candiecooper, Author at Candie Cooper

Accessory Ideas

October 3, 2014 By candiecooper Leave a Comment

Time for another Beadalon Pinterest fashion board round up! Last month’s was all about geometry. This month we’re all about the leopard print!

I’m still hooked on those druzy beads. Big time. I’ve been wearing this faux tiger tooth piece a lot lately–see all the gold druzy beads peppered through out? Just can’t get enough! I hung the tooth and dangles from Beadalon’s stamped antique brass colored chain. Also cannot get enough of that colored chain!

Then I made some earrings with some of Beadalon’s sassy Aluminum Fabric. See you on the dance floor!

The last is a piece I made earlier that uses Jesse James leopard print bead strands strung on Beadalon champagne colored beading wire. Rawr. Suspended from satin ribbon…double RAWR!

Visit the Pinterest link above for more leopard love!

Filed Under: Beads, Uncategorized

DIY Halloween Party Jewelry

October 2, 2014 By candiecooper 4 Comments

It’s officially October people, so I’m kicking off the month with a quick Halloween Jewelry project! I love October. My husband and I got up super early to go to the store for a few things, including some pumpkins. We found some with long stems. Is it me, or is a pumpkin without a stem a little bit sad looking?
For this necklace, I used JesseJamesBeads.com bead mix in strands and funky singles along with that sassy black chain. The “bones” of the necklaces are connected with black Beadalon wire and gunmetal crimps. Take a peek!
Use this tutorial if you’re new to stringing beads on wire. It will show you how to crimp, connecting the wire to the chain.

Lately, I seem to be stuck on making slip-over-the-head necklaces and I made them two different lengths so I could wear them together. This striped bead in the next picture is one of my very favorites.
So, I’ve got a pretty big to-do list that’s calling my name. Top secret projects await. Don’t you hate teasers? 😉 You’re going to love this surprise though!

On another note: Tomorrow our children’s gallery, the Wabash White House (I know, I still need to post about this special little place!) is open from 5 to 8 pm for First Friday in Wabash. If you’re local, come get in the Halloween spirit with us!

Filed Under: Bead Love, Tutorials

How To Make Steampunk Jewelry

September 30, 2014 By candiecooper 7 Comments

This post brought to you by Beadalon. Here we are with October knocking on the door! Already! This post is going to show you the basics of using Beadalon’s new Artistic Wire Conetastic tool designed by the lovely, Sandra Lupo. This is my first tutorial from my new home office.
So welcome! I had my work table downstairs for the summer because we don’t have air conditioning. Now that it’s cooling off, I’m back up in my nest and LOVIN’ IT!!! Do you like my Ikea task lamp? I’m still in the stage of trying to keep my desk really clean. Day 3: so far so good. By Christmas it will look like a tornado went through the craft store.
Back to the Conetastic! This jewelry making tool is designed to work with Artistic Wire so you can make your own coiled bead cones. It’s a really nifty little tool! This is my first time taking it for a test drive and after sleeping on it, I have some more ideas to try.
The first thing I really liked is how compact it is. For this tutorial, I’m using it with Artistic Wire 18g. in Tinned Copper (my fave).
When you open the packaging, you’ll find awesome instructions. To get rolling, you twist open the end cap and all the parts come out. Also, I liked how heavy the pieces are–definitely a tool made to last.
There are three different cone sizes and a little wrench. The wrench loosens the pin so you can set the desired cone size in the tool and then tighten it in place. Super easy! I practiced with the tiny cone first.
It took me about 30 seconds to make one coiled bead cone. Already I’m thinking I need some silver plated Artistic Wire so I can oxidize it with liver of sulphur and then distress it to highlight all those coils. I love the liver of sulphur patina.
Wrapping the 18g. wire really made for a heavy look. Depending on your project, you might want to play with wire gauges and cone sizes to get just what you want.

When you are finished coiling, all you have to do is snip the ends of wire away from the tool and spool.
For my next experiment, I used the largest cone to make some more playful and loose coiled bead cones. That’s when DIY steampunk jewelry popped into my head. Playing with layers in jewelry making is a love of mine so these Conetastic bead cones fit right in. Here’s my first attempt with brass bead cones under the coiled pieces with glass pearls. Fail. The glass pearls just weren’t cuttin’ it.
When you are settled with the bead stack, string everything onto a regular head pin and then finish the end with a simple loop using round nose pliers.
Grab some chain nose pliers and open the loop from side to side.
Connect the Modern ear wire and close the loop. I accidentally squashed one of the coils down too much, making it look a little wiggly, but I’m ok with it.

Here’s a link to shopping for the Conetastic tool in case you want to add it to your Christmas list. 😉

Filed Under: Beads, Jewelry, Tutorials

How to Make Popsicle Bracelets

September 25, 2014 By candiecooper Leave a Comment

Today, I’m guest posting on the Graphics Fairy blog! Check out my popsicle bracelet tutorial there!

Filed Under: Jewelry, Tutorials

Geometric Jewelry Accessory Ideas

September 24, 2014 By candiecooper Leave a Comment

Every month, as a Beadalon design team member, I get the opportunity to make two projects in a theme for their Pinterest boards. This month’s challenge was “Geometric Style.”

For this piece, I used Beadalon’s stamped hematite chain and Knot a Bead tool to create a section of knotted Swarovski Cubes on chunky #10 Griffin silk. It’s all connected really easily. If you can open and close a jump ring, you can make this necklace. Promise. One design trick I love to use is to drop a pendant down from a central piece of chain to create a “Y” like this. Everything connects in the back to one toggle clasp.

This piece is a whole nother’ story. It needs more chain. Period. I used all Beadalon chain in shiny silver for it. The stuff in the front is tiny bits from my scrap chain stash. No rhyme or reason. Just fun and fringy.

Take a peek at the Geometric trends Pinterest board from Beadalon here.

Both pendants are from Hobby Lobby in case you’re feeling inspired.

Filed Under: Jewelry

A Little Retreat

September 18, 2014 By candiecooper 1 Comment

Good morning! The days are whipping by and if it were up to me, I would hit pause on life and soak up as much of fall as I possibly could. I returned home from a work trip in Philly at 12:30 AM Tuesday night only to turn around and pack up for a mini retreat to celebrate my love’s birthday. Oh it is delightful to wake up on the water! Wednesday afternoon, I whipped up this banana cream pie (it’s his favorite), some breakfast and lunch wraps, fruit salad, and a cooler full of his favorite snacks and drinks. The cable guy came to hook up the internet and such and we took off by 8:30pm. We love a little adventure.

By the way on a completely random note–I’m trying to cut out some bad foods I’ve been eating lately (refined sugars, fats, etc…). My breakfast wrap had an egg white, spinach and sweet potato in it and it was awesome. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make them the day before and then microwave it for 1 minute. I’ll be doing more of this in 2015! Is it too early to plan?

Another completely random note–I missed having internet for a week and a half, but I don’t think I missed the television. I got more stuff done without it and had more time to make art for art’s sake. Hubs HAS to have cable because he loves sports (which I support), but I definitely need to keep embracing the “create everyday” lifestyle and not get sucked into too much tv watching.

Here’s another stone layering necklace like the one from last week’s tutorial. I’m not sure I’m loving the round link chain with the geometric stones, but I had to try it. Here’s a link to the layering necklace jewelry making tutorial.

We are off to explore some more!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Make a Crystal Layering Necklace

September 12, 2014 By candiecooper 8 Comments

This post is brought to you by Beadalon.com. All opinions are yours truly.Have you been to a bead show lately? I have and I can tell you there are so many stunning strands of quartz crystals and druzy beads. It’s not good for the pocket book. Take a peek at some of the ones I brought home from Bead Fest Philly Summer.

I am especially smitten with, well all of them. Well. Except maybe the blue ones. I don’t know what happens to me when I’ve been around beads too long (it also happens when I’m in Walmart too long), but I inevitably end up with something that I just. don’t. know. why. I. bought. Sigh. It’s cool, but is it jewelry worthy? The verdict is still out and may be for a very very long time. It’s over indulging I think. Eating dessert when you’ve already had a slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Just too much of a good thing!The main materials are Beadalon‘s Champagne colored beading wire in 49 strand, .024″, brass stamped chain, #2 or 3 crimp tubes will work and some crimping pliers and wire cutters.

I also worked in some added strands from Dakota Stones–more purplish quartz chips and gold hematite squares.

These colors are all over the Fall look books so I know this necklace is going to get a workout in the next couple of months.I was so happy to find I still had 10″ of my very favorite colored Beadalon wire to use for this. I love champagne anything! However, Beadalon makes beading wire in pretty much every color in the rainbow!

Note! These stones are heavy and have rough edges that can potentially saw through thinner beading wires. That happened to me once (love learning those lessons the hard way!) so take it from me, get the good stuff! Beadalon, .024″ 49 strand is the way to go because it’s super embarrassing to say you “make jewelry” and then have gems and beads scattering all over the floor. Even more humiliating to be on your hands and knees picking them up at a party. None the less, when using stones like this, it’s always a good idea to take a peek at how the wire is doing and holding up.String the tail of your wire through a crimp bead, the last link of chain and back through the crimp bead. Grab your crimping pliers!Place the crimp bead in the opening closest to the handles and smoosh down like so.Turn the crimp bead 90 degrees, place in the next opening away from the handles and fold it on over like this:See how it folds the crimp bead over?This necklace does not have a clasp. I simply determined how long I wanted the necklace to be so I could slip it on and off, opened a link of chain from side to side and removed the extra which will be used for a rainy day.Slide all the beads to the finished end, string a crimp onto the wire and through the last link of chain and crimp again. Trim the excess wire.Blissfully simple!
Meet your new favorite necklace! She can roll solo or party with a few necklaces.