It's a Cinch! Scarf Clip

We presented our new It's a Cinch! Scarf Clips (Interchangeable Fashion for your Scarf . . . in a Snap!) at the Christmas show in Kamloops last week and they were a huge hit!  People loved how they could use them on any of their scarves and were so easy to use.

We have a wide range of colors available in our online store and you can also select your preferred clasp and cord end "metal" colors.  (They are actually nylon plastic but look like metal)

The beauty of this clip is that the snap base allows you to switch out the designs and interchange them so you can use it with more than just one scarf or outfit.  Any of our decorative snaps will work on the "It's a Cinch!" Scarf Clips, including the larger sizes.  We suggest, however, selecting the size of snap according to the type of scarf you will be using.  For a lighter or thinner scarf, a smaller size snap is more suitable and for a heavier or thicker type scarf, a larger snap will look more balanced.

We are finally getting around to adding some of our new larger style snaps to our website.  These textured and layered pieces shown here were created using some of the shape templates adapted from Helen Breil's Magnetic Pendants tutorial.  Instead of using magnets, however, we have added a snap for interchanging within our Snap Decisions Collection.  This way they can be added to a scarf using our "It's a Cinch!" Scarf clip, or worn as a necklace using our snap necklace base in either stainless steel or antique bronze finish.

We also have some gorgeous scarves that compliment our handcrafted items and for your convenience, have listed them as an add-on option with our "It's a Cinch!" Scarf Clips.

We carry several types of scarves:

A - Crinkle Cotton -- The colors are rich and the scarf is soft as well as light weight.  It is a nice choice if you do not want anything too heavy around your neck.

B - Linen -- These are beautiful scarves in luxurious linen that have been pre-washed and are super soft.  The colors are gorgeous and they have a slight open weave making them comfy for cooler days but not too heavy to wear.

C - Cotton-Viscose Blend -- These are a little heavier and have metallic threads woven in to give them a fabulous shimmer.  A little heavier weight than the linen but perfect for winter!

Our scarves are not sold individually but only as an add-on option with our handcrafted items.  We do have all the colors listed here and they are also listed individually in our Shop by Color section to make coordinating our pieces easier.

Snap Variation for Magnetic Pendants

I purchased Helen Breil's latest tutorial, "Magnetic Pendants" as I was looking for inspiration on pendant shapes and texture ideas.  I had an idea in mind of doing a snap variation in place of the magnets and this is one of the first pieces I created.

After making the focal snap pendant I put together several snap base chain necklaces for interchanging.  One has a long chain tassel shown here:

And here is the simpler pendant necklace style:

The snap necklace bases shown here are available in our online store.  We have also created a special category of snap base necklace styles that interchange with our larger decorative snaps.

You can also create your own interchangeable necklace with the snap base components in our DIY snap supply section.  All the findings and chain used are stainless steel but you can use other preferred metal types or colors.  Click on the photos below to see the items in our online store for more information.

Start with a snap base connector which is available with a single or double loop.

Add a bail or one of our clip on clasps to the top with several jump rings:

Tip:  If the necklace chain is too thick to fit into the clip, you can insert a jump ring in the center for attaching the pendant.  This also keeps the pendant in place while wearing and the clasp stays at the back of your neck where it belongs. 

Add a chain tassel to the bottom of a double loop connector with jump rings.

You can make yourself several snap necklace base styles for interchanging your decorative snap pendants.

Almost any clay design you make can be mounted on a snap to create a wide range of necklaces.  Here are a few more samples using the CaBezel Molds available at Shades of Clay.  I will be sharing a free tutorial here with you next on how to add a snap to your CaBezel shapes for interchanging.

Canadian Maple Leaf Buttons

We have created a line of maple leaf buttons to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday this year.  The texture we used to create these maple leaf designs is by another Canadian artist and colleague, Helen Breil.  The maple leaf designs are in red and black and the more traditional red and white combos.

Our friend, Nettonya, knit these gorgeous hats and added the large size button to them as an accent.

Our maple leaf buttons are now available at the following shops in British Columbia:

Fibre Expressions Quilt Shop (Sechelt, BC)

Beautiful Bag (kit) available at Fibre Expressions Quilt Shop

Thread & Paper (Salmon Arm, BC)

Canada Display (our buttons on right side) at Thread & Paper

Donna's Yarn & Craft (Kamloops, BC)

Kelowna Yarn & Needlecraft (Kelowna, BC)

If you are not in those areas, they are also available in our online store.  You can see all our Canadian themed items in our O Canada Collection.

Sunny Yellow and Black Silkscreen Pills & Coffee Print

So here are some more snaps with the black paint silkscreened on a deep yellow background.  The silkscreen used here was another one by Helen Breil called Pills & Coffee.  I really love how this print really pops when it is done this way.

Snaps for interchangeable jewelry

Bracelet with 5 interchangeable snaps

Cuff Links with interchangeable snaps

Necklace pendant with interchangeable snap

Necklace pendant with interchangeable snap

In my latest tutorial, Creating Interchangeable Polymer Clay Jewelry in a Snap, I show how to fill these special "snap" bezels with your clay patterns.  If you had already purchased my tutorial and are following our blog, we created these snaps using the same method for the Cabochon on page 6.  For the final step (#16) we used a little piece of organza fabric to texture which gave a cloth like finish. After baking, we spray them with the PYM11 which makes the colors pop and that is all you need.

There is still time to purchase your copy of my tutorial and entered into our draw for a chance to win one of 3 copies of our part 2 tutorial soon to come.  You can read more about this here.

And one more tip for you today.  Even though Helen's silkscreens are great quality, we want them to last a long time so we store them with pieces of parchment paper in between.  We have this stationary box where they are a perfect fit for the drawer.  The top part holds our deli paper and works like a kleenex dispenser so they are handy to grab.

Bold and Bright

Here are some more snaps we created that are quite different than the ones I last showed you.  These were created with the same silkscreens by Helen Breil that were in my last post.  I love the bold effect that black paint can have on a bright colored background as in the Freesia Yellow and Chartreuse Green shown here.  These snaps and jewelry items will be listed in our online shop soon.

Ring with interchangeable snap

Bracelet with interchangeable snaps

Bracelets with interchangeable snaps

Cuff links with interchangeable snaps

Pendant with interchangeable snaps

Playing with Silkscreens

I first learned screen printing in art class many years ago so I was curious about applying it to polymer clay.  I thought using the new Sculpey silkscreen kit would be a good way to start and so we gave it a try.  We really liked the paint that came with the kit -- especially the silver and some of the patterns were very intricate and was impressed with the fine detail they gave.

We had a lot of fun trying out the different patterns and experimenting with different colors.  Helen Breil gives a good basic tutorial and tips on coloring on her website here.

The disappointing thing, however, was after using some of the patterns from the Sculpey kit repeatedly, we noticed the silkscreens were quickly deteriorating and the backing was pealing off. We were extremely careful handling them and would put them in water immediately after each use so the paint would easily wash off.

I really love using the texture sheets by Helen Breil and decided to give her new silkscreens a try.  As soon as I opened the package and handled them, I could tell they were a much higher quality from the ones that were in the Sculpey kit.  We made a few buttons to start.  These are both curved into a concave shape.

We then decided to make some of the prints into snaps for our Snap Decisions interchangeable jewelry.  These ones were made with silver paint and then mica powdered.  The buttons above were left smooth where the ones below were textured so gave a more muted softer look which reminded me of a silk fabric.

Here are some of the snaps in a few pieces of snap base findings.  I love how they can be interchanged and worn so many ways.  We have these and many more styles to choose from in our online shop.

"Snaps" worn as a Ring, Necklace or Hair Barrette

We are working on getting in more snap supplies and have added another Snap Starter Kit (#5)

The single and double loop snap links (#6 & #7 above) have turned out quite popular so we will have them available in bulk when our order arrives.  They work great for making your own bracelets or as earrings:

These starter kits are at a reduced cost and a great way to sample some of the findings or if you would just like to create some interchangeable jewelry for yourself or as gifts.  We created them to go along with my latest tutorial:  Interchangeable Jewelry Pieces from Polymer Clay ... in a Snap!!!

And there is still time for a chance to win (out of 3) our part 2 tutorial.  You can read all about it on a previous blog post here.