Jewelry Project – Beaded Cross Necklace

As a busy parent, there are a lot of reasons to love kits. You don’t have to rack your brain trying to come up with a new arts and crafts project, you don’t have to spend hours hunting down the appropriate supplies, and they’re usually fast and economical!

And sometimes, with just a little alteration, one kit project can morph into several new projects! Take the Beaded Cross Kit, by Darice. Its original intention is to create 8 holiday ornaments—most likely to be hung on a Christmas tree. But with just a little imagination, that same cross can become a dangly for a car’s rearview mirror, a pendant for a child’s necklace, and an accent for a gift tag.

Supplies:

1- Beaded Cross Kit

1- 2 MM necklace kit

Tools: Needle Nose Pliers, Ruler, Wire Cutters

Instructions for pendant will differ slightly from the instructions on the package. That’s because we’ll be making a smaller cross.

1. Cut a 4.5″ piece of wire.
2. Use the needle nose pliers to form a small loop on one end of the wire. (There’s a tutorial on how to make a great loop here.)

   

3. Bead the wire in the following sequence: 6mm gold (g), 8 mm pearl (p), 12 mm star, 8 mm p, 5 mm g, 4 mm p, 4 mm p, 4 mm g, 4 mm p, 4 mm g, 6 mm p, 6 mm g, 12 mm star, 8 mm p, 6 mm g.

   

4. Use the needle nose pliers to form a small loop on the end, and cut off any excess wire with the wire cutter.
5. Cut a 4.5″ piece of wire.
6. Use the needle nose pliers to form a small loop on one end of the wire.
7. Bead the first half of the wire in the following sequence: 6 mm g, 8 mm p, 12 mm star, 8 mm p, 6 mm g, 4 mm p.

   

8. Wrap the wire around the first beaded wire, at the intersection where the two 4mm pearls meet.

   

9. Bead the second half of the wire in the following sequence: 4 mm p, 6 mm g, 8 mm p, 12 mm star, 8 mm p, 6 mm g.
10. Use the needle nose pliers to form a small loop on the end, and cut off any excess wire with the wire cutter.
11. Cut a .5″ piece of wire.
12. String wire through the loop at the top of the beaded cross, then bend to form a loop.

    

13. String the black cord through the loop.

    

Your new beaded cross necklace is ready to be worn, just in time for Easter!