Tag Archive | crystal

DIY Seashore Themed Tutorial #1 ~ Crystal “Starfish” for Summer Weddings and Other Celebrations

May21
This easy-to-build beaded starfish design is the perfect DIY decoration, gift, party favor, or memento for seashore-themed special occasions and celebrations.
Materials: (1) Wildfire beading string (about 8″), (2) 4 mm bicone Swarovski crystal beads in different colors (as pictured, 5 pacific opal, 5 aquamarine satin, and 10 light azore) x 20 total beads, (3) seed beads (Pictured here, Delica brand aquamarine glass seed beads).
Start stringing the inner circle of the starfish, alternating one seed bead and one crystal bicone bead.
To create the 5-point star design in this tutorial, stop after you have added 5 total bicones, alternated with 5 total seed beads. To make a six-pointed star, add pone more of each type of bead to your inner circle. This section should be completed in one color, to achieve the desired effect.
Pass the end of the string a second time through all of the beads to form a loop that you will tighten into a circle.
Pull gently on both ends of the string to close the circle, and pull the design into a continuous ring. This beaded ring becomes the base you will use to build the “arms” of your starfish.
Starting with one of the loose ends, add on three more crystals, alternating colors to give the “arms” of the starfish contrast.
Loop the end of the string back into the seed bead below, creating an outer extension of your design, as pictured.
Pull the loop on either side to tighten. This is the first “arm” or “point” of the star design.
Continue the design, by repeating the previous step a second time to create another “arm”.
After you finish the design, it should look like this! Use ribbon, string, or fishing line to create beautiful ornaments for centerpieces and wedding decor. Also ideal for jewelry!

Chain Reactions Interchangeable Jewelry Concept: Video Tutorial

Feb13

Featured Design: JULIE is a Star!

Oct20
This design was created for Julie, the 100th person to like Lace Exoskeleton on Facebook! As someone who has inspired me throughout my artistic career, Julie has given me far more than I can express in words…
This set includes custom charms. The first charm – not in this image is a hand-embrodered crystal star. The second is our signature skeleton key to symbolize opening doors, expanding horizons. The third is a silver heart with crystal droplet in lagoon blue to symbolize the connections of love and friendship.
This exclusive, one-of-a-kind insert is designed as an “illusion” style invisible strand. It includes teal blue fishing line and crystals. We may produce this strand in the furture, although it has an unfortunate tendency to kink permanently when worn often. Our other designs do not have this issue.
This set included three clasps – a crystal beaded hook-up clasp in lagoon, and two heart tab hook-up clasps. This variety of clasps ensures the length of each strand is adjustable.
The center piece of this set – available upon request for custom orders – is a hand-embroidered star pendant.
Julie selected the lagoon color palette to compliment her fair skin tone. This is one of the best colors for people whop like green, but find that it brings out too much red in their skin tone. Shown here against a pale blue background, it shimmers with subtle green accents (Swarovski crystal luminous green).
Against a white background, the darker blue tones in the lagoon theme stand out. Each color palette in the Chain Reactions collection will assume a unique appearence depending upon your personal skin tone and coloration.
This necklace includes a custom insert strand. Longer and shorter strands are available for all of our designs upon request to ensure that your piece fits as both a necklace and a bracelet.
With love and best wishes, we at Lace Exoskeleton proudly proclaim that JULIE IS A STAR!

Exponential Fashion Potential

Oct15
This image illustrates some of the main differences between bold and delicate strands.
The foundation of each base set is a 10″ chain base strand like this one. The base strand is used to build necklaces and display pendant or charms. It also doubles as an anklet.
Each base set creates at least 3 different jewelry combinations. Our deluxe set – with two insert strand – creates all of these combinations. The number of combinations grows exponentially as more strands are added.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow…

Oct15
Color is more than an aesthetic decision! As the physical evidence of light wavelengths, color has the power to influence moods, perception, and mental states. And, it is also an effective vehicle for personal expression!

Color trends will never again leave you stranded with an obsolete, outdated piece! With our interchangeable strands in 28 different colors (not including our seasonal and special edition palettes), you can adapt your color choices to correspond with any trend or color fad. And an extra bonus: You can match every stubborn magenta bridesmaid dress – without investing in a whole new set of jewelry pieces… How does this work? Well, because the chain base strand and charms are detachable, you only need one full set to create necklaces, bracelets and anklets. Thus, the more strands you buy, the more color options you have – and your look can never go out of style again!

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Summer Morning Dutch Baby Pancakes – A Necklace & A Recipe

Sep3
Tasha’s recipe for mixed summer berry compote: Gently simmer 1 pint fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup fresh strawberries in a mixture of lemon zest, pomegranate juice, 1 vanilla bean, and lemon juice; add juice until berries are submerged; cook until berries burst and release juices; add raw honey and a pinch of salt for flavor balance.
Before mixing pancake batter, preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and warm a 10″ skillet for 5-10 minutes in the oven (this step ensures that your pancake will rise up, as pictured).
Roger’s recipe for Dutch baby pancakes: While skillet is preheating, combine 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup sifted flour, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Remove preheated skillet from oven, and turn down heat to 425 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter onto the skillet, and then puour your pancake batter into skillet. Remove when golden brown, as pictured.
Batter will rise above sides of your skillet – cut into slices and top with powdered sugar, whipped cream and compote.
Enjoy with your favorite toppings and spices added into the mixture… Why is baking so fabulous??? Because it is MODULAR – you can adapt it to fit your personal tastes and preferences!
The Dutch baby pancake necklace!!!!
Use a 10″ enamelled brass base strand (pictured in black) to combine 1 each of the following beaded insert strands: (1) 8″ bold pomegranate strand, and (2) 8″ bold honeycomb strand. These colors mimic the combination of vivid summer fruit and golden pancake dough in our Dutch baby pancakes.
Next, begin twisting the strands to get a “DNA twist” effect.
Secure loose ends with a heart tab hook-up clasp.
Use the same heart tab hook-up clasp to close the remaininf ends of your necklace.
A close up of our Dutch baby pancake necklace.
Perfect for hot summer days – vivid, yet classic! What inspires your Lace Exoskeleton?

Full Spectrum Fashion: Chain Reactions Signature Color Palettes

Aug30
White Wedding
Cupcake
Glamour
Pomegranate
Poppy
Peachy Keen
Emberglow
Honeycomb
Evergreen
Mint
Emerald
Seafoam
Lagoon
Ripple
Cerulean
Nautical
Stardust
Nocturne
Iris
Lilac
Orchid
Nightshade
Midnight
Pearl

Chain Reactions Color Palettes ~ White Wedding

Aug27
This bold style bracelet is perfect for brides. It is heirloom quality, and wearable even after your big day is over.
Here is a stacked bracelet with both the bold and delicate strand.
Different color palettes will look different when worn on different skin tones.
You can mix and match colors, or go for a monochromatic look, like this.
Here, the crystal beaded heart hook-up clasp is holding the bracelet in place. If you need more length, or have troble getting all of the ends on by yourself, we have a great selection of other modular components to dolve these issues and adapt the strand to your needs.
This set also creates an anklet. Shown above it is the bold bracelet.
The bold asymmetrical necklace uses the same chain base strand seen in the anklet image.
You can also wear the strands as a centerpiece for symmetrical necklaces.
These strands are simply layered onto the base strand. Delicate strands are 7″ and bold strands are 8″, allowing the stacked layers to fall perfectly in this design.
Strands may be twisted to make this DNA twist necklace.
A detail of the twist technique, also useful for bracelets.
And more twist technique!

Intro to Modular Jewelry… and The Universe!

Aug18
Chain Reactions modular jewelry lets you create your own jewelry trends, styles and designs, while also offering an alternative to passive “consumption” of identity and self-expression.
Interchangeable pices can be layered to match any outfit, mood or holiday. This produces less waste than having discrete items for very limited uses.
The same necklace may be worn with any charm. The chain color, too, may be edited. Or, you can simply break this necklace down into a bracelet and an anklet.
A modular design allows you to begin with a few pieces, and build a collection slowly over time.
As you find new interests, and you style changes, the jewelry you wear can be altered to fit the evolution. Most importantly, obsolete concepts are edited out without loosing your entire investment in self-expression.
As your mind and body mature over time, your sense of creative empowerment and collaborative involvement will also blossom. When your choices as a consumer are more closely fitted to you, they are far more rewarding, and less likely to be discarded before their use value is depleted.
With modular designs, there are no limits to potential for growth. Individual pieces are not bound by a specific configuration, and move freely between designs. Charms for earrings double as charms for bracelets and necklaces.

Clarissa Cupcake Talk @ Teasecraft This Month!

Mar11

Sugar & Spice…Naughty & Nice:
Burlesque-Inspired D.I.Y with Clarissa Cupcake

WHEN: March 21st, 7:30-9:30pm.

WHERE: Artisans Asylum (map) Multipurpose room.  Suggested donation $3-5.

Description~
Although rarely considered valid forms of technology – women’s contributions to fashion, jewelry, cosmetics, textiles, and the decorative arts serve as remarkable instances of innovation, technical prowess and skill – revealing the forgotten power of all seemingly trivial “decorative” techniques and practices.

Clarissa Cupcake will demonstrate the erotic potential of several surprising, unexpected genres – including scrapbooking, embroidery, beading and collage – and discuss the value of using feminine kitsche as a tool for psychological domination, power play, and humiliation. Fashion, jewelry, and cosmetics are explored as nuanced elements of erotic encounters, while themes of display, beauty and objectification are addressed. Emphasizing the role of gender as a powerful mental construct in erotic play, Clarissa will discuss how juxtaposing materials considered too cute, innocent and feminine for sex toys (e.g., lace, crystal, embroidery, ribbon, etc.) with more edgy, intimidating materials associated with masculine gender stereotypes (leather, metal, chain, etc.) can be used to elevate the experience of both dominance and submission. This effect is pronounced especially when stereotyped expectations do not match how an object or material is used – that is, when innocent materials inflict pain, and intimidating materials produce pleasure.

Examples from her burlesque costumes and props are used to visualize this tension between seemingly contradictory materials. She will show examples of her work as a visual artist and designer – along with her favorite tools and materials – finishing her talk with a short description of how color, texture and form can influence the power dynamic of any social interaction, concluding that erotic practices can enhance interactions in everyday social encounters, playing a key role in mental health and personal well being.

About~
Clarissa Cupcake is a cultural psychoanalyst, fashion/jewelry designer, inventor, and burlesque performance artist. She is the owner and founder of Lace Exoskeleton (lace-exoskeleton.com), and was recently awarded a provisional patent for her “Chain Reactions” modular jewelry and fashion design concept.

Lace Exoskeleton represents an artistic collective with the shared vision of empowering individuals to construct, enhance and assume artistic authorship over their identity and aesthetic persona. Specifically, Lace Exoskeleton encourages consumers to utilize sustainable, eco-friendly, and modular concepts to create their very own, personalized “exoskeleton” of collaged, appropriated, and collaborative fashion pieces that form a continuous artistic gesture we refer to as “identity”. By encouraging customers to think about body decoration as an art form, Clarissa hopes to empower people to see fashion as a deeply personal, meaningful collection of symbols, colors, textures and design details that capture the essence of deeply personal content – from actual memories and recollections to inner visions, fantasies, desires, and unrealized dreams. Through transforming everyday consumer choices into spiritually meaningful, artistic, and emotionally engaging collective experiences, she hopes to refocus consumer desire to favor sustainable, ethical, and artisan-made products and services. You can visit Clarissa Cupcake and her partner in crime, Pinkbeetle, in the following places:

Lace Exoskeleton Studios: The Artisans Asylum, Somerville, MA – Studio #69 (no need for a
pneumonic device to remember this address!)

Website: Blog, D.I.Y. resource, upcoming events resource, & collective art
project: lace-exoskeleton.com

Facebook: Lace Exoskeleton, Clarissa Cupcake

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