WOW it's been a long time since I've done a post, guess I've been coerced into enjoying this random beautiful weather in Boston. Decided to bang out a craft last night since otherwise I'd have to abandon this whole blog thing entirely. Result? Chain necklace:
I have a ton of beads I've been meaning to use so decided to break into my stash. Here are the supplies I used including these lovely pink lemonade squares from Beadles in Rockport, MA - awesome store.
Love me some craft supplies.
Check out my tutorial for making a loop out of wire for a bead here, apply that to the three pink lemonade beads with the jewelry wire. You should have three guys that look like this:
I swear this fabric is actually teal, not your grandmother's lime green...
Open a jump ring, which is a tiny metal ring that has a gap you can twist open and link the beads together in a chain. Here's a blown up ring to see what I'm talking about:
Please forgive my unpolished nails, I'm really not a heathen.
This is what the chain will look like:
Couldn't resist.
Using another jump ring, connect the end of your jewelry chain to one end of the bead chain.
You're feeling sleeeeepyyyyyy...
Without cutting the other end, measure how long you want the total chain to be by holding it up to you neck. You're going to cut the chain to connect to a clasp that will be able to open and close so you can put the necklace on, so for now just pretend like you want the chain to go all the way around your neck. Now cut the end that will connect to the other side of your bead chain.
Just make sure not to cut your finger off with these rust-slathered garden shears.
Measure the middle of the chain that you just cut and cut again, this is where the clasp will go to allow you to open and close the necklace.
This shot was way harder to set up than it should've been for the average human.
Using more of those nifty jump rings, attach the loose jewelry chain to the free end of your bead chain (Sorry for overuse of the word "chain", but it's applicable). You should now have one continuous necklace, just without the clasp at the ends. Using more jump rings, attach the clasp and it's little partner holder to the free ends of the jewelry chain.
Let's just hope it doesn't fall off while I'm breakdancing. Hate it when that happens.
And voila! You have an actual finished necklace. The more I tend to work on making jewelry the better I get at it, so practive makes perfect. That being said I'm still not very good at it, but hey "They can't all be winners." - Bad Santa
Tried to model it on myself, but Oscar held still longer.
