This past weekend, I finally got around to the arts & crafts aspect of LiveWellBeFabulous. I’m super about returning to my crafty roots.
I have a stack of books waiting I just checked out at the library and each one covers various subjects: scrapbooking, metal jewelry clay and bead work (my fav).
With my son/photographer/sanity check’s critical eye, we put together a few crafty little pieces we’ll be able to enjoy for years to come.
Which brings me to my next subject. I’m super excited to finally have the chance to get back to drawing and designing pieces for my new jewelry line. I’ve been working on developing the concept for almost a decade now. Each piece will be super duperly fun to wear and will contain the four colors of the LiWBF brand: pink, red, white and black… life, love, happiness, and strength.
In this first set I’ve created, the one I’ll be showing you how to make in this post was inspired by Valentine’s Day, my love of the the Mediterranean, and an obsession with all things French, including Carla Bruni and Nouvelle Vague songs. Who knows. You might find yourself inspired enough to tackle a release of your own line after taking a peek at how much fun I had while creating this set.
On to this week’s project. For this tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to create a Swarovski earring and necklace set.
1. Gather your materials. I used Swarovski elements. As soon as I found these little goodies at AC Moore, I immediately knew these were going to be the anchor elements of the design. The clasps (jump rings) need to be at least 8mm. Anything smaller and the diameter won’t be large enough to hold the heart and other charms we’ll be adding.
2. Choose your accents -The pieces need to be able to move freely. The French are known for blending simplicity and elegance together, creating unforgettable pieces that last throughout the years. I chose a simple flower clasp and a set of European style silver hearts. I cannot wait to show you how they came out.
3. Use a small set of needle-nosed pliers to open the clasp wide enough to fit through the heart. Now add the silver heart on the same ring, making sure the red heart sits in front, the pattern on the silver heart facing forward. This will be important in the next step because you’ll want to make sure the charms are facing forward when hanging in your ears.
4. Attach the Swarovski heart set to the hook on the flower clasp and use the pliers to closer the jump ring, making sure the ends are even. You don’t want strands of hair to get caught up in the clasp which is exactly what’ll happen if you don’t close them correctly.
5. Repeat the process for the other ear. Very important: make sure the hearts face forward when looking into the mirror. If not, then readjust the attachment until they do. The right earring will need to be positioned one way while the left earring will need to be turned in the opposite direction. Use these same steps for the necklace pendant, making sure to pick larger charms to anchor the Swarovski crystal.
6. Now, enjoy your new jewelry set and wait for the compliments to roll in.
This is really gorgeous! I love your beautiful set!Thank you for sharing great tutorial!
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Hugs and love from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
http://www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com
Hello Ana from Portugal! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! 😀
This is really cute. I love making jewelry like this. You make it look especially easy. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Michelle. I was hoping to demonstrate the fun of jewelry making. We have many more tutorials to come. Thx for stopping by.
So pretty! It does seem easy. I would love to try this. Thank you for linking it up at the This Is How We Roll Thursday link party.
You’re welcome Corinne. Let us know if you decide to do something like this! 🙂
Nice tutorial! Your necklace set turned out so pretty. Stop by anytime!
Thank you for dropping by. And I most certainly will stop by your place.
What a beautiful set and great tutorial. Thank you very much for joining in the celebration of #purebloglove, we enjoy having you each week. I hope to see you on Thursday at 8PM, EST through Sunday night. ~Cydnee
Hi Cyndee! I very much enjoy participating and am so glad to have found your party! Will definitely be there!
Great! See you Thursday!
Looks so pretty, I love it. Thanks for stopping by the Project Parade Linky Party.
You’re most welcome Rose. And thank you for stopping by today. 🙂
The jewelry looks beautiful! You did a fabulous job! Come join the “Mix It Up Friday” linkup on Friday at http://www.classyyettrendy.com
Leanne,
Classy Yet Trendy
Hi Leanne. Thank you so much. Now that I have power again, I’m looking forward to stopping by the party today! 😀