Book Review: Aimee Ray’s Sweet & Simple Jewelry

Aimee Ray's Sweet & Simple Jewelry: 17 Designers, 10 Techniques & 32 Projects to MakeAimee Ray’s Sweet & Simple Jewelry: 17 Designers, 10 Techniques & 32 Projects to Make by Aimee Ray

When I received this book from Ken at Lark Crafts, I saw the cover and was really excited. The cover looks like the designer got his/her colors from a candy shop. ‘Sweet’, but not sickly sweet, is definitely how I would describe it. I have to say that I was a little disappointed that this wasn’t a quilt book, but was glad to see that fabric is used in a number of the projects.

I have noticed a trend (can I call it that?) of including a visual table of contents in some recent books I have read and/or reviewed. Purses Bags Totes had one which really helped my navigation of the book as well as writing the review. I notice that this book has one as well.

Not only does this visual ToC, as we, in the Library biz call it, help with navigation, but it gives a potential buyer a little more information. I hope that Amazon and other online booksellers will include such information in their ‘inside look’ pages.

From the ToC, I can see that this book has more colorful projects than some of the other jewelry books I have read recently. This one uses felt, embroidery thread and fabric scraps in many of the projects, which adds to the color choices.

Like many other Lark Jewelry & Beading books, this has a comprehensive Basics, pg.10, section. I love the ‘cover photo’ that begins the section depicting a variety of supplies and embellishments. Many of the supplies can already be found in your quiltmaking cupboard. Each subsection includes a couple of sentences about why you would use each material. Tools are listed separately, starting on pg.17, again, with definitions of what they are and why you would use them.

Following Tools is a section on Techniques, pg.20-, which discusses embroidery, transferring templates and patterns, hooping, to knot or not to knot (HA!), stitches, working with polymer clay type materials and a whole host of other techniques that may add to your creative jewelry designs.

After a very comprehensive 28 pages of Tools, Tips and Techniques, Aimee Ray launches into the projects. The first page of the section includes larger photos of a selection of the projects.

One of my favorite projects is the Felted Terrarium Necklace, pg.45. I wouldn’t make it, but I like the look. It would also be great as a gift for a charm bracelet.

The projects consist of a large photo of the finished piece9s) and 1-2 pages of directions, which includes tips, a materials and tool list. Not being a jewelry maker, I cannot judge whether this is enough information to finish the project.

I also like the Cabochon Hairpins, pg.57. This is a really unique idea, perhaps because I have hatpins on the mind after reading Jacqueline Winspear‘s book, Maisie Dobbs again. I have not seen anything like this before and give kudos to the designer, Kathy Sheldon for thinking outside the box.

This is also a very well designed book. I like the colors of the layout as well as the graphic embellishments and photography on the inner pages. Take a look at this book and be inspired.

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Creative Prompt #220: Luck

pure luck

hard luck

“You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.”
Bill Watterson

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Luck of the Irish

Lady Luck

What’s luck got to do with it?

Andrew Luck

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”

? Thomas Jefferson

Lucky Chances

good luck

Lucky (grocery store)

Luck, Wisconsin (I wonder if you are automatically lucky if you live there?)

Jason Mraz – Lucky

Lucky Strikes

stroke of luck!

“Do ya’ feel lucky, punk?”? Clint Eastwood

good luck charms

Lucky magazine – shopping and style

Definition: “Luck or chance is an event which occurs beyond one’s control, without regard to one’s will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense. In the prescriptive sense, luck is a supernatural and deterministic concept that there are forces (e.g. gods or spirits) which prescribe that certain events occur very much the way laws of physics will prescribe that certain events occur. It is the prescriptive sense that people mean when they say they “do not believe in luck“. In the descriptive sense, luck is a word people give after the occurrence of events which they find to be fortuitous or unfortuitous, and maybe improbable.

Good Luck Charlie

“Here’s the thing about luck…you don’t know if it’s good or bad until you have some perspective.”
? Alice Hoffman, Local Girls

The Joy Luck Club (book) by Amy Tan

Cultural views of luck vary from perceiving luck as a matter of random chance to attributing to such explanations of faith or superstition. For example, the Romans believed in the embodiment of luck as the goddess Fortuna,[1] while the philosopher Daniel Dennett believes that “luck is mere luck” rather than a property of a person or thing.[2] Carl Jung viewed luck as synchronicity, which he described as “a meaningful coincidence”.

Lucky symbols are popular worldwide and take many forms.”

bad luck

Gin & Luck, Los Angeles

You’re in luck!

On 21 February 2008, [UN] Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Edward Luck as Special Adviser at the Assistant Secretary-General level

“People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have. ”
? Anne Tyler