Mood DIY: Lilac Rhinestone and Chain Necklace

I just love a good statement necklace….and with the ever growing trim department at Mood Fabrics (find metal chain and rhinestones here), there are no shortage of ideas of ones to create. This one is perfect for spring! Once you get started…you’ll think of so many options and color combinations. Do you have a statement necklace you just love to wear with everything? Tell me where you got it below. Want to check out other necklaces I’ve created? Take a look here, here, and here.
SUPPLIES: embroidery floss in 2 colors, 1/4 inch satin ribbon, semi-circle upholstery needle, metal chain, rhinestones, wire cutters, and scissors.
HOW-TO:
1. Measure out the desired length of the metal chain you want, and use the wire cutters to cut two pieces to size. Next, tie one color of the embroidery floss to the end of the chain. (Note: Err on the side of caution and make it an inch longer than you actually want, because you will lose a little length when it begins to bend into the circular formation).
2. Repeat Step #1 for the desired length of your chain, and cut the rhinestones to size. Then, cut an extra long piece of embroidery floss for weaving. Next, take the floss you secured to the chain, put the needle on it, and began intertwining the chain and rhinestone (i.e. loop the floss around one rhinestone, take it around the back, and up through one rung of the chain, repeat).
3. The beginning few loops are a little tricky as you try to pull it all taught as you go. But, after you’ve finished securing one of your chains to the rhinestones with one color floss, repeat this step with the second piece of chain, adjoining it with the other two with the second color of floss. (i.e. again, loop the floss around one rhinestone, take it around the back, and up through one rung of the chain, repeat…you’ll see sort of a braided formation on the back).
4. Cut two pieces of ribbon long enough to make a bow. (Note: Feel free to use a little glue or fingernail polish on the ends so they won’t fray).
5. Lastly, feed the ribbon through the chain and loop the loose ends through it. (Note: After it was all done, because it wasn’t laying exactly how I wanted it on the neck, I flipped the necklace over and squeezed a tiny bit of glue in between random joints (where chain met rhinestones) just so it would always lay nicely — it’s just an option). Enjoy!

Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of the award winning blog, Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for over a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow; and has been a contributor for the Huffington Post, Yahoo Finance, Super Money, Good Housekeeping, and Newsday Westchester, to name a few. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.