learning how to make necklaces

Remember this picture?

This is where it all began. I purchased this necklace at a 50% off sale just before Christmas at New York and Company. I've basically fallen in love with it and because of it, I've been playing around with beads, chain and needle nose pliers for the past couple weeks! I'm having so much fun! In the past 2 weeks, I've made three necklaces and have ideas for new necklaces running around my head. I never knew that jewelry making could be so easy AND fun!

I found this tutorial over at Sew Sweet Stitches and it was a great starting point for me. The directions were easy to follow, I just had to go to YouTube to figure out the looping of the eyepins a little bit better. This is the first necklace I made following this tutorial. I really like it! The first photo is how the necklace was originally designed and how I wore it the first day. The flower I made for it fell off so I just need to reinforce it better with bigger jump rings or perhaps I'll find another way.

In the second picture I added some key charms I purchased at Michaels that I thought were cute. I like it worn either way but I think I prefer the flower.

Next I thought I'd try out making a bib necklace following the tutorial over at Little Miss Momma. I just love the look of it and was actually really excited to make it. I spent last Tuesday evening making it and I'm not so sure I did it right. However, I'm not sure what I did wrong because it doesn't lay flat but likes to fall forward and the backside ends up showing and just looks kinda weird. I was bummed but I'm not going to give up! I'm going to figure out what I did wrong because I really really want to wear this!

Then I made this cutie....

I got the pendant on clearance at Michaels and I just really really like it! I wore this to the park last week with a green cardigan and I liked the combination. I actually was wearing it in my last post with my self portraits. I cropped the images some so you can hardly see it. Oh well!

And lastly, I whipped this baby up really late last Thursday night. I'm actually starting to get the hang of it and it took me no time at all. I actually was sitting in the family room that was very dimly lit! When I saw this pendant I just really really liked it. I was planning to make something with the turquoise color to go with my red cardigan so when I saw the pendant I thought it would go perfectly. I added the pearls as a side note when I realized I didn't have enough of the turquoise to finish the necklace.

I wore this on Friday and actually got a compliment while at the mall. I was so excited! 

So that's a little bit of what I've been up to lately. It's been so nice to be feeling like myself again and not all stuffy and icky! What about you? What have you created lately?