Another Wednesday, another Pinteresting project!
The project up this week is a necklace, inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Flamingo Toes. Oh, how I love Flamingo Toes! I'm particularly fond of her jewelry tutorials - check them out, as she has some gorgeous DIY Anthropolgie necklaces! I swear, there are about a half-dozen necklaces on my Pinterest DIY Jewelry board that are from her site. She does great tutorials for her work in general, not just the jewelry. They're very thorough and lots of pictures, so I really don't have too much to add from the original post, just a few things I did to personalize my own necklace.
The necklace that I'm making a la her instructions is the DIY Cameo Collage Knock-off. It's inspired by an Anthropologie item, the Cameo Collage necklace, which (like many of their items) is very cute, very fun, and very expensive. So, here's my version, based on more affordable instructions.
The project up this week is a necklace, inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Flamingo Toes. Oh, how I love Flamingo Toes! I'm particularly fond of her jewelry tutorials - check them out, as she has some gorgeous DIY Anthropolgie necklaces! I swear, there are about a half-dozen necklaces on my Pinterest DIY Jewelry board that are from her site. She does great tutorials for her work in general, not just the jewelry. They're very thorough and lots of pictures, so I really don't have too much to add from the original post, just a few things I did to personalize my own necklace.
The necklace that I'm making a la her instructions is the DIY Cameo Collage Knock-off. It's inspired by an Anthropologie item, the Cameo Collage necklace, which (like many of their items) is very cute, very fun, and very expensive. So, here's my version, based on more affordable instructions.
What you'll need:
- Chain - this is one of the changes I made. The original instructions called for 2 different lengths of 2 different styles of chain. I wasn't as fond of that look, plus I had a longer length of a chain that I liked, so I used that instead (if you're curious, I think it was about 3 ft of chain)
- Assorted Charms – I used 24 but your number will vary depending on how full you’d like the necklace (this is another change I made - all my charms are silver, instead of an assortment of colors, metals, etc - just personal preference)
- Jump rings - enough for the clasp and all your charms
- Closure for necklace – any kind (I used a toggle clasp, as I like that sort of closure)
Lay out the chain. This is one of the biggest changes I made to the original instructions. Since I was working with one long length of chain instead of attaching a smaller length to a longer one, I altered the set-up of my necklace a little. I measured out an approximately 8 inch length of my chain to serve as the 'short chain' from the original instructions. It's only "approximately" 8 inches, because of the sizing of the decorative links in the chain. I doubled over the chain, so that the 8 inches became the 'short chain' position in the original instructions. At the 'fold' in the chain, I attached one half of my toggle clasp using a jump ring - you can see it in the next picture below (the larger loop off to the right of the chain). Where the loose end of the 8 inch stretch met back up with the 'main' chain, I played around with positioning til the two lengths of the chain were spaced as I wanted them, then joined the end to the main chain with a jump ring. The other half of the toggle clasp I attached to the 'far end' of the chain with a jump ring as well.
Lay out the charms. It reeeeeeeeeally helps to lay out the charms before attaching them. This is your chance to really personalize the necklace. You have the chance to set up a good balance - big vs. small charms, for example, or arranging colors (if you have them), shapes, and textures as you like them. I placed a larger focal charm at the center of each length of chain, and worked my charms outward from there. I'd recommend that as a plan of action - a lot easier to balance the charms and the necklace from the center out than from one end to the next! In the case of my necklace, the center charms are the squirrel on the lower loop and the compass rose on the upper length. I alternated small and large charms, and tried to match small to small charms on either side of the center, and large to large. I was hoping both for visual balance, and to help reduce any sliding around on my neck from an unbalanced necklace. I hate jewelry shifting around on me!
Lay out the charms. It reeeeeeeeeally helps to lay out the charms before attaching them. This is your chance to really personalize the necklace. You have the chance to set up a good balance - big vs. small charms, for example, or arranging colors (if you have them), shapes, and textures as you like them. I placed a larger focal charm at the center of each length of chain, and worked my charms outward from there. I'd recommend that as a plan of action - a lot easier to balance the charms and the necklace from the center out than from one end to the next! In the case of my necklace, the center charms are the squirrel on the lower loop and the compass rose on the upper length. I alternated small and large charms, and tried to match small to small charms on either side of the center, and large to large. I was hoping both for visual balance, and to help reduce any sliding around on my neck from an unbalanced necklace. I hate jewelry shifting around on me!
Once you have a placement of charms that you like, attach your charms to the chain. Again, work from the center outward. Flamingo Toes has good pointers on using jump rings back in the original instructions. I learned some things too, so it's a good idea to read up!
And ta-da! Yes, this is a very easy necklace, and it's a lovely effect, too. My favorite type of project!
I personally like wearing mine with a polo or button-up shirt. The collar forces the necklace open a little wider, so that you can see more of the charms as they hang. The necklace itself is a little bit heavier than some of the ones I've made, what with the bigger decorative chain and all the charms on it. Not a big deal, but it does mean that it tends to draw toward the center and bunch up a little as it hangs around the neck. A collared shirt counteracts this nicely.
To summarize:
- Not too many changes from the original instructions, really.
- All my charms were silver, not a mix of materials.
- I used one chain adjusted to form the two lengths, instead of two lengths of different chains.
- Going along with the change in chain set-up, my clasp is on the side (the "fold" in the chain) instead of at the back of the neck.
And if you want to know some of my charm highlights, we've got (in the left-hand picture): a ribbon (several causes close to my heart to remember), a tea pot (I love my tea!), my initial, a compass rose (for travel), the year I married, a paw print, a yarn ball (of course), and a dragonfly. Below them are a Celtic tree, a squirrel (for W&M and for Mom), a shamrock and heart (lucky in love?), a pretty shiny, a woven textured charm, a sunflower, a cat, another pretty shiny, and a butterfly. In the right-hand picture we have: a cat (yes, lots of cats), and then back to the ribbon, tea pot and so one. Below, a star (just a pretty shiny), a matching pretty shiny to the other side, a frog, a ladybug, another cat, a matching clear charm, and then back to the Celtic tree.
Yes, there aren't any penguin or bunny charms on there yet. But did you see - it's just "yet"? One of the nice things about this project is the extra space I have to add additional charms as I find them :) Always room for a little penguin or bunny or a particularly sentimental something! And like charm bracelets, this is a great "travel" project - a beautiful way to display little souvenir charms, without making your wrist jingle like crazy!
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