If you haven’t figured out that I’m trying to get through the ABC’s of Love, well, I am. I’m feeling a little tied down to those posts while I have letters that aren’t finished. So, I’m trying to get those all out and done so I can move on to other things. Two months of nothing but love posts (well, almost nothing but love) has me worn a little thin and I’m sure I started repeating myself about 6 weeks ago, right? Well, my apologies and thanks for sticking with me. I have some fun posts planned for the next few weeks.
So, have you ever needed some jewelry for an event or occasion, but don’t have the budget to go out and get some? A couple years ago, My Mr Right was working for the Army. It was a civilian position, but he was required to wear his ACU’s to work (the camouflage uniforms). And, because he had this job, he was also required to attend the Annual Military Ball. At $20/ticket, we were less than thrilled. However, it gave me the excuse to buy a new dress and shoes. I spent thriftily (dress $20 and shoes $10) and borrowed what I could, but I didn’t have any jewelry and could find any I liked in my price range. I walked down the beading aisle at Wal-Mart and the love affair began. I love to make my own jewelry. For about $10 I got everything I needed to make earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. And there were leftovers. Waaay cheaper than the jewelry I’d been looking at. And I think it turned out nicely.
Ok, here’s the how:
1) Gather your supplies. You will need wire or beading cord, clasps, scissors or bead wire cutters, super glue and your beads of choice.
2) Lay out or draw out your basic pattern. At least have an idea of what you want. I usually tie off one end of the wire and attach the clasp and just string one way. But you can start in the middle and work your way out. Just be careful about where the ends of your wire are. There’s nothing worse than to string in on there and then pull the wire out and have to do it all over again.
3) Begin stringing you beads in the pattern you outlined in the previous step.
4) If you are going to do multiple stings, you will still need to string out the entire pattern, attach the other end of the clasp and tie it off so you have a single- strand, completed necklace.
5) Decide where you want your multiple strands to start and end. Take a piece of wire or cord (that is triple the length from your start point to your stop point) and loop it up through the bead that is at your starting point. Pull it a third of the way through the start point bead. String your beads in the desired pattern on both ends of the wire. This should make two stands of beads.
6) Take the end of the wire that should be almost out of room and thread it through the “end” bead. Secure it with several twists above the “end bead and a dot of super glue. Let dry. Be sure to avoid contact with the other beads or any other surfaces.
7) Take the end of the wire that still has a lot of room on it and loop it through the “end” bead and the bead above it. Loop the “end” over the second bead and back down through the “end” bead. You should be able to string another strand on the rest of the wire, making four strands total. Secure the end of this wire the same way you did in the previous step, but with the “start” bead.
You may want to tangle your strands together before you secure them for a more cohesive look.
