Anthropologie Knock Off Necklace

I’m all about the knockoff. I know there are people out there who will stop at nothing to have the real deal, but if I can have something just as good for half, sometimes a quarter, of the price, I’ll take it.

When I was browsing through my local Anthropologie store, I came upon a necklace that I just loved. It was made with 3 simple felt accordion beads and 3 contrasting color beads. I carried it with me through the store, contemplating whether I could force myself to splurge on this $100 necklace…and finally I gave up. I put it back and told myself that maybe I’d come back if I got a bonus, or lost 10 pounds, or happened to find a $100 bill in a pair of old jeans…

Needless to say I’ve yet to buy the necklace…however, I did discover a fun way to make my own rendition! While this one isn’t as colorful as the one I saw, it’s the same basic idea. I didn’t want to have to buy anything to make it, so I used felt scraps I had in my fabric drawer and the beads from a broken bracelet that has been sitting in my dresser for years. I didn’t have a chain that was empty, so instead I used some yarn and made it long enough so it can slip over my head.

I think this is an easy and fun statement piece and a great way to get the look you love for free!

Felt Knockoff Necklace

Materials:

• Scrap pieces of felt–you’ll need 5 small circles of the same size per felt bead.  I used a quarter as my template
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun/glue
• Chain or yarn
• Needle
• Beads

Directions:

1. Fold one of the circles in half and place a thin line of glue down the middle crease of the circle.  Fold another circle in half and glue the two pieces together.  Repeat this all the way around and then secure the bead by gluing the center fold of the last circle to the center fold of the first circle.  You can also make the bead lie flat by gluing the last circle to both halves of the first and last circle folds.  That way it opens up like an accordion.  
   
2. Repeat for your other two felt beads.
3. Then with a needle and your yarn, string your beads into a necklace.  If you’re using a chain, it’s helpful to place the chain in the middle of the bead before you secure it closed to you don’t have to thread the chain through the felt bead.  

And there you go!  Easy, fun, and economical.  Plus it’s a great way to make a thrifty and fashionable statement!

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.