch of metallic O rings and a wooden animal charm.

I got the wooden animal and the patterned wooden beads from Andrew Thornton: Project Destash. Also, Andrew Thornton recently did a video tutorial showing a coiled wire project. Then, he used coiling (with one of the multi color wires!) in a Beadalon Designer Challenge to make a really cool necklace. (You can still vote through February 19, 2021 by clicking on the link and liking the picture.) When Andrew showed his coiling technique, I remembered that long ago my dad gave me an Artistic Wire Coiling Gizmo. I fished it out of a drawer and used it to make my coil. It was fun! I will use it again.

The two bracelets stack well together. It’s difficult to stack them flat for a picture, but I’ve been wearing them, and they look and feel great on.

The two necklace previously pictured stacked together.


I had a lot of fun with my creative pursuits today. I also started a project for a design kit. I had several other things I wanted to work on, but those have to wait. Maybe I will get to them tomorrow. Thanks for reading!