Boutique Accessories

We have come to the last day of the Papertrey Ink's February Release activities. I'm so honored that Boutique Accessories is getting the all-star treatment with a group post. I'll be up early to see what everybody created. I can hardly wait.

I like to think I saved the best for last for my project today. It's a little pick-me-up for a friend. She needs a little sunshine, so this will be headed her way very soon. She's got a little girl as well and I thought it would be sweet to make a "Mommy and Me" type gift, but without it looking too matchy-matchy. Definitely age appropriate items for each of the ladies (big and little). It's something that if they are both wearing their accessories on the same day you might need to look a little closer to realize that they are a matching set. I'll show you the gift I made with some beautiful packaging and then give you all the details on how to make an unique piece of jewelry yourself.

As you can see, I made a pair of barrettes using the Clever Barrette Cover, felt, fabric covered buttons, and fabric for the little girlie. Remember, when cutting fabric with the barrette dies, be sure to use some sort of fabric stabilizer like Wonder Under or Heat N'Bond.

For mom, we have fabric covered buttons (two prints match the barrettes) in cameo settings and strung on a chain to be worn as a necklace. All packaged up with the Boutique Accessory Card, Essential Pillow Box, Mini Bloom stamp set, and the upcoming Boutique Accessory stamp set in shades of Soft Stone, Melon Berry, and Limeade Ice.

A close up of the barrettes. I think the fabric covered button on Limeade Ice felt (Beautiful Blooms 2 dies were used) are just too precious. Takes it to a whole new level. Polka dot fabric was cut for the barrettes and stitched with Vintage Cream felt barrette backers. Because this was for a little girl, I die cut a tag from Tremendous Tags and stamped it with the word "daughter" from Women of Life and Maile's new Mini Blooms. The tag is tied to the Boutique Accessory card with silk ribbon.

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Here's the mom's half of the gift. Five fabric buttons in cameo settings on a vintage brass chain. Again, I did the same tag treatment, but this time stamped "Mother" instead of "Daughter" and tied it to the necklace.

The necklace goes in the Essential Pillow Box cut in Soft Stone cardstock. A strip of Stamper's Select White Cardstock was cut to fit and stamped with "Handmade Just For You" from Nichole's new Boutique Accessory stamp set. Mini Bloom stamped in Berry Sorbet, once again, ties the theme together throughout the whole project.

Both barrettes and necklace box fit nicely in the new linen bags that Papertrey Ink will be carrying.

On the corner of the linen bag, I once again stamped a floral cluster from Mini Bloom in Berry Sorbet. I duplicated the flower treatment from the barrette with Beautiful Bloom 2 die cut out of Limeade Ice Felt and topped with a gray polka dot covered button.

Isn't it just charming? I'm going to have a hard time giving it up. But I least I know how to make myself and Sassy Pants a set. Would you like to know as well?

I originally saw the necklace idea on Etsy and have been on an almost quixotic quest over the last year to find all the bits and pieces to recreate it. And then there was the learning curve to figure out how to make it so it stays together and falls nicely on a lady's decolletage. I'm happy to say after a three or four attempts, I've now got it down.  I'm here to spill everything I know, including sources, so you can make some of your own.

Here's what you need and how you get it:

A. 30 MM Round cameo settings. I got mine here.  You can ask her to create a custom listing for the number that you want to purchase. I think they are around 40 cents a piece. Buyer beware, they are on the slow boat from China. Quite literally. It took me almost a month to get them from the Far East and I had to go to the post office to sign for them. But they are so worth it.  Last year, this was the only place I could find them. I suspect that there are others. Just search "cameo setting" if you want to go elsewhere.

B. 8 MM split rings. I got mine here.  These are like key rings, only much smaller. I prefer them over jump rings because I can never seem to close up the gap in an open jump ring to my liking. These make sure your necklace stays together.

C. A closure. I got mine at Walmart.

D. Small Wire Cutters. These you can get any place that has jewelry findings.

E. Split Ring Pliers I got mine off Amazon, but I just saw them at Michaels.  How else are you going to get those dinky 8 mm split rings open if not for this thing? Don't try using your fingernails. It hurts.

F. Chain to match your cameo settings and other findings. This one in particular was so inexpensive at Walmart and was exactly the style I was going for. I mean, this is obviously not fine jewelry here, so I don't want that "fake but trying to be real" look. This chain is honest and doesn't put on any airs.

G. Five pop dots.

H. Five pennies.

I. Coverable buttons in size 45 to fit your 30 mm round cameo settings.   I like the shankless version. You can get them here. Make sure you get a kit as well. Cover them with whatever fabric you like.

A quick tutorial....

Use your split ring pliers to open a split ring and start connecting your cameos together. Then add your chain and closure.

This is what you have when all your metal work is done. Notice the placement of the split rings on the cameo settings. I didn't place them at the equator of each, but slightly north of center. I don't want them to spin around when the necklace is worn so I'm trying to make them heavier on the bottom than at the top.

Hot glue the pennies at the bottom of the cameo settings. Again, I'm trying to prevent spinning of the cameos when worn. This helps to weigh them down.

Cut a pop dot and adhere in the cameo setting above the penny. The underside of the coverable button is concave, so the pop dot gives the hot glue an elevated perch so you can secure the button to the cameo setting. Adhere all buttons to the necklace with hot glue and you are done.

That's it for me today. It's been a crazy five days. I hope you walk away with the itch to make some barrettes and accessories and  then package them up oh-so-prettily. Remember, the Boutique Accessory Card die, Clever Button Cover die, and the Boutique Accessory stamp set are available at www.papertreyink.com on February 15th.

Hop on over to see what the girls did with my little labor of love. I can't wait to be blown away.


Maile Belles
Nichole Heady
Jessica Witty
Dawn McVey
Melissa Phillips
Heather Nichols
Betsy Veldman
Cristina Kowalcyzk
Danielle Flanders
Ashley Cannon Newell

Supplies

Stamp Sets: Boutique Accessories, Mini Blooms, Women of Life, Button Boutique
Dies: Clever Barrette Covers, Boutique Accessory Die, Tremendous Tags, Essential Pillow Box Die, Beautiful Bloom 2
Cardstock: Soft Stone and Stamper's Select White
Patterned Paper: Soft Stone Simple Strip
Ink: Melon Berry, Hero Art's Wet Cement
Felt: Vintage Cream and Limeade Ice
Linen Bag
Silk Ribbon