Yesterday I coveted it, so today I’m going to show you how to make it. It’s DIY in 5 – minutes, that is. The easiest, quickest ways to take a piece from blah to fab and update it to current trends.

From left to right: Giambattista Valli, Alexis Bittar, Giorgio Armani, VPL Victoria Bartlett.

photo credits: Style.com, Wireimage.com; photo array by me.

With the coming of Spring, jewelry tends to go lighter, translucent, and more plastic-y…and the bib necklace is no exception.  But finding just the right clear acrylic piece for a necklace is pretty tough; jewelry supply stores usually don’t sell large bib-style acrylic pieces, for one thing.  You could always design it yourself and have it cut by Ponoko.com – but there’s a steep learning curve for the design software, usually multiple prototypes are necessary before you reach your final design, the service is pretty expensive for just once, and hiring out lasercutting seems a bit over-the-top for just a single piece for yourself.  No, fast, cheap, and easy is the name of the game, so when I spied a set of acrylic purse handles at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store, I figured one would be perfect for a necklace.

Project Difficulty: (Easy/Beginner)

You Need:

*1 acrylic purse-handle

*2 silvertone rectangle rings or D-rings (also found in purse-making section)

*1/2″ wide satin ribbon

*2 silvertone scrapbooking brads (not pictured)

And…

*pliers (optional: wirecutting pliers)

*scissors

*awl

*lighter/flame

How-To:

I love how it looks like the purse handle is smiling at you.  Happy Handle!:-D

1. Use the pliers to remove the top rings from the handle – usually I find these rings, being sized for purses, are too big and bulky in relation to the size of the handle to use as-is for a necklace.  (It literally looks like you’ve slung a purse handle around your neck…something I don’t want to be too obvious in the finished piece.)

2. Attach the rectangles or D-rings that you got separately to the ends of the handle with the pliers – twisting apart and then re-closing like a jump ring with 2 sets of pliers.  (If you couldn’t find any rings or don’t like that look, you can always skip this step and just thread the ribbon ends through the holes in the ends of the handle instead.)

3. Cut two long pieces of ribbon and thread each through the rectangles/D-rings.  (Make sure each ribbon piece when doubled-over, is still long enough to tie behind your neck.)

Cut the ends at an angle and heat-seal them with a lighter or open flame.

4. Use an awl or the scissors to poke a hole through the ribbon center near the rectangle/D-rings.  Attach a scrapbooking brad through the hole and fold over the brad legs.  (You can also trim them if they stick out beyond the width of the ribbon by using wirecutting pliers.)

The doubled ribbon ends you then tie behind your neck in a knot or a bow depending on your preference.

Wear paired with brighter-than-bright colors for a Spring 2011 feel, or over bare skin for a more upscale vibe.

Happy DIY’ing!

xoxox

Carly

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