Wednesday, September 2, 2009

making jewelry

I made some more jewelry recently. I wanted to use some of the stuff up that I had bought when I had my jewelry etsy shop. Here are some samples of my latest creations:


A while ago I had a request to do a tutorial on making jewelry. I must confess however that I am very unqualified, but I will tell you how I got my start.

I had done some beading in middle school, but found that my creations never turned out to be things I really wanted to wear very much. I also recall the available bead options at my local craft stores being less than desirable.

One day, about a year ago, I was perusing my local Michael's craft store when I saw a collection of beads that I really liked. A lot of their beads were on sale that day too, which always helps peak my interest. As I continued down the aisle or two of beads I kept on finding more and more things that were easy for me to envision as jewelry that I would wear. I also started realizing how much jewelry I could make and have for a small fraction of what a piece of jewelry from the store would cost me. The quality might not me be quite as good, but I am a sucker for the creation process and for a good deal. So I bought a little collection of beginner beading tools (just a few pliers) and several packets of beads I liked.


{above image via here.}

One of the keys for me in the creating process is to keep my style in mind. It is easy to get carried away with beads, but I find that simpler is better... not to mention easier and cheaper. I tend to like jewelry from places like Sundance and JJill. While I have a great admiration for more costume-ish type jewelry from places like Anthro and JCrew, I feel I just can't pull it off.

So with my tools in hand, and my style in mind, I put on some good music and get to creating. It is so fun to be able to put together so much, so fast, for such a good price.

You can find tutorials and inspiration all over the internet. I highly recommend taking up the hobby. At least until your jewelry armoire is full:)

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