Necklaces & Bracelets

Earthy Elements

Wood, Leather, Metals, Fauna & Florals

I am a huge fan of natural, earthy fashion.  When I first heard the term "Coachella Street Style", I had absolutely no idea what it was all about.  I Googled it to discover I'd already done it!  My mother was a free spirited, artistic mother of the Sixties, who wore her white V-Tee, jeans and white Keds to the country club to book a catering job, while the ladies of the day were wearing their Lilly Pulitzer shift dresses and sipping tea at the country club.  My mother was always slightly ahead of her time.  While all the other kids wore Garanimals to grade school, I was wearing elephant belled, blue jeans with doilies sewn down one leg, buckskin cowboy boots and a jean jacket.  Now, don't get me wrong, I had a few Garanimals too, but my mom liked being unique, and I liked being unique too.  The free spirited Hippie style of my youth, what they refer to as Coachella Street Style now, has always stayed with me.  

I love leather, wood, non-precious metals, images of nature, and recycled items, so when all the items below found their way to my studio table the resulting earthy necklaces and bracelets were inevitable.

Epoxy Dots & Canceled Postage

Forstner Bit for
Drilling the Large Recess
that Holds the Epoxy Dot

Leather Lanyard & Jewelry Findings
Found at Any Bead or Craft Store

Look for Wood Discs with Rounded Edges

The only difficult part of this  project was drilling the wood discs.  I drilled the holes for the jump rings first.  Three finishing nails (in the shape of a triangle just slightly larger than the disc) nailed to a firm surface, in my case my workshop bench, will hold the discs secure while you drill with the forstner bit.  Place a disc over a nail using the hole drilled for the jump ring, then hammer a nail at the bottom right and left of the disc.  This will hold it in place while you drill.  It's tricky at first figuring out how much pressure to apply.  I drilled all the way through quite a few before I figured it out, so be prepared to throw away a few discs.







Shopping List:  Epoxy Dots, Wood Discs, Canceled Stamps, Embellishment Charms if Desired,  Leather Necklace Cord, Jump Rings, End Cap Beads, Clasps and Super Glue Gel.