A few posts ago I mentioned that I will be selling my jewelry at Junk Jubilee Jingles in Des Moines, Iowa in November. I’ve been spending a lot of time in my studio and one of the materials I have been using in my designs for the show is industrial faucet handles. Today I want to show you a couple of necklaces I created.
I like the chunk factor that they add, as well as the industrial feel they have. Balancing the crustiness is a vintage button. Though you can’t see it in the photos, the button has an inset mirror to add just enough sparkle.
I gave this one a patina, which I like with the coral and wood beads. The words “open” and “close” add a bit of whimsy.
I walked toward the closet, terrified of what i would find.
I didn’t want to open the door but I had no choice. I put my hand on the knob, took a deep breath, and pulled (queue scream)…I had nothing to wear!!
Ever feel like this when it’s time to get dressed? Yeah, I have many times. Usually when I feel like I’m in a rut, wearing the same things all the time. The remedy isn’t always to buy more clothes. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing up the accessories and jewelry you wear.
Take this striped top for example.
Now I’ll add three different necklaces to breathe new life into the cute but plain (snooze) look.
Pairing necklaces against stripes and patterns can be tricky, so I either opt to wear a piece against the skin or if wearing something on the fabric I make sure it’s chunky and bold so it will stand out against the pattern.
So you can see how adding 3 different pieces of jewelry gave this basic top more style and interest. Investing in some unique necklaces can be one of the best ways to stretch your fashion dollar.
Happy Monday! It’s all about fashion this week on Girls Want Pearls #49. In today’s video tutorial I will show you how to make this cute cutout top with pearl swags.
I’ve worn this top once and received so many compliments! If you try it out, I’d love to hear from you.
Next week’s pearl post hint: Light the Darkness
Love pearls and don’t want to miss any pearly posts?
You can get a reminder, just fill in your info below and I’ll email you when a post goes live and send you a monthly newsletter.
Hey Fashionable Friends! Just popping in with a quick post today to share what’s been happening in my jewelry design studio. I’m busy making and stocking up lots of jewelry to take to a big show in November, more about that in a later post!
I’ve been concentrating on necklaces and earrings, and will soon move my attention to bracelets. Oh how I love to wear bracelets! Well, I love wearing necklaces too, and almost always wear earrings, but there’s something about bracelets that make me feel super feminine and stylish. So as soon as I get some new ones made, you can bet I’ll show them to you right here! In the meantime, here are some necklaces, with a question to ponder…
Do you prefer to wear necklaces that are simple…
Or do you prefer to make a statement with something more ornate…
Of course, different kinds of outfits are suited to different looks, but in general, do you lean towards understated or elaborate in your jewelry choices? Or somewhere in between?
It’s Monday, so that means another Girls Want Pearls here at Tarnished Royalty! Thank you so much for coming by and for all your positive comments about the pearl projects! This is week #44 of a 52 week series, so there aren’t many left. I want to share with you a project to glam yourself up while showing your patriotism for the upcoming July 4th celebrations. We’ll be making a Patriotic Sparkler Bunting Headband.
Husband gave me quite the sideways glance when I traipsed into the living room wearing this.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Creating the pearl and bead sparklers: Cut 3 pieces of 18-20 gauge wire, approx. 8 inches in length.
Thread the wire through the shank on the button and bend till ends are together.String 5 each 8-10mm pearls onto each half of the wire. Bend around the tip of the wire to form a loop, securing the pearls onto the wire, using needle nose pliers or a jewelry tool as shown.
Twist the wire once at the bottom. You will have excess wire and the pearls will slide around, that’s okay we’ll fix that later. Repeat previous steps, using red and blue beads. Note: I used mercury glass beads for the red and blue, but any kind of bead will work and look great.
Creating the sparkler tips: Cut 6 strips of aluminum foil, 1/2-3/4 inches wide by 6 inches in length. Working with one sparkler at a time, slide the pearls/beads down towards the button shank. Place the wire loop onto the foil and roll the foil around the loop, twisting and squeezing the foil to form the desired shape.
Cover the foil tip in glue followed by glitter. Repeat for the other 5 tips.
Adding the lace bunting: Cut a strip of lace, 2-3 inches wide by 10-12 inches in length. Fold accordian style.
Pinch the top together and secure with glue or stitch with needle and thread. Fan out the bunting and attach it to the back of the button using glue. At this point, you may also want to glue some of the bunting folds to the button to create the desired fan shape.
Creating the headband strip: You’ll be tying the headband on to wear it, so first wrap a strip of lace around your head and tie it to measure how long you want it. Cut the lace to measured length by desired width (mine is about 1 1/2 inches). I showed elastic in the supply list but later decided I’d rather tie it on.
Attaching sparkler/bunting to the headband: Centering the button vertically on the lace strip so that there is some of the strip both above and below the button, attach with glue and allow to dry. Once dry, secure additionally with needle and thread to keep the sparklers from flipping.
Now go create your headband and sparkle in patriotic style!
Next week’s pearl post hint: Patriotic buffet
Love pearls and don’t want to miss any pearly posts?
You can get a reminder, just fill in your info below and I’ll email you when a post goes live and send you a monthly newsletter.
Welcome to Girls Want Pearls #39! It’s so nice to have you here. I can’t go outside without my sunnies, mostly for the glare but of course to look cool too. So today I’m going to show you something that is trending right now in fashion, blinged up sunglasses!
I’m cheating a little with my first example. This is a picture of a pair of vintage sunglasses that I sold several years ago.
They were covered with pearls and tiny sea shells when I bought them.
And here is my version for today…
Glue on pearls, jewels, buttons, shells etc. with an adhesive of your choice, I recommend using E-6000. I could have gone further, adding them to the front as well.
Have you checked out my new link up yet? It’s a place for both bloggers and non-bloggers to swap things like jewelry, handbags, books, craft supplies, clothing, and trinkets. You can read more about Drop It or Swap It here. And come back tomorrow to see what I’ll be offering to swap!
Next week’s pearl post hint: Welcome Home
Love pearls and don’t want to miss any pearly posts?
You can get a reminder, just fill in your info below and I’ll email you when a post goes live and send you a monthly newsletter.