Headline News Necklace and Earrings

Make Jewellery Magazine Issue 31

What first attracted me to Helen Cant's Headline News project in November 2011's Make Jewellery Magazine is that I already had several of the focal beads. My stash already contained the acrylic telephone charm and the large news print beads. As I've done quite a few of Helen's project from the mag, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised we share the same taste in beads...

Anyway, to start the necklace, I threaded the newsprint beads onto headpins with a small hematite bead at each end. I then joined the
two beads with jump rings to some silver plated chain to form the back of the necklace. The necklace was going to be long enough to slip over my head, so I didn't both with a clasp.

Next, I joined the other end of the newsprint beads together with another length of chain for the front part of the necklace. I attached the telephone charm in the middle using a jump ring.

To decorate the rest of the necklace, I added a selection of red, black and silver beads from my stash, mounting the on headpins and joining them to the necklace with jump rings.

Now for the fiddly bit. I bought the antique brass cameo settings recommended by the project from Zap Creatives. Following Helen's instructions, I installed a typewriter font, Special Elite, onto my computer from Font Squirrel. I then used MS Word to create a small black circle with the words "Out Of Office" in white typewriter font. I printed out the circle and then cut it out with small sharp scissors. I glued the circle into the cameo using PVA and then sealed it with Diamond Glaze, adhesive varnish that dries to a glossy finish:

After a lengthy drying process, I attached the cameo to the necklace and then bravely repeated the whole process twice to make some matching earrings:

So, an excellent addition to the office punk look I like to cultivate at work using stuff (mostly) from my stash...

Melx

Fabric Bead Necklace & Earrings

Make Jewellery Magazine June 2010

After several years' faithful service, my sewing machine has been making an ominous noise, so I've taken it in to be serviced. So, time for some jewellery projects me thinks.

I subscribe to Make Jewellery magazine and, as with my other mags, I try to complete at least one project from each issue before the next one comes out. However, Make Jewellery is, to me anyway, quite a different kettle of fish to, say, Sew Hip. I see Make Jewellery as more inspiration and eye candy than a set of projects to be followed step by step. I'm always finding fab new beads to buy in there and it's a good showcase for handmade shops and new jewellery designers..

For the projects themselves, though, I never follow the instructions in detail, although I'm sure it's possible to do so. I tend to just look at the pictures (the photography is excellent) and check out the odd detail if I need to. I will then adapt the project to suit my tastes, my ability and the beads and findings I have handy or like to use.

So, this is my take on the Ditsy Chick project from the June 2010 issue. If you've seen it, you'll see I've simplified the design to a single strand necklace and ditched the curtain rings and ribbon. I used purple fabric beads rather than pink and also crocheted beads rather than felt ones.

For the supplies, I'm afraid the magazine committed the irritating sin of using a shop that doesn't have a proper online or mail order service. Although I probably could have got the beads by calling the recommended supplier, I opted to find some similar ones from Ebay. (This is not, however, as bad as the magazine using beads from a supplier that doesn't have any in stock and isn't sure if they can get any more, but that's another post).

I used some bead caps I already had for each bead and joined them together with eye pins as per the project. I used a closed jump ring and a lobster clasp to fasten the necklace. The earrings were completed with small translucent buttons and Swarovski crystal bicones (what did people do before we had them?). The whole thing took less than two hours and I think it looks really pretty.

Melx