Keep It Simple

As I hurry to finish making gifts and wrapping them up, I remember my husband's yearly Christmas warning.....keep it simple! This year I am actually heeding his advice. There are a few ladies on my gift list who wear simple jewelry so I have to ignore my own jewelry preference (gaudy) when I design for them. The two jewelry pieces in the photos are not only simple in style; they are super simple to make. Get out your jewelry tools and make a bunch of these in just a few hours and stay within your budget too!

The pendant necklace is a snap to make with 24 gauge sterling silver round wire and a beautiful faceted green amethyst teardrop with a drilled hole at the tip. Take about 4"-6" of wire and string it through the gemstone hole and bring the ends of the wire together. Twist the wire near the tip of the teardrop. Form the twisted portion into a bail around the chain or make sure that the finished bail accomodates the chain's clasp. Wrap the excess wire a few times around the bottom of the bail and cut off the extra length of wire. Put the pendant on a delicate chain and you're done! Chosing a special sparkling gemstone bead is the key to the beauty of this simple and elegant gift. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Last Christmas my sister gifted me with a large container of mostly clear, vintage, glass buttons. For a year I thought about and played with the buttons trying to come up with a good use for them. I finally got an inspiration this week. I decided to make a button bracelet for my sister. (I know she doesn't read this blog or even use a computer, so I can reveal her Christmas gift.) I think the finished bracelet has the look of an icy winter's day because the buttons look like snowflakes. I will write up this project and post it on our web site (http://www.bfcraftclub.com/) as soon as possible.