Who'd have guessed that discovering the nuts and bolts of jewelry making could begin with a trip to the hardware store?

Materials

• Scissors and pencil
• Cording (leather or cotton)
• Lanyard hook (sold at most craft stores)

• 20-gauge (or higher) craft wire
• Needle-nose pliers
• Small hardware items

Instructions

1. Start by cutting a 14-inch length of cording (28-inch if you plan to tie spacing knots between the items you'll be stringing on) and tie a lanyard hook to one end.

2. Make a few tight coils out of the craft wire. For each one, wrap a 1-foot wire around a pencil.

3. Slide the coil off of the pencil's pointed end and use pliers to turn the wire ends toward the inside of the coil.

4. Thread the coils and hardware onto the cording. Then knot the end of the cord into a loop.

Tips:

When choosing wire, remember that the higher the gauge, the thinner the wire.

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• 1 Hour |
• All Ages |
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• Jewelry |
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Related Categories:

• Necklaces |
• Valentine Craft Ideas |
• Homemade Valentine's Day Jewelry |
• All Jewelry