Cheap and Easy Necklaces and Bracelets to Make

That was then, but this is now.

I used to take classes on jewelry making, but even when wearing my prescription eyeglasses, I could never keep up with the class. The classes were held in a suburban Sacramento bead store near bustling Interstate 5, and my instructor was a bored housewife who was unhappily married to a cop. Victoria had some of her bead patterns published in many bead magazines, but she made it no secret that she was unhappy. A true fan of the television series, “True Blood,” she constantly told us that she wanted to be married to one of the lead actors. That was one of her major goals in life.

Like Victoria, I was an unhappy housewife in the 90s, but I was lucky enough to get my divorce in 2001. While married, I spent my weekends looking for vintage costume jewelry and cookie jars. By the time I took jewelry making lessons, I realized that it was much easier to collect jewelry than to make it.

My desire to make my own jewelry disappeared in less than a year. These classes averaged $45 each, and that did not include supplies. Recently, I found myself wandering around a local crafts store that had opened last year. The store occupies a former department store that had gone bankrupt, but with the amount of customers it attracted, there was hope that I could quickly make jewelry for a little cheaper price.

The Easiest Way to Make a Necklace or a Bracelet

Even with the shortage of cash these days, most of us would still rather spend money on food and gas long before we spend on anything else. If you happen to be a person who is blessed with a creative “gene,” take advantage of it. If you have the ability to make things that you can give as gifts, the less time you’ll spend forking over the cash for someone else to do it for you.

I must have spent an entire afternoon at the crafts store. While everyone else pushed a cart, I took a basket and was careful about what I had planned to purchase. But the more time I spent looking around, the more I changed my mind about my skills and what I could really do. During this visit, I was changing my mind many times. Each time, I was putting things back and replacing them with other craft items.

Over the years, the products have changed, and I have not kept up with the changes. By the end of my shopping excursion, I had emptied my basket and tried shopping all over again.

Silkies or Stretchable Rubber makes it Easy on You

Without consulting a sales clerk, I found this product called “Silkies.” Silkies are necklaces and bracelets that are advertised as “non-toxic, lead free and nickel free.” All you need to do is pop it open, add your decorations like beads or a pendant then close the necklace and bracelet. You don’t have to string beads, wrap wire or anything else. Once you snap the necklace or bracelet shut, you can wear it.

There is something so peaceful about stringing beads. Like all good things, this process needs to come to an end. You either end up with a necklace, a bracelet, maybe a pair of earrings, or at least something you are able to use.

These days, I don’t have time to string beads, but I can get away with picking out a few large beads and a pendant. For my gifts, I used big glass beads that I had purchased from a bead shop about ten years ago. It had since gone out of business, but I kept the beads, anyway. I also have a couple of crosses belonging to my husband’s grandfather and my father. They are small enough to put on bracelets.

At the crafts store, I found bright red glass pendants that look good on the necklaces. Those two would make perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Work with what you can afford and make an effort to keep within your budge. Gifts do not have to be expensive to be appreciated.