Charmed Possessions Necklace - Part 2

There are so many bits and pieces included in the necklaces that we made in the Tim Holtz "Charmed Possessions" class.  The necklace did end up being rather heavy.  I don't know how often I would wear it but Tim encouraged us to hang it in our craft spaces as a reminder of the various techniques we used.  We could also take some of the bits and pieces and incorporate them in other projects.

The pocket watch was not in the kit that was sitting on our tables.  As we progressed through the class, Tim said he knew we needed more things to work with and that the pocketwatch was the centerpiece of the design.  The next thing we knew, Mario and the rest of the helpers were handing out bags with several more packages of charms, jump rings and the pocket watch piece to fill as we liked.  It was funny to hear all of the excitement in the room - just as if it were Christmas morning!  We took apart our watches so we could fill them.  First we cut a piece of paper for the back of the case, using the template on the packaging to get the size right.

Then we assembled some little gears and put the brads right through the background paper.  The number and the word (from the ChitChat stickers) were attached with black foam tape to give more dimension.  Once the center was finished, we carefully put the watch back together again.

We created a faux patina on some of the metal charms by dripping snow cap mixative directly on the charms and then adding drips of other colors of alcohol ink.  Then we blended the colors with a blending tool with a felt pad.  We also could use steel wool to burnish the piece and remove some of the color.  You can clean up the mat with alcohol ink blending solution but Tim gave us a tip to just use cheap hand sanitizer to clean the mat so we could conserve our blending solution.

We also learned how to add a perfect hole to a metal piece by using the drill punch.  This handy tool costs less than $20 and allows you to drill through fairly thick pieces of material.

You insert the metal and make sure that the bit is positioned where you want the hole to be - then you put the drill on the table so the cross bar can stabilize it as you twist the handle.  It was hard to turn at first but then you suddenly feel the metal give way as the hole is made.

The end result is a perfect hole that is smooth on both sides and does not crack or damage the original piece.  You can see the plug that was cut on next to the wing.

Some of the pieces had been pre-drilled so we could add tiny screw eyes to the tops to make them ready to hang on a jump ring.

These screw eyes can be hard to turn so we learned to use the craft pick for some leverage to quickly twist the screw eye into position.  It is important to make starter holes so the screw eye won't split that piece when you start turning it.

We added wire to a tiny lightbulb - yet another "found object" to add to the collection.  It sometimes makes me laugh to think that Tim has these collections of odd items that he finds and then has manufactured so others can use them for their creations.  In a way, it seems a little too impersonal - I'd always want to be sure to add some of my own unique bits of "junque" to the mix.

The last charms we worked on were the typewriter keys and cash keys.  These are sized so you can use the designs that come included in the kit or punch your own bits from whatever paper you would like to use.  We added some Glossy Accents adhesive in the base and then placed the paper cut outs on top.  After letting that sit for a little while, you can place the epoxy dome on top to give the rounded shiny finish.  Tim mentioned that you could add some silver Stickles beneath the epoxy sticker to make a glitter charm - I'll have to try that next.

When I had all of my items selected and completed, I laid out the pieces on either side of the pocket watch to try to create a nice balance.

Here is a closer view of the left side.  I highlighted the word "Love" on the metal stick by smearing on some red paint from a dabber and immediately cleaning off the surface, leaving color only in the letter indentations.  I also drilled another hole at the bottom of the charms and added the heart as a dangle.

Here is the right side.  We added some glass glitter to the little vial and secured the cork lid with more adhesive.  All of the charms were placed on "charm clips" which have a wide circle at the top for easy stringing of the necklace.  The charm clips are being discontinued so if you like them stock up if you find them!

It was quick and easy to string the charms with the beads interspersed as separators so the charms can dangle more freely.  When we had our necklaces assembled, someone would come around to glue the clasp on the end of the rubber cord.  Tim glued my necklace together - don't you love his watch!

When my necklace was all done, I posed for a photo with Mario.  Tim and Mario are both pros at the quick photo pose and very photogenic!

If you have any questions about the techniques we used, just leave a comment and I'll try to answer.  If you are an email subscriber, you probably have two posts in one email.  My days are a little crazy right now since our son has started his job but is still commuting in to the city which means a lot of time driving for me if I want to have my car during the day.  He has done the paperwork for an apartment starting next month so we hope to hear that things are finalized any day now.

I hope you have a great day!

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