January 31, 2014

Little Village Pendant Tutorial - Free Project

This pendant adds an economical and stylish touch with a few links of vintage chain highlighted in the front of the design.  A cluster of beaded jump rings makes a fun transition from the two types of chain and adds a little color. A collection of Czech glass and a tiny pewter bird charm are the perfect addition to this folky house bead. 

Supplies
House Bead
Pewter Bird Charm
3 Czech glass flowers
6 4mm glass crystals
4" Vintage chain
18" gunmetal cable chain
1 15mm brass jump ring
6 7mm brass jump rings
2 6mm brass jump rings
6 5mm brass jump rings
3 2" brass headpins
6" 22 gauge steel wire

Finished length: 22" 
Directions
1. String a glass flower onto a headpin and create a wrapped loop. Keep wrapping the wire to create a messy wrap. 
2. Attach the two 6mm brass jump rings together, add the bird charm to the bottom jump ring.
3. Leaving a 2" tail create a loop at one end of the steel wire.  Open the loop and string on two flowers, the bird and one flower.  Close the jump ring and with the remaining wire, create a wrapped loop and continue wrapping the extra wire to create the messy wrap.
4. String on the house bead and create a wrapped loop, finishing it in the messy wrapped style.
5. Attach the 15mm jump ring to the top of the pendant.
6. Cut two 2" lengths of the vintage chain.  Attach them to the 15mm jump ring with the 5mm brass jump rings.
7. Open a 7mm jump ring, add a crystal, repeat with each jump ring. Close two of the jump rings. Slip one open beaded jump ring through a closed beaded jump ring and close it.  Repeat with a third beaded jump ring, going through the two previous jump rings.  Repeat to create a second cluster of beaded jump rings.
8. With the 5mm jump rings attach the beaded jump ring cluster to the vintage chain and the 18" gunmetal chain. Repeat on the other side.

Resources
House: Humblebeads. Bird: Green Girl Studios. Flowers: Dream Girl Beads. Gunmetal chain, jump rings, headpins: Hobby Lobby. Steel wire: Ace Hardware.  Vintage Chain: search Etsy or your local antique shop.

 Inspired by Art

My Folk Art House bead was inspired by this painting of a street in Paris entitled Lapin Agile from french artist Maurice Utrillo. While it looks like a sweet country side painting, it's actually a cabaret in the heart of the artists district made famous by artists like Picasso. Utrillo painted this nightclub in many different seasons, which is slightly tragic since he was an alcoholic for most of his life. C'est la vive! Despite it's reputation and his, he was able to see the good and beauty in this little street corner. And finding the good in things, I'm all about that!


4 comments:

Lynn said...

Thanks for the tutorial and I love your cottage necklace! Of course, I love all your designs!

Shai Williams said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial! Since I was lucky enough to be 5,000th customer and one of the goodies you send along was a house bead, I am going to make up this necklace for myself.'

Mary Harding said...

A truly delightful tutorial Heather!! Love the way you adapted your pendant from the original painting. Thanks so for posting this.

sandi m said...

Love your interpretation of Utrillo's house. He was one of my favorite artists back when I studied French paintings. Too bad his works aren't recognized as often as the other great painters. C'est la vie!