Merry Meet and Practical Magic

Welcome! Come in and sit a spell.

It’s time for the Practical Magic Blog Party. I’ve chosen a theme from the movie, which is a visual delight. I would love to have a couple of eccentric aunts who eat brownies for breakfast and can work magic from a book of shadows!

Now I do know two sisters who love to cook up magic in their cauldron in the woods.

But spell books can be dangerous so I’ll share a simple craft and for inspiration -

Frances Owens and her fabulous outfits!

Black and Orange

A necklace and earrings set that’s easy to make. You can use different colours – anything you like.

You will need:

 

• 
  
  pre-made black chain necklace (from Michaels)
• 
  
  3   8 mm fire polish glass beads - orange
• 
  
  4   6 mm fire polish glass beads – orange
• 
  
  2   4 mm fire polish glass beads – orange
• 
  
  jump rings – gunmetal or black
• 
  
  head pins – gunmetal or black
• 
  
  3  8 mm bead caps, gold, painted black
• 
  
  3  6 mm bead caps, gold, painted black
• 
  
  filigrees for the earrings, gold, painted black
• 
  
  lever back ear wires - gunmetal

Findings

Fire polish beads

Flat black spray paint, wire cutters, flat nose pliers – I use two, only one is pictured and round nose pliers. Lotus is optional.

Tape a piece of masking tape to a scrap of cardboard and stick the gold filigrees and bead caps down, spray with black paint, allow to dry thoroughly, remove from tape. Put a fresh piece of tape on the cardboard and put the filigrees and bead caps painted side down, spray with black paint and allow to dry thoroughly, remove from tape.

From the chain necklace: remove two of the black crystals to shorten one of the rosary chains, set aside for the earrings. Remove all but three of the small chains. You will have two rosary chains and three small chains on the necklace. Set aside.

Prepare the beads

On a head pin put a large (8 mm) bead cap and 8 mm bead, form a loop at the top.

Bend the head pin over, cut the wire and roll the end on the round pliers.

A loop -

Do this for all the beads using 8 mm bead caps for the 8 mm beads, 6 mm bead caps for the 6 mm beads and no bead caps for the 4 mm beads.

Now back to the chain necklace

Fold one of the small chains in half and mark the center link with a pin.

Attach the loop of an 8 mm bead in the link

I found it easier to remove the chains from the necklace – attach the two remaining 8 mm beads to the same chain, halfway between the first bead and the end, one on each side of the center.

Attach the 6 mm beads to a different small chain, spaced between the large beads. The spacing is by eyeball – it doesn’t need to be perfect. Attach the chain unit to the necklace.

Attach a 4 mm bead to the jump ring that connects the small chains to the large ring.

For the earrings:

Attach two links of the small chain – removed from the necklace – to a 4 mm bead, use a jump ring to attach to the filigree. Use jump rings to attach three beads to the bottom of the filigree. Use one rosary link - removed from the chain necklace – to attach the ear wire. Repeat for other earring. Note: if your filigree is different you may need more or fewer beads. Substitute different colours or metals, round beads instead of fire polish. If it fits, it works.

 

There are lots of instructions out there on basic jewelry techniques like forming loops, many bead magazines have a basic instruction section or check out websites for tutorials from magazines like “Bead and Button” and “Beadwork”. If you have questions, please email or make sure I can contact you if your question is in a comment. Whatever you do – have fun!

Meow!