Recession Jewelry

I often get ideas for jewelry from different magazines. I'll see a piece I like and think "i can make that." Usually as I make the piece I end up using the image as inspiration rather than something to copy exactly; I'll change the colors or the length, I'll tweak the style or make it more suitable to my taste. Sometimes the piece I've made ends up almost identical*, other times one would be hard-pressed to recognize the original jewelry piece in what I have made.

Today while waiting in the drug store I flipped through a copy of In Style magazine and found a stack of leather bracelets with Swarovski crystals and immediately thought "I can make that!" As soon as I got home I headed up to the third floor and got to it. Rather than make several bracelets to get the stacked look (which would require several clasps on leather, not my favorite thing to do), I decided to use one long piece of leather thong. I cut a piece that I thought would fit around my wrist loosely five times (thanks to my mom, who taught me odd is better than even). The bracelets in the magazine had the crystals in metal settings in the leather. Not having a BeDazzler, instead I wrapped the crystals (swarovski, round, 6 mm) onto the leather with a long piece of thin brass wire, spacing the beads about an inch and a half apart. I finished it off with brass coils and clasp. The whole thing only took about a Simpsons episode and 2 innings of a Red Sox game. Best of all, it was free. I'm quite pleased with it.
*Lawyer time: this is Fair Use. I never take credit for others' designs, and I never copy another's design for commercial use.