Making Metal Stamping Charms and Pendants

Hey, Hey! I was doing some metal stamping the other day and thought might as well snap some photos and make a tutorial out of it.

It's super easy and fun. Stamping is great for personalizing jewelry for gifts. How about that apple necklace as a teacher gift, what teacher wouldn't love it?

Here's the how-to.

Supplies: Metal stamping blanks, metal letter stamps, an anvil or metal plate( for placing blank on), masking tape, permanent marker, flat surfaced hammer, ball pein hammer (optional)

First, you'll need to place your stamping blank onto your metal anvil or plate.

Place the tape over the top of the blank. This will hold it in place while your stamping. It also makes the  stamps stay in one place while hammering. 

With your marker, write out what you would like to stamp. This will be a guide for your stamping.

Start by placing the letter standing upright on the blank. With your flat surfaced hammer, hit the top of the stamp 2-3 times without moving the stamp out of place.

Continue across your blank, stamping all of your letters.

When your finished with stamping, remove the tape from your blank.

If you would like your stamp to have more texture, you can use the rounded side of your ball pein hammer to add some. I just randomly bang around on the blank.

To make the letters stand out more on the blank, scribble over them with the permanent marker. Take a cloth and rub the blank. This will push the marker into the crevices.

You're finished with your stamping. 

Update: So many have asked for the supplies, here are some Amazon links to get you started stamping. Mini Anvil, ball pein hammer, letter stamps, tape, and stamping blanks.


Enjoy!

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

Sewing Machine Necklace

Happy Friday! Or at least Happy Friday to those that are reading this post today, if it's Monday and you're reading this ouch....there's another five days till it's Friday again. :)

Just popping in to say hello. I am in the midst of sewing new pattern prototypes. I've got so many going at once I can barely keep track of what it is I am sewing. I do like it that way though. Because when I am sewing the prototypes, 95% don't turn out the first time through. It gets depressing if I spend an entire day sewing and get a bunch of ugly stuffies, bags, etc. This is my coping method, if I get one good pattern from the bunch, I am doing the happy dance. Wednesday I got one, so I did my dance, then moved on to glazing beads.

I've got more sewing machine pendants in the kiln today. They will hopefully join the others in the Etsy shop soon. Just waiting on the temperature to go down so I can open it up.

I hope everyone has a long Memorial Day Weekend. I've got plans for planting a row or two of the garden and a picnic, sound to me like a good weekend.

Have a great day,

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

My Crochet Afghan Progress

It's been awhile since I've updated you on my crochet progress. This is what I do in my free time these days, usually in  the evening on the couch or on the porch. It's an afghan that is from this pattern. So far I am sticking with the pattern, even though there are several times I wanted to go off roading, or um, do my own thing.

26 large granny squares are finished, there are 24 more smaller squares to make. They have been started.

Once the squares are all finished then some long stripes are crocheted and then they are all stitched together. I'm waiting until the squares are all finished but I am already thinking it needs to be bigger. When it gets to that point, I promise to snap some more pictures.

One more thing before I sign out... I picked a winner for the Owl giveaway. Congrats Raina! I have e-mailed her and she is super excited about a flock of owls heading her way. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Have a great day,

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

Surtex 2013

Hey, Hey,

If this weekend being Quilt Market wasn't enough, it is also Surtex. Woot woot, it's a busy weekend. This is my first Surtex and it's super exciting, even though it is my agent will be attending. Since January I have been working behind the scenes getting my portfolio ready for the show and my new website. In the past, I have designed loads of repeating patterns but companies also want main images as well. That's where my portfolio needed some work so I have been painting some every week to have a good selection of images. My new site is www.jenniferheynen.com and it serves as my online portfolio if you want to take a peek.

If you're going to Surtex, Montage Licensing is in booth 465 and if you're not but you want to keep up on all the latest from Kimberly and the gang, then the Montage Facebook Page is great for that.

Have a great day,

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

Owl Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway



I'm giving away a whole bunch of owls! Everything in the photo will go to one lucky winner. I'm using the rafflecopter app to help with the giveaway since it worked so well last time.

If you want to sign up for my monthly newsletter, here where to do it.

Sign up for my Monthly Newsletter

For Email Marketing you can trust

Can't wait to see who wins in 5 days, good luck!

Quilt Market, Spring 2013

Hello, Hello, Long time no blog. It's Quilt Market this weekend in Portland. All last week I was busy sewing samples for the Thermoweb booth. I have sent them my Okey Dokey Owl and my Okey Dokey Owl and Friends Quilt for display in their booth. I am happy to say they are flying their way now as we speak. 

I am super bummed that I won't be at market this spring, but a girls got to take a market off every now and then. This just happened to be the one that was the farthest away and at the busiest time of the year for me. I am already excited about fall market because I will be there for sure.

So Quilt Market is usually a time when new fabric is debuted....

I will have two ready for ordering at this market. Hoopla and Everyday Fun. You will be able to sew with them in November. One is a basics line and the other is a mini line that has a fun quilt print and appliqué letters. The last minute touches and tweaks are still happening so there's not much to show you until after market. But I'll give you a snippet....

In The Beginning Fabrics is in booth 2439 if you're going to market and want to stop by and see the whole shabang.

Have a great day!

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

Pin Cushion in a Cup Tutorial

The downloadable Pin Cushion in a Cup Pattern is now free when you subscribe to the Makers Club newsletters. 

The downloadable Pin Cushion in a Cup Pattern is now free when you subscribe to the Makers Club newsletters. 

1. Pin the trims around the outer edge of each of the circle sizes. Make sure to point the outer edge of the trim inward.

2. Pin the remaining circle on top to make a sandwich. The right sides of the fabric should be facing inward. Sew around the outside using a 1/4" seam allowance.

3. Cut a slit down the bottom side of each circle. Clip the curved edges and turn right sides out. Fill with fiberfill.

4. Stitch closed. (Theses stitches will be hidden.)

5. The single large circle you cut is for the bottom of the pin cushion. With e needle and thread run a gathering stitch around the raw edge.

6. Fill with fiberfill and pull the thread snug to create a ball shape.

7. With a long needle and thread sew up from the bottom ball, through all three stuffed circle and out through the top. Sew through you ceramic cherry, a felt ball, or a bead and then return your needle back down and out the bottom. Pull the thread snug and repeat this several times to secure.


8. Using a glue gun place hot glue all around the inside of your cup or bowl. Arrange the cushion how you would like and let the glue dry. You're finished!

Enjoy!

The fabric used in this pin cushion is from my Extraordinary World Fabric Collection from In The Beginning Fabrics.

Bowls can be found in my shop.

Let's Connect!    Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

My version of the Lunch Money Cuff

When I ran across the lunch money cuff  tutorial in Sew Can She archives by Christie from Lemon Squeezy, I knew two boys at my house needed these. Not necessarily for lunch, but for going to the store. They have their wallets, baggies, envelopes, or whatever they seem to have their money in at the time. But guess who ends up carrying them around in their purse? Yep, me. With these wallets THEY could now be in charge of carrying their own money.

Christie's version is super cute. I needed these quick, so I decided on a few shortcuts to make my wallets a bit faster. Instead of an inlaid zipper, I went with a zipper across the top of the wallet. Basically, I was going to make a zipper pouch with hook and loop tape on the sides.

If you need help putting a zipper in or sewing the pouch, I did a easy zipper pouch tutorial that you can find in the Sew Can She archives that has loads of pictures. The wallet fabric to cut is 8.5" x 3", just like Christie's tutorial.

Once the pouch was sewn, I sewed a piece of hook and loop tape on the sides of the wallet. It was ready to take to the store.

If you have not checked out the Sew Can She Tutorials, you are missing out. Each day a fabulous tutorial comes to your inbox. I am always amazed at the ideas folks come up with.

Have a great day,

Fabric used in this tutorial is from my Extraordinary World collection from In The Beginning Fabrics
Let's Connect! Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook