Handmade amethyst earrings with silver wire

Hello all… it’s been a long time since I posted anything on this blog. It’s been a busy month, really! So I am here today to share a few handmade jewelry items I made a while back with silver wire and gemstones.

This amethyst earring pair is one of my favorites.

I made this earring as part of a silver wire collection, here’s a group photo:

I love amethyst, its purple/lavender color is surprisingly a neutral that goes with so many other color combinations.

There is something quite majestic about amethyst; you feel it’s very much suited to sit on Royal Crowns, due to the way it reflects wisdom, nobility, royalty, and leadership. The fact that amethyst shades are usually darkish and subtle, I feel people who love this gemstone are usually the wise, deep type. They’re not flashy, since amethyst is a mediator between earth and sky, with colors that can very much be found at dawn, or on the surface of the ocean – in a degree or two of amethyst.

I leave you with amethyst today; more gemstones to come in the future hopefully,

take care…

Packaging Jewelry 101: Upcycling Matchboxes

I have an infatuation with matchboxes, especially when they are repurposed into something else, like a little cute box for packaging my handmade earrings.

I had some glitter, some paint (yes, oil-paint for furniture), acrylic paint, white glue, and a stamp. And this is what I came up with.

The oil-based paint actually makes the matchboxes much more sturdier than they are. The stamped bird is made with foam. This stamped side of the matchboxes is actually painted with white acrylic, so that the ink would stick.

Matchbox inspiration

Here are some ideas for embellishing matchboxes. Some are shabby chic, some are not… but they’re all so beautiful.

Things to use upcycled  matchboxes for:

• Packaging small jewelry items, like earrings and pins, broaches, and a strand of pearls – and using them in craft shows, for instance.

Source: blog.lobsterandswan.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

• Organizing tiny office supplies – like clips, tacks, push-pins, rubber bands, etc

Source: dollarstorecrafts.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

• Stationary: You can put a stack of sticky notes (Post-it notes) on top of the matchbox and place a tiny pen in the “drawer” to make a quick notebook

Source: blog.piondesign.se via Karboojeh on Pinterest

• Gifts: Wrapping a cute little gift (of candy, maybe) for a loved one

Source: inchmark.squarespace.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

• Miniatures: Making miniature drawers for small toy houses

Source: etsy.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

One can come up with as many ideas as one can with this little drawer-shaped box. The possibilities are endless…

If you have any matchbox ideas or projects, please do share them. I created a Pinterest board for them, and I’m always on the lookout for cute little matchbox  ideas…
thanks!

 

O That’s Lovley: 1 day special offer TODAY to promote your crafts

To all the artisans, handmade jewelry designers & makers, and home decor crafters & companies – Please join me to a 1 day special offer TODAY to promote your handmade products at O That’s Lovely.

I had the great privilege of being approached to promote Karboojeh Handmade Jewelry over at othatslovely.com. I’m so excited about this!

Today (Tuesday- May 1, 2012)  Oh That’s Lovely are doing a Special Offer where companies & artisans alike can upload 1 image for Free instead of the usual 99p.

“If you work within the arts, crafts, jewellery and home decor fields then you are more than welcome” to the offer & the website. To contact othatslovely.com for the offer, you can go here.

This website seems to be quite new, and I love the aesthetics. They have a pretty straightforward interface, and in my opinion, “descent” Terms of Service, which you can view over here.

With the tagline Discover. Promote. Share, Oh That’s Lovely seems to be doing it the right way. They upload an image of your work that takes readers straight to your website, Etsy shop, or blog. You do the talking. This means your image has to be extra inviting to get more hits!

More about othatslovely.com?

There is a straightforward Q&A on this page that answers all your questions about the website.

I’m so looking forward to seeing my jewelry on the website, and I do hope to see your work, too!

Have a great day all,

Karboojeh

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UPDATE: I am now being featured on Oh That’s Lovely in the Jewelery section here. I also included a mention about that on my Featured page.

Handmade Wire Rings: My first attempt at silver & gemstone jewelry

I have finally arrived to my Silver Stage. When I started making jewelry a little bit more than a year ago, I was mostly training to arrive to the real thing. Here are my first attempts.

All my life I have never been a patient person. My first craft attempts were all so ugly because I did them in haste. I have always dreamt of designing/making silver & antique jewelry rings, necklaces & bracelets, but I knew I wasn’t ready. I was basically waiting to reach a stage where I was patient enough to sit & work.

Early last year I bought these amethyst beads, but I knew I wasn’t ready to put them into use. I was still uncertain about the steps I was taking and my style wasn’t mature enough yet. So, I basically opted to learn so many handmade techniques –  including decoupaging, glittering, stationary-making, and packaging – to basically nurture a good artisan in me.

I nagged my mom to give me a few beads from her collection of all the scattered antique silver beads & gemstones she has collected over the years. I nagged and nagged to no avail (I guess she was worried I would create childish stuff with them – like the rest of my past creations). But then a few months ago when I wasn’t nagging at all, she gave me everything!

But I still didn’t feel I was ready. I felt heavy and confused sitting in front of those beads; hoping to come up with something spectacular but unable to quite imagine it. I lacked the self-confidence, and I’m thankful for that: it was a good hunch, because I knew that I lacked the skill & the vision for undertaking authentic jewelry-making.

Yesterday without thinking, and after finishing a few craft projects that had nothing to do with immediate jewelry-making, I grabbed the silver wire mom gave me, my treasured amethyst beads, a few of her antiqued silver beads, turquoise & coral, and I started working on these rings. I followed a strong urge to start making rings.

One of them gave me a hard time since I was totally unclear about the design. I kept twisting and twisting until I snapped the wire. But then I relaxed, stepped back a bit,  thought about what I wanted to do and created a nice ring. It’s the one in the middle (up).

Handmade bohemian bracelets: Hippie Karboojeh

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Hippies, the nature-loving ones (not the self destructive ones), think of themselves as trees, or flower plants. They wear bracelets and accessories that connect them to wood, color and earth. These bracelets are dedicated to all the hippies of the world.

Handmade by Karboojeh, these bracelets are made to celebrate the bohemian spirit. Bohemian is far more expressive than classical trends, although the latter has its beauty spots.

I fluctuate between trends and tastes. I’m sometimes quite boho, but it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other styles, like French Romantic, or Shabby Chic. But my starting point, my original love is always boho.

And here’s more color…

With beautiful Italian beads…

Two blue hippie bracelets…

And more navy blue beads…

That’s the hippie post for today,

Have a great day,

Karboojeh

Craft show: Table Display & Handpainted Pencils

I’m not in the mood for words. So, today, I leave you with a few pictures from yesterday’s craft show.

Just a little note about these hand-painted pencils… I adore them. They almost sold out yesterday at the Shigh Ead Craft show. I made the pencil holder (display unit) in the pic above by upcycling a Pringles can.

And finally a general view of the table. You can see some of the new items I have been working on: Fridge magnets/towel holders, notepads, “My Inspiration” notebooks & journals, in addition to jewelry (rings, bracelets, and earrings) and jewelry trees..

That’s it for now, Take care,

Karboojeh

Handmade Packaging 101: Let’s talk ‘paper’

Garland & Packaging – By Karboojeh Handmade Jewelry

When I first started crafting, I noticed a lot of blogs were into either scrap-booking or paper crafts. At first I thought to myself, “what a waste of time.” I was, of course, looking for “durable” crafts, which led me later on to jewelry-making, here at Karboojeh Handmade Jewelry. What I didn’t realize back then was that paper was an essential part of an artisan’s journey. Packaging without paper, paper bling, and inspiration, simply could not be done!

In general, I’m the recycled paper, rustic-looking packaging, kinda gal. I love re-using cardboard, and all kinds of paper packaging that comes from gifts, things we buy, and unwanted wrapping.

In my recent packaging & display attempts, I attached the earrings below to some recycled paper that I hot-glued onto a mini-wire clothes hanger that I made using regular pliers. This way I went a long way in cutting expenses, while displaying my goods in an attractive and innovative way. I am grateful everyone who has seen these little mini-hanger tags thought they were cute, or “carina,” in Italian.

Packaging my handmade holiday ornaments (and magnets) took a brighter twist. The only reason for this is that I had brighter paper available at hand. I learned to create something from things I already had, or from everyday trash, or things that people usually put in the trash. The handmade garland in the picture below is wrapped around a white piece of cardboard that came from… a Kiri cheese box . That’s right.

In the picture below, I am using pastel-colored paper and bright matching ribbons. I am mostly with the brown recycled paper and the twine wrapping option… much more than the brighter blingy ribbon-centric packaging ideas. But I don’t mind giving the latter a go every now and then!

Paper Inspiration

Who doesn’t love Pinterest?! I have a pin-board over there, where I store & share some handmade packaging ideas. Here are a few paper ideas that I love.

This one is about recycling an old book, or plain newspaper pages, into really attractive wrapping. The buttons look cool too.

Source: flickr.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Here is another one. Using plain recycled paper and cotton thread; the artist added a dab of color by hand-painting some cute shapes using acrylic or water color. This way these tags look personalized, simple, and utterly eco-chic.

Source: etsy.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I have posted the photo of the reindeer tags, above, from Pinterest, where it had the wrong source {This wrong source}.

The right source for these lovely tags is via this link, and they are called {Gift Tags – Reinbirds}, and many people have pinned them on Pinterest under the title, Reindeer Tags (while I have pinned them with this comment: “Handpainted tags: using recycled paper and a bit of acrylic or water color, and a pen”).

The tags are handmade and are by Etsy maker, LilaRubyKingShop. The creator’s website is called Lila Ruby King on www.lilarubyking.eu. I am happy to have finally found the source,  and I do urge people on Pinterest to Pin this from its original source and not from my blog or any other source, with the right credit. It’s a big shame that these tags are very popular on Pinterest, and no one seems to know who made them. Now we do, I hope!

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And in this one here, a little bit of turquoise stencil adds a touch of elegance to these Eco-beautiful packaging envelopes.

Source: flickr.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

DIY: Paper Garland

If after reading this post you are feeling excited to try your hand at some paper crafts, here is a DIY idea that you might really like. Enjoy!

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Related Articles:

• Packaging & Paper DIY: Make your own handmade envelope
• Packaging Ideas: A simple touch to transform Kraft paper

DIY Originals: Bohemian blue feather necklace

Feather jewelry is all the rage right now. I love boho jewelry, and so I decided to make a few feathery giveaways for 5 cute teenage girls who volunteered to help out at the Italian Charity event mentioned in a previous post.

I made this Karboojeh Blue Boho Feather Pendant Necklace in honor of my bohemian adolescence… that’s when I was more free to express my boho self. I doubt many people in the country I am in right now appreciate feather jewelry. Bohemian doesn’t seem to strike a chord with a lot of people who would rather wear either tacky plastic jewelry, or diamonds. No bohos in between. Alas!

Handmade DIY Jewelry: Karboojeh Blue Boho Feather Pendant Necklace

DIY Recipe: A few ingredients for a boho necklace

The feather necklaces in the 3 pictures above are pretty DIY, I used the following materials to make them:

• feathers
• craft wire (to wrap the top of the feathers together before inserting them into the bead cap)
• findings: Eye-pin. I wrapped the craft wire around the feathers several times, then wrapped and wrapped around an eye-pin which went through the top of the bead cap. There, I used the round-nose pliers to create a loop, which I then attached to another eye-pin that had several beads on it.
• metallic elongated bead cap
• beads (wooden, ceramic, glass)
• chain
• pliers (round nose, and flat-nose)
• findings: small jump-ring to connect the feather pendant to the chain.

Inspiration: Anthropologie & the feather

Here is an example of a white-feathered necklace that I found at my favorite online-shop, Anthropologie. And of course, I had to pin it on my jewelry-inspiration box on Pinterest.

Source: anthropologie.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Pretty neat, right? It’s called the Feather Flight Necklace. I love the rosary-like beads attached to the feathery pendant; they look very nice with the white feathers. The beads are an assortment of ebony, white, turquoise & aquamarine gemstones. And the general feel of the necklace is quite bohemian.

Ciao fo

r n

ow,

 Karboojeh Tutorials & DIY

Handmade Jewelry Fun: Boho adventures from the Levant

UPDATE: Dear all, I am sorry for all the broken links on this post. I will update the photos as soon as possible, thanks!

 

 

Boho Jewelry Fun: Bracelets, rings and earrings from the Levant. This is my new collection of handmade jewelry – by Karboojeh Jewelry. I had great fun working on these, and more, to be revealed soon inshAllah.

The first piece is called the Karboojeh Color Power Boho Bracelet. The three wooden rings above are nicknamed, Karboojeh Wood & Blue Boho Rings. The three earrings below are just a sneak peak into a boho earrings collection I might reveal soon.

 

I made a couple of key-accessories, I am showing one here below. I’m calling it, Karboojeh Blue Levant Key Charm.

I’m particularly in love with seed beads (little glass beads that if stacked together can make a big impact): In this piece, turquoise beads go lovingly well with bronze. This (below) is called, Karboojeh Mixed Brass Levant Pendant Necklace.

And here is its sister, Karboojeh Mixed Levant Pendant Necklace.

That’s it for now. Take care… :)

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This post is is re-posted from my other blog: karboojeh.tumblr.com