Make it Tonight! New Miami and Phoenix Necklace Designs

October is a great month to get a relaxed start on your gift-making and gift-giving ideas. Here's two wonderfully elegant yet simple jewelry ideas you can make tonight ~ easy to string samples and supply lists shown below.

This Miami necklace, by Shenoa Satterlee, makes you want to hop on a plane today! The aqua blue shell beads combined with olive green crystals and white clear seed beads invoke the sky, sea and sand of a tropical paradise. You will need:

• 2 1001A Aqua blue coin shell beads
• 1 1180N 6mm olive green crystal bicones
• 1 1125j 2mm white clear glass seed beads
• 1 763 Silver Tiger Tail beading wire
• 1 1505Y Toggle clasp
• 1 1606R Silver crimp beads
• 1 1606T Silver crimp covers

Phoenix, an orange tabby cat, is the inspiration for this whimsical design A classic combination of bicone crystals and bali bead spacers is transformed with the addition of our cat charms and a cat/fish toggle clasp. Another inspired design from Shenoa. This is an easy project with dramatic results.

• 2 1180W 6mm gold amber crystal bicones
• 1 1503B Bali spacer beads
• 1 1505X Cat face charms Toggle clasp set
• 1 763 Silver Tiger Tail beading wire
• 1 1606R Silver crimp beads
• 1 1606T Silver crimp covers

About the designers: Cheryl and Shenoa Satterlee are our dynamite grandmother and grandaughter jewelry design team. Cheryl wears many hats here - packer, designer, copywriter and inventory tracker. When she's not here, she switches to her most favorite hats of all as mom and grandmom!

Our New Cameo Memory Pendants & Glass Inserts are Here! Squares, Circles, Rectangles LG and SM

JUST ARRIVED ~ our exclusive new CAMEO solid-backed silver plated metal art pendants with matching glass inserts!

I like things to be simple. So simple a kindergartner can do it. Yet elegant enough to give as a gift when I'm done. No such thing? Think again!

I have been wondering how to bypass the poured resin and/or layered Art Glaze method for art and photo jewelry. My world was turned upside down the second I discovered these pendant blanks with superb quality matching glass inserts. Just add your art and secure with clear adhesive or craft glaze - you're done!

Every part of these pendants are beautifully made - heavy frames, solid or patterned backs (on larger sizes), textured interiors to hold adhesive, superb fine-jewelry quality bails, and a raised tray edge which fits the optical lens quality glass covers perfectly.

We had our glass inserts cut and ground by an optical lens factory. The glass inserts are clear, with flat backs and very slightly domed surfaces. The are non-magnifying - your image under the glass is just that - perfectly protected under a layer of clear glass.

Our Cameo tm metal frames and matching glass inserts come in 6 sizes and shapes. Click here to see them all. Rounds, LG and SM, Squares LG and SM, Rectangles LG and SM.

We have easy instructions that go out with every set - just add your art glaze of choice or try our art glazes: Weldbond, Diamond Glaze, 3D Crystal Lacquer or DG3 Art Gel to finish. Complete the look with one of our cords or chains.

Please e-us (rubbernation@comcast.net) with pictures of your finished samples - we'd love to feature YOUR creativity in our new Cameo Gallery on the website!

Collage Sheets for Memory Frames, Patera Pendant Blanks and Microscope Slide Jewelry

Having a craft-challenged moment? These sets take all the guess work out of what to put in those memory frames and charm blanks!

These handy sets (in either VINTAGE or WHIMSICAL) include 6 printed cardstock sheets (opaque) and 6 printed acetate (clear) sheets, each approximately 5 1/2"x 6".

Each set includes over 90 pieces of artwork, contemporary graphic images, as well as ideas for 12 easy and beautiful projects. See our memory frames for coordinating accessories.

This is a great gift idea, or a great place to start if you've just discovered how FUN memory frames and microscope slide jewelry can be!

These images have been designed to be combined/overlaid with each other, creating yet a third image, and to fit both Memory Glass microscope slides and Patera jewelry blanks.

Combine with our memory frames and altered art/photo charm blanks, ball chains, jump rings, neck cords, large-holed beads, bali spacers, jewelry maker's mixes, etc. to make beautiful altered art jewelry in a flash! These lovely papers and cardstock are acid-free and lignin-free.

New Photo Charm Styles Make Great Memory Gifts for Moms, Weddings, Graduates

Just in time for Mother's Day, graduations and June brides - our new photo/altered art charm blanks are here. These designs are slightly larger than some of our other charm blanks. We've found some lovely oval pendant/charm forms that match our 18mm acrylic cabochons very closely! They're solid-backed with a framed edge - able to hold resin and epoxy mediums if desired. Plus, we now offer a double sided blank -perfect for reversible or two-sided charms and pendants - one of our most frequent customer requests.


These also make great keychains! We now stock heavy duty keychains and ball chains which match the metal finishes on our Memory Frames

A crafty reminder - our Memory Frames come in many sizes, perfect for keychains with couple beaded flourishes strung on headpins and looped to top ring. You can finish off any of these little treasures with some of our key chains, Jewelry Maker's Ocean Mix, some jump rings, ball chains or cords, some headpins, bali bead spacers, and some millefiori glass beads from our smorgy selections.

Plan ahead as these are really FUN to put together in time for Mother's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Father's Day ... happy creating!

Save $5 off your next order of $10 or more through end of this month! Type your subscriber's savings code: SAVE5APR09 in promo box at checkout on our site.

NEW ARRIVALS at RubberNation:
70+ NEW Arrivals for May click here!

70+ NEW Arrivals for April click here!

70+ NEW Arrivals for March click here!

How to Make a Custom Photo or Altered Art Charm Bracelet with our New Charm Blanks & Clear Acrylic Resin Bubble Dome Covers

New! 10 silver-plated ACRYLIC based bracelet, pendant beads or forms for altered art, photo jewelry, resin jewelry. Fits our 803G acrylic cabochons. Double-holed for stringing side by side (see sample below). Can be used as elongated pendant form as well. Inner photo/art dimension: 18x25mm. I used a tourist guide from Florida to find colorful scrap art for this bracelet. To finish: 1. Seal your art. If you're using our matching clear acrylic cabs 803G, apply thin coat of Diamond Glaze or Elmer's All-Purpose Glue to back of clear cabochons. Place on art. Allow to dry. Trim around edge with xacto blade. If you're using resin, trim your art, place in frame, pour and finish. 2. Glue your art-backed cabs into frames with our Weldbond, E-6000, or other permanent craft adhesive. Allow 24 hours to fully dry.

3. String with clear stretch craft cord of your choice (we recommend Stretch Magic cord or similar good quality clear stretch cord) and spacers as you see fit. Finish with a double square knot. Finished measurements: A 10pc frame set strung side by side will make a bracelet that fits a medium wrist of about 7 1/4".

The sample shown uses 9 beads, no spacers, and fits my wrist which is about 7". You can purchase these blanks as well as matching epoxy domes here. Please send us .jpgs of your finished samples - we'd love to see what YOU come up with! Happy creating!

Click here to see over 70+ NEW items for April! Newsletter Subscriber's Exclusive Savings Code for April 09: Type SAVE5APR09 in your promo code box during checkout ~ $5 off any order of $10 or more, good once per month per valued subscriber. It's like getting a Bargain Bin item for free, or FREE shipping on your entire order! Happy creating!

Memory Frames as Key Chains

Yet another great use for Memory Frames ~ Key Chains! We now stock heavy duty key chains and ball chains which match the metal finishes on our Memory Frames and foil tape for our microscope slides - take a peek at what our crafty friends came up with by way of recent road trip to rainy FLA. No sun. LOTS of crafts! ....

First one comes from our talented friend Betsy. Made with fashion magazine scraps, back side is a simple wallpaper pattern. A couple beaded flourishes strung on headpins and looped to top ring.

Second one comes from our equally crafty friend Charlotte by way of same rainy road trip. She made memory keychains for each of her daughters - very sweet! More fun beaded flourishes on eye pins to finish.

Last and not least, comes from our friend Loretta who is a self-described NON crafter. She used local tourist guides and magazine clippings to make a fun memento. (For a NON-crafter, I think she made more than all the rest of us combined) ... look at those flourishes! Wow! Crafts can sneak up on you like that sometimes....

We finished off these little treasures with some of our key chains, Jewelry Maker's Ocean Mix, some jump rings, ball chains or cords, some headpins, bali bead spacers, and some millefiori glass beads from our smorgy selections.

Plan ahead as these are really FUN to put together in time for Mother's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Father's Day ... happy creating!

Save $5 off your next order of $10 or more through end of this month! Type your subscriber's savings code: SAVE5MAR09 in promo box at checkout on our site.

NEW ARRIVALS at RubberNation:

Sneak Peek for April click here!

70+ NEW Arrivals for March click here!

50+ NEW in February click here!

Photo Charms & Altered Art Jewelry Q&A

Q. Some of your frames are solid-backed, and some have small openings on back corners. I use mainly scrapbook paper. Would using a glaze such as DG3 or Diamond Glaze work with these?
A. Yes - Apply clear sealer (Our Diamond Glaze, Weldbond etc.) in thin layers - it is a very tight fit by the time you tuck your art underneath the slits in the frame - sealer does not oooze through slit - works great. We also offer clear self-adhesive laminating sheets (no liquid to deal with) . We ALSO stock frame style with NO slits - solid backs - see our lead-free antiqued silver metal alloy frame styles called Romance, Deco or Masterpiece - no slits at all - suitable for all sealers and epoxy as well. We also stock Memory Frames and Memory Frame Lockets which do not require sealers of any kind - simply sandwich your art or collage between the glass, close the metal latch and you're done.

Q. What kind of photo program is needed to do the pictures for the charms?
A. If you're using your own photos, we suggest a simple old fashioned reduction either on your printer or at your photo kiosk. If your cropped artwork is 3" tall and it needs to fit our frame opening of 3/4" - you would need to divide 2nd number by 1st - .75/3.00 = .25 or 25%. Easier still - Some of our best charm samples have been made with found art - return address labels, magazine clippings, postage stamps, fabric samples, wrapping paper, mail order catalogs, etc. We ALSO have many photo and altered art frames with LARGER openings, in larger sizes - up to 1x3" or 2x2" in either memory frame, memory lockets, or even the slightl larger mini-masterpiece style. Hope this is helpful - happy creating to you! Kim N at RubberNation.com.