Friday, May 13, 2011

Crackle Fried Marbles

I see the crackle fried marble is back in fashion again.
Mother and I would make these by the cake pan full and turn out jewelry and crafts for months.
Dangle earrings, necklaces, car dangles, key chains ,we glued them on clear glass and filled the fish bowl with them.
Here is a few methods for the fried,crackle glass.
We only used the oven method 45 years ago.Lost about 3 out of every 30 that flat shattered into tiny pieces.So don't worry when they don't all come out perfect.



How to Make Fried Marble Jewelry

Frying marbles is a very simple process and makes some really pretty jewelry.
Difficulty:EasyInstructions
things you'll need:

Bag of solid color, transparent marbles.
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Large Pot
Cold Water
Ice
1 Place the marbles in the frying pan. I used a non-stick pan, but I don't think it matters as there's nothing sticky that will ruin your pan. Turn the heat to medium high.

2 Fry the marbles, stirring a lot. I wouldn't say "stir constantly," but you want to keep them moving so that they don't heat up too much in one spot. Fry them for 15-20 minutes.

3 While the marbles are frying, or you before you start, fill up a large pot with cold water and lots of ice.

4 When finished frying the marbles, immediately pour them into the ice water. The marbles will shatter on the inside while retaining their round shape on the outside. It resembles shimmering glass.

5 The first picture above shows a finished necklace I made by creating a cage with sterling silver wire and attaching to a sterling silver chain. You can easily change the marble to a different colored marble by pushing open the back of the cage, popping out one marble, and replacing it with another. Wire wrapping is a technique that takes some practice and more instructions. I'll try to post a tutorial for that soon. But, there's an easier way to make a necklace and this is my best seller.

6 Blue, White (Clear), and Green Fried Marbles

Buy some pre-assembled wire bead cages. There are many online sources and can also be found at any craft or beading store. Thread a chain, ribbon, or cord through the bead cage. Then, insert your fried marble by pushing open the middle of the cage and popping the marble into the cage. The bead cage will spring right back to it's original shape. Wear and enjoy!

Oven Method

Make inexpensive   by baking and internally cracking ordinary marbles. Make up a few as gifts or for your next hot seller at a craft fair.
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need:

Pie Pan
1 Bag Of Marbles
Bowl Of Ice Water
Oven
Jewelry Bell Caps
E6000 Glue
Jewelry Jump Rings
Necklace
2 Pairs Of Needle Nose Pliers

1.) When you purchase your marbles, purchase can any regular, one color or cat eye marbles. If you use a two tone color marble the marbles will not get a crackling appearance, instead they will just crack in half.

2.) In a medium size, metal bowl place 3 cups water and five ice cubes. For each batch of marbles that you fry be sure to replace the ice cubes. The marbles need to go from a fire, hot oven right into freezing, cold water in order to create the crackling affect.

3.) Place marbles in a metal pie pan and place them in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes to heat them thoroughly. There might be a few that will crack in half while you are heating them up. This is O.K. and perfectly normal.

4.) Remove the marbles from the oven after 20 minutes. Pour them directly from the pie pan into the ice cold water. Let them cool for about a minute. When you remove the marbles from the water you may find some have broken, if they do just throw them out. It's the marbles that are in intact but have a crackling effect inside and out that you are going to use for the next step.

5.) Dry each marble completely. Place E6000 glue on the bottom or underside of each bell cap and place it on the top of each marble one at a time. The glue does dry to the touch fairly quick but you can not wear the necklace for 24 hours until the glue has completely setup.

6.) When the bell cap is dry, usually within 24 hours add the jump ring to the bell cap. To attach the jump ring to the bell cap you will need two sets of pliers. Hold one set of pliers in each hand. Place the jump ring in your left hand pliers, holding the rings left side with the split side up. Take your pliers in your right hand and gently grasp the right hand side of the jump ring and push backwards to open it. Slip the bell cap hole in the split ring. Place the necklace inside of the opened split ring to. Be careful that the necklace does not go into the bell cap hole, just the split ring should be in the bell cap. Then use both sets of pliers, one on the right hand side of split and one on left hand of split to gently rock the ring back and forth, moving it closer to closing the split ring gap.







Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Dye Garden

Some easy to grow plants for dye.


• Yarrow (Achillea hybrids). The plant tops produce mostly yellow, tan and gold colors. It is a tough and hardy perennial in the garden and flowers from early summer to late fall.


• Marigolds (Tagetes spp. and hybrids). The flowers and leaves will produce a variety of colors, depending on the mordant, from bright yellow and gold to dark brown.

Yellow cosmos (Cosmos surphureus). This annual flower blooms in yellow, orange, even red, including cultivars such as ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Diablo’ and ‘Sunny Red’. The flowers in a dye bath produce golden colors, oranges and rusty browns.

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). This common, cheerful flower is an annual that can tower to 4 or 6 feet by season’s end. It yields a array of soft green colors in the dye bath.

• Hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrids), also called rose mallow. Look for red-blooming varieties of this perennial shrub, and in the garden, give it about 2 feet of space on all sides. Harvest the flowers as they bloom, as they won’t last more than a day or so. The petals can yield many colors, from purple and green to gray, even black.

• Indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa, I. tinctoria). This perennial shrub thrives in warm climates, and elsewhere is an annual. The fresh leaves contain the classic blue pigment.

Purple basil (Ocimum basilicum purple-leaved varieties such as ‘Dark Opal’, ‘Red Rubin’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’). Annual in most climates, purple basil can reach about 2 feet. Use fresh tops in a dye bath for a variety of greens and browns.

Marjoram (Origanum majorana). Generally an annual, this oregano relative yields yellows, oranges, browns and grays, depending on the mordant used. It stays under 12 inches and is easy to grow.

Weld (Reseda luteola). This biennial or annual is a traditional European dye herb, with flower stalks that can reach 3 feet or more. The leaves and flower stalks produce strong yellows and pale greens.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.). This easy, popular perennial plant blooms summer to fall. The leaves and flowers produce golds, browns, oranges and dark greens.

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.). This native perennial can reach 4 or 5 feet by season’s end, so give it some space. Plant stalks produce yellow and orange to tan, brown and rust colors.

• Zinnias (Zinnia elegans and other species). This easy annual bedding plant is available in both transplants and seeds. Harvest the flowers regularly to keep it blooming all summer. The flowers yield pale yellow colors.
Colors blended from Plants

BLACKS
Alder Bark
Ash Bark
Walnut Hulls
Bugleweed

BLUES
Indigo
Larkspur
Bayberry Berries
Blueberry Fruit

BROWNS
Apple Bark
Laurel Leaves
Maple
Tea Root

PURPLES
Cedar Root
Dandelion Root
Vine Plant Berries
Elderberry Fruit

REDS
Bedstraw
Cochineal
Pokeberry
Dogwood Root

YELLOWS
Broom Plant
Catnip Stalk
Onion Skins
Tomato Vine

GOLDS
Aster Plant
Cocklebur Plant
Dahlia Flower
Madder Root

GREENS
Ash - White
Cane Leaves
Solomon's Seal
Mistletoe Leaves
 
 http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening-plans/garden-spaces-grow-these-herbs-to-make-natural-dyes.aspx#ixzz1LUFwmGC0