A Little Crafty... Long Strand Necklace

 

I love making jewelry, it is an easy way to add a little trend to my usually basic wardrobe. I found strands of little beads at a craft store called twister beads. They come in wonderful colors and long (36") strands for a few dollars. I started with two strands of beads, two crimp beads, 80" of bead stringing wire, a lobster clasp, and two jump rings.  You will also need needle nose pliers and small jewelry wire cutters.

I ended up making three necklaces in different colors that I can mix or wear separately.

Thread a crimp bead on wire, a few inches from one end.  Next put on a jump ring and then thread the wire back through the crimp bead.

Use your needle nose pliers to flatten the crimp bead.

Start threading beads on the wire, being sure to thread both lengths through the beads.
Put all the beads from both strands on the wire. This will take awhile, so make sure you have something fun to watch. I also keep a towel, in a color different from my beads, under my work area so that dropped beads will stay in one place and not bounce away.
Once you have finished, add another crimp bead and jump ring. Thread wire back through the crimp bead and a few of the beads. Flatten the crimp bead and cut off extra wire.
The end of your necklace should look like this:

You want to be sure it won't scratch the back of your neck or you will never wear it. It is so long that you have a number of ways you can wear your necklace.  I have worn it shorter, wrapped around four times or with one long and two smaller lengths, or twisting two together. With so many colors you may want to make a few too. 

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