Same, but different

Made these two antique bronze shepherd's hook bookmarks with box weave chainmaille and the largest owl charms I have. The left hook is a plain hook and the right one has patterns etched on both sides.

DS and I prefer the left one, DD, the right.

Have a blessed evening!

Make a mark!

DS used to fold dog ears. I don't like dog ears. I'll remove them if I see them on a library book. I much prefer to remember the page number or use a bookmark.

This is DD's request. She chose the spine, the weave and the charm. This is the larger version (and thicker) of the spine. There were plain ones in silver, gunmetal and bronze, zig-zag ones even but she chose this one with the sun and stars detail.

I'm waiting for her to finish reading this book. She's read it 3 times already and going to finish reading the 4th time soon. I'm wondering what's so captivating about this book?

Have a blessed Sunday!

Productive weekend

Finally attached toggles to these chains. It's a simple toggle but I like it 'cos it's a bit heavy and has nice clean lines. The hole is in the bar rather than a soldered ring. Would have been nicer if the hole in the ring was incoporated as well. I like it too that this simple toggle doesn't distract from the woven chains.

 

Made a second shaggy bracelet. Only bought two types of long magatama beads. The frosted green one and  this blue one. I like the different shades of blue and teal. 

Another chainmaille belt similar to the earlier one with the 3-by-1 weave. These are larger (and heavier) antique bronze rings. Matched it with a pretty heart charm and flower lobster hook.

Have a blessed day!

Bees

Still in the chainmaille mood with these 3 chains - barrel, box and Byzantine.

I put a coin there as reference to show how petite these chains are since they were woven from 3.5mm ID rhodium rings. While I like the shiny results, my fingers are aching from handling such small rings and I need even more frequent eye breaks from squinting to check if the rings were closed properly.

I'm just wondering, comparing lengths, which weave is denser, ie, uses more rings. The barrel's out of contention for sure, even I used 3 rings inside this time compared to the usual 2. Would the box have more rings per cm or the Byzantine? Interestingly, the box weave as a tactile feature that you can squeeze opposite sides of the box to flatten it. Can't squeeze the Byzantine or the box.

These chains are short of clasps. When I find suitable ones, I'm thinking of giving away the Byzantine as a National Day giveaway with a twist. Let's see... :-)

Have a blessed day!

Eeny meeny rings

These are not the smallest rings I have. They're just the smallest ones that I'm using on a Byzantine and box weave shown here. These are 3.5mm ID rings so the resulting chain seems rather delicate compared to the first few aluminium chains I made. I like these rhodium rings. They are tough and shiny :-)

Have a blessed day!

Jingle Jangle

 Twelve key rings here.

Green bells - box weave

Blue bells - full Persian weave

Green/blue bell - Byzantine weave

While all are 9mm rhodium rings, the gauges are different for some. The difference is most obvious for the box weaves. The thicker gauge means a dense weave while the thinner gauge means a more open, airy weave.

Have a blessed day!

Never too late for blessings

Mum passed me one of her Chinese New Year cards to make into a box when she saw the boxes I made using 'Condo cards' that I get in the mail. The boxes I made in the past had a separate cover and bottom 'cos I used 2 cards. Since this is a greeting card, 'both' are joined so I decided to do a flip cover. Yes, I do waste a bit at the end of the cover but I still like the result. Hope Mum likes it too :-)

BTW, it's also possible to make such boxes with a single condo card. I made one the other day but didn't take a pic. To maximise as in have as little wastage of the card as possible, score both short ends first then estimate the middle portion rather than just fold the card in half. The cover's always shorter. Email me if you need further clarity.

Cheerios!

Try something new : Birthday card candy box

I don't get many greeting cards today. Well, not the physical card type. In this day and age, either the cards are electronic or scrapbook type. I much prefer the scrapbook type :-)
Anyway, when you do get a birthday card, or a condominium project launch card, credit card marketing event card etc, try making this today.

Equipment used: cutting mat, metal ruler, penknife, awl, double-side tape and the card, of course :-)

1. Cut the card in two down the fold.
2. Score a margin round the rectangle using the awl (or any sharp object like a fork). I used 3cm (3 squares on the cutting mat).
3. Cut 4 slits at the corners at both ends of the card and crease all scored lines.
4. Stick the flaps together using double-side tape (or glue. Tape is faster and less of a mess).
5. Do the same with the cover but have a smaller margin. I used slightly less than 3 squares this time.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the cover.
7. Fill with candy and voila!

Have a blessed day!

Opening boxes

Boxy zippered pouch made from super combed cotton inside and outside. 3 pockets inside and personalised for John.
Have a blessed day!