Archive for July, 2011
Guest post tutorial by Jenny Hoople of Authentic Arts.
Want to learn how to drill holes in beach stones? Well, I’ve got good news for you: it’s pretty easy and I’d love to tell you how it’s done.
I’ve been making this natural stone jewelry for several months with pre-drilled pebbles that I purchased from fellow Etsy artisans. It took a little bit of internet research and guessing to figure out the best way to go about drilling my own, indigenous Wisconsin stones. Some sites said one thing, some said another. I took the best advice from several different sources and did some experimenting and found that drilling my own, small river rocks is not only possible, but pretty easy! I’ve gotten a lot of questions from people asking how to drill their own stones and I’d be more than happy to share with all of you.
Choosing the Right Stone for Drilling
Almost any stone that you find CAN be drilled, but I really recommend starting with softer sedimentary rocks (sandstone, mudstone, limestone, etc). If a pebble you find on the beach isn’t rounded like the other ones around it, that’s a good clue that it’s a harder igneous or metamorphic rock and would take a long long time to drill. Other ways to tell if a rock is too hard to drill is by checking whether you can see crystals in the stone or whether the stone is shiny or glossy like quartz (ah, those magical wishing stones of my childhood!) Sedimentary rocks will be much easier to drill, so start with those. But, don’t worry if you can’t tell what kind of rock it is. If it takes significantly longer to drill than the other pebbles, it’s probably igneous or metamorphic.
Equipment You Need to Drill Your Own Beach Stones
1. High speed rotary tool - (ie. a Dremel. I got the Dremel 4000, high performance, I figure that since drilling stone is heavy duty work, it’s a good idea to have a heavy duty tool!)
2. Hollow, diamond-tipped coring bits – These are much faster and effective for drilling holes in pebbles than a solid drill bit. There’s also less chance that you’ll break the stone when drilling and it’s much much faster! Not only do solid drill bits drill more slowly, you’d need to drill a small hole and then change to an ever larger bit until you widened the hole to the diameter that you wanted. Ridiculous! For drilling holes in small beach pebbles to use in jewelry, a 2.5mm diameter hollow coring bit works well. The bits they sell that are officially for Dremels are way too expensive, I highly recommend getting your bits from Rio Grande Jewelry Supply. They have nice packs of 5 for $14 as opposed to one official Dremel bit for more than $20! You’ll be using all 5 of those bits eventually as they do wear out relatively quickly.
3. Dremel Collet Nut - The Dremel rotary tool comes with a Collet Nut (that’s the thing that holds the drill bit in place) but the 2.5mm coring bit is a different size, so you’ll need a Collet Nut that’s the right diameter. I bought the set of Collet Nuts they had right there at the hardware store and used the one that the coring bit fit into! (The other ones in the set will come in handy for all the other projects I dream up to use this Dremel for. It can do so many things, my next experiment will be engraving poems on stones!!)
4. Small Plastic Container - This is to hold a little water so you can drill your beach stone under water. Drilling underwater cools off the bit and lubricates everything which will make the drilling go faster, keep your stone from heating up and keep those little diamond crumbs from getting ground off of the drill bit too quickly. I like to use the little plastic container that my lunch meat came in (cleaned out and sans lunch meat, of course!)
5. Little Piece of Wood - Like a shim or whatever, to have under your pebble so that you don’t drill through the bottom of your water container!
6. Goggles - Please always wear goggles when drilling! I always wear them even though I’ve got glasses. Real danger is minimal, it’s not like there are shards of rock shooting out all over the place, but it’d be a shame to lose your eyesight over some natural beach stone jewelry! Better safe than sorry!!
7. Rocks - Yes, don’t forget your beach stones, river rocks or what have you! Small (~1″) pebbles are ideal. It’s easier to make necklaces like my Rock Collection Necklaces when the stones are small and thin (~1/4″ thick). That way they lay next to each other better.
Lets Start Drilling!
1. Put on your goggles.
2. Firmly hold your beach stone on top of the piece of wood and just under the water.
3. Turn on the Rotary Tool with your other hand and hold it perpendicular to the pebble. – Please be careful when working with the Rotary Tool around water! Don’t get any part of the tool wet that’s not absolutely necessary and don’t grasp the tool with wet hands.
4. Begin Drilling. – Let the weight of the tool do the drilling for you. Be sure to keep lifting the drill up and down. (This lets cooling water get into the hole and lets the sediment from the stone to flow out.) The water will get cloudy, that’s ok, just keep drilling.
5. You’ll feel when it breaks through to the other side. You’re done! – With these small beach stones, I’ve found that drilling one takes about 2-3 minutes. (I’m sure it’ll be faster when I’m not so new at it!)
The only way that I alter these unique stones other than drilling a hole in them is to rub them with my hands after I’ve just put on some unscented Eucerin lotion (after the stones are dry, of course!). That helps to condition the stones so that the natural oils from your skin won’t leave uneven dark spots and enriches the natural color of the stone so they aren’t all dusty looking. After the lotion gets a chance to be absorbed by the stone, any excess should be wiped off with a clean, dry towel so you don’t have to worry about whether it will mark your clothing with an oil spot!
Now get out there and start making some fabulous beach stone creations! All you need are a couple of basic jewelry supplies to complete the project once you have the stones drilled. Very easy.
About Jenny: Jenny Hoople makes natural stone jewelry and beaded gemstone jewelry that is as natural, colorful and authentic as the people it’s given to. She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her little Mexican husband and memories of their wonderful bunny companion (who crossed over the rainbow bridge after 7 happy, bun-filled years). She’s passionate about color combinations, the handmade movement and living closer to the “real business of life”. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @Jennyhoople.
Thank you so much Jenny for sharing your project!
For more ideas for quick and easy projects, click here to visit the craft tutorials and diy page filled with more than 60 diy’s. If you like this project, please help us spread the word by using the twitter and facebook buttons below. Thank you so much.
Hope your Monday is off to an amazing start. Before the day gets away from me, I wanted to tell you about a clay competition that I recently found out about that sounds like an amazing opportunity to not only get you some extra exposure but also to make you some extra cashola!
It’s being hosted by Red Clay and it just kicked off last week. The deadline is actually the end of this week, so you’ll have to jump on this opportunity quickly. Here are the details…
Your design. Your story.
Red Clay challenges you to use CLAY to embody the warmth and timeless memories shaped by a GATHERING of those you love most.
The Design Challenge: A GATHERING
At home, you gather your nearest and dearest and a story of fond friendships and familial bonds is crafted. Around the table or by the fireplace, these stories are created and shared, not mass-produced. Similarly, Clay–a simple combination of earth and water–when fired, can be molded into a home’s showpiece or family heirloom. An elegant bud vase graces a table with sentimental charm. A serving bowl displays beauty and function. A decorative platter can be the centerpiece of laughter and celebration. Life is too short to be sur- rounded by anything short of beautiful. A beautiful object can be an essential part of your personal history; the design of which should be enduring and the craft, authentic. A Gathering of loved ones not only sustains, but nourishes the life and story of your home and those who live in it.
The Nitty Gritty DETAILS:
There is simple beauty in perfecting the form. Designers may choose to design a ceramic Vase, Bowl or Plate in one of 5 low-fire glazes from our color palette. The Red Clay community will choose 3 winners, one from each form category. Red Clay is excited to announce one additional design will be chosen as an “Editors Choice” piece that will be a juried selection curated by Eric Scollon and Robby Abrams of the UC Berkeley Art Studio. Each winner will be awarded $500 and more importantly build their portfolio through national exposure via blogs, Red Clay ads, newsletters and online publications.
DEADLINE: Submissions are being accepted on Red Clay’s website from July 11th until July 22nd.
Get all the details and submit your designs on the Red Clay competition page.
I must really love you because I have a million things I should be doing today, but I just didn’t feel right about leaving you without a few diy ideas for the weekend. I have to run, but here are my favs in DIY land this week…
2. Learn How to Reupholster a Chair
3. Clever Finial Place Card Holders
4. Easy to Sew Citrus Coasters Project
Still not satisfied? I love it! You are a DIY maniac.
For more ideas, visit the craft projects page, where you’ll find 60+ original project ideas and check out my diy pinboard on pinterest for 100s more.
I get exhausted just looking at everything the Little Birdie Design Studio manages to churn out. It’s a design, photography, and handmade studio that makes branding identity packages and promotional materials, offers high quality photography, and a variety of knitted goods!
The Little Birdie Design Studio etsy shop has a variety of beautiful handmade goodies like unique necklace and scarf designs. I’m a fan of the huge bloom flower accessories, too. They strike me as perfectly wearable accessories for busy creatives.
Receive 10% off any order with promo code PNSFAN at checkout for the Little Birdie Design Studio.
Vanessa wrote this post. She is a full time copywriter and webmarketer with a passion for art, creativity, and thrift. She writes about thrifting, creating, and saving money every weekday on her blog, Thrift Core.
Remember a couple of days ago when I told you I was kind of obsessing over summer? Well, here’s the proof..
Two guest posts I wrote this week inspired by summer fun!
1. See my colorful summer time favorites on Miss Malaprop now (image from my guest post above).
2. And get the details on my summer picks for paper on Paper Crave this week (again, image from my post above).
I am just loving these color-drenched posts, especially on a day that needs brightening. Not that I need brightening today – I am happy as a clam. And on another note before I head out… Does anyone know where that expression came from, “happy as a clam”? It doesn’t make sense to me, yet I say it all the time.
Do you have a current summer obsession?
Share it in the comments below.
Amy Lowry simply “can’t tell us” how much she loves designing stationery. Her passion is obvious when you look at her collection of work in the Thank You Cards Shop. She got her start designing stationery for her own wedding almost 6 years ago, and from there, she was hooked!
As a graphic designer with a love of DIY, her work in the Thank You Cards Shop has all the charm and high quality you associate with handmade stationery. Cards are fully customizable and the selection is ample, making these cards the perfect option for any occasion.
Use the code 10paper at checkout for 10% off your Thank You Cards Shop order. AND bonus! Get a free printable from Amy’s shop from How About Orange right now (its that set above to the left. pretty cool, huh?). Get the free download for airmail thank you notes now.
Vanessa wrote this post. She is a full time copywriter and webmarketer with a passion for art, creativity, and thrift. She writes about thrifting, creating, and saving money every weekday on her blog, Thrift Core.
The last time we looked at an interior obsession, we were focused on the attic. Although most of us don’t have the height to create a new space out of our attic, we do look to that area for storage. One item that we tend to store away is a personal collection. These can be anything from tableware to paintings, furniture to photos, items we have collected over time, or ones that were handed down to us by relatives or friends. Today, I’m hoping to inspire you to revisit those old collections and think about displaying them in a new way. Although some collections are by their nature placed piece by piece around the home, furniture and large-scale paintings come to mind, my favorite method for displaying a smaller scale collection is by grouping. The most important consideration is that there be some connection between the items. They can be pieces from the same manufacturer, pieces from different manufacturers, but in a limited color palette, items of a similar type, anything that pulls them together and gives them some visual cohesion.
Collections can be placed anywhere within the home, although certain types lend themselves to particular locations, though that shouldn’t limit their placement. A collection of tableware such as Russel Wright or Fiestaware might be perfect for a shelf or hutch in the kitchen or dining area. A book collection would be at home in a library space, but also in a living room. A collection of houseplants (which grouped together makes watering them SO much easier,) would be great wherever you have good light. Photos can be grouped along a wall expanse, and are super when unified by either color, for example, black and white, or by frame style to tie together disparate images. I especially love collections of vases or similar housewares, and prefer a variety of shapes and sizes to make the grouping interesting. If you have a smaller collection, or one that has many similar pieces, think about lining them up to showcase each piece. And remember that necessary storage of collections can be not only practical, but a visual treat as well as in the case of wine bottles. So pull out those items you’ve packed away in the attic or closets, and think about some creative ways to show them off.
(above) White Vases and Objects
Plants on a Palette + Greenery on a Side Table
Photos on a Ledge + Grouped Black and White
Amy wrote this post. She is the designer and owner of FormFire Glassworks, where she creates modern lampwork glass beads and jewelry, and by day designs custom homes for a small firm in Southern California. You can follow her twitter @formfireglass.
