Tag Archive | D.I.Y.
Material Metamorphosis: Transforming Broken Pieces into Wearable Jewelry
This pair of earrings is one of my favorites – but after one of the charms lost its mother-of-pearl inlay, the set became unwearable.
Using the charm as inspiration, I selected a sterling silver heart link base strand, and a gunmetal filigree insert strand to construct a necklace.
You can use any of our 10″ base strands to attach your own charms, pendants or embellishments. This may be worn as an anklet, or – as explained in the next step – it may be combined with an insert strand to create a necklace.
After attaching the charm, connect your insert strand. Secure your design in the back with a detachable hook-up style clasp.
Now my unwearable earrings have a new life as a Chain Reactions custom necklace!
This earring was also broken. I used pliers to detach the intact charm from the earring hook piece. You may need to add a jump ring to make your charm sit perfectly in your necklace.
Again, simply attach the new charm to a base strand.
Next, layer on your favorite insert strand. Here, I have selected a white pearl insert strand to match the opalescent charm.
You can mix and match elements to achieve the best match in texture, color and style.
Voila! Another “new” necklace from old jewelry!
Get the word out~
Summer Morning Dutch Baby Pancakes – A Necklace & A Recipe
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?
Get the word out~
Introduction to Color Matching: How to Adapt Your Exoskeleton to Match ANY Outfit!
Modular jewelry designs can be adapted to match any inspiration, context or color combination. The necklace featured in this post was inspired by the deep red of fresh summer cherries, and the dusty pink fabric of one of my favorite cotton dresses.
To find the perfect match, “collage” a few modular pieces together to see how they look.
To build a necklace, begin by attaching one charm to a base strand.
If a layered look is desired, stack other charms – in different materials, shapes, and sizes, on top of your base strand.
Cluster a few crystal drops on top for even more dimension.
After attaching your chams, connect your desired crystal insert strand to the same clasp you used to attach your charm layers.
finish your necklace by connecting the loose ends in back with a hook-up clasp or chain extender.
Mix and match your modullar pieces to match any outfit!
Get the word out~
Chain Reactions Color Palettes ~ White Wedding
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!
Get the word out~
Clarissa Cupcake Talk @ Teasecraft This Month!
Sugar & Spice…Naughty & Nice:
Burlesque-Inspired D.I.Y with Clarissa Cupcake
WHEN: March 21st, 7:30-9:30pm.
WHERE: Artisans Asylum (map)Â Multipurpose room. Â 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:Â 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:Â Lace Exoskeleton, Clarissa Cupcake
~~~ Lace Exoskeleton ~~~ 