London Calling Charm Bracelet

I'll tell you a secret.  I watch a lot of BBC shows. I added BBC America to our cable setup, but sadly all they ever seem to play is Top Gear and Ramsy's Kitchen Nightmares, so DH & I ended up cancelling our cable service.  But thanks to Netflix, I've been living on a steady diet of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and even the older Sherlock Holmes series staring Jeremy Brett.  All of this, coupled with the ridiculous heat in Kentucky this summer has left me longing to escape.  Preferably to London.  But since I can't quite afford that, I made a charm bracelet instead.  I've named it my "London Calling" bracelet.

The charms are a mix of Tibetan silver, pewter, and enamel and include a crown, postcard, 3 enamel Union Jacks, an enamel double decker bus, a teacup & kettle, royal mail stamp, Underground sign, suitcase, pewter bus, red phone booth and a rose.

The beads are a mix of Czech glass, crystal, and jade beads in shades of blue, white and red. 

And as part of the Harry Potter Craftalong, I'm submitting my bracelet as a "Portkey", which requires photos taken on a field trip away from your home.  So here is my bracelet on the paper crane sculpture on the WKU campus.  Enjoy!

Care of Magical Creatures Charm Bracelet

Spurned on by the fun of the Harry Potter Craftalong, I was inspired to make a new charm bracelet.  This one is my ode to one of classes I would most like to take at Hogwarts, Care of Magical Creatures. It includes 15 pewter and Tibetan silver charms depicting some of the world's most famous magical creatures, surrounded by a rainbow mix of glass, shell, stone, and crystal beads.

The charms include: a thestral, veela, fairy, acromantula, mermaid, 

dragon, basilisk, sphinx, giant squid, cat, phoenix,

griffin, gnome, owl, & unicorn.

I really like how this one came out and I think I'm going to have to work on some more rainbow bracelets.

Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone Pendant & Through the Trap Door Bracelet

I've recently completed co-organizing the One Tiny Harry Potter Thing 3 Swap over on Craftster, and it was another wonderful round.  I loved the chance to think outside the box, so to speak, by thinking INSIDE the 4"x4"x4" size limit.  Since my lovely partner chughes225 had a Sorcerer's Stone pendant on her Pinterest, I decided to let that be my inspiration, but take it to the next level.  So I've created for her the Sorcerer's Stone, AND the magical obstacles created by the Hogwarts faculty to protect the stone.

Here's the outside of the box that I sent to chughes225...

As well as detail shots of the runes on the side of the box, and how the items were packaged.  The runes on the side of the box spell out 3 messages: "Where your treasure is, your heart will be also", "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" and "Jennie & Cristen 2012".

The enclosed letter from Dumbledore explained that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters believe the stone to have been destroyed, and asks Cristen, as a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix and a very brave Gryffindor, to protect the stone. He even used a Reducio! spell to miniaturize the original obstacles and enchantments used protect the Sorcerer's Stone in the novel.  And they were packaged to literally surround the stone pendant.  

The Sorcerer's Stone Pendant

The stone on this is huge.  39mm x 24mm or 1 5/8" x 1" 

And now for the bracelet...

The charms comprise all of the obstacles and spells that appear in the novel.  They include: 

Lion Shield for Neville, who attempts to stop the trio from sneaking out

Fluffy the three headed dog

The Trap Door that Fluffy guarded

Devils Snare plant vines

Winged Key

Chess Knight for the Wizard's Chess game Ron won

Bat for the Mountain Troll

The Mirror of Erised

And sprinkled throughout, 7 potion bottles made from beads, for Snape's logic puzzle.

The beads are comprised mainly of natural stone to represent the stones Hogwarts & its dungeons are built of. Finally, the clasp is a lock and key.

And here are some closeups of the potion bottles made from beads:

Coffee Lovers Bracelet

I have a deep, dark confession to make to you all...  I don't like coffee.  While I find the smell divine when my husband grinds the beans and brews a hot French press full on weekend mornings, I just don't enjoy the taste of a cup of coffee.  (It might also have something to do with the fact that coffee makes me hugely jittery, and I tend to feel like my heart might explode when I drink any.)  Despite this lack of coffee enthusiasm, I fell in love with so many cute little coffee themed charms I saw when shopping for supplies.  Eventually I broke down and bought some.  This bracelet was the result.

The beads are an assortment of glass, quartz, freshwater pearl, and crystal, in shades of black, mocha, cream and caramel. 

The charms include 2 lattes, an espresso tag, coffee beans, mocha mug, quart of milk, pie, java mug, bag of coffee beans, "Love" heart, percolator, coffee grinder, slice of pie, mug, spoon and sugar packet.

I also have to admit partial inspiration from my crafty BFF pinkleo over on Craftster, and her adoration of coffee and other hot beverages.  It seems I'm always happier when crafting is inspired by a friend.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Weasley's Charmed Bracelet

While I may hate the heat of summer in the South (and the heat of this summer in particular), I do love that hiding from my arch nemesis, the Sun, means lots more crafting time for me.  I've been working on lots of new charm bracelets, and this one just might be my favorite.   

It is inspired by Molly Weasley, matriarch of the much loved Weasley family, and all around bad-ass crafty momma!  She also happens to be one of my personal heroes, and someone I hope to be like when I am a mother. 

The beads are an eclectic mix of Czech glass, turquoise stars, jade, cherry quartz, aventurine, goldstone, river shell, ceramic, crystal, and olive wood from Jerusalem.  The color scheme was inspired by the now infamous "Mrs. Weasley Sweater", designed by costume designer Jany Temime for Julie Walters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The charms include:

Large Owl, for Errol

House with an orchard, for the Burrow

Quill, for work-obsessed Percy

Jester, for jokers Fred & George

Chess Knight, for Ron

Phoenix, for the Order of the Phoenix

Fireplace, for the Weasley's hearth & homeWolf, for Bill who was attacked by a werewolf

Claddagh, for her lifelong love, Arthur Weasley

Lion, for Gryffindor House, to which she & her family all belonged

Knitting Needles & Sweater, for her favorite hobby

Broom, for Ginny who played Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies

Clock, for her magical family clock

Dragon, for Charlie who works with them in Romania

Lightning Bolt, for her honorary son, Harry Potter

Teapot & cup, because Molly is always available for a little tea & sympathy

Little Owl, for Pigwidgeon

I hope you love it as much as I do!