DIY Anthropologie Necklace for a fraction of the cost

I have some really great friends. Printmaking friends. I really could not survive without them. We have a lot of fun and work our butts off in the studio. My fellow printers and I came up with this craft and decided we should make this to wear over our robes at graduation. We are pretty random, I know. Alisa, Lisie, Sarah Jane and our professor Kathy and I made these at our print jam (Long A nights at the studio where we have delicious food and print our little hearts out) the other night. I love that we all collaborated this idea. Lisie came up with the initial idea to make these and it turned into something amazing!

Yes. We will be wearing these over our robes. And maybe hanging a strand from our ugly brown tassel? Who thought that was a good idea?

You want to learn? It's so easy

All you will need:

PAPERCLIPS

GLUE 
(I used Tacky glue and watered it down a tad and used a paint brush to apply it to the paper.

PAPER You can use drawer liner too. It doubles as the paper and the glue, since one side is sticky.
Cut the paper into 1" x 1.5" pieces. We decided to tear up some of our prints and use them for it. We thought it was fitting, being printmakers and all. Do a few tests, because the thickness of the paper will determine how long you will want to make the paper. I found the thinner the paper the easier it is to bend around and keep it glued. Just make sure it is sturdy enough when you put glue on it.

Here is a visual a whipped up for those of you who learn that way, with some detailed instructions below.

1. Gather all needed materials

2. The first layer should be the shortest one. Hook together 13 paper clips. (Measure the length you want the smallest layer to be and adjust accordingly) You want them all to be attached before you start wrapping the paper around the clips.

3. Apply glue to the back of the paper and wrap around each paperclip on that row.

4. Make more! Continue to add one additional paperclip for every new row, so it will increase in length.

5. Make as many or as little rows as you like. You can also do funky patterns, like this one found at Anthropologie by Lauren Manoogian. (did you see that price tag??? Unbelievable. I love Anthropologie but hello, can anybody really justify buying a necklace for 80 dollars. I couldn't bear the guilt.)
Once you have all of the rows made, attach them all to a single paperclip, do this for both ends. I added a third clip in the middle to give the neck a little more length and then covered those three with paper.

You could get really creative with this. Ours is freakishly colorful, but I love it. You could do some nice soft colors as well to fit this season's color fads.

ENJOY

Chronicle Dreams

I will be graduating in under 3 weeks. This still baffles me. I know I mention this far too often. I sort of feel like a really annoying broken record. This is my life though so I guess I'll just go on and share. Feel free to just look at the pretty pictures if you'd rather.  I seriously never understood why people freak out and complain when they are graduating. I always thought I would be so calm and composed when the time came for me to move on. Apparently several sodas a Cafe Rio salad (forced down with a swirling stomach of stress and anxiety) and a good sob later... I realize I am kinda loosing my cool here. I don't have a plan, which at moments in my life feels really exciting, but then again its frightening. Especially since I am kind of stuck in Logan for the next year. First of all, job hunting is miserable. I walked into a bunch of places yesterday that I don't even care to work at, only to be greeted by frowning, sometimes terribly rude employees telling me they aren't hiring but I can turn in an application anyway. There really is no second of all just stress about the first of all. To give credit the man at Hobby Lobby was very gracious, but again, not hiring. Anyway, since all of my hopes and dreams aren't suddenly appearing as a walk on graduation day, I'll just tell you about my dream.

I have had this dream that seems untouchable and unreachable for a while now. I guess you could call it a secret dream, I really do get warm tingles at the thought of myself working for this company. I am in LOVE with Chronicle Books. I love everything I see on their site. Books like these...

I get all giddy when I see the wonderful designs of the covers and dream about what treasures I'd find inside. I have mentioned before I have a slight addiction to books. You add in creative design and well, you don't get any better then that. I would absolutely love to work for them and live in San Francisco. It would really be a dream. Maybe I will find myself in reach of this dream someday, but until then I will just drool over all the books I want to buy. Drool with me here.  If only I had the money.... or the decisiveness to choose just one.

Wednesday Thinkers

Lately I have been having these really great original, world changing thoughts go through my head when I am trying to fall asleep, or while taking shower, and I never write them down. I am currently sitting here kicking myself trying to think of the one that came to me this morning. I even thought to myself while thinking it, "I think I'll blog about this." I've been stirring my brain trying to revive the thought for the last 20 minutes. It is driving me nuts. I really should write them down. They are always so clever and quirky. Little tidbits that just make me grin dimple to dimple. I guess they were never meant for anyone's mind but my own. Maybe that is best. Maybe I would send them out into the inter-webs and realize they weren't as amazing as i had imagined them in my mind. I guess we may never know the answers to those little questions.

Today is Wednesday. A dreaded day in my week. Not because of stress or circumstance, but because of the exceptionally long and lethargic boredom which I face every afternoon. Six straight hours at the library. I know this sounds like a cake walk, but it is not. I guess that phrase doesn't really make sense to me, this in no way would compare to walking around eating a delicious piece of cake. So I must correct that thought before it leaves the fibers of your brain by saying, I would give anything for a piece of cake right now. Even a boring, bland piece of cake with no delicious frosting or sprinkles. I have however enjoyed my job here at the library despite my negativity on the subject and the increasing amount of helpless adolescents. It is time. Time to move on.

I have reached that inevitable point that comes with any low paying, part time job in customer service. I have worked here for 5 years now. Yes you heard me right FIVE... YEARS. I need to find another job. I don't want some meaningless part time job, but as time moves more steadily forward, I find myself without connections to something better, so it is looking like my only option at the moment. I need a miracle people. I need someone to call me up and offer me an amazing job I can't resist. Does that ever happen? I really wish it did. Job hunting is something I highly detest, as do most people with a sane state of mind. You could have guessed as much when I told you I have worked at the same job for five whole years now.  So on I go to find the perfect job. Send some luck my way pretty please.  *little side note. I added this sentence so there wouldn't be an orphan on this line. I am so design savvy.

Senior BFA Show

This weekend was my senior BFA show. It was a lot of work and stress but it turned out really great. Here is the group of us in front of our exhibit.

It was fun getting to know some of the artists from other departments and getting the show put together. We served pie at the reception which was delicious! Thank you Angies! Here are the pieces I put in the show.

My parents and Steve's came up and it was great to spend time with them! I can't believe I graduate in a month.. It is so weird. I really could not have done it without my family, especially Steve. He is so great and so understanding of how busy I have been and believes in me and everything I want to do. I love him so much.

This next year will be an adventure. It will be fun to see where we are a year from now!

I have a vice, and I'll keep it.

I don't know where the addiction began. From a friend who had a love for drive through convenience? The cold delicious refresh of liquid on my esophagus, maybe the smooth touch of a freezing can on my fingertips or green metal straw to my lips? Or maybe just maybe it's because I love the feeling of exact change at the checkout counter. Whatever the true answer, the outcome remains, yes, I am addicted to Diet Dr Pepper. I wish I could say that this was my only vice. I am afraid I have more then even I could or would care to discuss. I find myself walking to the staff room with my carefully counted 60 cents, or making the drive to the gas station to claim my free beverage (with my nifty card) with a friend on a late night in the print studio. I ask myself on occasion, "could I stop drinking this on a whim?" or "would I really care if I never had one again?" I probably could, but do I really want to? No. I just love the taste. Love the feel. While some may think me disgusting or unhealthy, I care not for your opinion. At least for now I am happy and pleasant to be around. For now I think I'll keep my friendly and delicious vice. As I sit back and enjoy the instantaneous snap-click of my 12 ounce can, I can't think of a better afternoon snack.

Do any of you have a vice that you aren't ashamed of?