This week has been full of variety…I sorta love that. A little baking. A little glassware. It’s a guessing game of what I might post next!

Well, if you saw the video I posted last Friday on the Damask Love Facebook Page, you got a peek at the goodies that I’m featuring in today’s post. Last week, I received my box of “12 Months of Martha” supplies and went straight to the craftroom to film the reveal. (If you didn’t get a chance to see the video, you should probably head over and take a look. I may or may not have filmed the majority of the video with paper confetti stuck to my face. I keep it classy, people.)

This month, my box of Martha included tons of jewelry making supplies. Turns out, Martha Stewart just released  a huge line of jewelry crafting tools and supplies that are exclusively available at Michael’s. Go check em out…me thinks you’ll love em!

Now before we continue, lemme tell you:  I am not…I repeat, NOT a jewelry maker. I’ve made a few pieces of jewelry in my life – most of which looked like accessories straight out of Mrs. Doubtfire’s wardrobe. Then there was that Mother’s Day pin I made when I was five…something that surely came off the “FREE” table at Oscar the Grouch’s yard sale.

My approach here was to keep it simple, which I think worked out well. The charms from the Martha Stewart Jewelry Collection are beautiful and make for perfect necklaces. For these, I went with a nautical theme and there are lots of nautical themed charms to choose from.

To add color to the charms, I used the Jewelry Enamel Paints that are a part of the collection…and I was really hooked. They are not difficult to use at all. They do take a while to dry, which was a little difficult for an impatient crafter like me!

{1} To use the jewelry enamel, you’ll need jewelry enamel in your choice of color as well as the jewelry enamel activator. Add one part of each component to the silicone mat.

{2} Use the silicone tip brush to mix the paint with the activator until they are well blended to create one smooth color.

{3} Use the silicone tip brush to paint your choice of metal charm.

{4} Allow the finished charm to dry for 24-48 hours.

Note: As the enamel dries, it will first become tacky to the touch so be careful and put in out of the way to avoid smudges. Once it is completely dry, the enamel will be hard and smooth.

You have lots of options when it comes to how you use the enamel paints.

{paint the entire shape} You don’t need to worry about staying in the lines on this one. Just plop the enamel paint into place. If you go this route, I’d suggest  doing your painting on top of the silicone mat. That way, if some paint drips off, your clean up will be easy.

{flood within the borders} Here, you’ll need to take a bit more care in applying the paint so that it stays within the borders of the charm.

{don’t paint at all!} several of the charms available in this jewelry line are already painted, which means you just need to add them onto a chain put a clasp in place. Easy!

Well. You had to know it was coming. It’s a wonder I haven’t tried to design packaging for my husband. Something tells me that he would not be a fan of the ribbon and bows.

Being the paper lover that I am, I’m always looking for ways to use my paper-crafting tools for non paper-crafting projects like these necklaces.

For this packaging, I created a layered flat card and punched holes in the top-most layer to hold the necklace. This card fit perfectly into a glassine bag, which I embellished with a few sand dollar paper punches, a banner tag and some baker’s twine. I love how the sand dollars coordinate with the nautical theme.

Now it’s time for you to chime in! Have you seen the new Martha Stewart Jewelry Collection? Have you ever made jewelry before? On Monday’s post, I’ll be sharing a totally different way to use these supplies!

SUPPLIES & RESOURCES

Video tutorials for using Martha Stewart Jewelry Collection | Amazing samples of jewelry created by the Martha Stewart staff | Martha Stewart Sand Dollar/Starfish Double Punch