TwIstEd KnoTz

2013-07-11T08:39:00.001-07:00

Hello again, and sorry it has been so long! My husband and I have recently moved to Boise, ID and have been shrouded in chaos for the past couple of months. Things have calmed down and I have time and space to begin creating jewelry once again. I had done several projects over the past year but have not had much in my blog due to having items listed on Etsy to organize and maintain. I will have my Etsy shop up and running again soon, but in the mean time I would like take a moment to share in my excitement for my current project: Paper beads!

The beads I am working on are made with a variety of papers and methods. I have made beads of rolled paper but really wanted to find a way to make rounded beads. I had tried to find paper mache bead making methods in order to fulfill this wish over a year ago, but found myself on a cyber-based snipe hunt with very little information at my finger tips. There were a few articles detailing paper clay, but the methods seemed fairly involved. Just recently, I found myself trying again, and with much more success! The crafting blog industry must have picked up in the past year with regard to this subject. Also, I am sure that typing "Paper pulp beads" rather than "Paper Mache Beads" made a difference as well. Whatever the cause, I now have close to three dozen round beads made from recycled newspaper pulp dried and ready to sand, drill, paint and varnish. I have some more research ahead of me regarding the type of varnish to use, but most of the blogs seem to agree that furniture varnish works well.

My methods were the result of reading several blogs and taking out the core information common to most of them.

Step one: rip up paper into small chunks
Step two: soak the paper in hot or even boiling water for several minutes to an hour.
Step three: Use a blender to make the paper pulp smoother (note: I did not do this at first, until I realized my impatience to get started had caused me to no soak the paper for long enough. So for those of you like me, who just can't wait, I highly advise hitting the thrift stores and getting an old blender. Mine is actually a smoothie machine. If you do not blend the paper, most of the blogs agree you need to soak it in very hot water for AT LEAST an hour)
Step four: DRAIN/WRING OUT AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE. It took me quite a long time to get this step right. This step can be difficult if you are not using the right type of strainer (I, sadly, did not so it took some time). Get a fine mesh wire strainer, and perhaps some fine mesh cloth like cheesecloth or several layers of tulle fabric. The fabric will allow you to press with your hands once you get a good amount of water out without losing too much of your paper pulp.
Step five: place the paper pulp in a bowl and add an adhesive (you can make a wheat paste or use any clear drying glue such as Elmer's. Most blogs seem to recommend wallpaper paste. I used Elmer's. I also thew some dry flour on because I was having issues with the pulp being too damp still. I don't recommend that, it may have made things more difficult. I have ADD if you can't tell. I may try Modpodge next time just for kicks).
Step six: BAKE THE BEADS. I only found this step in ONE blog that I looked at, but it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Perhaps it has something to do with wallpaper paste being used in most of the other blogs. But the one that recommended Elmer's or wheat paste suggested baking. I baked them at 225 (my oven seems to run a little hot. 250 should work just fine too) for around an hour total. I baked them in two separate shifts tho because I had to go to work and couldn't leave paper beads in the oven. If, unlike me, you have endless patience and a place to put them, just let them air dry for several days; check them and re-roll them if necessary.

This is as far as I have gone. As you can see, I did not follow any one set of directions very well or very clearly, and I still came out with mostly roundish paper beads that appear to be very durable. Drilling will be the ultimate test of this.

The main point of this post is to demonstrate that even I, with my spastic ADD and impatient nature (and inability to follow directions) can make reasonably presentable paper beads. So if you are trying this at home, and you accidentally forget something or mess something up and have to go back, it's really ok. Chances are, you will still come out with beads in the end.

Stay tuned for how the beads turned out finished!

Moscow sales day!!

2012-05-10T16:19:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! Just letting you all know that I will be at the Moscow Food Co-Op from the hours of 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday, May 11th to sell and showcase some jewelry! More photos will also be posted of some recent jewelry items. Thank you and have a great day!

Things are getting Hairy....

2012-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of the hair wraps! Enjoy!! As always, please leave feedback or comments on the posts.

The entire process for wrapping Cassie's Hair took about 9 hours--for 13 more wraps (two were done previously at Hemp Fest.

This is Cassie's friend Tye. She had a chunky wrap done over one of her dreadlocks. As you can see, it looks fabulous!

Cassie had me do the wrap shown in front over a different style of hair wrap that had been done previously.

A view from the back of the first couple of layers or hair wraps. I believe we had completed 7 or 8 at this point.

After the hair wraps were completed, we tried a few different things with Cassie's hair to show them off.

Cassie wanted the initials CJB on the end of one of her wraps for a few reasons. Not only are they her initials, but they also stand for a clothing line she creates. Check it out! Creativity, Joy, Beauty.

The above picture was taken using one of her shirts from her line of clothing.

We put all the wraps up in a messy knot/bun to show some of the different colors and beads that were added. I love the effect of the wraps along with the hair in this look. During this shoot, the wraps were of course a little stiff, but as they are washed they will begin to soften up.

A zoomed out shot of the hairstyle.

Close up of the bun showcasing the CJB wrap. Again, the name of the clothing line stands for Creativity, Joy, Beauty. Check out her facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CreativityJoyBeauty

Here is a view of how the wraps look from the front. As you can see, one wrap is out of the bun and hangs to the side.

A picture of the wraps in a simple pony tail. Thanks to all for checking out the photos. Don't forget to head to the TwIstEd KnoTz facebook page and like us there!!

2012-04-29T22:57:00.001-07:00

Hello all! More photos coming soon of some way cool hair wraps that I did for some customers at Hempfest. Also some more pics of new items soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

2012-04-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! Moscow Hempfest was this past weekend, and can be counted as a great success. I learned so much from the experience, and even earned a little green. The weather was absolutely fabulous and entirely uncharacteristic of Moscow, ID in the month of April. A cloudless sky and temperatures in the mid to high 80's brought throngs of people to the park, and there were constantly people at the booth so I did not even have the opportunity to get around to the other side of the stage. One booth I was able to get to was one just across the path and slightly to the side; that booth belonged to the aptly named Glass Gods, a full service glass studio located in Spokane, WA. I could not resist purchasing several of their pendants for future projects; the supreme quality of craftsmanship and friendly, professional interaction created the single best business shopping experience I have had thus far in my entrepreneurial endeavors.

In addition to hand blown glass pendants of all shapes and sizes, Glass Gods sports an array of glass mandrel beads capable of ending my long standing frustration with the center-size of my glass beads being too small to use with even the smallest hemp I am able to buy. I am finally able to use my heavier hemp to create chunkier pieces with more than just a pendant.

And! (yes, I know, that's grammatically incorrect. I did it on purpose) AND! I found out that Glass Gods also creates customized orders, so much so that customers are able to watch items being made and modify them on the fly. My shortlist of glass bead providers just became a whole lot shorter. Thanks again and again, Glass Gods! I will see you in Spokane on my next visit!

If you are interested in more information on Glass Gods, please visit http://www.glassgods.com/

Thanks all and have a great day! More pics to come soon!

2012-03-29T10:23:00.002-07:00

Hello family, friends and fans! Spring is finally upon us, and that means that Moscow Hempfest is right around the corner! I will be there with my jewelry and other items, so stop by and check it out if you are in the area. More photos coming soon!

2011-12-06T16:46:00.001-08:00

I like using different materials from time to time to see how they look with the macrame knots. This necklace is made with green ribbon tied in a twist knot and has a hand made wire flower pendant.

Sometimes less is more. This simple white twist necklace pairs beautifully with a large wooden bead with a tribal feel.

A funky, chunky necklace for those who like to make a statement with their hemp jewelry. The beads are roughly the same size and the necklace is a classic twist knot using thick gauge (2mm) hemp.

I decided to mix things up a little in the necklace below and make a long, square knot with my regular (1mm) hemp.

Below is an extremely successful experiment using brown and natural colored hemp in very fine strands, a switch knot, several glass accent beads and simulated pearls. The pendant is a bell I picked up in a local variety shop.

This necklace is one that my husband has declared as a favorite. I used waxed brown hemp, which often looks like leather with glass and faux pearl beads. The pendant is a denim button set in a bottle cap and coated with resin to create an almost stone like presence.

2011-12-06T11:22:00.001-08:00

The coloring is a little hard to see on this necklace. It is bone white and lime green hemp in a square knot with a homemade pendant. The pendant is made from a denim button with a silver tone overlay.

I love creating mixed media items, which is part of the reason why I like working with hemp so much. The brown hemp in the necklace below bears a strong resemblance to leather. The accent beads are actually metallic jingle bells and the centerpiece is a crochet red hemp pendant with a button attached.

This necklace is a pendant made from an old crystal pin, on a bone white twist of hemp.

This was a very fun project. The necklace is a square knotted cut and frayed silver ribbon with a pink crystal rose quartz heart pendant.

I love how classic cameo pendants look when displayed on hemp string. I accented the pendant and the natural hemp twist with clear green glass beads.

More to come

2011-12-06T01:15:00.001-08:00

There will be much more added in the way of photos and stories as soon as I get some sleep and restore my sanity. Please comment! Thank you!!

2011-12-06T01:08:00.001-08:00

This is two different views of a 5 generation rosary I made. I had been wanting to attempt a rosary for some time, but my husband finally gave me the push I needed by finding the requirements. I found that I already had most of the necessary supplies (everything but the saint medal) so I decided to leave a space on a a jump ring so that a person could attach a saint medal of his or her own choosing.

2011-12-06T00:59:00.001-08:00

I decided to make a few fun items for the Christmas season. The necklaces you see below are simple braids with little fake Christmas light bulbs hanging from them.They made a fun, inexpensive filler for my display at the Winter Market in Moscow, ID.

These little candy cane ornaments are an item I plan to keep producing. The inspiration for creating these was to have something very "Christmasy" to sell at the Winter Market. I eventually would like to sell them in groups of 10 or 15.

2011-12-06T00:51:00.001-08:00

I am always trying to come up with new ideas for displays. This earring tree gave me grief until I found the perfect base...wide enough and heavy enough to stabilize the tree and yet had a part narrow enough to allow for the trunk to be held firmly in place.

2011-12-06T00:24:00.001-08:00

I love all kinds of rings...from simple and delicate to big and chunky--it just depends on what kind of mood I am in and what I plan to be doing. As anyone who knows me can attest, I also have a predisposition to the whimsical and (occasionally) the nonsensical. The rings I have posted here show the evolution that my ring making process has gone through. I can now create any of the types of rings shown below comfortably.

I started making hemp rings by tying the ends together and using a small bead as a stone. As my technique evolved, I began to use small clasps to hold the rings together at the bottom, in order to make sure frays did not occur.

I started experimenting with different types of knots to make more decorative rings a couple of months ago. The examples below are continuous pretzel knots tied to form a large ring meant to be worn on the middle or index finger.

Another type of ring I tried was made with thicker hemp. The ring below actually turned out rather small in the center but has a presence I really enjoy.

The most recent stage in my ring making has been chunky and funky. Four of the rings shown below are adjustable, one is a band made from a denim belt loop cut off from an old pair of jeans. All but the center ring are created from crochet hemp and some kind of bead as a center piece, a couple of them are set in bottle caps for further interest.

Coming soon: Photos and history

2011-12-05T01:54:00.000-08:00

Starting tomorrow I will begin updating this blog with photos of my latest pieces along with a description of the items and, when relevant, a brief history of the inspiration for the item. Another post I plan to make in the near future will contain links to some of my favorite things I have found while exploring the world of jewelry making. Than you for your time and have a great day!

For sale!

2011-10-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Items now for sale at Hodgins and Tie Dye Everything in Moscow, Idaho!!

Items for sale

2011-10-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! TwIstEd KnoTz has many unique jewelry or gift items for sale. Check us out on Facebook and "Like" our page!! Please note that Facebook is simply a photo gallery of the items I have made. Some items have already been sold, but I can make a similar items for any interested parties. If you are in the Moscow, ID area, I will be at the Moscow Food Co-Op two days a month, check blog and Facebook updates for specific dates and times.

TwIstEd KnoTz News

2011-09-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone this is a blog about my new business. I will show you where to to go to purchase jewelry and other items I make by hand. Just want to get as many photos out there of my stuff as I can. I will also provide links to recommended products for people who bead, tie, and create items for themselves or for sale.