crochet drop crystal quartz earrings

crochet drop crystal quartz earrings, a photo by Madam Mod Makes on Flickr.

Cara's Treasure Chest Challenge - Macmillan Cancer Support

October 2011 - September 2012RAISING MUCH NEEDED FUNDS FOR MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT.

PLEDGE: To make an Original On-Off Handmade Accessory or piece of Jewellery to sell each month between October 2011 - September 2012. All funds raised selling these items via Ebay will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Macmillan-Charity-Silver-Heart-Stud-earrings-99-9-/200658619039?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_FineJewellery_CA&hash=item2eb82f8a9f

BACKGROUND: Having had to call on the services of Macmillan Cancer Support myself, I know only to well how much they need funds to do the fantastic work they do. Also sadly I have lost loved ones who have been cared for my the wonderful macmillan nurses during their treatment and last days. In particular I lost a lovely friend Jackie Bolton, who was an inspiration to me, spurring me on. Jackie was a beautiful, vivacious young mum. I am fundraising in memory of Jackie and Molly & Richard, the loved ones, she was forced to leave behind.
I have some mobility issues and can't do the normal fundraising walks & runs, so thought I would draw on my strengths. So I pledge to make a piece of fine, quality jewellery every month for a whole year, using the materials I currently have in stock or recycling old unwanted jewellery.SUPPORT ME: All the accessories/ jewellery created will be auctioned, monthly on ebay and all proceeds will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. I hope you will support me and bid on the items that I make. All items will also be available to view on my website page - http://www.madammodmakes.co.uk/treasure-chest-challenge.php

You can also help by donating your own precious & non- precious jewellery broken or not to me. I will use all pieces donated to create fantastic refashioned pieces to sell in the forthcoming Charity Auctions. Please send your items to Cara Codd, 7 Hazelmere Avenue, Eccles, Salford M30 8ED.

GETTING INVOLVED FURTHER: You can of course donate directly to Macmillan yourself, or organise your own fundraising events. Please go to http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Fundraising for more information.

Make: Recycled Copper Bookmark

My First Blog Make, inspired by the end of year presents I made with my children for their primary school teachers. Wanted to give them something more useful than the usual bunch of flowers or box of chocolates, so stole this idea from a magazine, and used my artistic licence to make it my own.

Things you will need:

Copper/ Recycled Metal

Hack Saw or Tin Snips

A household hammer

Hand File or Needle Files

Drill or Pendant Drill(Hobby Drill)

Wire Wool/Sandpaper or Scotch Brite

Alphabet Stamps, (3 - 5mm work best)

Steel or Wood Block for Stamping on  & Piece of scrap leather

Liver of Sulphur or Dark/Black Permanent Marker & Ruler

Brasso or Metal Polish

Cloth to Buff Polish

About 30cm leather or suede lace

Beads to decorate (optional).

How to make it.

First you need a piece of copper recycled from old pipe or you could buy some new copper sheet. Cut a rectangle, roughly 2cm x 9cm with either a hack saw or tin snips.

File the edges to neaten and take away jagged cut edges.

Decide on what shape you would like your bookmark, you can use you tin snips/ saw and file to round edges or create a shape around the edges of the rectangle. Its best to draw your shape on the metal with a marker and use this as a guide when cutting and filing.  I created a pointed edge so it could be used to turn the pages of a book.

Use a some wire wool or metal cleaner to remove dirt and verdigris of the recycled meta. Omit this stage if you are using new copper. File and sand any areas that are marked or hard to remove with metal cleaner. With a hammer and pin punch, stamp a spot where you would like to add your leather strands.  (I place mine top centre). Drill a small hole through the spot mark. Then use a bigger size drill to make the hole big enough to fit your cord/leather through. 2mm is usually a good size. Using a round needle file lightly file the hole than sand t remove any jagged edges. Lightly sand your bookmark, starting with a rough grade, moving through to a very fine jewellery grade sandpaper.

The next few steps are optional. You can choose to personalise your bookmark with text using metal/ steel alphabet stamps. You can get a basic capital font for about £16 on eBay. Plan what you want to stamp, write down exactly what you are going to spell out on a piece of paper. Try out a few different layouts, when you are happy, get your stamps ready. I find it is easier to draw out lines on the metal with a marker to use as a guide. ( This will clean off). Be aware that it is very difficult to get perfectly straight font throughout, expect some slightly out of place, this is normal and adds to the handmade nature of the bookmark. When stamping out text, work out the centre letter of each line, working left & right. That should ensure that your text lines up throughout. Hold your metal stamp firmly on the metal, which should be sitting on a metal/ wood block. I use a piece of scrap leather between the metal and the work surface to ensure that the stamp does not damage the underside of the bookmark. Just in case you want to stamp both sides.  

To highlight your stamped text paint onto the letters a solution of liver of sulphate or alternatively colour in the letters, roughly with a dark permanent maker. Let this dry. 

Now its time to clean off the unwanted oxidised/ coloured in material. Using Brasso or metal cleaner and a cloth, rub the entire bookmark until all you can see is the text which has taken on the colour of the oxidiser/marker. Using tissue or a soft cloth, polish the bookmark, remove all excess polish and buff more with the soft cloth.

Your bookmark should look something like this. Shiny with a smooth surface & edges and dark outlined text.

Now the finishing touches. Take your chosen cord/ leather and beads. Thread both ends of the cord/leather through the bookmark hole and make a slip knot (thread the loose ends through the loop on the other side of the hole. Pull tight so you have 2 secure strands hanging from the bookmark. To give a bit of weight to the strands,so it hangs well within a book, thread your choice of beads, a minimum of one bead each strand onto the cord/leather. Secure these with a double knot. I made two coils of copper wire to match the bookmark instead of using beads.

Voila, You are finished. Congratulations. You have just made a beautiful, unique, bespoke bookmark. It makes a fab present for any bookworm. Great gift for all ages, no more trawling through the shops for Christmas presents, make all you family, friends their own personalised bookmark.

Design Ideas: Why not try this in other metals such as aluminum, brass or if you are feeling more extravagant try Silver or Gold. If you want to keep the recycled element, use metal from cutlery or old boxes, plates. Cut to size and hammer flat. Why not stamp your favorite literacy quotes onto your book mark or the lyrics of your favourite song. If making this for a female friend try threading more glamorous beads and gems onto the cord or leather, such as wood, gemstones or crystals.

Helpful Materials & Tool Suppliers

www.fredaldous.co.uk - Copper blanks, leather/cord, Polish, markers

www.ebay.co.uk - copper sheets, leather, used metal, steel alphabet stamps

www.thebeadshop.co.uk- beadsmith alphabet stamps. jewellery tools, hammers, beads,cord/leather

www.cooksongold.co.uk



Welcome

Thank you for your 1st visit to Madam Mod Makes Blog. I hope we are going to have a fab, fun filled sharing experience. Subscribe to my blog via the button on the right to join me daily.  

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This blog site was created TODAY! so please bear with me whilst I set up its design. I hope to be back tomorrow afternoon with my first make, a personalised book mark, great for a teachers present.

To all the follows of my previous blog  www.madamcc.blogspot.com , so glad to see you back following me, I promise to keep a much more interesting & active blogsite this time.

Hope to se you soon,
Enjoy, Cara x