Make Earrings, Necklaces, and Decorative Mini Skewers for Christmas Gifts

Clever items have always been something that I admire. One year, knowing that I love to make appetizers, a friend gave me adorable skewers. These were homemade and beaded and turned a green olive, a cherry tomato, and a few pieces of cheese into a beautiful hors d'oeuvre. Whether you make them for yourself or gift them to someone, make a short glass to go with them that you have painted "Used skewers" and glue one onto the inside of the glass or paint one on the outside. The skewers walk away otherwise.

Decorative Mini Skewers

These are not fast items to make, but once you get the hang of it you can create one in 20 minutes or less. Use 16 gauge silver wire for the hors d'oeuvre skewers. You will need 4 to 6 inches for each. You are also going to need 20-gauge wire to wrap the beads. 6 inches should be enough for any design that you choose, including mistakes you cut off. Buy large-hole glass beads for the decoration. The translucent beads are the best and most sophisticated once you wrap it with silver wire. I was disappointed when I made a ceramic beaded skewer, although I tried it with smaller polished rocks and it is neat.

You will need to get a good hammer and a heavy metal piece to flatten the end of the wire. I used the top of an old vise, but an anvil or some other creative idea will work. You want it strong enough that you can flatten the wire with a few smacks. If you are making a six-inch skewer, flatten one end about 1 1/2 inches down the wire. Make the end about half the thickness that it had been previously.

Push a bead up against the flattened edge. You are now ready to use a hunk of the 20-gauge wire. Before you attach the wire, create bends and turns in it with pliers. Loop it over itself and push it together, keeping the design smaller than the bead. Flatten the design with the hammer, but not the entire wire.

You should flatten about 1/2 inch at one end of the wire also.

Fit the wire to the bead with the flat end toward the top. Wrap the bottom of the wire beneath the bead several times to build a small coil and secure it by clipping and tucking the loose end into the bottom of the bead. Wrap the top several times and complete the wrap by lapping over the flattened edge. You may have made the wire too long, but that can be cured with a wire cutter and few new, well placed, smashes of the hammer.

Make between 6 and 12 for your lucky recipient. I got a gift of 4 and while they were extremely appreciated, made more for myself later on. The recipient can alternate regular skewers with these placed in between for a glamorous look.

Create Earrings

I have never created earrings starting with just metal wire. While it might be interesting to do, it is much faster to purchase the loops. They save time and don't add that much cost to the earrings. You can buy the basic hoops at craft shops and decorate them by adding a few beautiful beads. Use a larger stone in the center and put smaller beads to the outside. Be aware of the weight of the earring while you are making it. I met a client that was elderly. Her ears were horrible. One lobe was huge from wearing heavy jewelry and the other was ripped to two pieces. You cannot gasp in front of people, but I switched from large earrings to mini-pearls the next day, saving the big ones for special occasions. So, don't load up the beads. Small is attractive too.

These pieces of jewelry can be made with matching necklaces for a specific outfit that you know your recipient has. You may want to add a necklace to match.

Make a Matching Necklace

Use the directions for the retro necklace to make the form and then add beads to match your earrings. You can get quite creative and have a lot of fun.

Directions to make the base wire for the necklace:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/448861/creating_a_retro_necklace_for_christmas.html