DIY Necklaces

I love a good Do-It-Yourself project, but this idea is actually a quick and easy tutorial on DIY jewelry.  No, no... this has nothing to do with braiding friendship bracelets.  This is actual trendy, personalized jewelry.  The inspiration for this came from a long strand of pearls that had been passed down in my family, I think they were originally my great grandmas, probably from her flapper days!  I love using old jewelry that has history for this idea, but you can use anything you have laying around the house.

I love the way pairing ribbon with an everyday peice of jewelry instantly gives it a fresh look.  Ribbon necklaces are everywhere you look right now in the stores, and they can cost quite a bit of money.  For what?  A 10 cent piece of ribbon and a recycled necklace?  Making your own ribbon necklace not only saves you money, but it also means you will be wearing a unique piece of jewelry that no one else has!  With a long string of pearls I like pairing either a black ribbon, or a light brown ribbon... but the options are endless.

Not Your Grandmother's Pearls

Time this project will take: Less than 5 minutes

What you will need:
A long necklace (think a string of pearls, a linked chain, etc.)
Ribbon (use any width you want, but a 1/2 inch is a good size if you're unsure)
Brooch- optional (do you have one of grandma's broochs laying around in storage?)

1. Take a piece of ribbon and put one end on your collar bone, hold it securely there.  With your other hand pull the remainder of the ribbon behind your neck and measure to your other collar bone.  Pinch the ribbon between your fingers to mark those spots as you take the ribbon off.  Now double the length that you measured.  Cut the ribbon to that length and tie the ends together to make the ribbon into a circle, set it down on a table in a circle with the knot at the top.

2. Take your long necklace and double it or triple it, depending on the length.  Your necklace should now be a small circle with 2-3 strands of beads.  Set the doubled or tripled necklace, in a circular shape, on the bottom of your ribbon, so that the ribbon looks like it's going through the middle of the circle.

3. Take one hand and grab the ribbon up at the top by the knot, with your other hand grab the ribbon from the middle of your necklace circle and pull up at the same time.  Pinch the two pieces of ribbon together and slip necklace on.  The ribbon should look doubled, and be behind your neck and to your collar bones, and the necklace should now look to have 4-6 strands.  If you want to create a ribbon bow on the back of your neck, simple tie on an additional piece of ribbon and tie it into whatever size bow you'd like.

4. Optional: To add another trend, add a brooch or pin to one side of the necklace right where the ribbon meets the necklace.  This should give your necklace an off center look. 

The look you're duplicating.





Store bought version = $$$

You can do alot of creative things with this.  You could make the ribbon alot longer than collar bone length if you were going for a long layered necklace look.  You could use a really thick ribbon and tie it into a large bow and tilt the necklace to an off centered position for an extra bold look.  You could try a really simple necklace with a bold printed ribbon for a different look.  Instead of using a long necklace that's already made, you could string funky beads onto another piece of ribbon for the bottom part of the necklace.

Fun with bows.