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Make It Merry

Welcome to another edition of Make it Merry, where talented crafters share their holiday how-to's. This week we've got some friendly characters and festive Thanksgiving crafts to create.

Create a Pumpkin Candle
What better to put in the middle of the feast. David Fisher will show you how to make this easy and impressive pumpkin tealight holder.

Make a Sesame Street Wreath
For 40 years, Sesame Street has been part of our lives and has encouraged us to accept all holiday traditions. Barbara Crews will show you how to create this wreath dedicated to some of our favorite Muppets.

Draw a Penguin Pilgrim
For Thanksgiving crafts like place mats and name cards, you'll need some festive art. How about a lesson from Helen South on drawing this cutie penguin.

Embroider a Gift Bag
Save cash for presents when you reuse gift bags or buy those inexpensive plain bags. Phyllis Dobbs will show you how to dress them up for the re-gifting process with a touch of delightful embroidery.

Stitch a Swedish Ornament
If you've got an ornament exchange to attend this year, a traditional Swedish ornament will really stand out in the crowd. Cheryl Fall will show you how to hand stitch this original piece.

Wax Resist Holiday Cards
Add a contemporary look to your holiday while saving some cash on Christmas Cards. This wax resist technique from Marion Boddy-Evans is just what you need.

Pumpkin Foam Sticker Earrings
For a quick Fall look in a pinch, try these pumpkin sticker earrings from Tammy Powley. She'll show you how to make them in five easy steps.

Paper Globe Ornament
This dimensional ornament has an intricate look, but is actually simple in design. Kate Pullen will show you how to cut and stamp this delightful addition to your decor.

Knit a Stocking Ornament
A mini stocking is a creative way to give a gift card, or hide a little treat on the tree. Sarah E. White shows us how to knit this cute little sock.

Christmas Tree Bunting
Decking the Halls has never been so fun, and this one is perfect for helpful kids to take part in. Use up those scraps of fabric with this decorative craft from the Sadie and Lance blog.

Make a Mini Hippo
Stuffed animals add a bit of fun and tenderness to any slew of presents. Stuff a stocking with a smile when you sew this little hippo from Lesley Shepherd.

Snowman Candy Jar
Top off your candy jar with a snowman face as sweet as the treats inside. Sherri Osborn will show you how to paint and assemble this wintry decoration that is appropriate to show off all season long.

Joy Ornament Crosstitch
Stitch a little bit of joy for someone this Christmas. Connie G. Barwick has the free pattern for this jolly cross stitch project.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

Make It Merry originally appeared on About.com Jewelry Making on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 07:06:31.

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Contemporary Jewelry, Love or Leave It?

Contemporary jewelry, meaning jewelry that doesn't follow what may be considered traditional as far as materials and style, is not for everyone. Some jewelry designers love it. Some jewelry designer don't.

Either way, learning about contemporary jewelry techniques can be a great way to expand your jewelry making skills, and in Vannetta Seecharran's new book, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques, which I recently reviewed, she covers some really unusual methods.

As it happens, I have two copies of this book, so I thought, why not have a give-a-way? Here is how it is going to work (I'm keeping it super simple). Post your comments concerning contemporary jewelry to this blog post no later than 8pm eastern time 11/12/09 (due to an overwhelming response): Do you love it? Do you not understand what the big deal is? Do you think it's worthwhile to experiment with unusual techniques and materials in your jewelry designs?

I will randomly select two readers who left comments on this post. (When you post, you will be asked to include your email. That will not be public, but I'll be able to see it when I pull up comments in my blog's dashboard.) I will email the winners and send them out a copy of The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques. If I don't hear back from the winners within three days, I'll select another winner from those who left comments, so make sure you keep an eye on your spam folder.

Okay, that's it. So, let's "hear" your thoughts on contemporary jewelry.

Comments have been closed. Thank you all for your thoughts on contemporary jewelry.

Contemporary Jewelry, Love or Leave It? originally appeared on About.com Jewelry Making on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 11:36:02.

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Auntie's Jewelry Videos

You are probably already familiar with the jewelry and beading supply vendor called Auntie's Beads. They are ads all over the net as well as many magazines. What you may not know, though, is that they also have tons of free jewelry making videos. In fact, in the company's on-line video library, they include over 100 video tutorials. Most deal with beads, of course, but they also include some wire jewelry videos, mixed-media, and lots of basic techniques as well.

You can either access the videos at the Auntie's Beads web site or via YouTube.com. I've stumbled across these a few times on YouTube and have always been impressed with the quality of their videos. Sometimes, it just helps to be "shown" rather than "told" how to make a piece of jewelry.

Auntie's Jewelry Videos originally appeared on About.com Jewelry Making on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 07:01:05.

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Big News for Pearl Lovers

If you love working with pearls but get frustrated because of those tiny holes most of them have, then you will love to hear that Beadshop.com has some new pearls with super big holes in them. Yes, you can use a bead reamer and make holes larger, but that is not only a pain in the you know what, but a good way to destroy perfectly good pearl beads if you aren't careful.

You've probably seen similar jewelry in fancy catalogs and always wondered how they managed to string those pearls on such thick media. These pearls have holes so large you can even string them on leather (or pleather). Pictured above is a free bracelet project posted on Beadshop.com that uses pleather and one large-holed pearl bead.

Big News for Pearl Lovers originally appeared on About.com Jewelry Making on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 17:48:44.

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Jewelry Junkies Link Love 11/08/09

Jean Campbell
Jean describes what it's like to edit someone's book and shares her thoughts on Marcia DeCoster's latest, Beaded Opulence.

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi is giving away a copy of Ronna Sarvas Weltman's unique polymer clay book called "Ancient Modern". Come and get in on this contest!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Liver of Sulfur is finally in Lorelei's repertoire of jewelry techniques.

Snap out of it Jean! There's beading to be done!
jean is amazed by the treasures you find in Cynthia Thornton's spectacular wonder of a book, Enchanted Adornments!

Strands of Beads
Melissa tries out Friendly Plastic (and likes the results).

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew adds new pieces from Hawaiian artist, Candice Wakumoto, to his shop.

A Bead A Day
It's Arts & Crafts Week on Lisa's A-Bead-A-Day Blog! A different craft product is featured each day with ideas for incorporating them into jewelry pieces. Stop by and share your ideas!

Art Bead Scene
An Art Bead Scene first - the December sponsors collaborate on a special set of art beads for the December monthly challenge prize!

Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts Barbe is the last link in a Necklace Round Robin; Check out the finished pieces!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi uses a leather button to make a wearable collage.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Cindy has developed a new line of jewelry to remind us all to live life slowly and enjoy what we have. First in the series is "Grounded."

Jewelry Junkies Link Love 11/08/09 originally appeared on About.com Jewelry Making on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 18:49:07.

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