Category Archives: Projects

Jewelry Projects, Projects

Amethyst Sky Jewelry Set

Posted on by Steve
Amethyst Sky
18
May

The World Could Use a Little Sparkle About Now

Let’s Create Some Sparkle!!!

Ever have one of those mornings when you really don’t look forward to getting up and doing the whole “life” thing? Or maybe about halfway through the day, you begin to think, today would have been a whole lot better if you had just stayed in bed? A day when you have no sparkle?

Well, we have the answer to your daily doldrums, and it comes in a particularly fetching shade of purple. A jewelry project named Amethyst Sky.

Just the name, Amethyst Sky, envisions technicolor sunbeams, bright, cheerful, 60’s style, family sitcom mornings (I know, everything was black and white in the ‘60s, but bear with me. We’re painting a picture here). Add in some romantic evenings with balmy breezes, perfect temperatures, and absolutely no insects, annoying cell phones, or crying children. An Amethyst Sky is bliss. It’s sparkle.

The new Amethyst Sky jewelry set is all about light and sparkle and happy, purple-ly thoughts. Anciently, amethyst was a stone of healing; physically and emotionally. It was a stone that enhanced daily energy and gave the wearer a greater sense of happiness and well being. 

Well, heaven knows, in these trying times we could all use a little energy and emotional well being. And it doesn’t hurt that this new jewelry looks spectacular.

Of course the jewelry features lots of real amethyst, but there are also plenty of amethyst colored crystals and some very special findings we selected specifically for this set. The clasp on the bracelet, in particular, stands out as a pretty little extra, adding to the entire piece.

The necklace has an amethyst pendant with a very simple wrap you should be able to conquer in just a few minutes. (We have a new YouTube video to walk you, step-by-step, through the making of the pendant). And with just a few more minutes of stringing you can complete the necklace, add the pendant, put it around your neck, and let those positive healing powers begin to do their work.

The bracelet has, along with the beautiful, previously mentioned, clasp has a unique, chevron amethyst central stone. It sparkles with every movement or change of lighting. It looks especially fantastic on moonlit nights.

The earrings continue the theme, framing your face in soft, amethyst light, with just the right amount of sparkle. (Have you noticed we use the word “sparkle” a lot in describing this set? It’s only because it is true.)

Give yourself a reason, and the energy, to get up in the morning. The world needs you out there, wearing your new Amethyst Sky jewelry, sharing your amazing new energy, happiness, and well being.

Amethyst Sky is Available Now in the HomeStrung Store

The Wire Wrapped Pendant Video Tutorial

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Jewelry Projects, Projects

Sparkly New Easter Bunny Jewelry

Posted on by Steve
12
Mar

Have Your Own Easter Parade with Some Great New Jewelry

It’s almost time to celebrate our favoritest of all Spring holidays by making some new Bunny Jewelry. And we’ve got the funnest, most sparkliest Easter bunnies you’ve ever seen. (And yes, my grammar and spelling checker just had a violent conniption, exploded, and then uninstalled itself from our computer, which should make writing the rest of this article a whole lot easier.)

Easter has been with us for almost 2000 years and there have been a lot of changes over that time as to how it is celebrated, and one of our favorite traditions is the Easter Parade.

It All Started with a Roman Emperor…

It’s rumored that Roman Emperor Constantine the First, started the first Easter parade somewhere around 330 A.D. when he commanded his subjects to march around the city in their finest clothing to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We have it on good authority that cool new Easter jewelry was featured heavily in this celebratory march.

1550 years later (that’s around the year 1880 for those of you, like me, who are mathematically challenged) New York City formalized what had become an Easter tradition when the biggest churches in town would decorate their massive cathedrals with fresh spring flowers for their Easter service. The more well-to-do attendee’s, inspired by all of this grandeur, would follow suit by dressing up in lavishly colorful, stylish, and beautiful new clothes (along with some great jewelry) to attend their respective church services.





After the meeting, these affluent parishioners would then stroll down the avenue (with their new clothes and jewelry) to check out the other ornately decorated churches as well as checking out the other ornately decorated couples also strutting their stuff (and their jewelry) on the avenue.

Meanwhile, the poor and middle class showed up (probably without a lot of jewelry) to witness all of this sartorial magnificence and to find out what would be fashionable for the coming year, fashion a good seamstress could make at home (a lot like our jewelry).

This became the annual Easter Parade, an American cultural event inspiring an Irving Berlin song, a Broadway revue, and a movie with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire (I guess that means singing AND dancing, along with a great display of some lavish jewelry), and still open to anyone who wants to show up and show off their fashion sense. It happens along 5th Avenue, in the City, each Easter.


And did we mention that along with all of the marvelous clothing there is also a lavish amount of jewelry on display? A LOT of jewelry.

But What Does All this Have to Do with Bunnies???


Well, who doesn’t love bunnies? Especially sparkly bunnies you can wear on Easter, and every other day of the year. If Emperor Constantine had known about the Pearl & Pave Bunny jewelry, he would have definitely had his minions passing out bunny earrings and pendants to all of his citizens. Judy Garland? If she had seen the Bunnies, she would have been wearing Bunnies throughout her movie. Fred Astaire? Maybe not so much. But, who knows? We are truly lucky to live in these modern times where we can make and wear adorable Bunny Jewelry.










Our Pave & Pearl Easter Bunny Jewelry kits feature the cutest bunnies you’ve ever seen. The crystal pearls are white and the crystal-encrusted pave beads are available in 8 different colors. 

We have both earring kits and pendant with necklace chain kits available. Buy both kits, as a set, and we have a special 25% discount from now through Easter. You can get all of the details by going over to the Pave & Pearl Bunny product page of the HomeStrung store.








Pave & Pearl Bunny Kits




These bunnies make great gifts. They are inexpensive, fun, and easy to make. Each kit can be completed in just minutes (you can pretty much have the earring or pendant kit finished during one TV commercial break).

Become an Easter Trivia Hero

While you are making your new Bunny Jewelry, here is just a little Easter trivia you can use to astound and amaze your friends and family.


The Easter Bunny’s formal name is Egbert. He is married to Betty Bunny, his longtime sweetheart, and mother to his 20 children. She lets him get away from his household responsibilities once a year so he can deliver colorful Easter eggs to the children of the world.

Easter easily competes with Halloween each year as the two biggest holidays for candy sales. Americans are expected to spend over $18 billion dollars on Easter this year, and a lot of that goes to candy.

90 million chocolate bunnies will be produced, and eaten, during the holiday. Depending on the survey, somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of people eat their chocolate bunnies, ears first. Only 4 percent start with the tail.










Americans will buy more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps this Easter season. In 1953, it took almost 27 hours to make a small batch of Peeps. Today the candy maker kicks out about 5 million of the Peeps each day, all year long, just to get ready for the holiday. Yellow is the most sold color, followed by pink, lavender, blue, and white. 

Easter was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess, Oestre, who was the goddess of spring and the renewal of life. She had a pet bird which she once changed into a bunny to entertain a group of children. Since this bunny was really a bird, it began to lay colorful eggs which Oestre then gave to the children.

Easter is a major religious holiday celebrated by Christians throughout the world. Easter Sunday has the highest church attendance of the year, followed by Christmas and Mother’s Day.



Happy Easter, Everyone!!!

General, Jewelry Projects, Projects

Announcing New Christmas Jewelry and Our 2019 Annual Tree Ornament

Posted on by Steve
Christmas 2019 Projects
03
Dec

Whether You Have Been Naughty or Nice – You Don’t Need to Check Twice – To Make Some New Jewelry This Holiday Season

Coming up with neat, new Christmas stuff is an annual tradition here at HomeStrung. We always try to give you a new tree decoration design and at least one new holiday earring project you can make to wear or give away. 

We’ve got a new ornament that will look perfect on your tree, and we have a new earring, using a spectacular new bead we found that was just crying out to be used in a Christmas design. All things considered, we had our new designs. But Debby just couldn’t let well enough alone. She started working on a second earring.

The Christmas Flower that Grew into a Wearable Garden

The extra, new earring is a cute little beaded poinsettia, perfect for Christmas (especially if you read the legend of the poinsettia flower that goes with it). She finished it up, way too quickly, and then just kept on going, adding little poinsettias to the original flower, until she had turned that earring into a bracelet.


Poinsettia Bracelet


Well, the project was supposed to be an earring, so she made a couple more earrings to replace the one earring that turned into a bracelet, They looked pretty good with the new bracelet. But, looking at the two earrings, side by side, she started to think.

Now when Debby starts to think it is always a little scary but it is when amazing things can happen. (Steve, on the other hand, is forbidden to think without adult supervision, a fire extinguisher, and a first aid kit, all close at hand.) She moved the earrings around a little, stared at them for a moment, and then got out some more beads, a needle, and thread.

Poinsettia Necklace


She joined the two earring poinsettias together using a third flower and added a chain and clasp. Those two earrings were now a three poinsettia necklace.

She had a new necklace AND a bracelet, but, again, no earrings.


Out came the beads and thread, and in a few more moments she had a complete Christmas jewelry set made from the adorable little poinsettia flowers. The original earring was now a garden of flowers you can make and wear this Holiday season.


Poinsettia Earrings


Kits are available now, on sale, in our web store at www.homestrungjewelry.com. You can also click on any of the pictures to open the individual product pages.

Each kit contains detailed instructions, and all of the beads and materials you need, except thread and needles, to make your own bouquet of beautiful poinsettias. 

Give the gift of poinsettias this Christmas.

The 2019 “Hope” Snowflake Ornament Kit

The idea for this new ornament has been percolating through our minds for the last few years. We were looking for something a little fancier than our beaded star ornaments, but even easier to make.

This year we finally got it done and here is the result. It features some of our best quality glass pearls and enough sparkly crystals and Miyuki beads to send rainbows of light dancing around your room (which is why we like to hang them in a sunny window, as well as on the tree).

The snowflake kit is also on sale and you can see it in our store (Just click on the picture). 

These snowflake ornaments look good on your tree, but they will also look great on the Christmas trees of your family, friends, and neighbors, so make sure you make a few for gifting. And even your most Christmas adverse friends won’t mind a snowflake “sun catcher”, or two, flooding the house with shimmering rainbows of light.


A Special New Bead for Our New Christmas Earring

When we saw pictures of these new beads we knew we had to have them. When they showed up we had the same idea: a new Christmas earring. We each came up with new designs and this is the one that won.

The earrings come in 5 fun colors, you can choose between silver and gold-colored findings, and you get to decide whether you want white shell pearl or crystal accents.

Check out all of the shiny bead colors on the product page in our store.

These are really easy and fast to make. We personally are making a lot of these to give away to family and friends this Christmas.


There is More in the Store

We have both a Christmas Jewelry category and one for Ornaments in our store with many more holiday designs to choose from. You can see all of the Christmas stuff there.