First on my list was to salvage one of my favorite pieces, an opera-length string of coral-colored beads. I bought the string at Macy's a year or so ago, but this past spring the silk knotting untied. At first I used some craft wire to connect the two ends, but it looked really ugly and bit into my skin.
I was in Michael's a while ago and bought some coral colored ribbon for another project, but I realized I could use some of it and a few jump rings to fashion a really pretty "clasp" for my beads.
After some experimentation, I placed two jump rings on each end of the string and then threaded a 12-inch piece of ribbon through them to create a small bow. The rings have held up well to the weight of the strand and I really like having the bow detail in the back.
I almost lost two of the beads when the silk snapped, but I managed to hold onto them and create them into matching earrings.
The next two pieces I've finished are very winter appropriate. I struggled with my stag pieces because I couldn't decide how many strands to make for the necklace. I really wanted to showcase the white and red beads, but they were getting lost when I tried to pair them with a solid strand of the red coral beads and some red plastic beads.
I finally gave in and went with a one-strand necklace, and I like how it turned out. If I could ever find more of the red and white beads I might redo the whole thing with more strands.
My second winter piece is this pair of simple metal snowflakes. I wrapped them up with a bright winter blue crystal to add just a bit of color without overpowering the little flakes.
And, last, but certainly not least, I finally finished my little owl necklace! After spending several months trying unsuccessfully to track down some more of those plastic apple green beads, I went ahead and strung the necklace. I gave it some length using 6/0 seed beads. I really love this piece and I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can show it off.
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