Trinket #365 - Celebration Necklace

It's THE END! (Or is it only the beginning?)

I still can't believe that a whole year has passed since I started this strange journey. The things I've learned and the things I've improved upon are so plentiful that I think they're deserving of their own post. I can't really think of a better way to start off the new year.

Thanks to all of my friends and followers who have been so supportive throughout this project! A special thanks goes out to my family for putting up with my whining, complaining, staying up late, getting up early, and ever-growing stash of supplies that I've squirreled away in every nook and cranny of the house.

Yes, there will be another 365 Project for me next year. I've decided to nurture a different facet of my creativity, however, and will not be making daily crafts. Check out the unveiling tomorrow :D

Trinket #364 - Energy Pendant

I need all the energy I can muster for some upcoming projects in early 2012, so I'm hoping that this quartz and copper pendant can help out a bit. I chose a loose, casual wire-wrapping style for the copper, and then I paired it with an even more casual hemp cord.

I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing this quite a bit in the next few months...

Trinket # 363 - Blue Sky Earrings

A quick trinket to match the necklace and bracelet from earlier in the week. I like these - they look great with my eyes!

Trinket #362 - Lucky Bracelet

I remembered these charms that I picked up on a clearance sale about three months ago and finally put them to use today. This was a quick and easy (but hefty) project that was assembled using a pre-fab bracelet and some oval jump rings. In all, the construction took about five minutes.

Trinket #361 - Easy Beaded Bracelet

I love the meditative qualities of stringing beads. This bracelet was made using an extra-long length of wire strung with glass seed beads. I wrapped the wire to double the coil and then added a simple clasp to finish it. Ahhh...

Trinket #360 - Super-Stylized Leaf Pendant

A quick bent wire pendant. Because I don't have the energy for anything else. Blah.

Trinket #359 - Classy Holiday Earrings

Faceted amber beads on simple head pins. Can't get much easier than these, and considering that the kids got me up before the sun this morning, an easy project is just what I needed.

Best wishes for a happy holiday!

Trinket #358 - Mr. Mushroom Pendant

I made this little guy for my daughter using an eraser, head pin, and a bit of jeweler's adhesive. She'll get him in her stocking tomorrow if she's lucky ;)

Trinket #357 - Guitar Pick Earrings

I've been walking around with these picks in my handbag since September! I bought them specifically for this purpose, so I figured I had better dig them out and put them to use before the year was over.

I used a potter's pin tool to make the holes through the tips of the picks (which was pretty easy, but you could always use a really tiny drill bit) and attached them to ear wires with oval jump rings. I decided to hang mine upside down just because I like the shape better as it fits easier along the contour of my jaw.

Trinket #356 - Bauble Bracelet

The decorations are finally up and the kids are officially going nuts. This quick bracelet was about all I could muster! It's made from a pre-fab bracelet and a big orange glass bead. Simple, but fun.

Trinket #355 - Leather Leaf and Bronze Ring

This project was super-quick and simple. I cut the tiny leaf from a scrap of leather using kitchen shears (hence the toothed edge on the finished product), marked the veins on the leaf using a potter's pin tool, and then glued it to a bronze ring blank using jewelers adhesive. It won't be going anywhere for a long time and will even hold up to water.

Trinket #354 - Bundle O' Beads Ring

Another ring, just like I promised! This one is made by simply stringing glass beads onto a steel wire and wrapping it to the ring blank. I like the easy, organic look and feel of this one, and it's probably a project I will repeat.

Trinket #353 - Leaf Skeleton Ring

I found this piece of a gold leaf skeleton in a parking lot a few weeks ago. I love the way some of the gold has been worn away, and I thought it would pair well with some vintage-looking glass beads and a bronze ring blank. I am pleased!

Also, I recently picked up a bundle of these antiqued bronze ring blanks and discovered that they are quite fun to use. I'm betting you can expect to see more trinkets using them over the next few days...

Trinket #352 - Antiqued Birds' Nest Ring

What makes this ring antiqued? The fact that I made the steel and silver nest nearly a year ago and sat it in my kitchen windowsill. The months passed and I eventually forgot about it until I was rearranging some plants. When it was discovered, the steel had some rusty spots and the silver beads had formed a slight layer of tarnish. I think I prefer it this way.

Trinket #351 - Necklace with Seed Bead Accent

I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a bracelet or a necklace, so I combined some of the techniques for each and made this instead. I'm not sure how much I like it just yet. A trial-run of wearing for a day is definitely in order before I make another.

Trinket # 350 - Knotted Pendant

I pulled out the jig for this pendant, but ultimately ended up making the finished product with only wire and round pliers. The four failed attempts with the jig were enough for me to finally learn a lesson, I suppose.

The bottom of the pendant features an opaque glass bead for weight and color.

Trinket #349 - Necklace Upgrade

I wore this aventurine necklace today and decided it needed a little more pizazz to help counterbalance such a long chain. I salvaged these silver leaves from an over-the-top gaudy necklace. The result? Two things that I didn't like so much before that came together to make something I do like. Excellent!

PS - I will be trinketing over the next couple of days, but will not be able to post again until Sunday evening. I'm leaving in the (way too) early AM for Denver!

Trinket #348 - Heavy Metal Earrings

Quick and easy hoops (again) using a mix of chubby seed beads. I was aiming to make something that would go with whatever and would allow me to mix metals without looking too crazy. I hope these accomplished that.

Trinket #347 - Citrus Slice Earrings

These were a quick and easy trinket made from hoop blanks and some glass beads grabbed at random from the supply stash.

Trinket #346 - Christmas Necklace

I'm not really big on the whole "holiday spirit" thing, but my daughter certainly is. I made this quick necklace with embroidery floss and a big crackled glass bead for her.