The "Royal Garden" Necklace - My New Favorite Creation!

I couldn't help but share a little brag time with all y'all...

This is my latest masterpiece! I used my own little jewelry making tip to create this one - a genius little formula if I may say so myself. :)

Frankly, this necklace came together faster than many simpler necklaces that I've made in the past. Why? Simply because this technique uses a key element - INSPIRATION!



Using this simple formula to make your own amazing jewelry piece, here's a look at the second step - the attributes I picked to make this particular necklace. My inspiration piece has:

- a unique centerpiece
- mixed mediums (some faceted glass beads, crackled glass beads, metal accents, and many more...)
- and movement (from dangling charms)

And here's how I incorporated those features into my own creation:

Unique Centerpiece Pendant

Mixed Mediums
faceted glass beads, Austrian crystals, glass pearls, and metal accents in antique brass, pewter, and silver colors

Movement
dangling metal charms with Austrian crystals

The Results

And there you have it! My new favorite necklace that looks nothing like my inspiration piece, but includes the same attributes. :)

When I was done, I thought it looked like a little flower garden. My husband's first response was "It looks like royalty!" And that's how it got the happy little nickname - the "Royal Garden" necklace.

So check out the 3 simple steps to creating your own masterpiece... then come back and brag about it here! :)

Happy Beading everyone! :)

Jewelry Making Tip - How To Make Your Own Fabulously Unique Jewelry

Here's a jewelry making tip for all you folks looking for simple ways to get brilliant jewelry ideas. All you have to do is look at the jewelry you already love! Here are the steps:

1. Choose your favorite piece of jewelry - necklace, earrings, bracelet, or whatever you want. This is your inspiration piece.
2. Pick 3 attributes that you love about that piece. It can be the color, the length, the bead choices, the simplicity or complexity, the findings, the sparkle, the chunkiness, the bead pattern (large bead, small one, spacer, large, small, spacer,... you get the idea)
3. Build your own jewelry pattern based on those 3 attributes!

With this simple formula, you can make a bazzillion unique pieces inspired by one piece of jewelry. It works better for me than any other formula. I can follow a pattern, but with this technique, I get to make my own patterns.

Click here to see the jewelry piece I recently made using this pattern!

And for you pinners out there, here's the jewelry making formula in an image.

Once you've tried out this simple formula, come back and brag about it in the comments! We'd love to see what you have done with it. :)

Vintage Style Birthday Gift Idea - Cameo & Pearls on Ribbon and Chain

My friend's birthday was coming up... and I love birthdays! They give me a good excuse to make jewelry with a purpose... other than my own vanity. :-) My friend is a classy, crafty, yet conservative type so I hoped to make a necklace to fit her taste.

I took a small piece of chain, and began by attaching an assortment of different colored glass pearls. I'd found these classy little cameos a while back and it was perfect! Since the frame was antique brass, I chose some chain to match... and tada!!

Cameo Pearl Pendant on Ribbon & Chain

Mixed Modern & Vintage Necklace

Cameo & Pearls Pendant - This picture shows better detail of the cameo itself

And of course I never neglect the back. This time, it was just a fancy little vintage-ish clasp. Perfect finishing touch!

Vintage Style Clasp

Ok, with the necklace done, now it was time to work on the presentation! Half the fun of giving gifts is in the initial "WOW" factor.

For this one, I used a piece of gray cardstock and ran the edges across my blue ink pad. Then I used my favorite stamp across top that says "Handmade because you're worth it". Awesome right? To finish, I simply cut a small diagonal slice on either side of the cardstock and punched a hole for the chain and ribbon to come through.

Done! So easy and so classy...

...and what a great excuse to play in my beads. :)

Beautiful Bead Mess - My Solo Bead Party

 I played in my bead mess by myself today. A private bead party - just for me! :)

And I got absolutely nothing done! Want to see why?...

 Choices, choices, choices...

...so many pretty choices...

 

..I couldn't think where to begin! 

I had to go back to my jewelry box and remind myself of my needs - necklaces with color. I am in dire need of a teal necklace. Something basic. Something classic. Something that will go with everything. I didn't finish it, but with a few faceted glass beads and some ivory and teal pearls, I think this will do. 

What do you think?