Beaded Necklace DIY

This was a DIY project I most certainly wasn't expecting to do! I was at Michael's Craft stores the other day picking up some no-flame candles for the mason jars, when I walked past these GORGEOUS perfect cobalt blue beads. 

They are my favorite color blue, and I had been lusting over chunky beaded necklaces for a while, so --- having never done so before --- I bought the beads and brought them home. How hard could it be?

I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the process, but I honestly didn't think it would turn out to be something to wear in one our wedding events, let alone the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! I just figured I could maybe try it and when it came out terribly, find some crafty easy way to add them to some decoration I had hot glued, stitched or otherwise-d together.

Here's what I used: the beads, a length of thin jewelry making wire (I wanted something thicker/stronger than cord to support the weight of the heavy beads), jewelry pliers (borrowed from FMIL) and lace ribbon. First, I laid out the beads on a necklace making board I have had in my closet for about a year now that I'd never used before. Once I figured out what design I liked the most, I began stringing the beads onto the wire. Simple? Yes. I got about halfway done stringing when I realized I had no means of a clasp for my necklace. But now it was personal, I had gone too far stringing and I had to come up with a way of closing the necklace.

Here's where my crafty brain fired up. Easy solution! Since I had used the thin wire rather than a cord, I was able to "tie off" the ends by bending the wire around itself and making a loop. It was easy then to cut the lace ribbon, slide it through the loop and finish the necklace. What do you think? 

The earrings I had garnered from my mom's old jewelry box. She wore them
when she was younger, I stole them to be "cool" in high school, and they
happen to be the perfect match for the color!

Here's how my version came out length-wise! Pardon
the tired eyes!

I am really happy with the way that it turned out. And it was super easy and so much more cost effective than ordering one from etsy. In fact, I may in the future make more and sell them on etsy! I'm going to do another post soon on my "wedding outfits" for lack of a better word. Til then, this is a DIY craft-risk that was definitely worth it!

Best,

Micah