Being a self-proclaimed word nerd, of course I would love the awesome jewelry made by the folks at The Weekend Store. They offer rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and cuff links made using the the thin flat serif keys of Smith Corona typewriters rescued from the junkyard. Now that's character!

I was first introduced to the wildly talented "wire wrapstress" Dev Khan through my dear friend (and talented artist who shot all the images in this DIY) Sara K. Woll. Sara had commissioned Dev to come over and do a wire wrapping workshop for a crew of us crafty ladies. Dev embodies the true artisan, completely at one with her medium. She cuts and polishes her own stones (as evidenced by her beautifully worked hands) and does some of the most amazing wire wrap jewelry I've ever seen. Further, she is all about sharing her love and technique with anyone who is interested. I was thrilled when she wrote this piece for us, which first appeared on the pages of CRAFT Volume 03. Here is the full DIY for you to enjoy.

Wrap Rock
Setting stones in unique jewelry takes just a few twists of wire.
By Dev Khan

Wire wrapping is an imaginative, spontaneous, and versatile method of setting free-form stones using wire and simple hand tools. It allows the shape of the stone to control the placement of wire. The piece becomes its own tool, the moveable wraps acting as clamps and measuring points. By varying the number of wraps and wires, you can accommodate almost any stone.

Craft a centerpiece for a beading project, create a pendant out of that odd-shaped stone, or turn a beach rock into a magic amulet. Amaze your friends!

Adam @ MAKE writes:

Symbology befitting a Dan Brown novel exudes from these handcrafted iPhone home button earrings. Do they imbibe the wearer with mystical iPhone powers? Does wearing two buttons break Apple's Human Interface Guidelines? You'll just have to acquire a pair to find out.

This is Plot sells these handmade necklaces that reflect the historical price charts of different materials. Shows above is gold v. oil. They're also available in just gold, just silver, silver v. oil, and lead. [via information aesthetics]

By Meara O'Reilly, projects intern

Ever since I found out about Brazilian craft cooperative Escama (featured in CRAFT Volume 03, "Pull-Tab Crochet") and saw some of their work at Maker Faire a couple of years ago, I've been on a thread-crocheting kick. I just love the way that the process involves a sort of functional, enterprising spirit (what can I cobble together and how do I invent the stitches to do it?) as well as a really interesting aesthetic.

Once I learned the basic stitches and figured out how to wrap them around just about any object, I was off!

Apart from making this pull-tab wallet for the CRAFT Archive and a few demonstration flowers from the article, I started covering everything I could think of: hoop earings, bracelets, and yup, recycled bra under-wire!

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to secure the ends of my crochet (I've so far used beads and glue on the end of each wire to keep the stitches on) but I love the structure of these bra-wire necklaces and I think somebody could make something really beautiful with the idea -- baby mobiles or lampshades, anyone?

Diane at Crafty Pod shows how to create a snazzy stiffened fabric flower brooch, including some tips for keeping the sheen nice and smooth. This could be a great use for fabric scraps!

Blythe customization has reached a new level to me upon seeing this sterling silver Blythe ring. I think I just drooled a little. [Thanks, Moxie!]

More Blythe:

• CRAFT Video: Rerooting Blythe Doll Hair
• Hand-carved Blythe dolls
  
• Blythe Modeling New Alexander McQueen Line For Target
  
• Blythe-sized Creepy Knitted Ski Masks
  
• Inside-Out Blythe Guts Costume
  

From the pages of CRAFT, Vol. 03:

"Queen of the Misfit Toys" by Jenny Ryan, pgs 40-42. Preview in our Digital Edition or buy the back issue in the Maker Shed.

Fabric covered buttons are fun to make, and are a great way to use up scraps of fabric, but I don't always have a good way to use them in my sewing. These button badges from Resurrection Fern are a great answer to that problem!

In theme with the soap cupcakes I posted earlier this morning, here's another tasty-looking craft project. These polymer clay candy corn earrings from the Polymer Clay Cookbook look like a good beginner project, and one that could be translated in to a handful of other halloween uses.

I love the whimsical look of these button and wire brooches from Diane at Crafty Pod. She shares how to make a few versions, and they seem easy and quick - perfect for gifts!

Yesterday while I was at the Whiskerino, I took some time to shop around the Petaluma Farmer's Market. There were some great craft vendors alongside the fresh produce and foods. I scored two wonderful pieces, a keychain and a ring that embody crafty recycling and the beauty of vintage collectables.

Both pieces are wrought from the handle of silver spoon. The keychain pattern is called "Orange Blossom" and was made in 1910. The artist, Norman, even had the original spoon with him. Norman was a true throwback, no URL, not even a business card. While he truly knew each detail on the silver spoons he worked with, all he could tell me about his business was that each piece was made right in town and that he occasionally made appearances at the farmers market. I loved Norman's old-school spoons, and his old-school attitude. Farmer's markets, FTW.

Lee Meredith of Leethal Knits shares her tutorial for making jewelry from recycled wool sweaters. The project comes from a series of classes she taught over the summer in Portland, Oregon, and she also includes pictures of a few projects from her students. As she mentions, the techniques are simple and the creative possibilities are endless.

Earth Brooch Silver is a piece of jewelry made from a custom-selected piece of topography, 3D printed in wax and then cast in silver. Via Core77.

MAKE magazine photo editor Sam Murphy is tying the knot this September (congrats Sam!) and she had her wedding ring custom-made based on her mother's vintage 1901 ring. She worked with the talented Amanda Knox of RedStart Design, designers of fine custom jewelry. The process and the end result are fascinating. Here is Sam's mom's original ring:

Sam wanted a slightly different variation retaining the classic etching but using red sapphires instead of diamonds. Amanda first made a sketch and then a CAD drawing:

The finished ring was then sent to fifth-generation Armenian metalsmith and engraver Hratch Nargizian, who hand-engraved the designs onto the ring. Here's another look at the gorgeous final handmade creation:

Katrin of Sew-Mad shares how she made this charming fabric-covered button bracelet.

Do you want to know what's best about it?

Each fabric on each button reminds me of something I've sewn. Either for myself or for a lovely person.

If you need to read her post in English, simply click the "view this in English" check box at the top right corner of her post.

Ann from all things paper created this beautiful pendant from a repurposed keychain and scraps from another project. Stunning!

[ via SisterDiane ]

Stuart Breidenstein of Go Robot! gave me a demo of his working stove necklace at Urban Craft Uprising this weekend in Seattle. It's a hand-crafted brass and copper alcohol burner with a fuel line and tank. Alcohol stoves are popular for light-traveling hikers, as the fuel is readily available at hardware stores and it burns clean and hot. I I was blown away by the craftsmanship and ingenuity of this piece of functional jewelry.

We've featured a few versions of projects using the patterned paper of security envelopes, and here's another one to add to the group. Dawn at a peek behind Lark Studio was inspired by Jennifer Perkins' eyeglass pendant project and combined the two ideas to create these cute security envelope eye glass pendants.

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of Crafty Sanity shares her methods for making fun, funky jewelry from plastic items in your recycle bin.

This NYC Subway cuff by Tiffany Burnette would be a reasonable remake for a beginning metalsmith using a toner-transfer etch process (or a laser cutter) and a bracelet mandrel. Via Core77.

Maximum Rabbit Designs shares a super simple guide for assembling a fun brooch from doilies and a button. I've often had my hand on doilies in thrift stores, but wasn't quite sure what I could do with them. This is a great, fast option!

Over on Etsy's Storque, Diana Eng has a tutorial from her book, Fashion Geek, on making this LED "nightlife" necklace.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Tiffany's recycled wine cork keychain favor DIY Wedding project!