At the Beach Keepsake Necklace

by Ali on 09/15/11

Additional Images:

Project details:

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.)

↓ Step-by-step

Supplies 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

Step-by-Step Instructions:

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 :-)

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

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.