Sep 7, 2009 | DIY
So I fell in love with the image above from the J. Crew August 2009 catalog. I already wrote that, I know.
And I wanted those necklaces. But $98 apiece (the model’s wearing two necklace, BTW) for glass rhinestones??? Swarovski I can understand. But that’s more expensive than quartz gemstone would be, honestly. Buy these from FireMountainGems.com for $4.27 and string ’em yasself and have a gemstone necklace.
But I digress. I wanted rhinestone, I wanted similar styles – and so I headed to my old standby for cheap jewelry finds that I can rip apart: Forever21. (I know, some poor Chinese laborer likely working long hours crafted these pieces, by hand, in a factory somewhere in mainland Chaina [according to the label]. I’m very sorry, unknown Chinese craftsperson, to be destroying your handiwork. I wish there was a place here in the U.S. that wholesaled components like these, I truly do. But until there is, I will have to rip apart the work you slaved over. 🙁 ) Anyway, apologies to the Chinese factoryperson aside, I bought these styles:
You can buy the necklaces here but the bracelet is no longer available online. You basically need a stretch bracelet with large rhinestones on it to do the trick.
The two necklaces were simple; here’s the how-to:
DOUBLE RHINESTONE NECKLACE WITH RIBBON
1. Open up the jumprings on either end (before the clasp and large ring on the end), pull off the clasp and ring, and reattach both jumprings onto larger 12 mm silvertone jumprings . (Both necklace ends share the same ring.)
2. Then tie some black grosgrain ribbon (should have been 3/8″, but I could only find 1/4″ at the store urrr) around the large rings.
3. Tuck the ends of your ties into the knots themselves to conceal them. Secure with some fabric glue, and voila! Your own version of the J. Crew Tiered Crystal Libretto Necklace, for about $11.60 for the two necklaces + $1.99 for the ribbon. (on the left, below)
LARGE RHINESTONE CHAIN NECKLACE
1. Cut the large rhinestones off the bracelet by cutting through the stretchy elestic and pulling them off. (Oversized jewels used in stretch bracelets usually have two holes on each side of the jewel to allow two rows of stretch elastic through.)
2. Thread a goldtone eye pin through the rhinestone holes side-to-side [through the top set of holes on each rhinestone only].
3. Cut off the eyepin to the correct length, bend and curl the length to create a loop (for each rhinestone eyepin).
4. Add goldtone jumprings to each loop, and link the rhinestones together.
5. Add some goldtone chain and a necklace clasp set to the ends (I had decided to make my necklace more like J. Crew’s Majesty Stone Necklace ($115) than the Crystal Symphony Necklace simply because the F21 bracelet rhinestones were pretty big – but of course you can attach the black grosgrain ribbon instead of a gold chain to be more like the J. Crew version.)
Anyway, the bracelet from F21 was I think $3.80, and I already had all the findings, so I felt pretty satisfied with the job. I love wearing both necklaces layered, like in the catalog, but they are each pretty on their own.
Happy DIY’ing! Hope all of you are having a fabulous Labor Day!
xoxox
Carly
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Aug 23, 2009 | DIY
(My DIY version, left) I fell in love with this necklace (found on SixSixSick, right photo), originally by artist Anni Albers. They sell the DIY necklace kit on Urban Outfitters for $14.
(A little bit about Anni Albers and the necklace kit from the UrbanOutfitters website: “This German-born American textile artist was always creating, even during WWII when fine materials were in short supply. Back then, she’d use unlikely objects from hardware and stationery stores to constantly make new and exciting pieces. A pioneer of 20th century Modernism, Anni, along with her husband Josef, revamped and challenged the purpose and aesthetics of modern art. Based on an original 1941 piece that was featured in Anni’s exhibition of “common object jewelry”, this Washers and Ribbon kit lets you easily create an eye-catching piece. A simple, easy project, the kit includes all the components needed to create the necklace shown plus a photo of the finished product as a guide.”)
Now I was all ready to plonk down my $14 for the kit at my local Urban Outfitters, but the store didn’t have it, and the salespeople were so unbelievably rude when I asked about it (admittedly I was holding an upset-looking toddler and looked somewhat sweaty and disheveled myself) that I decided no way, no how was I buying it from Urban. So I just put together the parts – one trip to Home Depot, and one trip to Michael’s later, I was set. Figuring out how the ribbon was woven through took a few false starts, but here is the DIY anyway, just in case anyone’s interested:
You will need:
-2 M of 5/8″ double-sided ribbon (I chose satin-the UO version is grosgrain. Whatever you like, just make sure both sides are the same! I also grabbed a 3 M remnant spool out of Michaels’ $1 bucket near the cash registers.)
-4 small (5/16″ dia) zinc cut washers (loose washers in the drawers below the washer/screw section)
-2 packs (of 6) 1/2″ dia SAE washers (they come in little orange plastic packs hanging on the wall at Home Depot, item#19861)
-7 x zinc cut washers1/2″ (again, loose from the drawer below)*
*I know it looks like we just bought a whole bunch of 1/2″ washers, but for some reason the loose 1/2″ dia washers actually ARE 1/2″, whereas the loose, in the drawer “cutwashers1/2″ are larger (like 7/8” if truth must be told). Not sure why. Anyway, those are what I used; choose whatever sizes you like!
Total cost of washers? $3.74.
How to: Thread one of the smallest washers onto your length of ribbon, about 8″ or so from one end. Follow lacing instructions below, adding washers on in this order:
(S= small washer, M=medium washer, L=large washer)
S-S-M-M-M-M-M-M-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-M-M-M-M-M-M-S-S
Make sure you underlap the washers as you add each new one; the new one goes underneath the previous one. And they’re single-sided (a shiny side, and a matter side), so make sure you’re keeping the same side out for each one as you add it on!
Leave 6-8″ on the end once you’re done , and tie the end of the ribbon. You can also treat the ends with Fray-Stop, or fold them over twice and stitch a narrow hem to encase the edges (neither of which I’ve done in the photo cuz I’m just too lazy). I think I’ll just leave the ends tied – am not sure I like the bow I made. Anyhow.
Project Cost: $4.74.
Time to Make: 40 min since I had to rethread it 3 times before I figured out the tying method. Should take you less!
The necklace (though heavy) sits beautifully on the body, almost like a flat snake. Very nice, Anni Albers!
I’m wearing it with my DIY cut-off Hanes shirt that I got from the Dollar Tree for…yup, you guessed it…ONE WHOLE DOLLAR. I was thrilled to find blank white and colored M and L sized Hanes tees at Dollar Tree. The bottom half of this shirt went to my DIY necklush, which I’ll probably post a photo of to bore you all with later. I kept the top half, then realized it looks more than slightly like that little Loose Crop Tee that American Apparel is selling for $17 (which I’ve had my eye on for awhile)…so ka-ching! I feel $16 richer. Funny how DIY works that way!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Aug 5, 2009 | DIY
Love the necklace. Yes, love. And $45 isn’t really that bad a price. It supports an up-and-coming designer, fosters cottage industry, stimulates the economy, yada yada yada. But, I just happened to have a whole bunch of wooden beads laying around…and some ribbon…and a little paint… So, you guessed it, I DIY’d my own. Sorry Adia! Here’s how…
You will need:
-27 beads in small, medium, and large sizes (I used wood because that’s what I had, and I painted them white, oyster, marigold yellow, and charcoal gray, and then sealed them with gloss Mod-Podge…though in retrospect, spray-painting would have been easier and made the color more uniform)
-2 yd double-face matte ribbon (I had single-faced, and that means that the underside of the necklace is more obvious than if the 2 sides were the same. I also used shiny satin, which I like; the designer version uses matte.)
-thread, same color as your ribbon (I used black and it’s a little obvious)
-fabric glue
-needle
How To:
Start by triple-knotting a double-length of thread onto your needle. Push needle into center of ribbon about 8″ from one end. String on a small bead on the UNDERSIDE of your ribbon. This will create a little hump underneath the ribbon. Push needle into center of ribbon just beyond that bead, and bring to front.
Thread next bead on, and so and so forth, alternating beads. You can also go in and out with the needle a few times to anchor your beginning bead strongly at the the top of the necklace.
Once you’ve added all the beads on, alternating sizes, anchor your last bead in, and knot and cut your thread. Then apply fabric glue to about 1/2″ of the front of the ribbon, right at that thread knot at both the beginning and the end of your threaded beads. Fold ribbon over (we’re trying to disguise that thread, just to explain), press, and allow to set. I also hand-stitched under that fold to make sure it was secure, on both sides.
Cut the ends of your ribbon to the length you want, glue together and then fold over to disguise the ends in a similar manner. Hand-stitch again, to secure.
I really love the design of this – it’s elegant and simple. (Hub says it looks like I’m getting married in Hawaii at a traditional-style wedding….They place a similarly-threaded kukui nut-and-ribbon necklace on the groom instead of a flower lei in some situations. Well, I’m not getting married in Hawaii…we got married in Hawaii!! 5 years ago! Hello??!!…and Hub was not adorned with said kukui nut necklace. Well, now I’ve made him one, apparently – we can have a do-over.)
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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May 27, 2009 | DIY
I’m in love with
Subversive Jewelry, designed by
Justin Giunta. If you haven’t seen his work, it’s been featured in just about every mag you can imagine, starting sometime around 2003. And he was nominated for an CFDA award in accessory design just this year.
His work really fueled the whole mish-mash tangle of necklaces, vintage, costumey overload (not in a bad way!) that we’re seeing designers copy be inspired by ever since, even for Fall 2009. (Dolce & Gabbana, I’m looking at you😉
(Me when I had long hair and was 10…alright, 12 lbs. lighter. Ah, those were the days.) 
However, I could never,
ever afford one of his pieces. Maybe aspire to, someday. So I made my own from a bunch of findings I had laying around, and a couple of the
8721 50mm Swarovski Crystal Teardrops. (When I made my version back in 2004, Swarovski wasn’t producing a large-size teardrop that had a flattened back…now they are. I should have just used chandelier drops like Mr. Giunta did in his design…and I could have sourced them from
Cristalier.com, but I thought the 8721 drops would work fine. The problem is that the drops I used have a point on either side, so they don’t sit flat against my skin. The
8741
is much flatter and would have probably been the better choice overall.) Ah well. I threw some assorted charms and pearl chain onto the necklace for the same effect as the original. I think it turned out great – I love wearing the necklace with a simple tank or a white tee to show it off…but it is darned heavy!
Here’s my comparison, side by side. Or above/below. Sorry this isn’t specifically a DIY tutorial, but you can probably figure out how the necklace is constructed just studying the photos: basically, drape, twist, and when in doubt – add more!!
I hope Mr. Giunta takes it as a compliment! (I promise to buy something from him once I have a spare $600 laying about, I do promise.)
xoxox
Carly
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May 8, 2009 | DIY
I have (just like probably every other crafter out there since the Dawn of Time) an unbelievable amount of pretty beads sitting in my arsenal with nowhere to go. Mismatched, funny shapes, unusual colors…acrylic, pearl, glass…you name it, I probably have it. So I love the idea of taking a dead-soft piece of fine jewelry wire and wrapping up all those unmatched beads into a more beautiful shape, thus recycling all of my unusable cast-offs. (I used 18 gauge wire, I think, in a silvertone, but you could definitely go higher-end with sterling or 14K gold…a gift for Mom, perhaps?) The wrapping takes awhile, since it takes some time to perfect your shape as you’re doing it…and then using two wires you wrap a little chain around the shape’s edges to secure the piece. Finally, add a jumpring on each side, cut a length of chain in half and attach each end – the chain gets a clasp. And voila! Finally, a use for all those extra mismatched beads.
I made a clover and a heart – and in using the beads, tried to choose ones in a similar color scheme. I think they turned out pretty well – and it’s funny, since I can pretty much remember where each bead came from…it’s like each piece in the shape has its own little story. That green rectangular glass bead I found on the floor of the A & P when I was 8…that gold filigree bead was from a birthday party favor bag when I was 10…that acrylic shimmer heart was from a grab bag I ordered when I was 23 and making jewelry from my tiny apartment in Philly….
I have both the clover and the heart up for sale in my Etsy Shop. They’re $16 each if you want to check them out! And definitely grab some jewelry wire and make your own – in any shape imaginable! It’s a fun project that takes about an hour or so.
-Carly J. Cais
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