jewelry

Rainbow Earrings Tutorial

January 29, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Rainbows are so beautiful and I have been loving all the different rainbow trends that have been popular lately. In fact, it inspired me to create these textured earrings a few months ago and I’m happy to share how I made them now. Read on to learn how to make your own with this rainbow earrings tutorial.

To make your own pair you will need:

Embroidery Thread
Yarn, Fabric, etc. for wrapping
Earwires (Earring Findings)
26 gauge wire
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Ruler
Jewelry Pliers

You will want to start by cutting the embroidery thread and wire piece a bit longer than you plan on it being so it can be trimmed at the end. Cut one wire piece and six lengths of embroidery thread (you can just cut six individual pieces, but I looped it) at 7.5″ long.

Cut wire and thread for two more the same way. I played around with the length when figuring out how to make these and while you can shorten each layer some at this point (as you can see I did in my photos), you might as well do them the same since the wrapping will be where the final length is really decided. Keep it easy as possible I say hahaha.

Twist the wire around the embroidery thread like in the above picture. This allows for it to stay together without adding extra glue which would add to the chunkiness of the finished product.

Now you can prepare for the wrapping. You can use yarn, fabric, maybe even try ribbons or leather? I like how you can use different materials to add different textures. I stuck with yarn and fabric, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

You will want to begin gluing with at least one inch of wire and thread left unwrapped on one end. Then as you wrap, add dabs of hot glue to keep it in place. Try not to make the glue dabs really thick so it doesn’t squish out or make a big bump. Each layer will need to be wrapped a little shorter than the previous one. The longest one will be the top layer and the shortest will be the inside layer. You can see in the pictures below the wrapping lengths I chose.

For the big rainbows: Top layer is wrapped about 3.25″, the middle is wrapped about 3″, and the bottom layer is wrapped about 2.75″.

For the shorter rainbows: Top layer is wrapped about 2.5″, middle layer is wrapped about 2.25″, and bottom is wrapped about 2″.

Next you will glue the layers together. I start with the bottom (shortest) and middle layers first. Bend the bottom layer into a rainbow shape and bend the middle layer over it to make sure they will match up nicely. Match the wrapped ends on one side and begin gluing together while shaping the middle layer to the bottom one. You will have some flexibility with the shaping even after they are glued, you just want to make sure that the wrapped ends meet on each side when curved.

Glue on the top layer the same way.

Cut off the extra length of wires as close as you can to the wrapped area.

Then trim the embroidery thread ends to your liking. Mine are all around a .5″ length.

Use jewelry pliers to open up the loop on the earrings.

Hook the earring into the top middle of each rainbow and then use pliers to close up the loop a bit. They stay on very well and I felt no need for any glue at this point.

Another option would be to use a jump ring and turn this into a necklace if you want. It’s a very versatile pile you can have lots of fun being creative with. I hope you enjoyed this rainbow earring tutorial and find it useful Please share your creations on social media and tag it with #happytogetherbyjess or send me a pic. I love seeing what y’all make!

Bead Bar Necklace DIY

July 10, 2019 by Jessica 9 Comments

A few weeks ago for Mother’s Day I wanted to make something special to go with a shirt I made for my mom. I was browsing around at Michael’s and saw the perfect supplies to put together a bead bar necklace. I ended up liking the one I made for her so much that I even made one for myself.

There are only four things you need:

Connector Chain Necklaces (Here in Silver; Here in Gold)
2 inch Eye Pins
Beads of choice that will fit on eye pin
Pliers (jewelry ones are best, but I couldn’t find mine and just used regular ones)

Lay out necklace pieces, eye pin, and beads.

Use the pliers to open up the closed eye pin side and place on the end jump ring of a necklace piece. Use pliers to close it shut.

Add the beads on the eye pin and then use pliers to curve end of eye pin.

Hook the half closed eye pin to the other necklace piece. Then use pliers to completely close the eye pin.

The fun thing with this if you can totally customize it. You could use colors of birthstones representing children/grandchildren or you could bend the wire and curve it instead of leaving it straight. Oh the possibilities! That’s what’s fun with diy. You can make exactly what it is you are wanting. Share your bead bar necklace on social media with #happytogetherbyjess. I would love to see it.

Agate Ring DIY

December 9, 2015 by Jessica 2 Comments

Now that my two little girls are not babies I find myself wearing more jewelry. I guess it’s because I don’t worry about it getting yanked at anymore haha. I have been particularly loving large accent rings lately. We went to Tennessee this past October and visited caverns where they were selling these beautiful slices of agate. I knew I wanted to make them into jewelry. A simple ring diy was in order. I like finding mementos to save from trips, but sometimes it can accumulate into stuff I don’t really end up hanging onto. So I have started to try and find things that I can create with to make a more useful memento.

One of the great things about this project was that it was rather inexpensive. The agate slices were a dollar something each and if you average the price of each ring from the package you could say it cost me under $3 to make each ring.

To make your own ring(s) you will need the following:

Agate (appropriately sized, make sure it isn’t too big or too small)
E6000 glue (the best for making sure jewelry stays together)
Plain Rings (I found these adjustable rings at JoAnn’s)
Surface protection (ex: paper plate, newspaper, etc)

Decide which side of the agate slice you want to be the back and dab a little bit of glue on the ring top. Place ring on center back of agate. I suggest doing the gluing over somethingslike a paper plate to protect the surface you are working on. And make sure to use this glue in a well ventilated area as it is really strong.

Once the glue is dry the rings are ready to wear! They would be a perfect little gift for friends or family that like to wear jewelry. Using an adjustable ring helps ensure it can fit a variety of finger sizes.

Nothing like wearing a little bit of nature as an accessory. Such natural beauty!

Happy crafting!
jess

Michaels Makers: Teacher’s Bracelets DIY

August 15, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

Teacher's Bracelets DIY | by happy together

It’s back to school time this time of year, so the Michaels Makers Challenge was to create something with that in mind. I first thought of some kind of jewelry for kids or teachers and then narrowed it down to bracelets for teachers (or students even). I thought a ruler bracelet would be cool. Then when I went walking around the store I saw the alphabet beads and the inspire charm and knew they needed to be bracelets as well.

With there being such a difference in wrist sizes, I decided to stick with bracelets that could work on many sizes. Elastic, wrap around, and resizable.

The above picture is all the supplies you need for all three of these bracelets. They are fairly simple and would be great to have kids help to make. All of the items pictures can be found in the jewelry section (or Shop Beading and Jewelry Making Supplies at Michaels online), except the measuring tape. That along with the eyelets and scissors can be found in the sewing section. Glue can be found in a few areas, depending on which kind you want to use. I used fabric glue, but any kind of glue is fine (except hot glue, as it might melt the elastic).

The alphabet bracelet is really easy. Line up your beads in alphabetical order. I just did a-z, but you could start the alphabet over to make it a little bigger. The bracelet will stretch, but some more beads wouldn’t hurt at all. Pre-stretch a 15 inch piece of the stretch magic clear elastic. Then place the beads on. Once all on, knot the ends together three times. Add a dab of glue to the knot. Lastly, once the glue is dry, trim off the excess elastic. I really liked using the gold alphabet beads because it seemed a bit more grown up and refined.

The inspire bracelet is another easy one. You need the inspire charm and wrap around ribbon bracelet. This was originally silver, so I painted the top gold to match the gold alphabet beads. I used just a little amount of paint and made sure it didn’t pool in the letters. Then I wiped my brush clean and went over the paint again in a few spots so the silver underneath ever so slightly shown through. Once dry, I simply laced the ribbon through and tied a knot at the end. The recipient can retie the knot if needed for it to fit better. This simply wraps around ones wrist until it’s tight enough.

Lastly, the measuring tape bracelet requires a little bit more work but is still an easy bracelet. I initially didn’t use the eyelets, but discovered the stress from the straps pulling in the holes would warp and possible tear the measuring tape. So I made another and added the eyelets. It’s much more secure. Cut a piece of measuring tape 6″ long. Then make really small holes on both ends to stick the eyelet in. 1. Place the taller piece through the front of the tape. Then place the smaller piece on top of it on the backside. 2. Next place your eyelet tool on top of the back and hammer together. You won’t need to be too hard, but hard enough to close the two pieces together. 3. Cut a 12″ and a 16″ piece of cording. Loop the 12″ piece through the eyelets. 4. Cross the ends of the cording over each other and hold in place. 5. Loop the 16″ piece of cording in half and place the folded center on top of the 12″ crossed cording. 6. Take one end of 16″ piece and wrap around all cording pieces 4 times. You want to do it loose enough to fit the cording through, kind of like making a tunnel for it. Then take the same end of the piece you wrapped around and pull through the four loops. 7. Pull both ends of the 16″ piece until tight but not too tight that you can’t pull the 12″ pieces through to change the length. 8. Lastly, knot both ends of the 12″ cording. Knot the 16″ ends as well, but as close to the loops as possible. Trim the ends of that piece only. Now the two 12″ ends can be pulled to make adjustments in the sizing as needed.

Teachers are so amazing. They do so much for so many children. Any time you can do something to show them you appreciate them, do so. Even if it’s the littlest thing. You never know what one small act of kindness can mean to someone. Check out what everyone else made below and Michaels’ Back to School Pinterest Board to find more fun and creative project ideas to kick the school year off right!

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This post was created in partnership with Micheals. All opinions stated are my own. Affiliate links have been used. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

DIY Trinket Dish

January 13, 2014 by Jessica 6 Comments

This is yet another diy that was created out of necessity. I like to keep my daughters hair ties in her bathroom, but she would always take them out of the bowl so she could use the bowl for her toys. So, there was no home for the hair ties any more. It kept disappearing!

I saw some cute trinket dishes or ring dishes or jewelry holders or whatever you want to call them on Anthropologie’s site. I was really close to buying one when it hit me I can just make one of course. So off I went to the thrift store and found the supplies I needed. I only spent $1.12 to make this and now we have a trinket dish!

Here is what you need to make one:
-A teacup plate
-A small figurine that fits on the middle of the plate. Also make sure it has a place that rings/etc could fit on. For example: a rabbit has ears that would work, a giraffe, a dinosaur with a long neck, a dear, etc. The unicorn I chose was perfect because of it’s horn.
-A strong glue (I used E6000; available at craft stores)
-Paint (if you want to paint your figurine. I used regular acrylic, but spray paint would be the best)
-Clear Sealant (if you do use acrylic paint)

Paint your figurine if desired. I had to apply several coats. This is when I was wishing I had some spray paint. If using acrylic paint, use a clear sealer once its dry to prevent it from chipping. Wash your dish off and dry it real good too. Once everything is dry, glue the figurine on the plate.

Very simple and these would make a cute gift too! I think this would also be great to make using plastic plates and figurines if breakage is a concern.

This trinket dish now looks more like the above. It’s covered in hair ties and sitting in my daughter’s bathroom and solves our issue. For now anyways haha. Share if you make one 🙂
-Jess