Hold on to your hats kids, we are about to have ourselves a regular contest bonanza here at the Naughty Secretary Club blog! Every Monday for the entire month of March we are giving away a free book. Books on jewelry, business, sewing and more! Holy macramé that means 5 contests in all. There is only one book for each contest so not everyone can win. That being the case you might want to read my oh so informative Monday morning book reviews to see if these books are worth adding to your Amazon Wish List. First up on our list is Plexi Class: Cutting Edge Projects in Plastic by Tonia Davenport available through North Light Books.
Honestly you had me at the words plastic. I have been fascinated with working with plexi glass ever since now defunct Austin jewelry label Otter Otto made the scene. Oh how Donna’s jewelry made me wish I had thought of this or that first. With my handy copy of Plexi Class all I have to do is flip to the instructions on how to make the Text Me Bracelet or Hot Linked Belt for tips about getting images like helicopters and pirate ships onto Plexi Glass. Who knew you could use embossing powder and rubber stamps on plexi glass, but apparently you can and get rad effects from it.
The possibilities for plexi glass does not just stop at jewelry, oh no my friends the possibilities are as they say endless. Projects in Plexi Class include of course lots of accessories but also picture frames, dog collars, drink coasters and night lights. I think one of the things I always found daunting about plexi glass is where to get the sheets and how to cut it once you did. No need to worry any longer author Tonia Davenport walks you through scoring plexi with plastic cutters, smoothing edges with your Dremel and bending and shaping plexi glass with a heat gun.
Plexi Class is a book worth winning for sure. Tonia clearly has a more subdued and sublte jewelry style than I do, but the whole point of a craft book is to learn a new skill. One should not try to emulate Tonia’s exact designs, you should learn from the examples and see what you can do with plexi glass. In my case I can’t wait to make it big, bold and tackaliscious. I see chunky stacked rings and stenciled earrings in the near future.
Wanna get your mits on a copy of Plexi Class? Well it just so happens I have a spare copy to give away (you didn’t think I’d give away my copy did you). Leave me a comment and let me know what medium you find daunting, but wish you knew more about. For me working with plexi glass is one of those jewelry mediums I have always wanted to work with, but been afraid before reading this book. Does the idea of casting resin put the fear of Jesus in you, but intrigue you at the same time? Have you dreamed of soldering since you were a little girl back on the farm in Kansas but never tried? All those things, spill it – we want to know and give you a free copy of Plexi Class. You have until next Monday to leave a comment.
I’ll tell you what, Jennifer, I am petrified off all things fire. I used to get my friend Sara to light the bunsen burner in Chem class and then I’d do the experiment while she finished her English homework. There is a glass store in town that gives classes on how to make glass beads, and I’ve been trying to get the guts up to walk in there and put the $200 bucks down to potentially burn my
I consider myself pretty brave in the world of crafty things and gadgets but to tell you the truth things like bandsaws, sanders and yup, sometimes even my dremel scare me a bit. Must just be the things that move at high speed and could maim you for life I suppose. I’d LOVE to win the Plexi Class book! I have oodles of those plexi scrapbook shapes around here. Heck, I’d even trade the book for
Any project where I might get burned or injured has always intimidated me and that is a rather vast spectrum, from drilling holes, to pouring candle was to fear or creating an explosion soapmaking.
My New Year’s resolutions was to work to become more crafty and and overcoming these fears by learning all I can about the craft I attempt before trying it.
Working with any medium that is hard to manage, like molten glass or metal, brings on avoidance anxiety. It’s not about fear, I just like to have better control of the process. Sometimes it takes more than a nudge to get me out of my comfort zone. A good instruction book or class helps.
I find painting to be very scary. I try to think of things to sketch so I can paint but it always looks weird and wrong to me. It’s not scary like I’m going to hurt myself but more that I will never get the painting to look the way I want it t.
Years ago when I was in art college I used to go to the glass studio to watch them blow glass (and to get warm), and to this day I still want to learn, but am afraid I don’t have the lung power and the strength to do the craft justice. So I keep on dreaming…
I totally love love love making jewelry, I bought some casting reason and supplies, but am just ata loss as to what else I can do besides cover a framed image, I love the idea of casting. As for soldering, I’ve been soldering since I was a teen at my dads factory so im not afraid, but putting everything together is what I want, an informative book that tells you what else you can do, cause then
I once made a bunch of paper beads, but now I don’t know what to do with them. So while making them wasn’t particularly daunting, finding a way to make them look like something really cool and fresh is, to me. I mean, what if I just made lousy beads, HM?
This plexi book looks awesome though, and I look forward to reading it!
I like how cracked marbles look like and want to make them into some nice pendants, but I’m very afraid of making them on my own. I tried once, I bought some safety glasses for that, everything was ready but then I stopped because I was afraid… So, I never tried it again and the marbles and safety glasses lay here around useless.
So, yes I wanna give plexi glass a try. 😉
Knitting terrifies me. Every time I think about it I think about carpal tunnel. Is that nuts?
it would have to be crocheting without a doubt thanks for the giveaway
Working with metal to create jewelry would be great, but I’ve had bad experiences with soldering irons…Curse these finger burns!
Okay, don’t scream, because I know you love these mediums, but I’m apprehensive about plexi and resin. I don’t know why…I solder, woodwork, have no problem with machinery or chemicals, but for some reason I’m blocked with even trying projects that require those items. And I am fascinated with watching projects made with resin and/or plexi like I’ve seen a million times on DIY…it’s just
OOh this is a new one for me! I would love to get bet at casting resin – I worked with it for awhile before becoming pregnant and never came back to it. Maybe I should pull out all the supplies one my little guy is asleep.
Soldering for sure! The sparks… the blindness – SCARY!
I saw that book at a bookstore and fell in love with it!
The craft I find the most daunting at this point is knitting. I am trying so hard to get my knit on, but I end up with a tangled mess. I need to rent a sweet old lady who has been knitting for 50 years in order to finally get it.
I have been toying w/resin. Today was my second time using it…uggh! It is frustrating! Bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles…It seems that no matter how closely I follow the directions it always has bubbles! It is all trial and error so I guess that would be my vote!!
http://www.storylinedesign.webs.com
HI Jennifer, I spent many a day soldering wires to make telephones work and love the soldering iron, but have yet to make anything creative… now that I’m officially retired, I’m dying to get into metals, glass, and all that cool junk. Plexiglass? that sounds new and plexing?!? I like it!!
i have small kids, so things that require tools and heat and sharp things i can’t really get into. the kids are always around to create a disaster that forces me to leave my work or to jump in and try to participate! that and knitting. i don’t know what my problem is, it just seems so complicated…
I can’t say that I’ve ever been afraid of trying anything (the nice people at Band-Aid bank on me trying new things). I want to try it all. My problem is that I am too conservative. I work with a medium–I’m experimenting with glass photo pendants right now–and I get the basics down. Then I stop. I’m afraid to add the beads, the dangles, the flair. I just don’t know what to do next.
Glass. Glass terrifies me with its tiny little shards of sharpness that are easily imbedded into my soft flesh. I have always wanted to work with it to make jewelry, stianed glass windows, just anything. But the thoughts of it breaking or having sharp edges… just terrifies me. Scary!
And anything involving precise measurements…but I’m just bad at math.
Lately I’m obsessed with glass. I caught the episode of stylicious with Mark Joiner and his awesome belt buckles.I have worked with stained glass before but the whole fusing thing is new to me. My library has a whopping 2 books on fusing so I’m goggling my little heart out.
This would be great! I love to try new crafty things!!!
My mediums of choice are soft, safe materials, like fabric and yarn. I’d really like to try working with something hard, like ceramics or glass. My local college offers a glass blowing class, and it’s a dream of mine to find the time and funds to take it. Red hot molten glass seems so dangerous, and exciting!
I have many things I’m wanting to learn but haven’t tried yet. Not sure I’m afraid of any of them but… Wire wrapping w/jewelry would be one (ala Deryn Mentock style), making dichroic glass beads would be another. I’m planning on taking a soldering class next month as well as a screenprinting class. Would love to win this book to add another medium to my repertoire.
Looks like we all share a lot of the same fears. Glass intrigues me but intimidates me as well. We worked with it on Craft Lab, but it still seems a little daunting. Resin I have a pretty good grasp on, but there is a lot more I wish I knew about it. Soldering is something I wish I was better at. I have dabbled, but my skills are far from perfect. Metal work in general with jewelry is
I have always thought glass making is scary. But definitely something I should try!
Looks like we all share a lot of the same fears. Glass intrigues me but intimidates me as well. We worked with it on Craft Lab, but it still seems a little daunting. Resin I have a pretty good grasp on, but there is a lot more I wish I knew about it. Soldering is something I wish I was better at. I have dabbled, but my skills are far from perfect. Metal work in general with jewelry is
I love plastic, but it’s the fume thing that frightens me. Saws, ok. dremel, ok. I’ve wanted to cast resin, too, but again, the fumes. I get migraines, so it’s too easy to trigger them with nasty fumes. Cig smoke can trigger one, so what’s resin gonna do? I’ve had to swear off e-6000 glue and can only have my fabric glue open for tiny bits. What a wimp.
Tonia has some really cool creations! I won a pair of her handmade plexi-glas earrings from her blog a few weeks ago and they are just the cutest things. What a cool giveaway!
Wanda Eash
http://craftymule.blogspot.com
Not plexi but glass itself scares me to work with…I’m afraid of cutting myself or shattering it. But plexi sounds like fun! I’ve worked with cds in the microwave and turned out some pretty neat pieces, so can imagine it would be similar but different.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I am scared of jewlery making in general because I am a klutz when it comes to small motor skills. I flunked a crochet class because one stitch would be microscopic and the next gigantic! I would love to do wire wrapping but I’m afraid my wire work would be a lumpy, twisted mess!
i would love to learn to enamel onto metal. always thought my designs/imagery would look cool as colored glass melted atop sterling (and as jewelry). i fear if i was educated on it’s process and knew the endless possibilities it has, it would be overwhelming and consuming…but oh, so pretty.
I would love to learn how to fuse glass. I see wonderful fused glass jewelery at craft and art shows but have no idea how they did it without blowing it up in the kiln!
i actually have this book, so don’t enter me in the challenge, i just wanted to second how awesome it is!
i took plastics in shop class in jr high and loved it, and was so sad when i moved and my new school only had woods and metals classes! i’ve said for years that i was going to learn how to do more stuff with acrylic, so i bought this book a few months ago. it’s awesome! i checked the
I’m going to have to say anything that involves power tools and sharp objects intimidates me. I have a dremmel, but I’ve never used it. I tense up when I get out an xacto knife. It’s awful…
Maybe a healthy dose of plexi glass would be the answer?
this looks so cool !
I’ve only used plexiglass as a plate for monotypes, but this book makes me want to explore more.
Glass, be it plastic or the other, has always intrigued me. Cutting them has always been a challenge for me, both the squeeky glasscutting sound or the roar of the power saw.
I would really like to make lamp work beads but I am afraid of them smashing or whatever else can happen.
Anything involving glass makes me reluctant. I seem to have a way of cutting myself up under the best of circumstances. And working with glass just seems like courting a catastrophe. The plexiglass book is so great. I checked it out of the library a few weeks ago. It looked like so much fun. And no glass…
Broken shards of china and the sander!! Ooo, how I want to work with them but I’m terrified I’ll get a splinter in my eye! And plexi – sounds like fun!!
My “fear” is sometimes just getting started on something new. I am interested in transferring images onto such things as metal and glass. I have so far experimented with fabric transfer and polymer clay successfully.
I am working on a project using my 19th century family’s photographic images as part of jewellery and am sure plexiglass will be a useful way forward.
Thanks for
Wow…I have been wanting to try plastics acrylics and plexiglass would fit right in…I have a dremel but have been afraid to try it too and also soldering…&glass…they kind of all go hand in hand.A book would help me get over my fears I am sure since this one uses dremel.Thanks for the opportunity on March Craft month to answer .Happy crafting!! Ina
The book sounds great, I’ve only recently seen some Plexiglas jewelry and was very intrigued by it. Would love to work with it, but know nothing about it. I know the book would help.
Resin is what scares me, I want to learn about it and try it but scared too. I’ve done some glass bead making, soldering, wire wrapping jewelry, tumbled my own stones, etc. Just not sure why resin scares
I am about to start making jewelry from bits and pieces I have collected over the years. This along with some store bought jewelry pieces. I have a meltpot and UTEE but have never fired it up. I need all the help that I can get to figure this thing out. I see all the neat things that you can do with UTEE and it is so compatible with jewelry making. I would LOVE to have a book on jewelry