Free Project - Lily's Midnight Tryst

 

Using this Twilight Lily bead by Heather, you can create a  romantic accessory perfect for an evening out with your partner.  The deep blue colors paired with tiny crystals evokes a midnight tryst under the sparkle of stars and an air heavy with the perfume of lilies.

Tools and Materials

Bead board or Ruler

Scissors

Wire cutter

Chain nose pliers

Round nose pliers

Humblebeads Twilight Lily Bead 

Faceted Black Tourmaline from kandubead.etsy.com

11- 4mm clear crystal bicones

11 - 22 gauge antiqued copper headpins

1 - 5" - 20 gauge antiqued copper headpin 

25" - 22 gauge antiqued copper wire

6 - 8mm Ghost White patina copper beads

6 - 16mm Indigo Hammered Links

1 - 8mm antiqued copper jump ring 

1 - 26mm copper toggle clasp

8 - 4mm antiqued copper jump rings

24" - Dark Blue leather cording from lilysoffering.esty.com

Step 1. Start your design by building from the focal bead up to the pre-determined measurement. The necklace shown measures 19" in length with the focal Twilight bead and faceted Tourmaline adding a 2" center drop. The focal bead needed to be centered at the 9" mark on the bead board with the remaining beads laid out in an estimation of what was needed to fill the determined measurment.

Step 2. Slide the Twilight Lily bead onto the 5" long 20 gauge antiqued copper headpin, form a loop at the top and wrap the extra wire around the top of the bead to close it. The extra long headpin will create a nice messy wrap at the top.  Cut 1 - 5" piece of 22 gauge antiqued copper wire and create a loop on one end with your round nose pliers, approximately 3" into the wire, dependent on the size of faceted tourmaline you are using. Wrap the loop closed, trim away the excess wire and press the cut end into the wire-wrapping. Slide the faceted tourmaline onto the wire and form a second loop under the bead, stopping before you wire-wrap it closed so you can slide the open loop onto the Twilight Lily beads top loop. Close the wire-wrapped loop so the Twilight Lily bead is now suspended from the faceted black tourmaline.

Step 3. Begin creating wire-wrapped connectors with the Ghost White patina beads with 6 - 4" pieces of 22 gauge antiqued copper wire, closing each loop with wire-wrapping and trimming away any excess wire. You should have 6 white beads with 2 loops on each. Open the 8mm antiqued copper jump ring and insert 2 of the wire-wrapped Ghost White patina bead connectors into the jump ring. Close the jump ring onto the top loop of the faceted black tourmaline. 

Step 4. Alternate connecting the Ghost White patina beads with the Indigo links by using smaller jump rings to attach the beads loops to the 16mm links. You should have 4 Indigo links separated by 6 of the  Ghost White beads. Once the necklaces center piece is assembled, you can wire-wrap the clear crystals to the Ghost White bead loops using the 22 gauge antiqued copper headpins. Add 1 crystal to each bottom loop of the Ghost White connector loops. Add 5 crystals to the top loop of the Twilight Lily bead so they are grouped around the messy wire-wrapped bail, in between the faceted black tourmaline and the Twilight Lily bead.  

Step 5. Cut 2 - 12" pieces of 2mm dark blue leather cording. Thread one of the 12" pieces through the last loop of the left side of the Ghost White connector beads. Cut a 3" piece of 22 gauge antiqued copper wire. Place the center of the wire over the doubled leather approximately 1/4 of an inch from the bead connector loop. Twist the wire over the leather cording from the middle of the wire, pulling the wire around to the front and over itself several times to keep the doubled leather together. Press the ends of the 3" piece of wire into the wrap you just created so the wearer does not get scratched from the sharp end of the wire. Gather the 2 pieces of leather together and push them through the end loop of one side of the antiqued copper toggle clasp. Fold both the leather cords over and cut another 3" piece of 22 gauge antiqued copper wire. Bind the folded leather onto itself by wrapping from the center of the wire as you did previously with the lower area of the leather. Tuck the sharp ends under the wrapping and press the wrapping with your chain nose pliers to ensure a tight wrapping. Repeat this step for the right side of the necklace with the second piece of 12" dark blue leather and the opposite side of the copper toggle.

I hope you enjoy creating this ultra romantic necklace as much as did. 

Now. Where is a lily garden? I've got plans.... :)

Much Love & respect,

Shannon LeVart

missficklemedia.com

Willow Fields - Free Project and New Challenge

Whip up this fun little project for a lightweight and easy-going summer necklace.  The design starts with a ready-made chain that is cut in half and the beads are added.  I found some blackened steel wire at a local bead shop when I was on vacation.  I have the hardest time finding it in hardware stores.  If you can't get blackened wire, you can use silver or copper wire and oxidize it before starting your project.  Ornamentea carries a gunmetal wire that is another alternative.

Supplies:

Willow Connector

6 Czech glass flowers

2 Czech glass leaves

6 gunmetal brass 2" ball headpins

1 gunmetal brass 18" chain

22 gauge blackened steel wire

2 gunmetal brass 5mm jump rings

Directions:

1. Cut a 5" piece of wire with heavy cutters.  Slide the wire through the connector leaving about an 1 1/4" of the wire at the front of the connector.  Bend the wire at a 45 degree angle. Form a wrapped loop with the smaller piece of wire.  With the other end of the wire continue wrapping around the wrapped looped.  Repeat on the other side of the connector.

2. Cut another 5" piece of wire, string it through the leaf bead, create a wrapped loop on one side.  *Before you wrap the loop, open the loop, slip in the loop from the connector and close the loop.  Continue to form a wrapped loop and wrap the excess wire as in step 1.  Repeat on the other side of the leaf.  Repeat on the other side of the necklace.

3. Create 6 dangles with the headpins and flowers.  Add three to each side of the connector loop.

4. Cut the chain in half.  Measure the length from the center of your focal bead to the end of the leaf loop - you'll want to trim this much chain off on both sides.  Add the beads to the chain with a small jump ring.  (If you'd like a shorter necklace, trim more of the chain.)

Sources: Willow Connector: Humblebeads.  Czech glass: Dream Girl Beads.  Gunmetal findings and chain: Hobby Lobby.

Are you ready for another challenge?  This one is so much easier, I promise!  Check out my blog for complete details.  To celebrate the release of my book I'm having 12 weeks of nature inspired challenges.  The first one started on Monday.  Hop on over to play along.

Summer Solstice Necklace

It's officially summer, so here is a cute and quick necklace to whip up using a pendant from Golem Studios in their lace design.  Geometrics are hot for summer fashions and triangles are pointing the way to trendy styles.  I teamed this striking pendant with ceramic tabs from Elaine Ray, a hand blown glass bead and Czech flowers, the play of the complimentary color palette makes this a fresh find.

Supplies:

Ceramic pendant - Golem Studios

Hand blown glass bead - Stephanie Ann

4 ceramic 12mm tabs - Elaine Ray

1 copper 12mm round bead

12 Czech flowers (6 of two colors)

12 copper 4mm spacers

12 2" copper ball headpins

6 2" brass eyepins

10 brass 12mm jump rings

brass hook clasp

2 5" lengths of brass chain

Create the elements:

1. Add a spacer, ceramic tab and a spacer to an eyepin.  Repeat with the other 3 ceramic tabs and the glass bead and copper bead for 6 beaded links.

2. Add a glass flower to a ball headpin, create a wrapped loop using the rest of the wire wrapped several times under the loop.  Repeat with the other 11 flowers.

Put the necklace together:

1. On the jump ring, add the pendant and a ceramic tab.  Close the jump ring.

2. Add a jump ring to the other side of the ceramic tab, add 3 flower dangles and the glass bead link, close the jump ring.

3. Add a jump ring to the other side of the glass bead, add 3 flower dangles and a ceramic tab, close the jump ring. 

4. Add the chain to the last tab with a jump ring.

5. Repeat pattern on the other side, using the copper bead instead of the glass bead.

6. Add the hook clasp with a jump ring, add the other jump ring to the other side of the chain.

A simpler variation of this design uses one of Golem's poppy pendants with smokey quartz links and a single color of flowers.  This one reminds me of art nouveau jewelry with the graphic floral elements and geometric design.