Pinspired By: Bubble Necklace
2:49 PMHave you ever bought something that you had no idea what you were going to do with but wanted it just because it was neat? This is a story of one of those things. I bought a strand of glass bubbles from CB2 (they're no longer available, but there are tons of alternatives on etsy) forever ago just because I thought they were super neat, which they are, but once I had them I had no idea what to do with them. So they've just been sitting around for, oh, 4-5 years. Finally I saw something while I was cruising around on Pinterest one day and thought, "OMG, those little glass bubbles would be perfect for that." So before you go any further in this post check out my Pinspiration.
Pretty, right? So here are my glass bubbles sans fishing string that held them together, plus a lot of dust.
I just started stringing them on some of that clear nylon thread that you can get at Joann's or Michale's. it was a little tricky though because only one of the holes is big. The other hole has been drilled or something and is much tinier. It took some patience to say the least.
I just kept adding more of those little bubbles until it felt like an appropriate length.
Once I had enough bubbles stranded together I tied one end of the string to my closure. Actually I tied two strands to my closure, that second string is for the miscellaneous bubbles to make it more three dimensional.
See? I'm sorry I forgot to take extra pictures while I was doing this part, but basically I fed the extra thread through the first bubbles except for when I wanted to add another one. For those ones I went through the new bubble and skipped two of the exsisting ones.
It looks kinda funny laying flat on the table. Oh, and on a side note, I really hate the color of this table. I think I might paint it. It's pretty banged up looking too.
But here it is on my neck! I love how it turned out, but there's one little problem.
Before I tell you what's wrong, here's a little side view. Just look at all that bubbly goodness!
Ok, so for as happy as I look in this picture with my fancy new necklace here's the bad news. It totally broke the next day! I only got to wear it for like a day and a half!
My theory is that the smaller drilled holes might have cut the nylon thread. The hole is smooth on the outside, but there's a ridge or something on the inside that looks like it could be rough enough to cut the thread. Luckily I noticed that it was getting loose and caught it when it started falling apart, so I still have all the pieces. If there's any jewelry making buffs in the crowd today, tell me what to do! I might try getting a tiny glass drill bit to make the holes a little bigger and see if I can smooth out those ridges, but that will probably not happen for a long time... If ever. Who knows, I did really like it so maybe that will motivate me to try again. Craft fails are the worst!
Oh, and be sure to go check out all the other Pinspired projects at Young House Love, Bower Power, The Remodeled Life, and Decor & the Dog.
Nikki Kelly
9 comments
VERY pretty!!!! I used to make jewelry (a thousand years ago) - try tiger tail instead of nylon. You can get it in the jewelry section of Michael's or Jo-Ann's too. Granted, you will have a silver line running through, but that could be kinda cool.
ReplyDeleteOk, I picked some up on my way home from work today. It's actually a really pretty bright silver, so we shall see how this turn out.
DeleteI am in the same boat. . .sort of!
ReplyDeleteI have a super cool necklace a friend of Jerod's bought me in Liba a number of years ago but it has metal beabs that keep cutting whatever thread I use to string it. I am hesitant to use a metal twine type thread as I don't want it to be stiff. I will be checking in on the comments for advice:)
Tiger tail is really bendy too. It's not stiff or anything.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the e-mail for this post, I was intrigued. I am not really into a lot of jewelry but I do like statement pieces.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning I didn't think I would like the end result but when I saw it on you. It really came together and it is very cute. I would definitely wear something like that and so would my older daughters. Great post.
The bubble necklace really looks great. Even if it was broken after a day and a half, you can surely do more of it next time. :)
ReplyDeleteWow!! This is unbelievably gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually a jeweler by trade: here's my two cents. I would probably use a thicker monofilament if possible. You may have figured this out, but as your stringing, start at the smaller hole, so you have a larger hole to aim for. You might try knotting in between each sphere, like strands of pearls- this way if it breaks again, you'll only lose a bead, instead of a bunch. My other thought is that the knot at the clasp may have come untied- monofilament/fishing line is awful at keeping a knot. It's best to use either a crimp bead or figure a way to end the piece with a melted ball. For example, loop the thread around the clasp, and back through one of the smaller beads. Then, using a lighter, melt the end of the line so it forms a melted ball of plastic. It's best if you use tweezers or something to hold on to the line, so you dont melt too much. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your necklace! Silver tigertail would be my choice too. As I glass blower if I ever come across a bead that I make with a sharp edge, I have used a dremel bit to smooth it off, ****always under water ***,so that it doesn't heat up too much and you don't breathe in powdered glass.
ReplyDeleteHi! I love comments, they're the best!