Woodland Flora Pendant - Free Project

Whip up a woodland inspired pendant in just a few minutes for some instant nature charm! My new Renaissance Faux Copper Leaf Pendant is combined with a colorful collection of Czech glass. The beads swing from a branch toggle clasp. 

Supplies:
Polymer clay leaf pendant (1 1/4" long) 
10 Czech glass beads
Branch toggle clasp
28" copper plated chain
10 2" ball headpins
12.5 mm jump ring
4 8mm jump rings 
2 5mm jump rings

Tools needs: wire cutters, chain nose, flat or bent nose and round nose pliers.

1. String one glass bead on a ball headpin, create a wrapped loop by wrapping the wire under the headpin twice tightly and two-three times over the top to create a messy wrapped look. Trim excess wire with wire cutters. Repeat with remaining 9 glass beads.

2. Attach an 8mm jump ring to the leaf pendant. 

3. On the 12.5mm jump ring string on the leaf pendant and three of the glass bead dangles on each side of the pendant. 

4. Use an 8mm jump ring to attach the 12.5mm jump ring to the ring of the toggle clasp.

5. Use an 8mm jump ring to attach 2 of the larger glass bead dangle to the bottom of the ring of the toggle clasp on one side of the pendant. Repeat on the other side of the pendant.

6. Use 5mm jump rings to attach the ends of the chain to the bar and ring of the toggle clasp. 

If a shorter chain is desired use either 24" or 20" length chain. 

I'm offering a few kits for the necklace in my Etsy shop.

Sometimes in my Humblebeads VIP Party Facebook group I'll ask for suggestions for new beads. One that caught my eye and pulled my muse in was the request for a leaf that would work with my bird beads. Challenge accepted! 

I had a mold from leaves from my front yard and wanted to make a pendant that was romantic, lush and felt like that fit the woodland feel of my birds. I love them and have been having fun using them in my designs. 

Leather Charm Tassel Tutorial

I love this embossed leather and have been having fun finding all sorts of ways to use it in my jewelry. I created this tassel with a small ribbon clamp and wire-wrapping beads around it for a little extra embellishment.

Supplies:

5/8” x 1 ½” leather strip

16mm copper ribbon clamp

11/0 seed beads

Leaf charm

8 ½” 26 gauge brass colored wire

4mm copper jump ring

6mm copper jump ring

1. Evenly cut the end of the leather into 1/8” strips, leaving the top half inch of the leather uncut.

2. Wrap the end of the wire around one side the ribbon clamp two times. With the wire facing the front of the ribbon clamp string seed beads as the same length as the clamp. Wrap the wire around the front of the clamp again. String on another row of seed beads. Wrap the wire around the front of the clamp two more times. Make sure the wire is wrapped very tightly each time. Trim the end of the wire so it is shorter than the clamp.

3. Insert the leather piece into the clamp, use chain nose pliers to close the clamp tightly, squeezing under the beads to close it securely. Re-position the rows of beads if needed so they lay straight across the clamp.

4. Add the leaf charm to the 4mm jump ring, close the jump ring. Add the ribbon clamp loop and the leaf jump ring to a 6mm jump ring.

Resources:

Leather: PeggySueAlso.etsy.com. Leaf charm and jump rings: YadanaBeads.etsy.com. Seed Beads: WhimBeads.com. Ribbon clamps: WhiteWillowCreek.etsy.com.

In the example I paired up my leather charm tassel with coordinating disk and birds from Humblebeads.com and a round ceramic beads from FireflyDesignStudio.etsy.com. The branch connectors are from NunnDesign.com.

My Gilded Bramble Birds are now part of my regular line of beads that can be found at humblebeads.com. 

Leather Bracelet with Micro Screws & Nuts Tutorial

Isn't it great to find a project that takes minutes to make but creates a big visual punch? Pair up my bracelet cuff with leather straps for a super simple project that is fun to wear and stack with other bracelet designs. Micro screws and nuts make this a no-fail project with very minimal tools and no riveting experience needed!

Supplies Bracelet cuff 8” 19 gauge steel wire 2 15mm brass jump rings 10” leather strap ½” wide 18mm x 20mm copper E hook clasp 4 micro 1” screw and nut sets

Metal punch Wire cutters Scissors Bench block Ball peen hammer

Find leather, E hook clasp, jump rings, micro screw and nuts at Lima Beads. 

Bracelet cuffs from Humblebeads.etsy.com

Use 4" of steel wire to create a wrapped bail on the bracelet cuff. Repeat on the other side. 

1. Attach the 15mm jump ring to each end of the bracelet cuff.  Cut the leather strap in half. String one leather strap through the 15mm jump ring and fold the end of the leather strap over at 1/2” from the end. Punch a hole through the overlapped leather pieces ¼” from the jump ring. Make sure the punch goes through both pieces of leather. 

Tip: Always punch the hole from the top of the leather strap.

2. Thread the bolt through the leather straps with the finished end facing up on top of the leather straps.

3. Thread on the nut on the bolt on the back of the leather.

4. Use chain nose pliers to tighten the nut securely.

5. Trim off the end of the bolt wire cutters flush to the nut.  

6. Place the bracelet with the nut side up on top of the bench block, lightly tap the cut off end of the bolt with the ball peen hammer to flatten the end slightly.  

7. Measure the straps to fit your wrist with 1/2” extra leather on each side, trim leather to shorten if needed. Thread the closed end of the  E hook clasp through the end of one of the straps, fold the strap over and punch a hole a 1/4” from the clasp. Repeat step 4. & 5. to secure the leather loop.

8. Repeat step 7 on the other side of the leather strap, making a loop with the 1/2” of leather without inserting the clasp.

Order more leather, screws and clasps than you think you'll need because these bracelets are addictive and you'll want to whip up a pile of them!!!! 

Grab Bag Project Inspiration

Happy Saturday!!! My weekend is going to be filled with three things: beads, blueberries and birthdays. 

Beads because every spare minute is now crunch time for Bead Fest. (Booth 559A) Oh my, oh my, do I have some amazing things for this show. I'll be posting tons of picks next week. Follow me on Instagram for a behind the scene peak at prepping for a national bead show. (@humblebeads)

The other two B's - it's Blueberry Festival in my hometown and I love playing tourist. Checking out the craft show in the park, sidewalk sales, eatin' some berries, etc, etc. And birthdays, well for my nephew and my bday is on Monday and I like to celebrate it for a good 2-3 days!!! 

Back to beads - that's why you are here right? I'm having a huge clearance sale making way for all my new goodies. 

You can find 40% off grab bags in my Etsy shop. They are bright and cheerful and start at $25!!! 

It's a great way to stock up on focals and find some rare Humblebeads. 

Here is a free project as an example of what to do with those round focals: 

Dahila Necklace

Check out all the grab bags in my Etsy shop: 

Have an awesome weekend!!!