Poem Necklace

So I saw a craft project posted on Pinterest by Happy Hour Projects blog.  It was the "book page necklace".  I thought it was really cute, but I don't recall a passage from any book as being particularly moving.  But, I do have a favorite poem by Sonia Sanchez - Poem No. 3 - so I used that instead.  


The supplies I used:  scissors, needle nose pliers, round nose pliers, tweezers, beads, clasp, glass pendant, lock and key charm, poem and suede string.

Thanks to the help of a friend who is an experienced jewelry maker, I learned what to do with the above tools. :-)    I used a bronze colored pendant frame that I bought from Hobby Lobby for $2.50 and dark brown suede string for the necklace.  The beads were on sale at AC Moore for under $5, so it was a pretty inexpensive project.  I printed the poem on a natural colored paper rather than white so there wasn't such a stark contrast between the frame and the paper.    Making the pendant was actually easy and quick once I became comfortable using the tools.  I am rather pleased with the finished product and was amazed at just how easy it was to make.

Poem Necklace featuring a poem written by Sonia Sanchez

 Poem No. 3

I gather up 

each sound 

you left behind

and stretch them 

on our bed.

                              Each night

I breathe you 

and become high.

                                                                                          --Sonia Sanchez

                                               "Shake Lose My Skin: New and Selected Poems"

                                      

I'm hoping that by citing the source, I'm not breaking any copywriting laws. :-)

Stone Tile Coasters

So like a gazillion other people, I'm a Pinterest addict.  There are so many inspiring ideas that I sit for hours just browsing the site.  I guess I'm no different than the other gazillion people in that way.  Well, I've been trying some of the DIY craft  ideas I've seen and decided that I'd start posting my successes and failures.  I'll start with what I view as near miss - my stone tile coasters. I'm sure the next time I attempt this, I will have mastered the technique and will have very a sophisticated, beautiful set of coasters. For now, this is it! :-) 

I've always wanted to make coasters - finally this weekend I did.  I got my inspiration from a Pin by "adiamondinthestuff" blog.


Supplies: Stone tiles, Mod Podge, Felt Bumpers, Cork, Scissors, Paint Brush, Foam Brush, Images, Mask, Glue, Paint, and Parchment Paper (not pictured).

Rather than making a matching set, I decided to be a little less traditional and make coasters that display images of some of my interests. I downloaded images from the Web and from Pinterest.  


After printing and cutting out the images, I glued them to the stone tile ($4 for a package of 9 at Home Depot) by brushing Mod Podge to the back of the images and pressing them firmly to the tile.  I let them dry overnight, although you only have to let them dry for a couple of hours.  The fumes from the Mod Podge were giving me headache so I decided to let them dry overnight. The next morning, I ran to Home Depot and bought a pack of face masks ($1.48 for 5).  That helped tremendously!

Next, I cut out the cork making sure the pieces were a tad bit smaller than the tile and glued them onto the back of the tile using E6000 glue. Then I affixed the self-adhesive felt bumpers to each of the four corners of the cork.

Next I painted the tiles(no pic) using the acrylic craft paint ($0.33 on sale at AC Moore).  I had to apply about three coats.  Each coat dried in a matter of minutes.  


Using the foam brush, I applied a thin coat of glossy Mod Podge to images on the coasters.  I used about 3-4 coats letting each coat dry for about 20 minutes before adding the next one. I used parchment paper as my work surface so the tiles would not stick to the paper (as they did to the paper towel in the picture. I learned the hard way).  I placed the coasters outside overnight to avoid smelling the glue and Mod Podge fumes in my sleep.  

That's it...I now have a set of six coasters that represent a few of my interests and guilty pleasures.  Making them was fast, easy and fun.  Now, all of my friends can look forward to stone tile coasters for Christmas and their birthdays. :-)