DIY: JCrew inspired Ribbon Necklace

Above is my first ever attempt at jewelry; and although it doesn't look extremely professional, I definitely think it's nice enough to wear out! Plus it only took about 15 minutes!

I love colorful beads and ribbon, take a look at these jcrew creations that inspired me!

To make my necklace above, you will need:

white ribbon
45 round beads
12 small beads for the ends(not neccessary)
Bead cord
scissors

First cut your strands of beads (you will have a ton of loose beads everywhere!)

next formulate a pattern for your necklace

Now you're ready to begin stringing your beads

I decided to use this pattern:

tie a knot; strand 2 end beads, 16 beads, 2 end beads, tie off, snip bead cord

tie a knot; strand 2 end beads, 15 beads, 2 end beads, tie off, snip bead cord

tie a knot; strand 2 end beads, 14 beads, 2 end beads, tie off

Now put the strands in height order, longest on the bottom, shortest on top

Now tie all three strand ends together on both sides

Now, you are ready to incorporate the ribbon.

Decide how low you want your necklace to fall; mine measures about a foot and a half. Now you want to double this measurement, and cut the ribbon (I cut three feet of ribbon)

Tie both ends of the ribbon together

Open your ribbon into an oval; place 2 strands of beads on the top side of the ribbon, and the third strand on the bottom; now lift the bottom of the ribbon, and join to the top; shake until the beads fall into place

Because even as I'm re-reading this I've confused myself, I've attached a youtube tutorial link from themayofam that I think will prove helpful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBuIaZO-JE4

Lastly snip off excess bead thread

wrap over your head, and wear!