Make it: Wire Rings

It's been a while since we have done any Jewellery on the blog and indeed a while since I have made any at all.  I went through a phase of making lots and then got distracted by other crafts I think and so all my jewellery findings have been left in a box.  So time to take them out and make some simple wire rings to adorn your hands.

You will need:  Round nosed pliers, wire cutters, wire, beads, sandpaper.

I made a few different styles of ring and so I will start with a simple spiral ring and show you how you can change it up to whatever your style is.

Step 1:  Cut a long length of wire - longer than you think you will need.  It just makes it a bit easier to work with rather than the whole roll.  I used a thick wire here of about 3mm, but whatever size you prefer.

Step 2: Start coiling the wire around your finger to get it to the size you want.  You can make this ring go all the way up your finger or keep the spiral quite short like I ended up doing.  It is entirely up to you how you prefer the ring to look.

Step 3: Cut off the wire and using the sandpaper, sand down the ends so that you don't end up scratching yourself or someone else when you have the ring on.

Step 4:  Make sure that your ring is nice and even and has the right spiral to it.  I made sure that the ends were pointed towards the curve so that they don't stick out too much.  Then you are done.

 Here is how the ring looks when it is on.  I prefer the simplicity of just the silver, however ...

If you like beads or a more detailed look, you can just add a few beads onto the spiral before you close up the ends.  You can glue them in place so that they don't roll around or even off the spiral when you are putting it on.  I chose some nice purple beads I had so that you can see how it would look.

Next up, is the Bead wire ring.  Again, another really simple ring to make and looks so effective.

Step 1: Cut a length of wire again to longer than you think you need and start to spiral it around your finger to get the desired size.  I chose a really thin wire for this ring as I knew I wanted it to have the wrap around effect without being too chunky.  This wire is around 1mm thick and is very thin, so can only take small beads.

Step 2: Cut off the wire when you have your desired length, then roll over the ends of the wire so that they don't stick out and hurt you when you put it on.

Step 3:  Find the beads you want, I went with some lovely turquoise (of course) and grey beads I had that were small and simple and could be stacked up if you prefer the beads further along the wire.  I kept it to just 7 beads so that they sit at the front of the ring.

Step 4: Put your beads into the middle of the spiral and then depress the spiral and wind the ends of the wire around each other so that the ring is clamped together and held together.

 Then you are done.  A really pretty simple ring.

I love quite simple rings and so that's why I love these.  You can add more beads of course to the spiral, or add hanging beads off from the main spiral.  Maybe I can show you how to make more dangly style rings another time, if you guys would like to see it?  Would you like to see more Jewellery posts?  I am thinking I might have got myself into it again.

If you do end up making this or any of our other tutorials, please do tweet or instagram us using #livelovemake and so we can take a look.  We love seeing what you guys do.

H, xxx

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Make it: Wrap Bracelet

I have been lusting after one of these multi Wrap bracelets for ages and yet they are so expensive and so I thought I must have the skills and the tools to be able to make my own and voilà, a tutorial is born!

You will need:  Scissors, Superglue (or other strong glue), thin waxed cord, embroidery thread, needle, a button (not in the picture), beads (I chose a combination of 4 different shades of blue - of course), clipboard (or like me, a piece of mount board and a big bulldog clip!)

First, things first.  You will need to find the right length of cord for your bracelet.  If you wrap the cord around your wrist the amount of times you want your bracelet to be, then add some extra for fastening, say about 10cm at least.  Then double that length to make the sides of your bracelet.  Measure the embroidery thread - you will need it to be at least twice as long as your cord.

Next pop a button at the bend of the cord and tie a knot to keep it in place.  You may want to pop a bit of glue onto the knot so that it stays put.  Wait for the glue to dry before going any further.

Put the button under the bulldog clip/clipboard so that it will keep it firmly in place whilst you are making the bracelet.  Separate the two cords and so you have a left and right side - I found it easier to put clips on the bottom of the board aswell to keep these two sides separate and to stop them moving around.

Tie the embroidery thread onto the left cord at the top by the button knot, again a little glue helps it to stay in place.  Then thread a needle onto the other end of your embroidery thread.

Here comes the complicated bit, but once you have it, its a simple repetitive few steps.

From the left hand side put a bead on your thread and pull through, making sure the bead sits in-between the cords. The thread then goes over the top of the right cord and then around and underneath before going back through the bead and underneath the left cord, and pull through - making sure the bead stays in-between the two cords.  

For your next bead, you will just bring the cord up and around the left cord, through the bead and over the right thread, around, underneath and back through the bead and so on.  Keep repeating that same few steps until you come to near the end of your cord (I left about 8cm at the end of the cord).  Knot the embroidery thread on one side of the cord, again pop a bit of glue on the knot to fix it and trim the excess. 

Tie a knot in the cord at the end of your beads to keep it all in place and then leave a gap (for your button to go through) and then tie another knot so that the button will snuggly fit in the gap.  If you are making this bracelet for a friend you may want to do 2 sets of gaps so that they have the option of different lengths. 

Then you are done!  You will end up with a great present to give someone or a lovely treat for yourself.

I have always had a bit of a thing about long wrap bracelets and I really enjoyed making this one.  I think I might make another one with slightly larger beads and a longer length as I think more layers would look great. What do you think? What colour beads would you choose?

H

We would love to see if you have a go at these. Like with all our DIY's if you do, take a pic and share it with us on Twitter or instagram with the hashtag #livelovemake

Friday Favourite: Geometry

1. Geometric Framed Print  /  2. Geometric Necklace DIY  /  3. Geometric Bead Necklace  /  4. Geometric Gold Necklace  /  5. Geometric Phone Case  /  6. Geometric Cushion  /  7. Geometric Leather Necklace  /  8. Geometric Washi Tape  /  9. Geometric Stag Brooch  /  10. Geometric tote bag   /  11. Geometric Cake Topper  /  12. Geometric Pinatas DIY

I can't believe it's the last day of May already, where did that month go!?!  Moving on... I am totally crushing on anything Geometric at the moment, Anyone with me? I have a whole heap of pretty angles to share with you today. My fave pay-day place, Etsy.com is brimming with cute colour combinations and patterns to indulge my newest love and a couple of my favourite Blogs are in on the act too!  (Apologies for over use of the word Geometric, just cant help myself!)

So whether your shopping this weekend or getting your craft on make sure its colourful and Geometric!

Have a great one

Sammy xxx