How to... Repurpose an old necklace

I know I spend a lot of time trying to make you all buy things from my Folksy shop but I’m aware that perhaps some of you are thinking “I could do that”. Well yes you can! And to help you out, here’s a quick tutorial for an easy way to rework an old bead necklace into something fabulous.

You will need: A pearl necklace about 25 inches long
Four lengths of chain, ranging from 14 to 16 inches long
A pair of clip on earrings
Jump rings
Two lengths of grosgrain ribbon, about 28 inches each
Scissors
Bent nosed pliers

TIP – This is a good way to use old, broken necklace chains. Mix with new chain bought from a craft shop if you don’t have enough.

Fold the pearl necklace in half. If there is a clasp, use this as one end. Open a jump ring and place around the string at one of the folded ends.

Thread the ends of all four pieces of chain through the jump ring...

...and close. Repeat on the other side. You should now have the main body of your necklace.

Using jump rings, catch through one chain and attach it to the string of the necklace to form a loop. Repeat for the other four chains. The chains may get tangled up – don’t worry, this just adds to the effect. Aim to make four to six loops, equally spaced along the necklace, depending on how simple or how tangled you want your finished necklace to look.

Tie the ribbon around the necklace and chains at one end, using the knot to cover the jump rings. Repeat on the other side.

Open one clip on earring. Push the clip through the knot in the ribbon. You may have to loosen it slightly.

Once the clip is through, make sure the knot is tight again and close the earring. Fix in place with a dot of superglue, if necessary.

Tie the ribbon so the necklace is long enough to slip over your head.

Sadly I don't have a picture of the finished product as the magazine this tutorial was commissioned for neither paid me as they were contracted to do, nor returned the necklace which had been sent to them to photograph on a model. But hopefully you will get some idea of how cute it is from these pics!

Opinions needed

I have a beautiful, really delicate vintage filigree brooch in the shape of a butterfly. The trouble is, I can't decide whether to make it into a necklace or a bracelet. What do you guys think? (Sorry about the blurry photo - that's what happend when I only have my phone, not the proper camera):

Explosion in a jewellery box

It took me ages to find a pretty way to store the jewellery for my Folksy shop . I didn't want it to get muddled up with my own jewellery, but at the same time I didn't just want to stick it all in a box. I also wanted something that I could take with me to craft shows. At first I used a French shabby-chic style mini jewellery mannequin, but it soon got full! Then I found a gorgeous bird-themed jewellery stand. Unfortunately I've been so busy making lovely new items recently that tha's got a bit stuffed too! Oh dear... (Sorry about the picture quality, I had to take them on my mobile) I think it's probably time to buy another jewellery stand. I want one that will complement my existing ones but not exactly the same. Any suggestions will be happily welcomed. And how do you all store your stock? Is it tucked away under a bed or proudly on display to make the most of any visitors?

Win a bracelet!

It's competition time! Would you like to win a one of a kind bracelet made from a vintage brooch, chunky amazonite nuggets, rock crystal, pretty pink Peruvian opal and Swarovski crystals? One that fastens with a cute heart-shaped toggle clasp? I thought so! Just to whet your appetite a bit more, here's a couple of pictures: Because it's nearly Valentine's Day I thought I'd have a bit of a soppy theme. So, to win all you have to do is follow me on Twitter here (if you're not already a follower, if you are you can get retweeting right away) and RT any of my tweets that mention the words "Valentine's", "love", "romance" or "romantic". For each RT you will be entered into the draw (no more than one an hour, though!). For two bonus entries, just blog about Made With Love or this competition. The competition runs until midnight on February 9th and I will be announcing the winner then via this blog. Good luck!

Made With Love by Kat

Search This Blog