Joyful Jewelry

Ah, the promise of spring! It's that time of year when the dark, heavy winter coats are slowly put away in favor of lighter, more colorful frocks. Add to that, cheerful accessories.

That's why I'm in the mood to make necklaces!

I'm using these as materials. They were blah handles from paper shopping bags. Aren't the colors attractive?

To take them off, just remove the knots and slide them off the shopping bags. The crazy ends have to be tamed, though.

Cut these off and apply some glue to the ends to prevent unraveling.

Line up the cords and trim them to the same length. After choosing this alternating color pattern, I sewed the cords together with a needle and thread.

I sewed them tightly from end to end.

Look! It's shaping up to look like a necklace.

Gather the ends and insert them into these gold caps {add some glue inside the caps beforehand for a sturdy grip}. 

Here is what the ends should look like.

I'm adding a few rhinestones because a little bling is always TADA!

First, I decided where they should go. Once I was happy with the placement, I used some glue to keep the rhinestones in place.

Then I sewed them on with needle and thread to keep them secure.

I finished off with a gold chain that I attached to the caps. The length can be adjusted so the necklace can be worn like a choker or as a bib.

Presenting...a cute necklace that went from blah to TADA!

Using the same technique, you might want to make a knot bracelet, charm bracelet, bead necklace or barrette.

See you back on Wednesday for another necklace idea.