That Jolie Girl

Wine Cork Ring Holder Tutorial - Glued Version

 

While gearing up for the craft fair season before the holidays, I knew I wanted to make a large ring holder as a display for my felt flower rings.  I created this wine cork tutorial last July.  I knew I didn't have the time needed to make another ring holder like I did previously. Under a time crunch, I opted to use glue. 

 

 

This holder is 2 feet by 8 inches with a total of 104 corks.  I started by putting all of corks into the holder I purchased from Goodwill.  I re-arranged the corks until I had them exactly how I wanted them.

 

 

Then I took out one row at a time, put a line of glue (I used E6000) down the middle of the open space, and gently put the corks back into the holder.  This was a very speedy process and the whole project took about 30 minutes.

 

Here is the finished wine cork ring holder.  It takes 24 hours for the glue to set.  Because of this, you can see how some of the corks shifted making the perfect rows I had started with - not so perfect.

The other issue I had with this holder is that the glue is firmly holding those corks in place.  When corks shifted, it created some spots that were too tight or too loose to hold rings. 

 

 

Gluing the corks is absolutely an option when creating a wine cork ring holder, but I think you would have better luck following the directions from my first wine cork ring holder tutorial that uses no glue.  This version gives you the option to move the corks around. The corks also aren't held too firmly in place, so rings easily fall into place and stay there.  You won't have the issue of spaces between the corks being too tight or too loose. I found that the first version created a better look and much better usability of the holder.

 

How to Make Jump Rings

 

Buying Jump Rings can get expensive really quickly if you use a lot of them in your work.  Making them yourself is fast and easy.  It does require some equipment, but the small investment you pay in tools will save you lots of money in the future.  Besides, these tools are very versatile and you can use them in lots of different crafts.

 

Materials

• A: 'C' Clamp Vise - I bought mine for under 10 dollars at a swap meet.  I love this beast!  It is so useful.
• B: Hand drill - I bought mine at Michael's with a 40% off coupon.
• C: Jeweler's Saw - I got mine at Ed's House of Gems on 77th and Sandy.  These folks are very nice and a great resource. They will answer all of your questions. I've had my saw for about 15 years and it will last forever.
• D: Wooden Dowel - the outer circumference of your dowel will be the inner circumference of your rings. Pick the size that is right for you.
• E: Wire Cutters
• F: Sterling Silver Wire - I buy mine from Fire Mountain Gems in Grants Pass, OR
• Safety Glasses

 

 

1. Mount the 'C' Clamp Vise to a table or work bench.  I'm using my dining room table for this tutorial because my work space is much too messy to show here.

2. Secure the hand drill in the vise.  Make sure you are able to turn the handle on the drill.

 

 

3. Manually wrap wire around wooden dowel a couple of times.  You can always use base wire to practice with before delving into the more expensive silver wire.

 

 

4. Bend the end of the wire to be parallel with the wooden dowel.

 

 

5. Insert the end of the dowel and the end of the wire into the mouth of the drill.

 

 

6. Tighten the hand drill, so that the dowel and wire are firmly in the mouth and won't fall out.  This takes a little practice because with one hand you  have to hold the handle of the hand drill, so it won't turn while also tightening the mouth of the drill. The other hand holds the wooden dowel in place.

 

 

7. Once the wire and dowel are secure, slowly turn the handle of the drill so the wooden dowel begins to rotate.  I use my pointer finger and thumb to guide the wire to make tight rings.

 

 

8. Cut the wire after you have made all the rings you want.

 

 

9. Remove wire from drill. Manually wrap the end of the wire around the dowel to get a few more rings. No need to waste this wire!

 

 

10. Slide the wire rings down to the end of the dowel.  This can take a bit of maneuvering, but it shouldn't be too hard.

11. Put the wooden dowel back into the hand drill.

12. Position the vise so that the dowel is facing down at about 45 degrees.  You will be sitting in front of the dowel to cut the rings, so make sure you are comfortable and your body mechanics are good. The beauty of the 'C' Clamp Vise is that you can pretty much position it any way you'd like.  Since you will be doing repetitive movements, make sure you aren't working your body too hard.  Take lots of breaks too.

13. Line up the jeweler's saw with the end of the wire and slowly start to saw.  Starting is a little tricky, but it gets easier.

14. Continue sawing until you have all of your rings.  Step back and take a moment to admire your handiwork!

 

 

When I saw my rings, I use my thumb and pointer finger to hold onto the wire and secure it while sawing.  I make a cup with my palm to catch the rings as they fall.  I keep a bowl on my lap so that I can drop the rings from my palm often.  It is a very smooth process and works well.

 

 

If you don't have a jeweler's saw, you can use wire cutters to create your rings.  I do this often when I only need a couple or I'm feeling extra lazy.

 

    


Note: Wire cutters will leave a barb at the end of your wire.  The ring on the left was cut using the saw and the ring on the right was cut using the wire cutters.  I always take the extra step to cut off this barb before using the ring.

 

 

Finally, always remember to wear safety glasses!  The saw will create a very fine silver powder and you don't want that in your eyes.  If you don't have industrial safety glasses, pick up a large pair of lightly tinted glasses at goodwill.  I like the pair on top because they also have side shields for extra protection.

This tutorial was first posted on Handmade in Portland.

Milwaukie Max Line

 

I love living in the Brooklyn Neighborhood.  It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in Portland and it was the downtown city center until the Ross Island Bridge was built.  The additions of the Powell Blvd and McLaughlin Blvd caused our neighborhood to became boxed in by these very busy streets.  Add the Brooklyn Yard to the mix and our neighborhood is sort of stuck like a weird island with not the best access to the neighborhoods next to us. 

That is all going to change soon!  It feels like I've been waiting for the Milwaukie Max Line forever!  We are finally to the point where construction is gearing up to start.  This 7.3 mile track will transform SE Portland.  This new line will start at Portland State University, stop at OHSU in South Waterfront, cross over the brand new bridge (which is being built now), stop at OMSI and the Spring Water corridor, travel down 17th Ave, stop at Bybee (West Moreland), another stop along the Spring Water corridor, stop in downtown Milwaukie and eventually end in Clackamus.  How amazing is that?  Brooklyn will go from almost no access to extreme access and livability.  The new MAX line will also create much better bike and pedestrian paths along the line. 

 

 

This line will be completed in September 2015 and it will completely change the way I live my life.  I can't wait!  Watch these two short movies that explain where all the stops will be and the improvements that will happen.  I will have a MAX stop 5 blocks from my house  It's an exciting time!

 

West Side Story

 

Last Saturday, I saw the stage production of West Side Story.  This was a pretty big deal for me.  West Side Story is tied with A Chorus Line (I saw this last year!) as my favorite musical.  I discovered the movie when I was 15 years old by renting it from the Multnomah County Library.  I remember forcing my friends to watch this musical which at 15 in 1990 wasn't the most hip thing and my friends weren't thrilled. I have always loved musicals, but something about this music and dancing just mesmerized me.

 

 

I found the record (as in vinyl) at a garage sale and wore that sucker out.  I was so worried about ruining the record, that I found a back up copy.  The songs are just so fun to sing to.  With music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Steven Sondheim, the songs are incredible. 

 

 

My favorite characters are Riff, played by the very dreamy Russ Tamblyn and Anita, played the incredible Rita Moreno.  For me, these two make the movie.  Especially after I learned that Natalie Wood's voice is dubbed; she's not actually singing. 

 

 

My only experience with this story was the movie, until now.   I knew that the play would be a bit different and I had looked up the lyrics to each song, so I could still sing along to the slight word changes.  The play is much more risque!  While watching, I kept wishing that I could have had the opportunity to see Debbie Allen perform as Anita (this clip is her performing on the Today show in 1980).  The production I saw was very good, but Debbie Allen is a goddess. 

 

 

I left the play last Saturday on a total high.  I've been listening to the album all week! I can't stop. Everything about it makes me happy. 

Dance at the Gym was always going to be my song choice for ice skating in the Olympics.  Yes, I've only ice skated a handful of times in my life and it kind of terrifies me.  Still in my dreams, I skate to this song.  :)

 

Walking Through 2012

 

I decided that in 2012 I'm going to focus more on my walking blog.  I started That Jolie Girl Walks last January as a project to get me walking more.  It worked.  I love the combination of photography and walking. The main goal is walking, so I take pictures as fast as possible.  

 

I  love the simplicity of this blog.  I decided to only use one Hipstamatic setting (Pistil film, John S lens) on my iphone, because I liked that look, I knew how that lens worked, and I wanted to make sure my pictures would turn out.  I don't edit any of the pictures.  I also post pictures in the order of my walk with the exception of the first picture.  I write about pictures if I feel there is something to say.  Other times I'll post pictures with no text.  The number of photos varies with each walk.  Sometimes I happen upon lots of amazing things; other times, not so much.  I always post at least one picture to mark that walk.  

 

The ease of posting really helps make this blog a reality.  Everything about the entire process is fun and I get the benefit of talking long walks.  It's a win-win.  I have a button on my side bar, so you can easily access my walking blog.  I hope you check it out!

 

Vice President of Localization, Simplification and Healthification

 

Almost exactly a year ago, my husband promoted me in the household.  He made me the VP of Localization and Simplification. He thought that since I was working part time I could devote a few of my new found hours to simplifying our lives.  It was a great idea and I loved having a title, but I did nothing with the title for a year.  It sat on the back burner while life continued to be hectic and awesome and just life.  

 

I kept coming back to this title and all of it's possibilities.  I really liked everything about it, but it didn't feel complete.  If I wanted to really create a better life for us, I needed to add one more item to better round out this project.  I am now the Vice President of Localization, Simplification and Healthification.  Now, a new year is here and it's time to fully embrace my vice presidency.  

 

Localization - We are proud Oregonians and Portlanders.  We are also devoted to the local movement.  I firmly believe in the power of voting with our dollars. While we already buy local often, I will work on doing more.  Besides consuming local products, as VP I'll work on getting us more involved in our community as well as taking advantage of the amazing cultural activities Portland has to offer.  

 

Simplification - This is all about creating more time by finding ways to organize all aspects of our life. From time savers to space savers, I'll be finding new ways to carve out more precious free time from our busy lives.  

 

Healthification - While looking for a word to describe this third arm of the presidency, Healthification popped up on google searches.  It's defined as: the process of getting your health groove on.  This is the perfect term that I wanted.  Healthification will cover everything from eating healthier to getting more exercise to finding ways to decrease stress.  This will be a conscious shift to improve our health.  

 

Becoming the VP will help me in my quest of crafting a better life.  I hope you join me on this journey and maybe even learn a couple of things that you can incorporate into your own life. 

 

 

New Tagline - Crafting a Better Life.

 2011 blog banner

 

I've had my tagline Crafty, Yet Shy since I started my blog back in April 2005.  It fit me perfectly and I found courage using it.  It became a shield to protect myself as I entered the scary new world of blogging and to let people who visited my blog to get an instant insight into my life.  I'm shy.  It's something I've struggled with all my life.  Owning this trait also empowered me to start working through some of my shy-ness.

 

 2007-2010 blog banner

 

Luckily, we always continue to grow.  Over the years, I started to enter the craft community.  I made friends and went to events.  In 2011, I did many things that were far from my comfort level - and I didn't die.  Probably the biggest accomplishment was participating as a vendor in the Mixer Match in August.  The crafty, yet shy girl of yesteryear would never have attempted this.  And I'm continuing to push that comfort zone.  I've recently joined two committees.  Since I'm not going to sell in 2012, I thought maybe committee work would be an outlet to help me stay in the craft community.  Let me tell you, I am freaked (super freaked!) about being on these committees, but I also know it will be a great learning experience for me.  It will help me to continue to grow.

 

 

2005-2007 blog banner

When I decided to shift the goals of my home life, I knew I wanted to create a brand new blog banner to help make a visual shift too. Very organically, my new tagline emerged.  Crafting a Better Life - encapsulates my change in path.  It has a positive intention and a mandate for me to follow.  My hope is that my blogging will spur me to make these new exciting changes for my household.  What do you think of my new banner?

 

2012 blog banner

 

 

New Path for 2012

 

I've been percolating my thoughts for the last couple months on what direction I want to take in 2012.  That's the wonderful thing about a new year - a fresh start is possible and it's a great time to make adjustments to one's life and to focus on what is really important. 2011 was the year of investigating the life of a professional crafter.  I accomplished most of the goals I had set up for myself.  I was selling my crafts in stores.  I participated in 3 craft fairs over the holiday season.  I even had an online store set up with my wares.  I met great people and stepped out of my comfort zone several times.  

 

I found myself perched on the ledge of finally making it.  I was far from being a financial success, but I was at: The. Next. Step.  I have been at this place before.  I've had the ideal of being a professional crafter for as long as I can remember.  Each time I've found myself at the place where the next leap is required, I've always pulled back. For 2011 - I was determined to finally follow through.  This was my dream, right?  It was time to stop pulling back.  So I gave it all the gusto I had and I found myself on the verge...and I didn't want to make that next step.  

 

Just because you make things, doesn't  mean you have to sell.  

This was said by a good friend in passing to someone else.  I happened to catch this sentence and it just felt right.  I started to tell people that I wasn't going to sell in 2012.  Hard!  This was a hard decision to make and I waffled on it almost everyday.  It has little to do with making money.  This is a paradigm shift to my core identity. I've always identified as a crafter or creative.  If I am not actively working towards the goal of professional crafter - who am I?  

 

 

I am a crafter.  I like to make things - and I will continue to do so.  But I'm going to hang up my hat of professional crafter, at least, for 2012. While soul searching these past couple of months, I figured out a few things about myself.  Well, I've always known these things, but now I'm at the point where I can embrace them.  I like my day job.  I work 30 hours a week and it gives me everything I need to survive (pay, health care, bus pass, etc).  I like the structure of a day job.  I like being able to leave work at work and not think of it again until I return.  I like that taxes and such are handled for me; I like having holidays and time off.  My job is one mile (3 bus stops) from my house, I'm off work at 2:30pm, and I have Fridays off.  It's a dream schedule.  I have finally decided to stop fighting a job that is such a good fit for me.  

 

In my free time, I am going to use my crafty skills to make my home life better - all of the duties I had shirked while working on my craft business.  I'm looking forward to embracing more domestic duties and crafting a better life for me and my husband.  2012 will be a great year!