Easy Pendant Tutorial...It's Sharing Time...

Note:  If you're here for Saturday's  Bead Soup Party, scroll down to Saturday's post and thanks for stopping by! 

 How many of you grew up watching Mr. Rogers in the evening?  I did, FAITHFULLY!!  I really can't remember a "sharing time" on his show, but for some strange reason that phrase just reminded me of him, guess cause he's such a nice guy..."waaait for it"  (smile) ..which leads me to this post...

Several visitors left comments or even emailed me asking for photos or a better description  of how I attached my focal for the Bead Soup reveal this past Saturday.   Having taught jewelry making classes for several years, I truly enjoy sharing with others in any way that I can,  because there have been many who have shared with me along the way and I honestly believe that in time, I'm blessed for it in so many other ways. So, of course I'll show you what I did!

Without taking my necklace apart, the best I could do was draw it out for you.  But I bet if you sat there long enough you would have figured it out on your own...it really was that easy!  Soo..here goes:

How to attach a button and a coin bead with wire

to create a focal pendant

The secret to this particular focal was the beautiful Yellow and Red Retro coin bead sent to me from Erin Siegel  my soup partner.  The coin was a rather flat bead with a hole up the center.  And guess what???  Artbeads.com has it by the strand in their Tuscan limited finds selection this week...how cool is that? (click the link above to buy bead) 

The second secret is that the button had a hoop on the back like this:  (okay, it's obvious I won't ever be a Disney artist)

Instructions: 



1.  Take approximately 6 inches of 20ga round wire and straighten. (this is my best guess, remember, I did not take mine apart to get these measurements)

2.  Slide the wire up the back of the button through the center of the loop.  Holding the wire in the center of the loop, begin wrapping the wire twice to the right, then bring it back under and wrap it twice on the left side of where you started ending with  the remaining wire in the middle, straight up the back of the button, so that it looks like this...

3.  Slide the straight wire through the coin bead hole like so...

    4.  Create your choice of hoop, loop or spiral  with the remaining wire at the top.  Whatever your choice of closure, make sure you wrap it tight enough, so that the two pieces don't wiggle. Your finished focal should like like this in the back...

Like I said...easy peasy!! 

Unveiling easy secrets,

Hostess with the Mostess - Perfect Lemonade

It's getting hotter outside and with heat, I always crave a nice cold glass of lemonade. Last summer I visited an outdoor event and a father and his son was selling the best lemonade from scratch. It was so hot and the lemonade was sooo good, I bought three cups!! They were making it one cup at a time and I noticed they started with what appeared to be a syrup. Needless to say, I never tried to make it at home, but my dear friend Vicki, over at Cooking with Vicki Bensinger has posted a recipe for the Perfect Lemonade and guess what? I think she hit it on the nail!! I made it yesterday and WOW!!!

If you enjoy fresh lemonade and willing to give it a try, please visit vicki's blog and make a pitcher of your own. You won't be disappointed. Hit me back and let me know how yours turned out!

Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Unveiling,
Dee

Runako Designs Quick Tip - Caring for Your Amber Jewelry

Time is somewhat tight tonight, so I figured it was perfect timing for a Jewelry Quick tip.

Amber just happens to be one of my favorite elements to work with amongst a few other things. Amber isn't a stone, its actually fossilized remains of ancient tree resin. However it is highly regarded and treasured by many as a semi- precious material.

Amber is very fragile and soft, so take good care of it. Always store your Amber wrapped in cloth or soft material, away from metals or other hard stones to avoid it becoming scratched. I always recommend cleaning most stones with a soft polishing cloth, but if you must clean it differently, I would only recommend a soft cloth wrung out in warm soapy water. Make sure you dry it at once, then apply a tiny drop of oil with a soft cloth or flannel to bring back its luster. If you follow these simple tips, your Amber jewelry will last a life time.

Stop back tomorrow, when I'll be Cluttercasting, don't miss another great give-a-way!

Unveiling,
Dee

Hostess with the Mostess - Butter Scotch Apple Sour Cream Cake

Chef Michael of the Bull and Bear Club of Richmond, has been on a hiatus, but he's brought back with him a wonderful recipe to share, that speaks Spring. As Easter quickly approaches, and you prepare to dine and impress your guest, as the Hostess with the Mostess, why not plan to incorporate in your menu planning, a delicious mouthwatering desert the family will love. Just the sound of "butterscotch...caramel...apples, moistens my pallet....yum!

Now, I'll admit, I'm not a baker, actually I hate baking to be honest, I don't even own cake pans; however, when I was on vacation, I made a Peach Cobbler AND some Banana Bread and I have to say...that to the surprise of my son AND myself, they both turned out pretty tasty. So I just may have to pull out the...naaahh, I'll keep it honest...I may just have to call my mom for this one!!

UPSIDE-DOWN BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE SOUR CREAM CAKE

Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup baker's sugar (superfine sugar) or regular sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Butterscotch-caramel apples
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (packed) dark20brown sugar
1/3 cup butterscotch morsels
2 8-ounce Golden Delicious apples, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

For cake:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until blended. Beat in flour mixture, then sour cream. Stir in chopped apple. Set aside while preparing butterscotch-caramel apples.

For butterscotch-caramel apples:
Melt butter in 10-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and butterscotch morsels; stir until melted and smooth and mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Add apple slices to skillet and cook until golden brown, using tongs to turn slices, about 3 minutes per side (there will be a lot of liquid in skillet). Remove skillet from heat and let cool 3 minutes. Using tongs, arrange apple slices in skillet in concentric circles or other pattern.

Carefully spoon cake batter in small dollops atop apples in skillet. Using offset spatula, gently spread batter evenly to edges of skillet (batter will seem to float on top of apples and pan juices). Bake until cake is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in skillet 10 minutes. Run knife around edges of cake to loosen. Place large platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts or pot holders, hold platter and skillet firmly together and invert, allowing cake to settle onto platter. Serve cake warm.

If you take on the challenge of making this, please post your comments about the recipe.

Unveiling in the kitchen,
Dee

Runako Designs Quick Tip - The Best Things in Life

Some of the best things in life are free, some of the next best things in life are great deals and I've got a quick tip today that should get you both and help put some money back in your piggy bank (cute piggie offered at www.banksbanksbanks.com) !

If you shop online, you already know that you can get some great deals, especially during the holiday, even from your local retailers, which I'll remind you is a very important thing to do right now. There's also a lot of great FREE offers and coupons out there if you look hard enough. But before you go off Googling for Free offers and coupons, I want to remind you to be very cautious about the information you provide and the giving out of your credit card information, for shipping cost, which some places ask for. I do recommend that you set up a separate email account with yahoo, or MSN, because once you start signing up, the flood gates will open with lots of mail, and some of it will be junk! But just like shopping at a yard sale or salvage barn, if you look hard enough a treasure will be found, and always go with a reputable recommendation.

That leads me to Couponmom.com a website created by Stephanie Nelson. Oprah featured Stephanie recently on her show about The Thriftiest Family in America, where she was challenged to buy a weeks worth of groceries at half the price! Couponmom is a great site. When you visit, you'll find:

• Free Membership
  
• coupons by store, by state
  
• Virtual Coupon Organizers
• Restaurant coupons
• Online coupon codes and printable coupons
• Military coupon program
  
• FREE Offers and much much more

I haven't finished looking around couponmom.com, but what I've seen so far is adding up to savings!! I'm about to cut my grocery bill in half this weekend...how about you? If you know of some great online sites that you've used to save money, leave a comment and let us know.

Uveiling and saving,
Dee

Runako Designs Quick Tip - Costume Jewelry

It's time to bring that costume jewelry you purchased a months ago back to life! Okay, okay, maybe not a month ago, but at some point, you'll probably think to throw it away, but I've got a quick tip for you that may salvage your favorite buy a little bit longer. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water, toss your jewels in for about five minutes, then pat dray with some paper towels. Whaala!!

Unveiling,
Dee

Runako Designs Quick Tip - Cleaning Gems

Here's a quick and inexpensive tip for cleaning your precious Gem stones. Soak your Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, or Sapphires in a glass of Club Soda over night and they'll be shining like new in the morning. Rinse off with warm water in the morning and dry with a soft cloth...bling bling all the way to the office!

Unveil and Shine!
Dee

Runako Designs quick tip - Wearing Bold Jewelry

Here's a another quick tip if you're planning on unveiling one of your bold necklaces this winter. Match your necklace color with whatever top your wearing. The necklace will stand out, but it won't overpower your outfit! Now of course if you're trying to draw attention away from a certain area by wearing something bold up top, then this tip won't work. Go out next week and unveil your bold jewelry. If you don't have any, I'm sure you can find something on my website.
Unveiling,
Dee

Runako Designs Quick Tip - Storing Silver

Here's a quick tip for the day. To keep your silver jewelry shiny and tarnish free, all you have to do is wipe clean after each wear with a jewelry cloth. You can purchase these cloths at most department stores or the drug store. Once wiped clean, store your piece in a small plastic zip lock baggie, preferably in a dark place (jewelry box, drawer, closet). Always, put your jewelry on last after your perfume. Following this little quick tip, should keep your silver items tarnish free for a long time. (click photo for close up)

Tarnish Free,
Dee