Trend Alert: Ankle Bracelets

(Image Source: click each anklet to be taken to the source)

I have been seeing various articles calling anklets or ankle bracelets a trend since early 2012 and I admit I was kinda skeptical that it would really roll back around as a full blown trend. I admit to wearing anklets in various forms for much of the late eighties and all of the nineties. I'm embarrassed to admit this but when I graduated high school (in 2000)I actually hated the way my royal blue graduation gown and cap looked so much, that i tried to figure out what I could do to still show my personal style while wearing it. I opted to paint a henna design all over the tops of my feet and wear a bunch of anklets. I walked across that stage and was able to feel like myself even though I had on that ugly robe. Anyway, proving i'm no enemy of the anklet, yet I really did not expect them to come back into style just yet.  I've been seeing them popping up all over a lot of shops so I guess it's time to admit that the anklet is back for summer. This is another trend that's easy to DIY yourself. I like the idea of wearing two simple gold chain anklets, one on each foot for a minimalist approach. 

What do you think of the ankle bracelet coming back into trend? Should it stay a thing of the 90's or do you welcome it back into fashion?

DIY: MODERN VINTAGE THREAD WRAPPED EARRINGS

I spotted a pair of earrings at Anthropologie about 6 months ago and they inspired this DIY project. One thing that most people have in their jewelry box is an old pair of glitzy screw-back clip on earrings, probably passed down from a grandma or picked up for cheap at a yard sale. They probably don't see much action due to their "clip-on-ness"(totally not a word, i know). This project allows you to re-invent them into a pair of modern earrings that you'll enjoy wearing.

For this project you will need:

• Scissors
• pliers (I like needle nose pliers because they have better precision, I recommend the ones I linked to)
• wire cutters (These are so important to have, you'd be surprised how often they will be needed)
• strong adhesive glue (my go to product is Zap-A-Gap because it bonds virtually anything in less than a minute, no waiting involved)
• vintage screw-back earrings preferably rhinestone ones (if you don't already have them scope out a pair at the thrift store, an estate sale, or ask your grandma)
• Cotton Embroidery Floss in whatever color you prefer
• 2 oval chain links 1.5" long
• a pair of leverback ear hooks (I think they go better with the vintage style of the earrings and they don't dangle quite as long as most ear wires.)
• 2 chain tabs

Begin by taking your wire cutters and cutting off the screw portion of the screw-back leaving the rest of the "hook" portion attached to the earring.

Once that is done, it should look like the picture above.

Now take your pliers and gently bend the hook into a closed loop. Be very careful not to snap it off of the earring all together.

Once that is done it should look like the picture above. You now have a loop that you can hang the oval chain links off of, but don't do it yet.

Next you need to take your glue and put a dab on the top of the back of the earring and adhere one of the chain tabs. Use the small side of the chain tab as the part that you glue down.

Allow the glue to dry according to the directions on your bottle or tube. Once dry it's time to attach one of the oval chain links.

Gently open the chain link using pliers and slide it onto the loop that we made earlier. It should look like the picture above.

Take your pliers and close the oval link as tightly as you can. This might be tricky because it's thicker than your average jump ring or small chain. Don't worry about marring up the metal with the pliers because it will be hidden anyway.

Now for the fun part. Take your embroidery floss and tie a double knot directly onto the oval link.

Start wrapping the thread around the oval link. Make sure you wrap it tightly and keep it close together with no gaps in between. Once you've wrapped all the way around tie it off with another double knot.

Trim the excess thread.

If your knot looks sloppy or is visible use a bit of glue to hold it down and turn that side of the link to be the part that is hidden behind the earring. It should look like the picture above.

Next, take a lever-back and using your pliers open the front circle attachment and slide it onto the chain tab at the top of your earring.

Gently close the circle on the lever-back. That's it. Now repeat all the steps for the second earring, wear and enjoy.

These are so easy that you could make multiple pairs if you have the supplies on hand, and they'd make a nice "just-because" type of gift for a friend. 

Also, don't forget to follow my blog with bloglovin to keep up with future DIY projects!

Footnote: Please feel free to pin this project to pinterest but please make sure that it link's back to this page. You may re-post one image from this tutorial on your own blog with a link back to DesignThrift for the rest of the instructions. Please do not re-post my content in full.

DIY BASICS: GUIDE TO NECKLACE LENGTHS

As promised, here is another installment of DIY BASICS. This time we are focusing on a little guide to the types of necklaces and the lengths that correspond to them. 

Knowing where you want a necklace to fall on the body is an extremely important part of the design process. Certain necklace silhouettes only work at certain lengths. For instance: a bib necklace is always going to fall somewhere between 14 and 16 inches. It also helps you to determine which necklace length is appropriate to add a dangling pendant or tassel. Obviously a woman is not going to want a tassel or pendant hanging in between her cleavage so usually charm and pendant necklaces are reserved for shorter necklaces 18" and under and necklaces with long tassels or long hanging pendants are reserved for necklaces 24" and longer. Knowing this information before you start making a necklace is extremely valuable as it is one of the biggest rookie mistakes of jewelry design. 

Have a look, familiarize yourself with the picture and bookmark or pin this page. This guide will be useful in the future when deciding how much chain or how many beads you will need for a necklace you are working on. 

Also, don't forget to follow my blog with bloglovin because Google is doing away with Google friend connect very soon!