Category Archives: jewelry tutorials

Handmade jewelry tutorials, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more.

September 12, 2018 · 6:16 am

Quidditch Necklace

Forget cricket and polo – every wizard and Muggle knows there’s only one sport worth watching on blustery fall days…

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A combination of basketball, soccer and maybe cricket (?), Quidditch is the sport of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Played on brooms, the game involves getting balls into goal posts, all while one member of each team tries to capture the illustrious Golden Snitch, which is about the size of a plum and travels at crazy speeds. When a team captures the Snitch, the game is over and that team wins.

Featuring a Quaffle (the big red ball), two Bludgers (the brown balls) and a Golden Snitch, this necklace is a must for all Quidditch fans! The beads are made using clay then tied onto a black cord.

This is a simple and attractive statement piece that is sure to impress Harry Potter fans of all ages.

Quidditch Necklace

Materials:

  • Maroon, yellow and brown clay
  • Round ball tool (large)
  • Clay poking needle
  • Cord
  • Thin gold wire
  • Jewelry pliers
  • Jewelry wire cutters

Instructions:

First, make your large quaffle ball. For the quaffle, I used a piece of maroon clay about the size of my thumb…maybe a wee bit bigger. Roll it into a ball…it’s okay if it’s not 100% even, it gives it a well-worn look!

To try to avoid fingerprints, I put the ball on a needle as I worked. I used the large ball tool to make the indents in the ball, then used the needle tool to make the lines connecting the indents. I also used the ball tool to texture the rest of the ball…then set it aside.

For the bludgers, I tried to make the line around the ball before baking the beads, but I couldn’t get it to work…so I just made round beads, poked a hole in the center, and made the line around the balls (using a needle tool) after they had baked and cooled:

quidditch-necklace1

For the snitch, I rolled a tiny piece of yellow clay into a ball. I still had a little red clay on my fingers, which gave this snitch a little red hue, which I actually really like. I baked all my beads at the same time (about 275 degrees in a toaster oven for about 5 to 10 minutes).

Once the snitch was cool, I took two pieces of jewelry wire and formed wings…then used my jewelry pliers to gently poke the wings into the bead.

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Then all you have to do is string those beads onto a cord and you’re good to go! I used wire to create a little jump ring to help thread the snitch onto the cord since I couldn’t fit the string through the hole in the bead. I also tied knots between the beads to keep them in place.

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I really like how this necklace turned out! It was super easy to make and is a fun statement piece that Harry Potter fans will love!

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

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March 28, 2018 · 10:04 am

The Answer to the Great Question Necklace

Rarely has a book come along that has impressed me quite like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. There’s love! There’s wit! There’s humor! There’s adventure! I’ve read the darn thing twice already and I still laugh out loud and find myself smiling through the entire story.

Hahahah, aww man…it’s the simple humor that gets me every time.

Arguably one of the great parts of the book is when Deep Thought gives the answer – the BIG ANSWER – to Life, the Universe and Everything. Want to know what it is? Read on, weary travelers!

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The Answer to the Great Question Necklace

Materials:

  • Jewelry chain
  • Jewelry wire cutters
  • Clasp (optional)
  • Jump rings
  • Jewelry pliers
  • Number charms
  • White clay
  • Long earring stem
  • Black clay
  • Green clay
  • Craft knife
  • Mod Podge
  • Painting brush
  • 5-6 funky green beads
  • Jewelry wire (about 8-10 in.)

Directions:

  1. Cut your jewelry chain to the desired length. If it’s too small to fit over your head, you can add a clasp. Otherwise you can just join the two ends with a jump ring, up to you!
  2. Lay your necklace out flat to find the center of the chain. Using jewelry pliers, attach a “4” and a “2” to the middle of the necklace, separated by about 3 or 4 chains.
  3. To make your little Marvin, roll out a dime-sized piece of white clay into a ball. Insert long earring stem into bead to hold it while you work. Roll tiny amount of black clay into a log, then attach to bead to from mouth. Roll out green clay paper thin. Using craft knife, cut two tiny triangles. Attach to mouth as teeth. Bake your bead at 230 degrees F. for about 10 minutes (you can bake it on the earring stem, no need to remove it).
  4. Once my bead was baked and cooled, I did a light coat of Mod Podge and let it dry.
  5. Using pliers, create loop at end of jewelry wire. Place two funky green beads on jewelry wire, followed by Marvin bead, then three more funky beads. Feel free to switch this up however you like! Using pliers, create loop at top end of jewelry wire.
  6. Lay wire with beads next to necklace wherever you’d like it to be. Using wire cutters, cut chain at top and bottom loop of wire with beads, then attach loops of wire to chain using jump rings.
    necklace3

And there you have it! A necklace showcasing the Answer to the Great Question…of Life, the Universe, and Everything (it’s 42 in case that wasn’t clear…the Answer is 42). 😉

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

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February 7, 2018 · 8:16 am

10 Heart-Shaped Jewelry Projects

This Valentine’s Day, wear your heart on your sleeve…or neck or hand with these cute heart-shaped jewelry projects!

heart-shaped-jewelry

10 Heart-Shaped Jewelry Projects

Copper Wire Heart Bracelet

bracelet

Perler Bead Heart Necklace

necklace

Plastic Hearts Necklace

hearts

Mini Heart Earrings

heart earrrings

Beaded Heart Ring

ring

Color Block Heart Necklace

color block

Heartbeat Necklace

heart beat

Embroidered Heart Locket

embroidery stitch

Sweet Candy Necklace

candy

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

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December 27, 2017 · 9:27 am

10 Larger Than Life Earrings

Looking for fun ways to get on trend this year? Pinterest recently released the top trends expected for 2018, one of which being larger than life earrings.

These earrings the size of your head are already taking over Pinterest and Craftgawker, and you’re bound to see them in accessory stores all over in the next few months!

But with these 10 Larger Than Life Earrings, you can get ahead of the trend and be runway ready in no time.

10 Larger Than Life Earrings

larger-than-life-earrings

  1. DIY Tassel Earrings
  2. DIY Crochet Earrings
  3. Pom-Pom Dangle Earrings
  4. Geometric Tassel Earrings
  5. DIY Pom-Pom Earrings
  6. Geometric Gold Statement Earring
  7. Rainbow Paper Earrings
  8. Beaded Fringe Earrings
  9. Cascada Earrings
  10. Hoop to Be Square Earrings

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

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October 19, 2016 · 7:26 am

Daryl Dixon-Inspired Necklace

I really don’t think there’s a TWD fan out there that doesn’t love Daryl Dixon. Armed with amazing hunting and tracking skills, a killer bow and arrow (that you can totally buy at Wal-Mart!), and rugged sexy good looks, Daryl is the guy you want on your side should the zombie apocalypse ever happen. Modeled after Daryl’s winged jacket and showcasing an arrow with a little bead of blood, this Daryl Dixon Inspired Necklace is a moderate and fun way to show your true love for this bike-riding man’s man.

the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-necklace

Daryl Dixon-Inspired Necklace

Materials:

  • Necklace Chain
  • Wire Cutters
  • Jump Rings
  • Metal Clasp
  • Jewelry Pliers
  • Wing Charms (2 needed)
  • Arrow Charm
  • Red Bead
  • E6000 Glue (optional)

 

Instructions:

  1. Cut your chain to size and attach your jump ring and metal clasp.
  2. String two wing charms on your chain, making sure the feathers on both sides face outwards.
  3. In the middle of the wings, use a jump ring to attach the arrow and red bead to the necklace.
  4. To make my wings stand out straight, I actually used E6000 glue to attach the two wings together on the back of the charms. This prevents them from moving around and flipping over when I wear my necklace.

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

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September 28, 2016 · 8:00 am

Where the Wild Things Are Necklace

By now, dear readers, you must know that I am a huge Maurice Sendak fan.  I know I’ve written about him at least a couple times on this blog.  I own several of his books, I dressed up as Max from Where the Wild Things Are for Halloween one year…heck, I even have a Sendak-inspired tattoo on my leg.  I adore his stories and his views on how children should be taught and raised.

So today I’d like to share a fun little necklace with you, inspired by Max from Where the Wild Things Are.  Made of clay, this little charm could also make a great ornament or gift embellishment.

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Where the Wild Things Are Necklace

Materials:

  • Gold Clay
  • Gray or Off White Clay
  • Clay Roller
  • Sharp Knife
  • Aluminum Foil (optional)
  • Toothpick or Sewing Needle
  • Jump Ring
  • Chain

 

Instructions:

  1. Work gold clay until it’s soft and pliable.  Roll out flat.
  2. Using the sharp knife, cut out the crown shape.  I just cut out triangles from the clay.  Easy peasy!
  3. Wrap clay around your finger to form crown, trimming any excess clay if necessary.  If you find it too hard to use a finger, you can also make a mold from aluminum foil and wrap your clay around that.
  4. Work gray clay until it’s soft and pliable.  Roll clay into a log, about ¼ in. thick.
  5. Wrap around base of crown and press lightly to secure it in place.
  6. Using the toothpick or sewing needle, drag the point through the gray clay several times to create the look of “fur”.  Careful not to push too hard and cut through the clay.
  7. Carefully poke a hole in one of the points of the crown.  This will be for your jump ring.
  8. Slightly bend the points of the crown back so crown looks curved.  You can bend the points over a pencil or pen if you’d like.
  9. Bake the crown following package instructions on your clay.  Mine took about 15 minutes at 275 degrees F.
  10. Let your crown cool completely.
  11. Once cooled, attach a jump ring to the crown and string it through your chain.

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

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September 7, 2016 · 7:04 am

Deathly Hallows-Inspired Necklace

Made up of a triangle, circle, and vertical line, the Deathly Hallows symbol is one all Harry Potter fans are sure to recognize. Made to resemble the Elder Wand (the line), the Resurrection Stone (the circle), and the Cloak of Invisibility (the triangle), the Deathly Hallows sign represents three legendary objects that allegedly, if united, would make one the “Master of Death”. This symbol appears several times towards the end of the Harry Potter series and has become a mark several Potterheads now wear with pride.

deathly-hallows-necklace

If you want to sport this sign and join the ranks of Death Conquerors, you can create your own Deathly Hallows necklace with only a few simple materials! I made two different versions…so if you don’t like the free form look of one, you can reference the tighter look of the other.

 

Materials:

  • Long Gold Metal Chain
  • 2-4 Gold Jump Rings (or make your own!)
  • Gold Wand Charm
  • Round Nose Pliers
  • Wire Cutters
  • 20 Gauge Gold Wire

 

Directions:

  1. OPTIONAL: I didn’t have jump rings in the correct color for this project, so I just made my own using the 20-gauge wire. There are TONS of tutorials on YouTube for how to make your own jump rings. If you want to make your own, make 2-5 jump rings before jumping in to this project so they’re all ready to go.
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  2. To make the circle, I used a bottle cap to act as a template for the wire. I just cut a small piece and fed it into the inner part of the bottle cap to form a circle. Twist the two ends of the wire around the circle to secure it in place.
    screen-shot-2016-09-06-at-11-37-30-am
  3. For the triangle, I created a small loop on one end of the wire, then drew a small triangle on a piece of paper. Line up the wire along the template to form your triangle, then feed the wire back through the loop to secure the triangle. Trim and turn the remaining wire into another loop to make it easier to attach it to the necklace.
    screen-shot-2016-09-06-at-11-38-07-am
  4. Once you’ve created your circle and triangle, add jump rings to both pieces, as well as the wand charm. This step is also optional, but I made a larger jump ring and attached all pieces together so the chain only had to feed through one ring.
  5. If you want a tighter look, you can make the circle and triangle out of one piece of wire. For this option, I made the circle first, then wrapped the excess wire around the circle to form the triangle, securing it at the base of the circle. Attach the circle and wand charms to one jump ring and feed the chain through the ring.

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

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July 20, 2016 · 7:05 am

How to Make a Braided Seed Bead Necklace

CONFESSION:  I hate seed beads.  Usually I avoid working with them because they get EVERYWHERE, they’re way too dang small to see, and THEY GET EVERYWHERE.

However, I do love the look of a seed bead necklace.  I’m not one to shy away from color and seed bead necklaces are a fun and colorful accessory for summer…so I decided to give seed beads another try…

I still hate them.

Granted this was a fun project to make and I really like the way it turned out (I love the colors!), but DAMN! those beads are so freaking tiny.  It took WAY too long to actually finish this necklace and I’ll probably just resort to the creatives at Charming Charlie to create future seed bead accessories for my person, but if you’re looking for a fun jewelry project to make for the summer and are crazy bored one lazy, rainy weekend, jumping into a seed bead project will certainly help pass the time!

braided-seed-bead-necklace

Braided Seed Bead Necklace

Materials:

  • 2 strands of seed beads in the colors of your choice
  • Needle
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • E6000 Glue
  • 2 ribbon clamps
  • 2 jump rings
  • 1 clasp
  • Jewelry pliers
  • PATIENCE

Instructions:

  1. Using a needle and thread, restring seed beads so you have 16 to 18 long strands of beads.  If the seed beads you buy come on a string long enough to braid, you can omit this step, but my beads were on small strings.  Whomp whomp!  Make sure you leave long ends at the beginning and end of each strand.
    Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 10.54.22 AMHelpful Hint:  I discovered this AMAZING trick to help you string your seed beads.  If you’re stringing with your right hand, wrap your left index finger with a piece of masking tape, sticky side out.  Use the tape to pick up seed beads and just slide the needle through the beads on your finger!  This saved me SO much time in making this necklace.

2. Once all your beads are strung, tie all the strings together with a knot at the top of the strings.  Tape your beads down on a flat surface and divide your strings into four equal groups of strings (I actually had two more strings than I needed, so mine were not even, but whateve’s!).
Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 10.54.54 AM
Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 10.55.23 AM
3.  Braid your beads in a 4-strand braid.  I found this video helpful if you don’t know how to braid with four strings:

4. Once your braid is complete, tie strings together like you did at the top of the necklace.
Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 10.56.01 AM

5. Secure each knot with a small drop of E6000 glue.

6. Clasp the ribbon clamps on each knot.  The E6000 glue will also help keep these clamps secure.

7. Attach one jump ring to one end and a clasp and jump ring to the other.
Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 10.56.35 AM

Show off your new braided necklace!

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

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June 15, 2016 · 9:59 am

How to Make a Pocketwatch Necklace

pocket-watch-necklace-final

Last month I was helping my mom clean up her house and came across one of my dad’s old pocket watches. I recently lost my father to pancreatic cancer so finding this little trinket brought up a rush of emotions.

pocket-watch-necklace

The pocket watch no longer works, but I thought it might be fun to turn it into a cute charm necklace to remind me of him.

This was a surprisingly super easy project to do and one you can easily embellish and re-create if you want to transform a family trinket into something new. It would be great for pins, brooches, lockets, and even wrist watches.

I added a little rabbit charm to the clock since his favorite book was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and that book always reminds me of him. Plus, it serves as a little reminder of how quickly time can get away from us. Cherish every moment!

pocket-watch-necklace-rabbit-charm

UPDATE: I first decided to just string the chain through the pocket watch but it kept sliding around and knocking into the charm…so I cut the chain and reattached each side to the actual pocket watch to prevent it from sliding back and forth.

pocket-watch-necklace-update

As an added dedication, I set the time to his birthday: 10:23:58.

pocket-watch-necklace-time-set

As we come upon Father’s Day, be sure to tell your parents how much they mean to you. Time passes too quickly and we just never know how much time we have together. I think about my dad every day and wish I could have just 5 more minutes with him to tell him again how much I love him.

pocket-watch-necklace-2

When you’re little, you think everyone—especially your parents—will be alive forever…and even in adulthood, it feels so strange that he’s not here. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it or it will ever seem “normal”, but I take every day as it comes and remain thankful for all the blessings in my life.

 

Alice: “How long is forever?”

White Rabbit: “Sometimes, just one second.”

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

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June 8, 2016 · 8:35 am

Spoonful of Sugar Necklace

spoonful-of-sugar-necklace1Mary Poppins is one of the first movies I remember watching over and over again. I knew the whole movie beginning to end and, even in my hyper young state, would sit unmoved and watch every glorious minute of that near 3-hour movie.

My love for Mary Poppins has followed me into adulthood, and I’ve learned to appreciate this amazing movie on a whole new level. Hell, my husband and I even went as Mary and Bert for Halloween a few years ago!:

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So when I stumbled upon this cute spoon charm at my local craft store, I couldn’t resist the chance to turn it into a Spoonful of Sugar necklace!

mary-poppins-charm

Great for bridesmaids, friends, mom, or just as a little treat for yourself, this precious necklace is a subtle nod to a wonderful and classic Disney movie.

Spoonful of Sugar Necklace

Materials:

  • Spoon charm
  • Small pearl bead
  • E6000 glue or super glue
  • Chain or old necklace rope
  • Jewelry pliers
  • Jump rings (optional)
  • Various charms (optional)


Instructions:

  1. Using the E6000 glue, carefully attach pearl bead to spoon charm. If the bead doesn’t stay, you can also try super glue or a hot glue gun, but E6000 should easily to do the trick. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step, about 10 minutes.
    mary-poppins-charm-pearl
  2. String your spoon charm onto the chain or necklace. You can make it long enough so you won’t need a clasp or you can attach a clasp using jewelry pliers and jump rings. I actually attached my charm with a jump ring because the hole on the charm was too small for the end of the chain to fit through.
  3. Once your spoon is centered on your chain, you can add various charms onto the chain if you’d like.

Enjoy your new necklace!

movies mary poppins

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

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