IF I CAN MAKE THIS NECKLACE, SO CAN YOU!!!

Hello, everyone!  This is Audrey, back again this month for another project.  Thank you Pam for having me back, I am always happy to be here!

I hope you enjoy today's project as much as I enjoyed making it!  I'm not a jewelry maker, so this may not be perfect or structually correct,  but I am a crafter, so... lol!!!   Besides, I don't think there's any right way or wrong way when you craft -- it's your way!!!  LOL!

Making jewelry is so much fun and this project was really very easy!  Let me get going because this is a picture-heavy tutorial but, before I begin, please note that I did this in somewhat of a hurry without letting glue dry and/or catching up some loose ends.  Of course, after I finished the tutorial, I went back and took my time to clean it up.  If you do this project, you'll take your time on every step!!!  You'll let all the glue dry between each step and tuck in every loose end!!!  Right?!!!   LOL! 

Here's the necklace I made for my DT project today:

Now I'll get started on how I did it.  I began with a piece of cord 24" (2 feet) long (NOTE:  I added a dab of glue to each end of the cord to keep the twisted ends from separating after cutting the cord and before beginning this project);  a strand of pearls 30" (2.5 feet long), 2 wooden beads, 2 large cord end caps, 2 jump rings, 1 clasp, and a glass dichroic pendant; you'll also need a needle-nose and a flat-nose set of pliers, and E-6000 glue.

Starting with the cord, I evenly folded to double it then added a drop of glue to the connected middle tip-end to keep it together and to avoid it separating while working with it (I did not glue closed the open end of the cord):

Next I taped the glued end of the cord to the table and began loosely but evenly twisting the cord, one end over the other, until I came to the very end of the cord:

Once I got to the end of the cord, I then glued the two ends together to keep them from separating.  This is what I got:

Next, making certain I was working from the very middle (center) of my cord,  I added the glass dichroic pendant onto the cord and slid a wooden bead on each side of the pendant -- making certain it was directly in the middle of the cord:

I then took the strand of pearls and starting from the middle of the strand of pearls I laid them beneath the glass pendant and brought one of each end of the strands of pearls over each of the wooden beads; I applied  a dab of  glue to each pearl on the sides of the beads to secure them in place:

Starting on one side of the pendant, I began to loosely but evenly wrap the pearls around the cord until I got to the end of the cords, then I glued the last pearl to the end of the cord (it's easy if you follow the twist in the cord):

I did the same thing to the other side and this is what I had:

Before going any further, I first held up my necklace with the ends together to make certain it draped properly!  If the cords and pearls would have been too tightly wrapped and didn't drape evenly, I would have unglued the ends to re-wrap the cord and pearls to make sure it draped as evenly as possible.  After I did this I added the end caps to each side of the necklace ends.  To do this I first added glue E-6000 glue to the inside of the caps and taking one cord/pearl end, pushed it into the end of one of the cord end caps (NOTE:  This is where you'll take your time!  You may need to use a skewer to get all the ends tucked in).  When I finished adding both end caps, I had this:

Now the last thing I had to do was add my jump rings and the clasp.  Here, you'll have to pay close attention in the reading because this is a two-hand operation, and I can only use one hand with having to hold the camera and take the picture.  I grabbed and held one side of a jump ring with my  needle-nose plier making sure the end of the jump ring that opens is at the top (facing up); next I took the flat-nose plier to  grasp and hold the other side of the jump ring; once I had each end held, I  very slightly twisted the flat- nose plier gently towards or either away from myself while holding the end of the jump ring held with the needle-nose plier still -- I do not just pull the jump rings open by pulling to each side.  Once opened the jump ring will have one end opened slightly in front of the other  to look like this:

Now I slid the opened jump ring onto the connecting end of the cord end clasp.  To close the jump ring, I did the same thing in opposite to how I opened it; I grabbed one end of the ring with the needle-nose pliers and the other side with the flat, and twisted until the rings connected to close.  If done properly you will feel a slight pressure or a slight snap when the ends of the ring lock in place. When this side was done, I did the other side.  One last step and my necklace was done!

To complete the necklace, I  opened the connecting end of the clasp and secured it to the end of one of the jump rings!!!  That's it -- easy peesy!!!  A pretty handmade necklace:

Your turn!!!  I purchased all my jewelry supplies from either Michael's and/or Hobby Lobby.  However, you can use any old jewelry findings, buttons, coins, etc. and just glue it on!!!   You can even recycle old jewelry for parts like the clasp, jump rings, etc.  You're the designer!!!

That's it for this month!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to drop over to my blog by clicking here, or on my name at the top of this post, and leave me a comment.  I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

I hope you like my project today, and thank you so much for stopping by.  Hope you'll join me again next month, and...

I'll be seeing you!