Jewelry Making

  One of my Christmas gifts this year was a gift card for my favorite store... MICHAELS! I Love Michaels. It's a crafts and arts paradise! I would love to have hours upon hours to just browse the whole store(though I'd probably end up spending too much money). There are many things I would love to buy at Michaels, but with my gift card, I bought only jewelry supplies. Before I went in I made up a list of the basic things I needed, so that I wouldn't be hours upon hours trying to figure out what to get. :) And even with my list it was overwhelming. A whole row of strung beads, in every color, in every shape and size. So many charms of so many things, in so many styles. And then the chain and the cording, and clasps and every kind of jewelry piece. Needless to say, I took a while longer than I thought I would. And after I had gotten everything I needed, I set to work on some new jewelry.
  I'm not really all that creative, so I usually have to find my ideas online, at least for inspiration. So these are all inspired from pictures online, but with my own bead choices, etc.
The first bracelet I wanted to make was made with some kind of leathery cording. But since I found a different cording for a little less money, I just improvised. I actually really like the way this one

turned out.

The hard part was finding beads that I liked that had holes big enough to fit the chord, and still not look bulky. I went around and around trying to find the right beads and then Laryssa came over, took a few minutes, and found the perfect beads for me. I had been thinking something with color, particularly blue or orange, but these beads look awesome! They gave the bracelet a more rustic look, and still had a small color variation. :) This was a really simple bracelet to make. Slide the beads on, tie the knots, and attach the clasps.

 Oh, and the little charm on the end. It was just a simple one I had on hand, and decided it would be a nice addition. So, great bracelet, and it goes well with most of my clothes. And if I want to I can make similar bracelets with different colored beads(if I can find any). :)
 Now for the next bracelet. I saw an idea for an ocean bracelet, with just a simple chain, sea charms, and large simple beads in ocean colors. I already had several sea charms, which I kept trying and failing to make a good bracelet with, so I decided to give it a try. My own bracelet didn't turn out as nice as I had hoped, but I like it better than any of my other attempts.

I found a pack of two chain bracelets already made and with my favorite kind of clasp, and since I already had other remains of chain I haven't used yet(but didn't want to use for this project), I went with this. I thought it wouldn't be too bad using a large chain, but looking at it now I think the chain is too big for the beads. I don't know, maybe it just needs more beads. But anyway, I do love the beads. It didn't take me very long to decide on these. They're blue(I almost always end up wearing blue), and they just look oceany! :) Definitely a summer bracelet, so I'll get to test it out then.
 And last of all I made a new necklace. I had been throwing around the idea of using a metal ring and dangling beads off of it, and I finally decided to give it a try.

I didn't use very many beads(it's a small ring), but I still think it looks neat. Something different. When I was picking out beads, I knew I wanted to use this kind. I just didn't know what color. I love green, and these beads all came in a pack together. I love the yellow and green combination, I just have to find something in my wardrobe that will match it. Again, this was super simple. The necklace I bought already made. It's so delicate and even the right length! So all I had to do was put the beads on, which actually wasn't that easy, come to think of it. Trying to get the loops on those head pins just right is difficult, but I made it work out in the end. So that's all for my latest jewelry making projects. You got something to read and I got some new jewelry to wear. :)