Sunny Sunday

At last! Summer's here!

I spent most of today sitting outside soaking up the sun and crafting.

So what do you get when you take this pile of stuff:

1. Plastic Coated Copper Wire
2. Glass beads in shades of Sea Blue and Ocean Green
3. Copper Tubing

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And add some crafty tools?

You get a magic from the sea necklace!

First I cut 1-2" pieces from the copper tubing (snagged at a yard sale yesterday for $1.00) and hammered it flat, then filed the edges smooth and drilled the holes.

I punched the words with a set of steel letter punches. I bought these a long time ago and I have been just waiting to get some metal to try them out!

Then I sanded all the hammered pieces 'til they were smooth. After stripping the plastic coating from the wire, I started adding the beads using wrapped loops. (<--click for instructions) The plastic coated wire had been hanging around my craft stash for a while and it was the perfect gauge for wrapping. I love working with copper - it's soft and pliable and yet it holds it's shape well too. Once I had added enough beads for the length I wanted, I made a hook from the same wire and hammered the curved part flat. And here's how the finished piece looks!


Here's a closer look - see that patina? After stripping the plastic and sanding the hammered/punched pieces, the copper was all new and shiny looking. I really didn't like that look. But now - The copper has turned a darker chocolate brown with a lovely shade of blue in the nooks! It usually takes years for that finish to form on the copper but I found a way to do it almost instantly, using common household ingredients.

If you'd like to know how I did it, leave your e-mail in the comments, or e-mail me directly: d_rafferty@yahoo.com and I'll tell you how, but only if you promise to do it very carefully!

I may look for some copper seashell charms to add - wouldn't that be perfect!



So that was today's project.

Yesterday was a day of just relaxing and puttering around the yard. I went to yard sales in the morning - scored a Stone Temple Pilots music CD for 50 cents, a ceramic fish mug for Hank for $3.00, this very heavy metal chinese lantern for $2.00 ( the metal table it's sitting on was from another days yard sale hunting - another $3.00 bargain) and the copper tubing I used for the necklace.

I love yard sales.





And for lunch out on the patio yesterday I made some swordfish and shrimp kabobs...so delish! I wish I had taken a picture. Maybe next time.

We did have an afternoon visitor in the garden - He had absolutely no manners though - he kept sticking his tongue out at me! He's harmless...a Garter Snake. Does he scare you?





So that's the scoop for today. BUT - Check back in the next couple of days - I will have some new scrappy stuff and previews of a *Super New Collab* kit that will be coming to Plain Digital Wrapper soon!

Find out here how you could win it!