Saucy

This necklace is super-simple, but it adds a big wow factor to an outfit.

It's made from large red porcelain beads with black flecks, red Swarovski crystals, and black glass beads strung on two different lengths of wire.

Twilight Bracelet

Since New Moon is coming out next month, I figured I'd post this...

As you may know, I'm a pretty big fan of the Twilight books. Well, in book 3 (Eclipse) there's a bracelet that I just had to have, so I decided to make it myself.

The bracelet in the book consists of a tiny wood-carved wolf charm from the Jacob character and a crystal/diamond heart from the Edward character on a silver charm bracelet.

Well, I'm not talented enough to carve a little wolf out of wood, and although I could make a wolf out of clay, there's no way I could make it small enough to fit on a bracelet. And even if I could make a wolf that small, it's little legs would break off before the bracelet could even be worn. So, I drew a wolf into a small clay disk. Pewter wolf charms are sold on jewelry Web sites though, if you're interested.

The heart charms are just crystal hearts hooked on using a large jump ring. I make them in both clear crystal and AB (aurora borealis) crystal.

After I made my bracelet, I found a couple Web sites that you can purchase them from online. While mine costs less than $5 to make, check out the prices on these:

$79.00 @ twilighttees.com

$59.95 @ twilightstyle.com

The inspiration:

Fastened to one of the links of the silver bracelet was a tiny wooden carving. I held it between my fingers to look at it closer. It was amazing the amount of detail involved in the little figurine - the miniature wolf was utterly realistic. It was even carved out of some red-brown wood that matched the color of his skin.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. "You made this? How?"

I examined it cautiously. On the opposite side of the chain from the wolf, there now hung a brilliant heart-shaped crystal. It was cut into a million facets, so that even in the subdued light shining from the lamp, it sparkled. I inhaled a low gasp.

"But I thought it was a good representation," he continued. "It's hard and cold." He laughed. "And it throws rainbows in the sunlight."

"You forgot the most important similarity," I murmured. "It's beautiful."

"My heart is just as silent," he mused. "And it, too, is yours."

#1 Making Loops on "Eye Posts" (with video!)

I've been working on this necklace for the past couple days, and now that it's finished I figured I'd post it and teach you how to make the loops to make one of these for yourself.

This necklace is just regular silver chain that is covered with beads that hang off of it. In order to make a bead hang, you'll need some "eye posts" (little metal rod/post things) that have a flat-bottom (to keep the bead from sliding off the end) and on the other end you'll need to make a loop.

There are two ways to make a loop on the wire, and both are represented in the two videos below (mind the volume, while I do not narrate, the microphone picks up the music from my husband's video game in the background very strongly).

For what I'll call "Loop #1" you put the bead on the post. Bend the top of the post above the bead to create a 90 degree angle. Grip the top portion of the post right above the bead with the rounding shears and bend the remaining wire around the shears. Clip the excess post and finish bending the wire with the rounding shears to get the best looking loop possible.

 Loop #1

For "Loop #2" you follow the first couple steps of the first loop: Put the bead on the post. Bend the top of the post above the bead to create a 90 degree angle. But then, you clip the excess portion of the top of the post. Grip the shears to the very end of the remaining post and loop the shears while pulling the wire to bend it into a circle (instead of bending the wire around the shears like loop 1).

 Loop #2

Loop #1 is probably the safest for a beginner because you don't have to worry about trimming the wire too close and not having enough wire to make a loop. Loop #2 actually produces a rounder, prettier loop though; if you're bold enough to do it.

Well, if you repeat that step only another 150 times (haha, my fingers hurt) with various beads (I used a lot of crystals) and fix each bead on the chain, you'll end up with this (with an added pendant of course).

The funny thing is, what I said about my fall necklaces being Christmas presents applies to this necklace as well. The person I made it for (and my family) will know who it's for as soon as they see it. And if she sees it, then she sees it, but don't tell her it's here just in case!

I also made a pair of matching earrings (sorry about the photo, it's flash bloated). I used three segments of the chain and fixed it to a pre-made earring hook (you can buy a pack of earring hooks at any craft store) and added some beads and a large jump ring loop with a silver bead on it (there are a few of those on the necklace as well).

I think I shall call this necklace... Bejeweled. Haha.

Beading Basics 101

I thought about it today, and I think that explaining the jewelry making tools might be useful. The tools in the picture below are the only four I use (except on occasion, regular old wire cutters from my husband's tool box).

The dark pink ones are teeny needle-nosed pliers for beads. They're great for opening/closing jump rings (the little round metal loops, there's a couple in the pictures below).

The green ones are the wire cutters. I use them to cut wire and even metal chain for charm bracelets (though I probably shouldn't use them to cut the chain). I once used them to cut memory wire. My advice to you, don't ever use regular wire cutters to cut memory wire... they make special wire cutters for that for a reason.

The light pink ones are crimping shears. They're flat-faced to smash a little metal bead called a crimping bead (I use those in today's necklace) which is used to keep regular beads from sliding off the end of the wire.

The purple ones are rounding shears. They're used to make metal rods/stems rounded by bending the stem around the shears. I'll show you how those work some other time.

For a very simple beads-on-wire necklace start with a crimp bead and a jump loop on a wire of your desired length (cut the wire a little longer to give room for trimming).

Loop the wire back through the crimp bead and use the crimping shears to smash the bead until it's flat.

Slide your beads onto the wire and add another crimping bead and another jump ring at the end. Put the wire back through the crimping bead (I like to slide the wire through some additional beads as well to hide the wire and prevent it from poking me in the back of the neck).

Smash the crimping bead (be careful not to smash the bead next to it too, it could break!). Trim the excess wire with the wire cutters.

Add a clasp (I like to use lobster clasps) and you've got a super-simple beaded necklace!