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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

Quick project post: that necklace I just HAD to make

As I enthusiastically shared in this improptu post the weekend before last, I am now totally inspired to make jewelry!  I loved Andrea's tutorial for a super fun and easy statement necklace, and just HAD to go out and get myself some beads.

The same day, I made a stop at a JoAnn superstore, but was totally disappointed by the selection.  Since this was only the second or so attempt I've ever done at making a necklace, I didn't want to spend the big bucks on the fancy beads, but I still needed quite a few!  And honestly, a big part of the charm of Andrea's creation was the amazing beads in that great color.

But I was determined, so I settled on some plastic beads and got a little bracelet/necklace kit and some crimp beads (I had never used crimp beads before--OMG, they are amazing!).  I immediately had to put together this fun necklace, using Andrea's tutorial, my sort of cheap beads, and some fishing line.

I used almost all the beads for the strands, and put the two extra little ones on the end of the clasp piece thing... see how I don't know the terminology? ;)


Well, I had so much fun doing this and am so much less intimidated than I was before, that I have now decided I like making jewelry and want to do it more!  So, I know I want to use better beads, and did some really exciting Etsy bead-shopping and ordered these goodies.

Aaaaah!  Can't wait to make stuff!  Some of my inspiration is coming from these Anthro necklaces, although of course I still don't actually know how to make anything I want, the way I do with sewing!  Still learning...

I'm sure lots of you make your own jewelry, right!?  Do you have any tips for me, or know of any great beginner resources or tutorials?  Please share!

28 comments

  1. Love your necklace! Great job, especially for a beginner :) I make jewelry! and I have a series going on about the baisics - you can find them here: http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/search/label/Jewelry%20Lessons

    If you see something you really like online send it my way, i can probably figure out how to make it :)

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  2. Anonymous6/07/2012

    easy to make and it looks really wonderful.

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  3. So pretty Suzannah! I know what you mean with shopping for beads..... the day you posted this tutorial I went shopping but had such a hard time locating beads. I had just about given up when I walked into my 3rd Michaels' and struck gold, or rather, coral and on sale to boot. My daughter got some white crackle type beads there as well, and both turned out beautiful! Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Wow, 3 Michael's in one day... eesh! Good to know there's hope if you get lucky, though... ;) sounds like you did okay!

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  4. Very pretty necklace! I actually made one recently too - have yet to take photos of it - following this tutorial http://www.moredesignplease.com/moredesignplease/2011/7/5/diy-braided-necklace.html
    making jewelry is so much fun! It's fast (instant gratification) and there are so many inspirations out there the possibilities are endless!

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    1. OMG OMG that necklace is awesome!! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Wow! It turned out great!

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  6. I love it! It looks so professional! I used to make a lot of jewelry before I had kids. I really want to get back into it. I made this pretty necklace for my friend's baby shower a few weeks ago. I posted pics here: http://mengalings.blogspot.com/2012/05/sweet-nest-necklace.html Can't wait to see more of your creations!

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks!! I'm so enjoying the DIYs on your blog recently!

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  8. That is SO pretty!! I have to do this. I have never made jewelry before, but I am going to try this.

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  9. I do, but it's been a while since the last time...

    //S//

    http://mydarlingsolitude.blogspot.com

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  10. asa_baijan6/07/2012

    The necklace looks very lovely and i like your terminology ;)
    http://www.fusionbeads.com/inspiration/index.php has great tutorials, but unfortunately they also have a selling page for the material, so be careful about that ;)

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  11. Alicia6/07/2012

    I've seen some really cute stuff on Pinterest lately with some great tutorials:

    http://www.themorningletters.com/2012/03/diy-anthropologie-look-alike.html
    http://pinterest.com/pin/39688040436350874/

    I made some versions of both of these necklaces and will be posting pictures soon (no tutorials yet) at http://projectstashbust.blogspot.com/ (It's a new blog, so there aren't any posts yet - they're all only half-written, but should be up soon. I'm now even more amazed at your ability to post so much great stuff so regularly...)

    I've also got some more great stuff pinned on my to-do list at http://pinterest.com/rockfemme182/diy-crafts/

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    1. Awesome, thanks!! Those are all so fun, pinning now!!

      About posting--just do it, don't worry about posts being long enough or anything... ya just need some photos and a little narrative! You can do it! =)

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  12. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I"m so happy you did b/c I recently bought a sewing machine to learn how to make clothes and stuff. Your blog has so many great ideas and your dresses are so pretty. :) I'm now a new follower! :D

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    1. Awesome, thanks! Your blog is super fun, love your outfits!

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  13. I'd love to see a picture of this necklace being worn, I'm having trouble picturing it in terms of proportion and how it goes with shirts & things.

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    1. I'm sure it will be featured in a How to Wear DIY post soon!

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  14. Your necklace looks good. My best advice for you especially if you are using nicer beads than plastic is to switch to soft-flex or accu-flex for your stringing material. It lays much nicer and will not kink. Basically you are looking for a nylon coated braided beading material. The more strands the better. Fishing line will eventually break and it is also designed to photo-degrade, so don't leave your necklace in the sunshine while storing it. That will cause the fishing line to get brittle more quickly.

    Also, since you have discovered the magic of crimps, if you really get into this, there are things called crimp covers. They are basically a hollow bead with a large slit down the side. You slide them over the crimp bead and gently squeeze them shut. They look like a bead when you are finished, completely hiding the crimp. I use the round section of my crimping pliers to squeeze them shut. This helps keep them more round.

    Jewelry making is really fun and highly addictive. Welcome to the craft.

    --Francie

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    1. Ooh, thanks for the tips! I don't want the fishing line to break or degrade!! Crimp covers sound cool, too! Thanks!

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  15. Do you have Craft Warehouse in Portland? The one here in Salem has quite the selection last last time I looked, but I'm not sure about pricing, quality, etc.

    Looks like fun! I have thought about starting jewelry making several times, but I have so much stuff (my hubby calls it junk! ha) for the crafting and sewing I already do and I'd feel bad spending more money and taking up more space. Can't wait to see what you make next! :)

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    1. We do, yes, although I don't go because it's overwhelming, haha... but I bet that would be a good place. I know what you mean, so hard to start (slash invest in) a new hobby!

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  16. Be sure to check out Fire Mountain Gems and Auntie's Beads both are on line sources with great pricing. Fire Mountain is in your neck of the woods and Auntie's is in Texas. Both also offer free tutorials. Do you have a Hobby Lobby? Not sure if that is a southeastern chain or not but, they have the BEST bead pricing every 2 weeks with 50% off sales. Good luck and be careful, it's more addictive than sewing. :)

    Marnita

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    1. Thanks for the tips! No Hobby Lobby here but I'll look online!

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  17. I've had a jewelry business for years (we have a few pieces on Etsy...http://www.etsy.com/shop/daisystreasurebox) and our main suppliers have always been Fire Mountain and ArtBeads (http://www.artbeads.com/). The secret is to order 15-20+ items to get discounts!

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