A little tutorial for you…washers are not just for plumbers any more!

Happy Wednesday to you all.  Hope all of you are having a great morning!  Remember…tomorrow I have something to tell you…it’s just a fun little thank you so please tune in.  I also want to welcome all of my new readers…I hope to get to know you all!

Well I have a simple little project for you today…The possibilities are endless and I hope you have fun making yourself all kinds of necklaces…I used a very neutral palette but WOW you could jazz your creations up in oh so many ways…I know there are so many necklaces out there but this is my little slant on it and I hope you give it a try…they make great gifts for the upcoming Holiday’s or for any occasion or just because.

ok…let’s start with out supplies…

all different shapes and sizes of wooden beads that are available at Michael’s and oh so many craft stores!

a smorgasborg of beads…flowers…ribbon or twine… glue…1 inch wooden discs with 2 holes drilled in either side and regular washers…yes washers that you can get at your local hardware store or Lowes…Home Depot…they work fabulously and they are so inexpensive…try all kinds of sizes…you will love them!

so gather all of your supplies together and now get ready to have some fun.  i used my new vintage Madeleine tins…they are not just for baking…they make such great sorters and look so pretty.

I got some of Miss Martha’s new paint and I have to say…I love it!   This one has a beautiful satin finish…you can use metallic…glittered paint…gloss…again the possibilities are endless!

I found that this is the best way to paint many beads at one time.  Get out your little bamboo skewers and pop your beads on them.  hold in one hand and paint away in the other…

just keep on working the paint on until everything is covered…you can fit your brush inbetween the beads so you get the bottoms and tops…it really works fabulously…then I take out the hair dryer and give them a dry and then move on to the next set…drying them speeds things up SOOOO much!!!
One note…have all of your beads painted and ready to go before you start…you won’t believe how much faster it makes your creating and you will be amazed how many you can make in a relatively short period of time : )  paint many…you will get hooked once you start to bead.

now it is time to cut your ribbon the length that you would like and start to string your design…at the end it is time to thread your wooden disc onto your ribbon like shown above and then…

glue your flower or whatever embellishment you choose to the disc…tie a bow in the back and viola you are done.  take a peek at a few variations…

this is my favorite…

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial…like I mentioned above…the possibilities are absolutely endless…you can use so many different shapes and sizes of beads (what i LOVE about the wooden beads is that you can customize your color choices right down to the perfect shade)…you can use all kinds of washers…there are so many different sizes and finishes…you can add a pretty embellishment like the rose or use a piece of vintage jewelry or just about anything or you can leave it plain!  This project is very inexpensive and the beads go a long way.  Using the little wooden disc and drilling the little holes in it saves you from having to purchase findings…etc…and wearing it longer saves you from all the other finding purchases…the kids can make these with supervision while you work on some gifts for any occasion! 

Take care now and have a fabulous and wonderful day!  See you tomorrow with a little follower appreciation note…
HUGS!!!