The Design Gallery
Follow along with step-by-step beading projects and share your designs with beaders around the world—it’s quick & easy!
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“I like the use of the trade beads in these fun bracelets. Very stackable.…” read »
- on “Shades of Autumn”:
“Agree with Pam. Just bought some dahlia and rondelles in that colorway. The drops look really…” read »
At the Beach Keepsake Necklace
About this design:
My inspiration for this piece was the time Payton and Gable spent at my Aunt Jackie's on Anna Maria Island. My sister brought out her twin boys while we were there and the kids spent endless hours at the beach twirling in the sand and water in search of seashells broken or otherwise. (Gable preferred the tiny pinecones and seaweed that washed up on the shore.)
What you’ll need:
- 3' of chain (I preferred using a heavier one)
- 1 horizontal connector/link
- 1 Nunn Design keepsake pendant
- filler components for your bottle
- jumprings
- drops for embellishing chain
Additional Images:
Step-by-Step Instructions:
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Step 1: When filling the bottle with bits and pieces make sure to put things that are bigger or heavier at the bottom. Example: I folded ribbon up and put it at the bottom of my bottle to add color but also to act as a cushion for everything else to land on. Another example is pebbles or sand, both of these should start out at the bottom as they are heavier items and will naturally go there anyway so you should make it look like you planned it that way :-) |
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Step 2: Since I created a long necklace, lightly embellishing the chain is a great way to draw attention to the focus of the design - the keepsake pendant. I attached my abalone bits with 8mm jump rings to allow for movement so they wouldn't get tangled in the chain. Then I tied some ribbon and fibers to the top of the pendant to bring some of the color in the bottle out. See Tip: Closing A Jump Ring |
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Step 3: To attach the bottle to the chain I chose to use a stacking twig connector. The style of it really complimented the theme of the focal and allowed for the pendant to move a bit more freely. See Tip: Closing A Jump Ring |
Read the comments (or add your own)
Add your thoughts!
On Sep 15, 2011 at 2:11 pm #
Mary - Sweet Chick says:A beautiful and care free reminder of special times spent with family!
You have so many great ideas and unique tips for embellishing future designs! Thanks for sharing Ali!
On Sep 16, 2011 at 8:36 am #
Linda Talbott says:Beautiful. I love the Nunn Design Keepsake pendant, all filled with beachy memories.
On Sep 16, 2011 at 1:17 pm #
Chicky Zee aka Alice says:Great idea and design Ali!
On Sep 22, 2011 at 7:51 pm #
M McKennell says:that is a wonderful design! I love that little bottle!
On Sep 27, 2011 at 1:40 pm #
Little Round Chick says:This brings back a lot of memories. The school where I taught also had a summer program and one of our most fun activities was going to the beach. The kids would search for tiny shells and bring them along with some sand back to the school. We would put the sand and shells in small glass bottles and have a “Beach in a Bottle” for a keepsake.
On Oct 14, 2011 at 1:56 pm #
Ali says:Thanks everyone. I think I need to make an additional one for my Aunt and send it to her as a surprise
On Apr 17, 2012 at 12:25 pm #
R Lare says:Beautiful!!! As a profound sea glass and beach stone collector this is the perfect vehicle to make those wonderful memories even better !!!
On Mar 29, 2013 at 4:38 pm #
Courtney L says:LOVE this! I am always trying to think of a creative gift for my cousin who hosts our family vacations in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. This is PERFECT!!!