Easy Pendant Tutorial...It's Sharing Time...

Note:  If you're here for Saturday's  Bead Soup Party, scroll down to Saturday's post and thanks for stopping by! 

 How many of you grew up watching Mr. Rogers in the evening?  I did, FAITHFULLY!!  I really can't remember a "sharing time" on his show, but for some strange reason that phrase just reminded me of him, guess cause he's such a nice guy..."waaait for it"  (smile) ..which leads me to this post...

Several visitors left comments or even emailed me asking for photos or a better description  of how I attached my focal for the Bead Soup reveal this past Saturday.   Having taught jewelry making classes for several years, I truly enjoy sharing with others in any way that I can,  because there have been many who have shared with me along the way and I honestly believe that in time, I'm blessed for it in so many other ways. So, of course I'll show you what I did!

Without taking my necklace apart, the best I could do was draw it out for you.  But I bet if you sat there long enough you would have figured it out on your own...it really was that easy!  Soo..here goes:

How to attach a button and a coin bead with wire

to create a focal pendant

The secret to this particular focal was the beautiful Yellow and Red Retro coin bead sent to me from Erin Siegel  my soup partner.  The coin was a rather flat bead with a hole up the center.  And guess what???  Artbeads.com has it by the strand in their Tuscan limited finds selection this week...how cool is that? (click the link above to buy bead) 

The second secret is that the button had a hoop on the back like this:  (okay, it's obvious I won't ever be a Disney artist)

Instructions: 



1.  Take approximately 6 inches of 20ga round wire and straighten. (this is my best guess, remember, I did not take mine apart to get these measurements)

2.  Slide the wire up the back of the button through the center of the loop.  Holding the wire in the center of the loop, begin wrapping the wire twice to the right, then bring it back under and wrap it twice on the left side of where you started ending with  the remaining wire in the middle, straight up the back of the button, so that it looks like this...

3.  Slide the straight wire through the coin bead hole like so...

    4.  Create your choice of hoop, loop or spiral  with the remaining wire at the top.  Whatever your choice of closure, make sure you wrap it tight enough, so that the two pieces don't wiggle. Your finished focal should like like this in the back...

Like I said...easy peasy!! 

Unveiling easy secrets,