Shed Building Plans: tutorial

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DIY Painted Leaves Tutorial

I published this blog post so late in the season last fall, that I wanted to share it again

so that everyone has a chance to start collecting those leaves while theyre falling! I think

that you get the best painted leaf results when you press your leaves for at least a few weeks

before painting them, if not longer. This gives the leaves time to press completely flat,

and gives the moisture a chance to escape, so look for freshly fallen leaves and press those.

Here is the original post:

After painting acorns a few weeks ago, we were ready to move on to painting leaves!
This is a simple project that has beautiful results, is a lot of fun, and everyone in the family can participate. I think the variety of shapes of leaves combined with the different paint
colors is what was so appealing to me about this project. Check it out and let me know what
you think!

First we collected fallen leaves that were mostly brown, but not too dried out. Our leaves
were still a bit pliable but not crumbly. After we collected a nice variety of leaves, I
placed them between a stack of heavy books for over a week to completely flatten them out.
The longer you leave them between the books, the better your end result. I recommend
leaving them between books for at least a week. I flattened a few for three days, and later
found that after we painted those that they curled up a bit once the paint dried. If your
leaves are still green, you will want to press them in between sheets of newspaper in between
the books. This will help absorb some of the moisture from the leaves as they dry out.

Next we gathered our supplies: a variety of acrylic paints (I used whatever I already had at
home), some newspaper to protect our table top, a few plates to serve as palettes, a variety
of craft paint brushes, a cup of water to clean our brushes with, some wax paper to place
our leaves on while they dried, and a few paper towels.

We used a variety of acrylic craft paints

A few fine-tipped brushes were great for painting thin lines and detailed designs

I started with this leaf. Nice and dry and flat and ready to paint!

I began by painting a thin line just inside the edge of the leaf. I loved the way this

metallic gold craft paint contrasted with the rust and brown colored leaf.

Simple lines and dots

I love the vibrant autumn colors

Beautiful end result

I loved seeing everyones unique, individual style come out when they painted their leaves

fancy leaf by duane

I think our leaves would look fantastic framed behind glass in a picture frame and hung

on a wall...

What do you think?
Which is your favorite?

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

DIY Painted Leaves Tutorial

Jewelry Tutorial Pretty Silver Spoon Handle Pendant Necklace

I love the patterns on old silverplated flatware! If Im lucky, I can often find one or two orphaned spoons or forks when I am out cruising the thrift stores or flea markets. What to do with a pretty old spoon? How about turning it into a unique necklace pendant? Follow along and Ill show you how to do just that!

Here are the tools and materials you will need:

One vintage silverplated spoon or fork with a pretty handle

One 2" headpin

A few 4-6mm beads

Bench vice grip secured to a workbench or table

Jewelers hand saw with blade

A metal file

Hand drill with small bit (about 4mm) and wood block to drill into

Two lengths of jewelry chain in whatever length you desire. I used two 10" lengths of chain.

A lobster-claw style clasp

Three 6mm jump rings

Two pair of jewelry pliers (chain nose or rosary pliers work well)

Jewelry side cutters

1. Choose a spoon or fork that has a pretty handle.

2. Secure the spoon or fork in your bench vice so that it stays firmly in place while you saw it. (I also have my vice clamped to my workbench so that it does not move around while I am working.) Determine where you want to cut. You can make a mark on your spoon with a marker if that makes it easier for you. I simply eyeball it and cut a little bit below where the bulk of the design stops.

3. Use your jewelry saw to cut off the end of your spoon or fork. Hold the saw vertically and saw in an up and down motion. The size of saw blade isnt super important here, as we are simply cutting the end off of the spoon.

4. Use your drill with bit and drill a hole into the end of your spoon handle at the end where you made the saw cut. I like to drill my holes about 1/8" in from the end. Make sure you drill into a block of wood.

5. Use a metal file to smooth down any sharp or pointy edges from the cut end of your spoon handle.

6. This image shows the chain assembly. Use one 6mm jump ring and thread it through the hole in your spoon. Thread one end of each of your two lengths of jewelry chain onto the same open jump ring and then close the jump ring. Scroll down and take a look at image 16 if you do not know how to open a jump ring.

7. This image shows the chain assembly with the chain attached and jump ring closed. Now its time to add some beads to our pendant to give it a little bit of color!

8. Get out your beads! For my pendant, I used two small beads that were each about 5mm in size. I used a silver bead and a turquoise bead.

9. Thread your beads onto your headpin.

10. Grip the headpin above the beads and use your chain nose or rosary pliers (pliers with a rounded end) to form a loop in the head pin above the beads.

11. Thread the end of the head pin through the jump ring that you used to attach the chain to your spoon pendant.

12. Use one pair of your pliers to hold the head pin at the loop that you just created. Use your second pair of pliers in your other hand to grip the tail end of the head pin wire. Wrap the head pin wire around the "neck" of the head pin between the beads and the loop.

13. Continue to wrap the tail end of the head pin wire until you run out of room on the neck. Twice is usually sufficient.

14. Use your side cutter pliers to cut the remaining tail end of wire from the head pin. Use your chain nose pliers to tuck in any pointy end of wire into the previous wire wraps.

15. This image shows the assembly for the clasp. Chain end, jump ring, clasp, jump ring, and other chain end. Open the jump rings (see step 16 below) and thread on the chain ends and clasp in the order as shown in the photo and then close the jump rings.

16. The correct way to open a jump ring is to use two pair of pliers

(I had to take the photo with one hand so my image only shows one!) Hold the jump ring seam-side up. Grip the jump ring with one pair of pliers on each side of the seam and use a twisting motion, turning the pliers opposite directions of each other to open the jump ring at its seam. Close the jump ring by using the same motion, bringing the end of the jump ring back together.

I hope youve enjoyed this tutorial!

Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment below.

Please feel free to Pin this post!

Enjoy your day!

Love,

Laura

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Jewelry Tutorial Pretty Silver Spoon Handle Pendant Necklace

Jewelry Made From Antique Skeleton Keys Tutorial

I just listed these necklaces in my Etsy shop...I made each with an antique skeleton key.
Check them out and let me know what you think!

Want to make your own? Check out my tutorial at the end of this post!

Want to make your own key necklace? Check out my tutorial below!

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Jewelry Made From Antique Skeleton Keys Tutorial