DIY Pearl Drop Necklace

I've been a terrible blogger lately. Sorry. I've got a summer job at the Joffrey Ballet and I get to live in the Loop. Summertime Chi is amazing!

But anyway, here's one of the last DIYs I made in Syracuse with supplies I picked up from Toho Shoji in Manhattan. These little spherical caged pearl beads were an impulse buy because they're too cool looking not to buy... most of my necklaces are pendents so I stepped a little outside my box here to create something different.

Because I was running short on chain, I decided to use ribbon to secure the necklace in the back. I attached 2 large jump rings to the end of the chain I had left for the actual necklace chain. I used 9 dangling chains with a bead attached at each end and staggered the length of each by 2 or 3 links. The curve of the necklace will create a more noticeable difference when you're wearing it. Also make sure to attach each segment the same distance apart; I think I separated mine by 5 links.

Simply fold your ribbon over the ending jump rings and crazy glue the ends. Crazy glue is a crafter's staple, I use it for absolutely everything!

Here's what it looks like on. Fance, right!?

DIY Suede & Chain Bracelet II

Remember my tutorial for the suede and chain bracelet? Here's another one:

I made this as an afterthought with the leftover leather (no, I do NOT believe in throwing scraps out. NEVER!). I was ogling over my other chains and I realized that my bronzey-gold chain was actually cut into 2 pieces and wired together. How sneaky! If I needed that piece for a serious project, I would be pretty pissed that I wasn't given one continuous length. Very bad, Toho Shoji.

(Look! A lighthouse charm! I haven't used it yet, though.)

But anyway, now I had a length of chain exactly the length of my wrist. I took my leather leftovers, about 10 inches, and weaved in and out of the chain (think of the strap of a classic Chanel purse- leather through chain). I also picked up a few little charms at Toho so I stuck the gold ship wheel in the middle of the chain.

This didn't leave me with much leather left to use to fasten the bracelet by tying a bow. I decided to use a sliding knot but could not for the life of me figure out how to tie one. I literally spent 5 minutes staring at a diagram and could not understand it.

Luckily I found another tutorial here and realized that all I had to do was tie two knots, leaving the tail end going through each. It's really pretty simple once the dots connect in your head.

Finished! 

DIY Suede & Chain Bracelet

As promised, here's my chain and suede bracelet tutorial. I’ve seen bracelets like this before which use plastic lanyard, like the key chains you used to make at summer camp. That looks way too homemade to me, so I thought I’d class it up by using suede instead!

The materials I’m using are a length of chain (with links big enough to thread through with suede), a suede lace, 2 rings, and a clasp. First, attach a ring and a clasp to the end of your chain.

Wrap the chain around your wrist until it fits comfortably. Attach the second ring to the chain to mark off the length of your bracelet.

Take of the bracelet and match up the doubled chain. This part is annoying, but actually count the number of links instead of eyeballing it. If you end up with extras, it’ll show at either end of your bracelet.  When the chain is perfectly doubled, cut the chain with wire cutters and attach the loose end to the ring with the clasp. Now you’ll have a bracelet of doubled chain.

Now you can start weaving the suede through the links. Start on the second link and leave at least a centimeter or two left unwoven to finish later. Getting started with the suede is tricky because you need to develop a consistent weaving strategy. Make sure the suede doesn’t get twisted while you’re threading through links; that’ll create bumps and you want everything looking the same. I weaved over a chain and under the next. Just pick one pattern and stick to it!

When you finished weaving, cut the remaining suede off, leaving a centimeter left. To secure the ends, dab a bit of crazy glue (because that glue can adhereanything!) on the last stitch of the bracelet and fold the end over.

You’re done! You can use a variety of different chain or suede colors, or even use more than 2 chains at a time. 

If you want to see this tutorial in "official form," head over to Craftistas inspiration blog!