31 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 30 {Necklaces}

Welcome to Day 30! You can find the other 31 Days posts here.

A piece of jewelry is always a great gift for a woman.  On limited budgets accessories can sometimes be the last thing people buy for themselves so they appreciate when they receive them as gifts.  Here are some great necklaces that you can make for gifts.

Pom Pom Necklace by Stay At Home Artist
 

This necklace would not take very long to make at all but it is very stylish and cute!  I found the supplies needed at JoAnn's, but I'm sure Hobby Lobby would have them as well.  The tutorial can be found at Stay At Home Artist.


Mixed Metal Tassel Necklace by Infarrantly Creative
 

I love this necklace as well!  It would go with just about anything and since it has three different metals you can mix it with different colored metal pieces.  Head on over to Infarrantly Creative for the tutorial.


Fabric Bead and Knot Necklace by See Kate Sew

This necklace is great for moms of little ones, its safe for teething babies to chew on!  It is just fabric wrapped and knotted over wooden beads.  Cute!  You can find the tutorial over at See Kate Sew.

See you all tomorrow for the last day of 31 Days of Handmade Gifts!

31 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 4 {Stamped Metal Jewelry}

Welcome to Day 4 of 31 Days of Handmade Gifts!  You can find the other 31 Days posts here. 

Today's gift is Stamped Metal Jewelry.  I haven't made this myself yet, but I have bought a handmade necklace and plan to make some of my own stamped jewelry soon.  I chose this gift because it can be for an young girl (7-8 years old and up), teen, adult of any age, and both men and women.  I'm sure you're thinking that your guy won't wear jewelry, and you may be right, but keep reading!

Here are some of the items you could make.

A personalized necklace with name(s) or monograms:

 

 Image Source: Beaducation

This would be a wonderful gift for a mom, grandma, a young girl (maybe for a necklace to exchange with her friends?) or any lady on your gift list.  The necklace I have is of mine and my husband's initials, a perfect gift for a bride or newlywed!  I especially like the layered necklaces with more than one metal disc.  My second one is a cute little bird! You can also add any metal charm or bead.  My personal favorite is the pearl.  And the possibilities don't stop at names or monograms.  I have seen dates (again, great for a bride/newlywed), words, phrases or Bible verse references.  The possibilities really are endless!  As I'm sure you are aware, you could also make a bracelet or earrings, like the ones below.

 

Image Source: All Free Beaded Jewelry

 

Image Source: Etsy

Isn't that bracelet cute?!  It's made out of an old spoon!  And I just love the dandelion on those earrings!

Now for the gifts for guys.  If you can get that guy in your life to wear jewelry, these necklaces are great options.

Image Sources: Beaducation

The stamped message could also be anything related to a special date or favorite saying or verse of his.  My favorite stamped metal gift for a guy are these keychains made out of washers.  I especially love the different colors of the text!

Image Source: Girl In Air

Girl in Air even has a tutorial here for how to stamp metal.  The Idea Room also has a tutorial for stamped necklaces, which is probably what I will try making first.  Another great resource for stamping how-to's and ideas is Beaducation.  They have a beginning stamping checklist, free online video classes, a lot of ideas and a store to buy supplies.  There are of course other sites with similar info that you could find with a simple search (as well as a book).  My favorite part about this gift idea is that you can make almost anything with stamped metal and take care of a lot of people on your Christmas list.  And if you look around for a cheap(er) stamp set, it's a pretty affordable project!

See you tomorrow for Day 5!

Pearl & Satin Ribbon Necklace {Tutorial}

This post gives instructions on how to make the necklace (or one similar) below!  I chose colors I like, but feel free to choose whatever colors and materials that are your favorites!

1.  Pick your beads/pearls and ribbon.  For mine I chose 2 sizes of grey pearls (about 8mm and 10 mm) and black satin ribbon (roughly 15mm thick).  I love dark/neutral jewelry because it goes with just about everything.  I used 22 pearls (11 of each), which was about 11 inches.  I would say between 10 and 12 is a good length for your beads, unless you want a choker or long necklace.


2.  Cut 2 pieces of ribbon, each about 1 yard (3 feet) in length.  So the ends don't fray, lightly run a lighter or match near the ribbon end (don't get too close, it will melt the ribbon into a nasty mess).  

(My workspace-the kitchen table-is black so put my ribbon on a piece of paper to show you.  While living in a condo the kitchen table also doubles as my craft table.  Can't wait to have a house and a room to "craft" in!)

3. Take the cord (above) all the way off the spool.  Put a bead on leaving about 5 inches (I did more than 5, but you only need a couple inches) between the bead and knotted end (the end without the needle).  Tie a double (or triple) knot with the cord around mid point of one ribbon (see pictures below - the knot needs to be between the needle and the bead). Make sure its secure.

4.  Put needle back through bead so long and short cord are both coming through the same hole of the bead.  (see picture below)  Tie short end of cord & long to make a knot after the 1st bead.  I recommend a double or triple knot and then using glue (jewelry or super glue) on the knot so that it doesn't ever come out.  Especially if your cord is silk/soft.  Trim the short piece of cord off.

5.  Tie a double knot (sometimes a single knot is too small depending on the size of the cord and the size of the bead opening) after the second bead.  Continue adding beads and tying double knots until you have reached your desired length.  Tying the knots directly behind the beads can be tricky.  To make it a little easier, grab right after the bead with tweezers or small pliers in left hand. Take the needle in right hand, go behind tweezers (moving left) and then go over tweezers (moving right) and take needle behind and under cord on right side of tweezers.  Pull string tight, don't let go of string with tweezers until knot is made completely.  (It might help to practice on spare string, it took me a couple of times to perfect my technique).  Make sure the cord to the left of the pliers is all the way to the left of it so your knot gets as close to the bead as possible.  If you get a knot a couple mm away from the bead, making a double or triple knot usually takes up the space.

6.  Once you put on the desired amount of beads tie a good double knot after the last bead.  Then use the string to double or triple knot around the middle of the 2nd piece of ribbon.  Take needle back through the last bead and tie a double knot between the last and 2nd to last bead. Put a drop of glue on the double knot and on the knot after the last bead (not the knot on the ribbon).  Trim off the excess (If you used a 2 meter piece, you will probably have enough for another necklace or a bracelet).  And admire the finished product!


Mine has a couple flaws as it was my first attempt at this piece, but I am very happy with it & can't wait to wear it!  I'll post a picture of me with it on.  It doesn't exactly go with my pajamas right now.  :)


If you don't have the time or skill/patience to make one of these, let me know and we can work something out! 

Lauren


Update:  After wearing my necklace the first time, I had to make a new one.  I didn't tie my knots after the first beads secure enough & it came off the ribbon.  But I made the changes in the directions & my second one is much better!  The key: double knots and glue around the beads at the very end!