Pinterest Project #2 and GIVEAWAY!!!

Ok. I lied. I kind of did this project before the previous one. In mid-December, I took my mom to Marmalade Skies and we learned how to make Egg Nest Necklaces after seeing them pinned on Pinterest. It was a short class that cost $14 and we each made a necklace. After, Mom and I went to Hobby Lobby and spent $16 on all of the supplies we would need to make 203982058 Egg Nest Necklaces.

This was the necklace I made at the class. I chose ONE bead because I only ONE child.

So... want to learn how to make them?? Now that I know what to do, I can make them in about 10 minutes. Super easy and cute! I made a few for Christmas gifts!!

You will need:

Jewelry Wire (I use 20 gauge)

Beads (we bought pearl-types. And I have no idea what size. Check the pictures for an idea) You can use 1-4. I am sure you can make nests with more than 4 beads, but I'm not sure how they'd look placed. I haven't tried that yet!

Wire Cutters/Jewelry Cutters

Jump Rings (which I absolutely stink at using)

First, measure out your wire. I don't have a picture of this because it didn't turn out well (none of them really did, because it was late at night and I only used my iPhone). I measured it at about 3 feet. I ended up with some leftover wire that I cut off, but it's super cheap and I'd always be safe than sorry. ;-)

Next, string your beads at the very top. You are going to leave a little bit of a "tail" at the top. Then, fold the wire down and twist so that the beads make a "circle." Twist a few times.

Now, grab the beads in one hand and the wire in the other, and start wrapping the wire around the beads. You can't mess this up because all bird nests are unique! On my first one, I wrapped it pretty loose. However, I prefer the tighter wrapped nest. It's best to keep the beads squished between your thumb and index finger on one hand and twist the wire with the others. You want to make sure you are wrapping the wire AROUND the beads and not OVERLAPPING the beads. If you mess up, simply unwrap carefully. Just try not to twist your wire or it will get kinked.

Once you get the nest to the size you like, pull the wire "tail" through the space between your beads. Tightly wrap it around that space a few times (this is where you may need to use those pliers!). Now is when you have to chose which side is the front and which is the back. Once you are happy with your side wrapping, take the wire through the backside and thread the wire through another section between beads. Continue doing this until you have twisted between all of your beads. Don't wrap a few of those passes as tightly on one of your sections.

Now, open your jump ring and loop it through that pass that you didn't wrap tightly. I apologize, I didn't take a picture of that. Once you get the jump ring on, just use your pliers and close it! Easy peasy!

String the beads and leave a "tail."

Twist the tail at the end of the beads to form a circle of beads. Twist the end a few times to secure the beads.

Wrap the wire AROUND the beads. Make sure you don't overlap the beads!

Hold the beads between your thumb and index finger and then wrap the wire with the other hand.

I like to overlap my wires to make it look more natural.

Here is where I decided I like how I've built the best. See where I ended wrapping? I then threaded that through the backside in between the two beads.

Another picture of where I brought the wire through two beads. Thread it through the original wire that you first threaded the beads on for stability. Wrap each section a few times and then move on to a different section between beads.

Almost done! Just need to finish that last section.

All that is left is adding the jump ring so that you can wear your new pendant on a necklace, chain, or whatnot.

THIS is the first time I have ever made jewelry, short of making friendship bracelets in elementary school and at summer camp. I am a novice!! And I keep getting better with every nest I made.

Now, I have this cute birds nest pendant and I don't need!!! Sooo...

WELCOME TO CURLY KRISTEN'S VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

• PRIZE: This cute birds nest pendant with three dark iridescent "eggs."
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “BIRDS” and tell me…
• BONUS QUESTION: … what is your favorite bird? Any specific reason?
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, January 29 at 8:00 CST!!!
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE SHIPS: The United States
• USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced next Monday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here next Monday for the announcement of the winner. Good luck!!!