Jewelry Making: Ocean Inspired Jewelry Gifts

 

Mr. Chocolate is going to visit his dad for a couple of weeks and FIL Chocolate has a lovely woman companion for whom I wanted to send something along. They're both widowed and neither are interested in getting remarried but it's been so great for us to know that he has someone to do things with. 

They live on the Washington Coast so when I looked in my bead stash, I went with colors inspired by that. 

Supplies

• Bead Landing Blue Green Swirl Glass Beads (Michaels)
• Bead Landing White Glass Beads (Michaels)
• Bead Landing Silver Spacer Beads (Michaels)
• Silver Bead Caps, Head Pins (usbeadwarehouse.com)
• Stretch Magic Cord (Michaels)
• Jump Rings
• Ear Wires
• Jewelry Pliers 

I'm one of those Makers who buys things on sale without necessarily having a project in mind but let's come back to that point later! I didn't do a lot of in process pictures but these are very straightforward basic jewelry making projects. 

For the earrings, I strung a white bead, then a swirl bead, and bead cap onto a decorative head pin then made a closed loop and attached to a fish hook ear wire. For the bracelet, I always cut the stretch cord longer than I need because for me it makes knotting easier and I've had to re-do one too many a bracelet when I don't. So if you track costs to the penny this may be wasteful to you but my frustration level is worth it! 

I love these clamps I got at Dollar Tree (automotive supplies) that I use on one end of the cord to keep the beads from falling off. Then used another bead cap, white bead, bead cap, swirl bead, spacer bead until sized to approx 7 inches, my standard women's bracelet size.

The colors and swirls remind me of ocean waves so I think they'll be perfect "at the ocean". After I showed these to Mr. Chocolate, he asked if I would make something for his dad too. Twist my arm!

The best thing about being a hoarder, I mean Maker, is having choices in my stash. Living where I do and having now been through two bead show seasons (Tucson is a world leader in bead and gemstone shows) I'd picked up some Fancy Mixed Jasper that I thought worked colorwise. I used the same silver spacer beads and chose a silver bead as the focal bead. 

But why are there two bracelets shown? Because that's how things go in Casa Chocolate. I'll nake something as a gift. Mr. Chocolate sees it and says "I want one". And that's exactly what happened here so twist my arm! I made him one too! 

This really reminds me of all the colors you can see on the Washington coast. Heathers, and evergreens and the ocean that sometimes looks green, the overcast skies etc. 

I love that gemstones all have a story. 

Jewelry Making: Silver and Grey Owl Earrings

 

I had a "hoot" making these. Couldn't resist. But I did have fun and what's great about being able to make your own jewelry is when you get tired of something you can switch out parts and make something new! I had a different pair I didn't love so I took them apart and can repurpose the parts. I used the tops for these. 

Supplies

• Charms to use as earring posts* 
• Jump Rings
• Head Pins
• Silver Ball Beads
• Jewelry Pliers
• Owl Ceramic Beads (JoAnn)

I don't have pierced ears, so I'm always on the hunt for charms or small pendants to which I can glue clip-backs. You could do the same with post-backs or skip this part and use fish hook earring wires. 

JoAnn is having a LOT of great sales lately. For your fabric crafters, I just got an email that they have a whole selection of fabrics priced as low as $2 per yard! I picked these beads up when they had all Hildie and Jo beads 3 for $10 and now they have them 4 for $10! Yes, I'm going back.

I love owls and couldn't resist these cute little guys. I grabbed some silver ball beads from my stash along with head pins and jump rings and strung a silver bead, an owl bead, and another silver bead onto a head pin. 

If you're using ear wires, you can make a wrapped loop and attach to the ear wire. Since the clip backs were already attached to these, I just attached the two parts together with a jump ring. 

I think I saw these owls came in blue too so now that beads are on an even better sale...

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Sundays on Silverado

Jewelry Making: Memorial Bracelets

 

I share a Birthday Month with several friends. For one, this year's birthday will be much harder. Not only are she and I "Virgo Babies", her oldest daughter is one too. Earlier this year, it was a joyful day when they welcomed her daughter's first baby and my friend's first grandbaby. Sadly, that precious girl was taken suddenly last month. 

I wanted to do something to show my love for them and to remember her. Sapphire is the birthstone for September so blue was a given. I had some Sodalite beads I was saving for a special project. This was it.

Supplies

• Sodalite Beads
• Elastic Stringing Cord
• Bead Caps
• Teddy Bear Charms
• Jewelry or Superglue

My original plan was to use the blue crystal beads shown here as a focal but I didn't love it once I strung it on the cord so I switched to an opaque white crystal bead shown here. Aesthetically and symbolically, the white bead worked better representing her innocence.

I love these pink clips from Dollar Tree for Jewelry Making! I cut pieces of the stretchy cord longer than I need because I like the extra length for tying tension. Others measure more precisely. It's a personal choice. Starting with the bead cap, string the gemstone beads until you reach desired length. In general my bracelets are about 7 and 1/4 inches when finished.

I love Loctite's Gel Super Glue for jewelry making. EVERY brand, and I mean EVERY, of Jewelry Glue I've tried ends up getting gloopy and clogged and I've thrown more tubes away because the glue won't come out. This stuff works just as well for me and never clogs. Tie an overhand knot, dot with a small dab of the glue, then tie again. If I'm using heavier beads, I do this again. Using a wire cutter or small scissors, trim the ends. 

I was at Michaels and saw these Teddy Bear charms by Bead Landing and they seemed perfect to add to these. 

I used the silver ones which I used 7MM jump rings to attach. TIP: When I add charms, I add them where I knot the bracelet. 

Of course, I also made a card which I coordinated with the colors in the bracelets.

Nothing can replace their loss but I hope these small things made from the heart will show my love.

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Jewelrymking: Galentine's Gifts

 

Best laid plans...I was supposed to have an annual Galentine's lunch with friends but work got in the way for one so we had to postpone. Nonetheless, I'll have their gifts ready for when we meet! Used up more of the two strands of Hildie and Jo Silver Beads from the earrings and bracelet I made for myself and enjoyed making things for friends that coordinate us all!anding 

Supplies:

• Hildie and Jo Silver Heart Beads (JoAnn)
• Black Czech Crystal Beads (Stash)
• Bead Landing "Fish Hook" Ear Wires
• Jump Rings and Head Pins
• Black Cardstock
• Black Organza Bags

Strung a small black bead on the headpin, a silver heart, then the larger black bead and closed the loop. Then using a jump ring, attached the fish hook. 

The process is the same for all earrings. As Makers, gift presentation is important, right? Using my Cricut Design Space subscription and my Cricut Explore Air, I cut out Earring Cards for the earrings. 

I like using 110lb cardstock for these since it doesn't bend easily.

TIP: To keep the earrings in place on the card use a piece of washi tape on the back to hold them in place. 

I wasn't quite finished! My go-tos for packaging jewelry gifts are Organza Bags. You can find them at craft or jewelry supply stores and sometimes, at Dollar Tree. 

All ready to go! 

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Jewelrymaking: Rose Quartz Bracelet With Heart Charm

 

I had some silver heart beads left over from the earring project I shared and I remembered that I'd picked up a strand of Rose Quartz beads at Michaels not too long ago. They're really upped their game by carrying a much bigger selection of natural stone. Rose Quartz is a PERFECT stone to use with hearts or for Valentine's day because: 

"Rose quartz is known as the crystal of unconditional love. It's said to boost feelings of self-love and foster loving relationships with others."

And I really liked these beads because of the paleness of the pink. I'm not a super pink person but these I call "neutral pink". 

Supplies: 

• 12MM Rose Quartz Beads (Michaels)
• Stretch Cord
• Silver Heart Bead 
• Headpin
• Black Crystal Beads
• Crystal Cup Charms
• Jewelry Plier 
• Jewelry or Super Glue

 

If I have a "signature" it's adding charm dangles to my stretch bracelets. It started with one and became a habit. So that's the first thing I did using the same process I did to make my earrings. 

I used one of the heart beads and two more black crystal beads strung on a headpin. 

After stringing the Rose Quartz beads on the stretch cord to fit my wrist, I tied off the cord with a simple knot and then added a dot of Super Glue, let dry, then tied another overhand knot. 

I opened a jump ring and added the charm to it.

To finish, add the dangle to the bracelet. I also added a Charm A Long crystal charm because I'm blingy like that. 

Like the earrings I made, it doesn't scream "Valentine's" to me but something that can be worn whenever. 

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Jewelrymaking: Filigree Silver Heart Valentine's Earrings

 

I often buy supplies for my stash without having a specific project in mine. In this case, JoAnn was having a great sale on beads when I bought the silver heart beads I used in this project. Something like 70% off during one of their sales last year. So when I decided I wanted some Valentine's themed earrings...into my stash I went!

Supplies:

• Silver Heart Beads (JoAnn or Bead Stores)
• Head Pins and Jump Rings
• Black Crystal Beads 
• Hammered Links (Bead Landing,Michaels)
• Floral Charms and Earring Backs for Clips
• Jewelry or Strong Bond Glue 

Since these beads were such a great deal on sale, of course I bought two sets! I chose the filigree design for my earrings. Since I wear clip-on earrings, I chose some floral charms (Shipwreck Beads) big enough to accommodate my clip earring backs. 

I like the Loctite Gel Superglue. It's low odor and holds as strong as jewelry glue. Put a little dab on the earring back and then position on the back of the floral charm. If you have pieced ears, skip this step and use a fish hook ear wire. 

I love these little clamps I found at Dollar Tree which are the perfect size for small projects. I always clamp my glued earring backs to ensure the strongest bond.

Next, I grabbed a couple of pins from my supplies, along with some black Czech glass beads. I strung the black and heart beads on the pins and made a closed loop.

To put things all together, I used some hammered silver links and jump rings I had on hand to connect the earring clips and the heart pins.

Connect the jump ring to the link and then using regular jump rings, attach the heart pins and floral sections.

The best part is, these don't scream Valentine's Day to me so I can wear them whenever but they also work for V-Day!  Come back to see what  I did with the remaining beads! 

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