Garnet Glitz

I've decided to try my hand at making more jewelry this year. You could say it's a kind of New Year's resolution to practice some jewelry making techniques. So to start, I'm making a garnet bracelet and earring set for January. I got the idea for this bracelet and earring set from a craft magazine and decided to make a few changes to it to use findings and materials I had on hand. If you didn't know, garnet is January's gemstone.

Here's a picture of the finished bracelet all shiny and pretty. To complete this project, you'll need some silver chain, 4mm and 6mm jump rings, garnet colored glass beads, a toggle clasp, jewelry wire, crimp tubes, and some pewter findings.

First things first, cut your chain into 10 lengths of 2 and 1/8 inches. 5 pieces of chain get slipped onto a 4mm jump ring, and then another jump ring is added to the opposite side of the chains. You do this twice to make two sets of dangly chain pieces.

Next, add the toggle clasps, one to each chain set with a 6mm jump ring. On the opposite side of one of those sets, loop jewelry wire onto the 4mm jump ring and set with a crimp tube. Then you'll thread a bicone, a pewter finding, a bicone, a pewter finding, and finally another bicone, onto the wire. Finish the bracelet off by making another loop around the unused chain set and secure with another crimp tube to the unused chain set.

Done! This was a great way for me to start my beading practice because there was just enough technique involved to make it interesting but no crazy wire wrapping to make me frustrated. Check out our blog next week for the next installment; we're finishing up this set with a pair of matching garnet glitz earrings.

Thanks for reading!
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

P.S. If you're thinking that this would make a great Valentine's Day gift, you're really on top of things. Scroll down to see today's episode of Crankin' Out Crafts featuring a fun Valentine's idea.

Glitzy Grad Lei

Got a graduate who's a little glitzy? Maybe someone a tad glamorous? They might like my newest take on the braided lei, the Glitzy Grad Lei.

For this lei you only need a few supplies. The lei pictured here used 1/2" rhinestone ribbon, blue 3/8" picot ribbon, white 3/8" picot ribbon, and scissors. My lei ended up only using about 5 yards of each ribbon. If you already know how to make a braided ribbon lei you don't really need to read the rest of this blog entry. Just make this lei the same but with the addition of the rhinestone ribbon. For those of you who may need a braided ribbon lei refresher, read on.

You start this lei by making a slip knot about 12" into your piece of ribbon. A slip knot is made by making a loop and then using the same ribbon, pulling another loop through your first loop. I tried to take a picture of this process (see above) and hopefully this will make the last sentence more understandable.

Now, with both the white and the rhinestone ribbon, make a loop leaving about a 12" long tail of the white ribbon in the back. As you can see, the rhinestone ribbon should be on the inside of the loop. Insert this loop into the loop you made on the blue piece of ribbon.

Then, pull the long piece of the blue ribbon, this is the one that should be facing you, tight until you have the blue ribbon cinched around the white/rhinestone.

Now make a loop with the blue ribbon and insert that loop into the white loop. Pull the white loop tight. All this talk about loops is making me a little loopy.

Anyone know how to do the loop-de-loop? Continue inserting blue loop into white, and white loop into blue until you have a long enough braid for your lei.

To finish, cut your blue and white ribbons leaving 12" tails. The rhinestone ribbon can be cut shorter. Then, with the last white loop made, insert the end of the blue ribbon into the white loop and pull the white loop tight.

Take your two long tails at each end of the lei and tie them together into a double knot.

 

Then tie your lei ends together and you're done! Your finished lei should look just like this one. Who's ready to get their glitz on?

Since we've already seen this ribbon in earrings, what do you all think about making a bracelet out of it? Good glitzy idea or crazy ditzy idea?

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

P.S There's another lei making how-to if you scroll down. Please do.