Simple Necklaces for Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Mother's Day and More

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Some people have shopped, some have over-shopped, and some haven't even started. Let me take the strain off of you and give you a few ideas on making the perfect homemade presents. These are especially great if you have little ones who want to give Mommy a beautiful necklace, or just want to make something but don't have a lot of time or money. Simple ideas can make a wonderful gift with little money and a short amount of time.

Let's look at necklaces. Many women love to receive jewelry on Valentine's Day, their birthday, Mother's Day, any holiday or even day of the week. These simple crafts can make their day and not take up your whole day making them! These particular necklaces take about 20 minutes or so to assemble.

For our first necklace, you will need: (Click the link for a description and picture of product.)

• Black Round Elastic, roughly 20 inches.
• Silver Pendants: like this or this
• Silver Spacers: like these or these
• Silver tube beads: like these
• Scissors

This project is very easy, but very beautiful. I made mine (see picture) with silver leaves and I get many compliments on it. Instead of using one large pendant, I used three smaller charms with the spacers in between.

All you need to do is take the black round elastic and slide the beads, in order, onto it and tie the ends in a knot. The pendant should go on first. (The pendant you choose must have the 'loop', which it hangs from, running sideways for this to work. If you have purchased a flat 'loop' pendant, then take a look at the next project to learn how to assemble the necklace.)

Next, take the silver tube beads and place one on each side of the pendant. Lastly, take the spacer beads and put one or two after the tube bead. Tie the ends and voila! You have a beautiful necklace. Remember that the elastic cord stretches so you can cut it short for a choker necklace and not have to worry about her trying to get it over her head. Also remember to snip off the end of the knot, to make it less bulky, and more of a cleaner appearance.

Get creative! This is a simple project but you can use as many beads as you like to make it as individual as your loved one.

For another very pretty, yet simple necklace, try this next one. I made one like this for my Mom at Christmas and she loved it.

All you need is:

• Black Suede Necklace Cord
• Blue Shield Pendant or Silver Hearts
• Oval Jump Ring
• Needle Nose Pliers

The easy part about this craft is that the black suede necklace cord already comes assembled. It has a lobster claw clasp already attached. All you need to do is place the oval jump ring on the cord (put the cord through the opening in the ring) and then do the same for the pendant. If the pendant you choose has a larger eye (the hole the chain or cord can go through) then you will want a larger 'ring' to hang it on. Doing it this way enables the pendant to lie flat when worn and to also slide along the cord. It is simple and beautiful. Use the needle nose pliers to carefully close the gap in the 'ring' and your present is done.

Special things to keep in mind when looking at pendants, beads and necklace cords.

Always take notice of which way the 'loop' is on the pendant. Some lay flat and others are opposite. If the loop is big enough to get the ends of the necklace through, then you won't need the 'jump rings' to attach the pendant to the cord. It seems rather simple, but when you get home from the store and realize you needed more supplies... just take it from me... always look at the pendants and the style you want to make before you leave the store!

Coming soon:
Focusing on the different types of clasps and making them easy to assemble and use.

Sources:
www.joann.com
Personal Experience