First, a recommendation, if you have any desire to make jewelry pick up a:
Bead Buddy One Step Crimper!
This isn't just an advertisement for them, but seriously, if you want professional looking stuff, try it. It's a great little tool. I love mine. Just watch that tutorial if you get one though, because I was confused to start with.
Lessons I've learned making jewelry:
"Goop" does a great job of binding jewels together and to a container (ie: In my Fried Rice Bowl)
But it doesn't reallybind things like a singular item to another singular item (Ie: Pie / Tart Earrings. The Resin Pie to the Sterling Silver Plated Post). Those fused much better with Aleene's tacky craft glue.
Diamond tipped reamers are great for making indentations into semi-soft materials like on my Hello Kitty Sushi Chef. After I got the reamer down far enough I took a long piece of sterling silver plated wire covered in super glue, and it fused down in there just like a charm that had been made that way. It gives the opportunity to take a piece of old jewelry or toy and turn it into something new and exciting.
Mod Podge makes everything easier! For my Hello Kitty Geeky Girl Necklace, I took The Mod Podge sample pack and used the Gloss finish
to attach a Hello Kitty Sticker to A Mod Podge Podgeable Shapes. It adheres whatever paper you have to the Podgeable shape. I then finished it with the mini pearls around the edge. It was the easiest piece I made. You can literally put ANYTHING on those. Mod Podge is my new best friend.
Also, just don't forget that ANYTHING can be jewelry! You just have to have a little inspiration. Most of my pieces started out as something else....like an old broken piece of jewelry that got a new life, or bottle caps, or a wind chime, or even your old toys from childhood. With a few tools, a little imagination, and the desire to make one of a kind things ANYTHING can be jewelry!
