Folksy Favourites

Hi everyone! After a few hectic days with no time to post, it's time I shared some more beautiful items with you.

I've just been looking at my list of favourite items on Folksy, and it seems to have grown enormously since last week! But the first item is this stunning keyring by NOfkantsCurios, carved from agate.My second pick is from Dottydaisies, and is this absolutely adorable upcycled owl plushie :)And my final item this week is so cute! It's this little gingerbreadman necklace from Mozzypop Jewels:I hope you like them!

I love chain :)

I've been making some new necklaces lately, much simpler than my usual fully beaded designs but striking for all that. I'm trying hard not to just steal them myself...

Though to be honest one of the things I love about making jewellery is the ability to always make a piece of jewellery to match an outfit - even if it's only half an hour before I go out (which has been known!).

For the new necklaces I've been using sterling silver chains as a base and making a beaded pendant to go on it. Generally I'll choose a colour to base the necklace around; sometimes based on a particularly lovely bead that I want to include, and then build the pendant around that colour using glass beads, wire and chain.

This is one of my favourites:I love it partly because of the colour - I think the mix of turquoise and blue works really well, but I also love the little heart pendant that I added as a focal point. The chain that this one is on is a spiral chain; it's a bit more interesting that a basic curb chain and looks really pretty.

One of my other favourites is this purple one:My favourite thing about this necklace is the little cream dove pendant. It's so pretty and goes really well with the purple and white beads which made up the main part of the necklace. I hung this one on a snake chain; it gives a really different effect from the spiral chain I used above as it holds its shape more (you can see the way it curves around rather than hanging to a point) and makes the chain more of a feature of the necklace.

What do you think?

Swap

I'm wearing an incredibly pretty necklace today. My Mum commented on it first thing this morning, and for once I had to say that I didn't make it, it was made by Zoe of Jewelbox.

Last week I took part in a 'swap' on Folksy. It's a fairly simple premise - everyone sends a small gift to someone else, and gets one in return. I was so excited when a package arrived on the doorstep, and when I opened it I was wowed by what I'd been sent.

I received a gorgeous peach coloured necklace and bracelet set made with swarovski crystals. The necklace is really pretty and delicate - perfect to wear under a blouse at work, making me feel dressed up without being too overstated. The bracelet is made on memory wire which always looks fantastic, but I love the simplicity of the design and (it always being the finishing touches that make something special) the little bunch of crystals hanging off one end of the bracelet.

So thank you Zoe! I love my swap! And if you're looking for a really pretty piece of jewellery of fantastic quality, then take a look in Jewelbox.

Make a necklace with me!

This is the first of my tutorials; how to put findings on a necklace, an essential skill!

Many of my necklaces are made on tigertail, a brilliant wire that's incredibly flexible but makes very strong jewellery. To finish the necklaces I use a number of different clasps, but almost always attach them in the same way.

First off, you need a necklace to put findings on! For the sake of argument, and in true Blue Peter style, here's one I made earlier...

Now you need to gather together the relevant findings. To put a basic clasp on a necklace you need the clasp, two jump rings (I normally use 6mm), two crimp beads (small metal beads that can be crushed flat with pliers) and two wire protectors. You can see in the picture that I've put one of the jump rings on to the clasp - depending on the clasp this may or may not be necessary.

Now you take the crimp beads and put one one each end of the necklace before the final bead. Once you've done that, thread on the wire protector, then slide the clasp into the horse-shoe shape of the protector. Pass the tigertail back through the first bead, the crimp bead and four or five more beads.

Pull the end of the tigertail tight, so that the clasp and protector lie next to the end of the necklace and there are no gaps.

Take your pliers, and squeeze the crimp bead hard (you can't do this too hard) to flatten it around the wire. If you tug the wire now it should be secure. You can cut off the end of the tigertail up close to the necklace using wire cutters.

Now do the same to the other end of the necklace, using the jump ring instead of the clasp this time. And you have a finished necklace!

I hope you find this useful and like the finished product!