DIY $6 Chainlink Necklace

by Heather on May 21, 2013

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DIY $6 Chainlink Necklace || Heather's Dish #diy

While I feel like I have an eye for things that look good on other people, I never claimed to be any kind of fashionista (this is where I get really happy about my StitchFix shipments) or DIY goddess.  Let’s be real here:  I’m not.  The other night I was working on some cute little baby girl headbands for a precious friend who is about to give birth to her sweet daughter, and I kid you not my hands were shaking the whole time.  This project required a tiny bit of hand stitching and the rest was all with a hot glue gun…and yet I couldn’t keep it together.

 

You know, just to give y’all a little perspective on my crafting capabilities.

 

A few weeks ago I pinned this awesome necklace on my clothes board and couldn’t stop thinking about it – I love the layers and the different metallics and the rhinestones, all in one beautiful piece.  I knew I had seen some of the materials I could use to make a much less expensive version (the original is $150) at Michael’s earlier in the week, and I got super excited at the prospect of making my own jewelry.  I am SO NOT this incredibly talented lady, but I figured it was worth a shot to make a cute necklace, right?

 

So here’s the deal: I didn’t actually get the materials from Michael’s, which is basically a result of sheer laziness.  Craft stores are literally around the corner from me, but I ended up just getting the chains at Walmart instead, hence the $6.  If you were to get them from Michael’s or Hobby Lobby it would certainly be a little bit more, but you would also likely have a larger selection to choose from.  Either way the final product will certainly be less than the retail of the necklace I pinned, so it’s probably a win ;)

DIY $6 Chainlink Necklace || Heather's Dish #diy

When you pick out the chains you want, make sure they’ll be long enough to make a necklace that is at a comfortable length for you.  Here’s what you need:

  • 2-3 metal chains where the links are different colors and shades of metal – pick your favorites!
  • 1 pair of metal cutting pliers (I don’t even know if that’s the name of those things)
  • 1 pair of needle nose pliers
  • Necklace fasteners (if your chains didn’t come with them)

My necklace is only two chains – one with larger links, and a longer gunmetal one with smaller links.  Basically what I did was:

  • fasten one end of each chain to one part of a necklace fastener;
  • hang the top on a nail in the wall (I just took a picture down for this part);
  • wove the longer chain through the shorter one through every other link, then back through the links I missed going back up;
  • fasten the end of the longer chain to the necklace fastener and cut it to fit;
  • place the other side of the necklace fastener on the other side of the necklace.
  • VOILA!

This is SO not a technically sound post, but it’s so simple I figure most people can figure it out by the photos anyway ;)   Regardless, I love that it has this kind of hard-core look to it, and I love wearing it with more girly things!  And at $6 I don’t see a reason to not try it!

 

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Quick Hummus, Mango and Pistachio Tuna Salad || HeathersDish.com

Behold, y’all.  We are entering salad season!

 

I’ve shared it so many times in the past, but I’m new to this whole salad-loving thing.  Then, when I was pregnant with Weston in the dead of Colorado’s 2011/2012 winter all I wanted from life was a fresh salad.  I just wanted some good garden-fresh spinach with a bunch of fruit and veggies that you can only find in the summer months, and drizzle of dressing.

 

Sure, you can find salad anywhere.  And I tried to find something that would meet my impossibly high 3rd trimester standards, but the reality is that it didn’t exist.  Honestly I figured that I would just get over it after Weston was born, like it was some kind of random pregnancy craving – but the longer I went without that salad, the more I wanted it!  When the good local fresh stuff started hitting the markets I was all over it, and a the salad obsession was born!

 

So tuna salad.  I’ve never really had it before because we didn’t eat a lot of tuna growing up.  College is really when I started to eat it consistently because it was so affordable, but even then I didn’t have the guts to really make it my own.  And this salad you guys?  Totally worth the wait.  It’s incredibly simple and pairs so well with a bunch of fresh lettuce, OR served in a sandwich/wrap.  I like to chop my mango and fold it into the whole thing, but in a true moment of transparency I can down a whole ripe mango in one serving, so I just eat the extra on the side.

 

Here’s to salad season guys!

 

QUICK HUMMUS, MANGO AND PISTACHIO SALAD

I know it’s going to sound so simple, but I think it’s all about the ratio of ingredients here.  Stir together the hummus, the Greek yogurt and the mustard.  Flake the tuna a bit with a fork, then fold the tuna, mango and cranberries into the wet ingredients.  If you’d like the fold the pistachios in then that’s fine, but they lose their crunch fairly quickly if you do.  I like to top mine with the pistachios right before eating!  Serve and enjoy!

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