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!

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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.

Possibly TOO Much Fun for Mid-Winter ~ New Glass Mini Bottles and Microscope Slides!

We've just added 1x3" microscope slides , memory foil tape , and lovely Aanraku style pendant bails and ball chain necklaces for making cool customized altered art and photo pendant keepsake jewelry. See our "Fun with Microscope Slides " freebie project page for more inspiration.

We've also just added some really fun slightly larger mini glass bottles - they're been all over the craft channels lately with tons of different uses. Our mini bottles are available in 2pc or 10pc packs - they're great for storing our new collection of encased glass seed beads or our Matsuno "e" beads in style. Very stable - they stand upright on their own. They're great fun to play with - Stick an eye pin through the top cork along with beads of choice and you've got an instant place holder, desk buddy, or a just for fun arty pendant or hanging decoration.

Our talented friends Anne Strasser and her mom Janet Hyland made these really cool beaded lady samples with some of our fimo lady heads, bottles, eye pins, jewelry maker's mix and Matsuno "e" beads. Click images for detailed view.

Home for the Holidays ~ 5 Quick Gifts

Try these quick no muss, no fuss everyone will love it ideas for the holidays.

1. Baby's First Christmas! This is a wonderful gift for new parents or grandparents - make an easy, affordable keepsake with our memory glass frames or let parents update yearly with our memory glass lockets. Simply trim that darling family photo from last year's card, or copy a favorite from a framed family photo in your own home. Place it between the glass panels and you're done. Add jump rings, organza cords, or a simple ribbon. This is sure to be a treasured holiday treat for your friends and family.

2. Memory Glass Lockets Lovely , artisan-quality, reusable 2-sided glass lockets/ pendants with permanent glass panels, beautifully hand-crafted, soldered top bail and a slide close latch. About 5mm thick. Click to see all 5 shapes This is a WONderful idea for holiday presents and ornaments! Thick enough to hold needlepoint, artwork, locks of baby hair, flowers, evergreen sprigs, misteltoe and other small keepsakes. No sealers, no glues, no coating to apply - just open the locket frame, place your art or photo inside, and slide down the latch to close. We stock these little treasures in 5 shapes: squares, diamonds, rectangles, diagonal squares and triangles (crafty note: triangles make a perfect Christmas tree!).

3. Vintage Santa Glass Ornament

We used one of our 2" top-drilled flat glass blanks, our clear Weldbond sealer, a color copy of a vintage Christmas greeting card, and some scissors. To finish: Coat back side of glass blank with Weldbond, apply image face down, coat back side of image with Weldbond. Use several coats (dry between layers) for outdoor use. Let dry overnight. No excuses - this is EASY! :-) Our glass blanks come in (4) shapes - click here to see them all.

4. Personalized Bamboo Bead Pendants!

Great idea by our friend Anne ~ The letter “A” (for Anne!) trimmed from a perfume box, embellished with leaves from her garden, sealed onto one of our mixed bamboo tiles with Weldbond and strung on 1.5 to 2mm cording to match. Finished with a simple knot and a few coordinating beads.

5. Wine Charms ~ Great Holiday Hostess Gift!

Here's a fun and quick gift idea. Use a set of our photo charm blanks available in (4) frame styles.

Add recycled art from magazines, postcards, scrapbooking, return address labels, a little clear sealer and some wine charm rings - a great hostess, holiday, any time gift!Add our wine charm and jump rings to finish. $9.99 for a set of 12 available in 4 different styles, or get 144 (1 gross) $74.99 and get everyone on your list done!

Typewriter Key Antique Charm Necklace Letter of your Choice Ours exclusively! A simple, personalized gift, all ready to give in a cotton-lined box. Arty antiqued typewriter key charm on an 18" silver-plated adjustible leather cord necklace. Gift box included.

Beaded Ladies for Fits of Whimsy

Just in - watch out ~ we can't stop playing with these! (click to enlarge) We just received our new shipment of whimsical fimo polyclay lady heads for making ... well, you name it! I got inspired while visiting our local art festival this weekend and came back to the studio to play with our new arrivals. I beaded these little sillies with our new fimo heads, some beads from our Mermaid Seas, Gold Rush, Ocean, Violets, and Kitchen Sink Jewelry Maker's mixes (depending on colors in the head bead), and added a few of our Matsuno 4mm glass spacer beads onto our 2" silver plated eye pins. There are SO many possibilities ~ I'm going to try some of our downloadable origami on our bamboo tiles for the bodies next. You name it, it would probably work. If anyone gets into this idea - please send us the results - we'd LOVE to add to the beaded ladies gallery and credit your design!

New Bamboo Domino Tiles for Photo, Altered Art Jewelry

Well, we can't get enough of altered art and photo charm blanks and jewelry - Check out our new thin bamboo domino tile beads! Perfect arty proportions, lovely finished surfaces for your artwork, photos, stickers etc. Wonderful to wear, to decorate, to string, to customize ~ Pair with our Weldbond or Diamond Glaze, some favorite photos or clippings, cords, bali beads or crystals to complete your look! For more inspiration, see our Fun With Bamboo Tiles page.

Try our Memory Frames, Memory Lockets for Quick Holiday Gifts!

Try these really quick no muss, no fuss everyone will love it ideas for the holidays made with our Memory Frames, Memory Lockets and Glass.

Baby's First Christmas! Do you know someone under 1? Did you get a really cute holiday card last year from a family friend? This is a wonderful gift for their parents or grandparents - make an easy, affordable keepsake with our memory glass frames or let parents update yearly with our memory glass lockets. Simply trim that darling family photo from last year's card, or copy a favorite from a framed family photo in your own home. Place it between the glass panels and you're done. Add jump rings, organza cords, or a simple ribbon. This is sure to be a treasured holiday treat for your friends and family.

4 Easy Keepsakes, Ornaments, Gifts Using our Memory Glass Lockets, Frames & Charm Blanks

This is a great time to get your holiday gifts made! Here's some simple, fun, and inexpensive ways to put together some truly meaningful gifts ahead of time. No excuses ~ this is EASY!

1. Memory Glass Lockets Just arrived! Reusable 2-sided glass lockets/ pendants with permanent glass panels, beautifully hand-crafted, soldered top bail and a slide close latch. About 5mm thick. Click to see all 5 shapes. Plan ahead! This is a WONderful idea for holiday presents and ornaments! Thick enough to hold needlepoint, artwork, locks of baby hair, flowers, evergreen sprigs, misteltoe and other small keepsakes. No sealers, no glues, no coating to apply - just open the locket frame, place your art or photo inside, and slide down the latch to close. We stock these little treasures in 5 shapes: squares, diamonds, rectangles, diagonal squares and triangles (crafty note: triangles make a perfect Christmas tree!).

2. Vintage Santa Glass Ornament.

We used one of our 2" top-drilled flat glass blanks, our clear Weldbond sealer, a color copy of a vintage Christmas greeting card, and some scissors. To finish: Coat back side of glass blank with Weldbond, apply image face down, coat back side of image with Weldbond. Use several coats (dry between layers) for outdoor use. Let dry overnight. No excuses - this is EASY! :-) Our glass blanks come in (4) shapes - click here to see them all.

3. Baby's First Christmas!

Do you know someone under 1? Did you get a really cute holiday card last year from a family friend? This is a wonderful gift for their parents or grandparents - make an easy, affordable keepsake with our memory glass frames or let parents update yearly with our memory glass lockets. Simply trim that darling family photo from last year's card, or copy a favorite from a framed family photo in your own home. Place it between the glass panels and you're done. Add jump rings, organza cords, or a simple ribbon. This is sure to be a treasured holiday treat for your friends and family.

4. Customized Wine Charms!

Holiday entertaining, parties, get togethers, family events are all just around the corner. Here's an easy way to put together first-quality wine charms as a hostess or holiday gift. Our friend Anne used art from some return address labels to make this fun San Francisco themed wine charm set. She used (1) set of our 1500b photo charm beads (ribbons), 1 set of our wine charm rings , 1 set of 4mm silver plated jump rings, and (optional) 801Z self-laminating clear adhesive sheet . Simply trim your artwork, label, photo, etc to fit the charm window (slightly under 1"). AnyThis is sure to be a treasured holiday treat for your friends and family.

Top 5 Ways to Personalize Your Own Photo, Altered Art Jewelry

Happy summer! Happy crafting! I remember the year I got all of my holiday presents made by August - I had time on my hands, leisurely days - summer was a great time to take care of my special gift list. Here's some easy ideas for creative and personalized gifts

1. Photo Charms - Use just one dangling from a necklace, or get creative, customize several and make a one of a kind photo bracelet for Grandma or an altered art themed charm bracelet or customized wine charms set for a friend! I used color copies of old postage stamps for the charms above. Use our clear sealers to finish.

2. Memory Frames - no sealers, no muss, no fuss. Just place your photo or art or customized monogram between the glass inserts provided, snap shut and you're done. Reversible, two-sided wearable art. The look of a soldered art piece in about....a minute!

3. Photo (Brag) Bracelets, Keychains - OK, if you have a grandma in the family - you need one of these! Ready-made stretch bracelets with 6 photo frames complete with acetate covers. Or, simpler still, beautiful silver plated keychains with ornate frames and matching acetate covers. Cut out your images, place in frames, cover with acetate and you're done! Gift boxes included!

4. Made with Love, Made for You, Inspirational Word Charms - Enough said! Don't forget to seal it with love - we have some wonderful little word charms sure to add a special spark to anything you make!

5. Message in a (mini) Bottle Charms - A really fun and quick way to turn words, pictures, mementos, sand from your summer beach spot, mixed matsuno or crystal beads, etc. into wearable art! Display or hang on our cords in leather, organza, rubber, chain - see more here!