Showing posts with label #tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #tips. Show all posts

Friday, February 14, 2014

Jewelry Cleaning and Care Tips

It can be frustrating for a favorite piece of jewelry to become soiled and not know how to clean it.  Or for a lovely piece of sterling silver to tarnish and be fearful to clean it.



Ice Blue Silver Rhodium and Cubic Zirconia Dangles



Here's a quick and easy guide, courtesy of Tiffany, to help care for your precious metals, semi-precious, and precious gemstones. 

Antique Silver Iolite & Citrine Dangle





 
General Care
Over time, fine jewelry can become a treasured family heirloom if it is cared for properly. Dust, pollution and daily wear all conspire to cloud the brilliance of gemstones. The surface of gold, platinum and silver jewelry can become dulled. Timeworn prongs and clasps can result in the loss of a stone or an entire piece of jewelry.

Professional cleanings are recommended as often as once a year. 

Tangerine Orange, Rhodium Silver, and Cubic Zirconia Dangles


Sterling Silver
Sterling silver, one of the most beautiful and lustrous of all metals will tarnish over time. With proper care, your silver will retain its beauty and character for many generations to come.  Other options are rhodium which protects the silver from tarnish.
The First Rule Of Silver Care
Sterling silver tarnishes, especially when exposed to salt air and products containing sulfur, such as rubber bands and some papers. However, silver that is regularly used typically needs less care.  Use or wear your silver every day.
Washing Silver
Wash silver by hand in warm water with a mild detergent. Because many food acids and gases in the air can have a corrosive effect, we suggest that you wash your silver immediately after use. To avoid spotting, it is important to dry your silver immediately after washing. 

Sapphire Blue Rhodium Silver, Cubic Zirconia Dangles


Gold, Platinum
Between professional servicing, most gold and platinum jewelry can be maintained with a non-abrasive cleaner. Examine your jewelry regularly to make sure settings are snug and clasps and joints are secure.

Avoid exposing gold jewelry to household bleach, which will quickly cause gold to discolor and possibly disintegrate.

Jewelry storage is important as well. Use a protective box, case, or tarnish-resistant pouch. Between wearings, place it back in its original case or another suitably lined box or pouch. 

Various Gemstone and Gold-Filled Bangles


Gemstones
Certain basic precautions should be taken with all of your jewelry. However, some gemstones, as outlined in this section, require special care.

Take care to protect your jewelry from impact against hard surfaces and avoid contact with abrasive surfaces. Even a diamond can chip if hit with enough force or at just the right angle. Many stones such as amethyst, emerald, kunzite, opal, pearl, peridot, tanzanite and tourmaline are very delicate and easily abraded. Enamel can also chip or scratch when struck. Gemstones can scratch other gemstones and wear away at precious metals. Therefore, avoid stacking those rings and bracelets that would be vulnerable to such abrasion. Extreme temperatures, perfumes, cosmetics, ultrasonic cleaning and household chemicals can also damage jewelry.

To clean diamonds, use a mild solution of six parts water to one part ammonia and apply with a soft bristle brush.

If worn often, pearls should be cleaned and restrung professionally once a year. Between cleanings, wipe pearls gently with a damp cloth.

Leather
External elements such as excessive heat or moisture can affect the overall look of your accessory. Following proper care and storage guidelines will ensure the longevity of this exceptional product. When not in use, store your item in the protective dust bag provided.
Calf And Grain Leather
Leather has inherent slight variations and imperfections, which are normal and add to the beauty of each piece. The grain leather is treated naturally, so color and texture may change over time, darkening and softening to create an elegant patina. If scuffs or bruises occur, rub the affected area with a soft, dry white cloth. 
Now wear that jewelry and look stunning!
 


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Chalkboard DIY - French Country Style

Chalkboard is a very hot trend.  No wonder!  It is stylish, functional, and versatile.  Did I mention fun?  Yes, it's really fun. 


Tap your creativity to place chalkboard details in your house.  I am very excited about this project.  I think you will love it too.



I found this great mirror and frame at my local thrift shop.  The shape and details on the frame fit the French Country theme of my kitchen.  And it was 40% off an already incredibly great price!  Score!

First, I took the back and mirror out of the frame.  I'll store the mirror until I decide where to use it in the house.

Then I sanded and painted the frame.  I used the same silver / gray color I painted my kitchen cabinets.  It is a great color because it is not white but not dark gray either.  A perfect neutral.

French Robin Designs

While that dried I cut a piece of backer board ($8 for a 48" x 48" sheet) the shape of the mirror to fit the frame.  It was very easy to cut with a jigsaw (yea! power tools!!!!).

The backer board was primed with a color blocking primer I had from my cabinet redo.  

Time for the chalkboard paint!  I used a foam roller for cabinets because I didn't want brush strokes.  But a brush will work just as well if you don't mind the texture.  The roller left a texture that I really wanted -- like old school chalkboards.  Spray chalk board paint is available too.






I chose Rust-Oleum simply because it was there.  I didn't really spend a lot of time deciding on the paint.  Rust-Oleum is a great, reliable brand so I thought it would be a good choice for my project. 

Two coats of chalkboard paint, overnight drying time, and it was ready to mount in the frame.

This is the end result.  I LOVE this chalkboard.  It only cost me about $45 in materials.  A great buy when they are selling for over $100 for something much smaller.  It is placed in my kitchen -- the central part of the house!  The kids are sure to see my notes.  I'm looking forward to writing menus on the board (eliminate the "what's for dinner" question) and little notes for the kids.


Finished chalkboard.  Letter Y purchased from Woodland Manufacturing.





The green-blue letter Y (for my last name) was purchased some time ago from Woodland Manufacturing.  It is a great company... many letters styles to chose from, colors, hanging methods, etc.  

Use your creativity, experiment, and have fun with chalkboard paint.  Can't wait to see what you create!

Cheers -- Tammi

Friday, January 3, 2014

Organization Tips for the Home Office - Part Two

So last week I wrote about this big project I decided to undertake.  My home office is a multi-use room -- laundry room, pantry, office (for me and my husband), pass through, storage -- could a room have more functions??!!

I could not live with the chaos in this room any longer.  It was so distracting I wasn't getting any real work done.  A purge, clean, and organization fest was in order.  However, I failed to recognize the magnitude of this project until it was too late.

We have lived in this house for 13 years.  Thirteen years of collecting and hording screws, knick knacks, CD's, cables, and junk.  That's a lot of stuff to sort through.  Oh boy.

I say all of this to explain (excuse) why the room isn't done -- like I foolishly convinced myself it would be.

I did move some of the furniture as planned but I had to make adjustments for all of the technological equipment (I forgot the network equipment -- oops).  I did get some of the organization items (calendars) hung up.  And I did remove that really ugly shelving unit.

But some items remain, like the ugly faux wood cabinet.  I haven't had the time to shop for a new bookcase to replace it.  Hopefully I can tackle that part of the project this week.

I did get my work area organized!  Yea!  I moved my desk and shelving unit, bought organization gear, and rearrange everything.  I love the results!


French Robin Designs

I bought this 4 drawer cube unit  at a local craft store to organize completed, ready-to-sell jewelry.  Each drawer is dedicated and labeled earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and bridal.  Inside the drawers the jewelry is organized by invoice number.  Above is a photo storage box for work-in-progress.  The box easily transfer to a work table.


French Robin Designs

The pretty "French" style photo boxes were found at a craft store on clearance.  They hold crystal beads for beading projects.  The beads are organized by color between dividers. 

I LOVE the glass jar on top of the boxes.  I found this at my local grocery store on clearance!!  I don't know what I will use it for but it was too pretty to pass up.


French Robin Designs

Custom labels were made using a great French border from Graphics Fairy.  These are so pretty and feminine.  Each box and drawer has a label -- no more guessing what is in the box!


The bookcase is organized with bead trays and wire (found at a discount store -- they are meant for jewelry); stringing materials in photo boxes (gotta love them); tool tray -- very easy to move to a table; 5-drawer unit for seed / tila beads; shipping supplies; and tools sorted by type.

The tools are sorted into photo boxes in categories of hammers, small tools, adhesives, and soldering supplies.


This is a great little 5-drawer inexpensive unit.  The seed beads (left in tubes) are sorted by color family

 
 
A shipping area is very important.  If I had more room a table would be dedicated to boxing and shipping.  Because I don't have that much space I organized boxes, tissue paper, and ribbon in photo boxes on one shelf.
 
French Robin Designs



I found these great bowls at a discount store.  They are perfect for business cards, earring / necklace cards, and box labels.  They are easy to reach, see when restocking is needed, and pretty.



The bookcase looks great.  Everything has a specific place, is easy to find, and looks clean (the best part)!  The bag on the left is a great example of using an object for an unintended purpose.  This is a hanging jewelry organizer (presumably for the closet).  I use this to organize chain, jump rings, earring findings, and other small objects.  It is one of my favorite organization tools.



The desk has a dedicated space for each business (I have two) and the kids.  No longer do I fumble around looking for that specific paper or note.  Work flows faster now that everything is easy to access.


The progress on the office is great.  I am so happy with the results so far.  This type of project requires flexibility (the furniture did not arrange the way anticipated), focusing on one area at a time, time, and creativity. 

I'd love to hear about some of your organization tips. 
 
Cheers -- Tammi
 
P.S. if you  have a moment visit my latest blog A Wrestler's Mom. It chronicles my first-time adventures into the world of high school wrestling.  It includes tips, recipes, and anecdotes.