I'm Back and Sharing Something New....

Hello mes amies. 

My posts, of late, have been few and far between but I am still "here." My holidays were no different than all of yours...filled with family time...celebrations...and just plain "craziness." The New Year found me under the weather and low on energy and,  just yesterday, I saw our son back to school for his LAST semester at college! I didn't think it would hit me like it has but I feel as melancholy as the day we saw him off for his FIRST semester. I've been in a "funk" for a few weeks now and need to snap out of it!

The New Year is calling me and I am still back in 2012. Enough said!

I wanted to share with you some bracelets I made for Christmas gifts and even a few for myself.

My friend's daughter was interested in learning how to make those ever-so-popular leather cord Stack Bracelets so I found a few tutorials and we got busy.

Here's the set I surprised her with after we spent several days in my studio making them for her friends....

...an eclectic mix of new and vintage components.

Here's the set I created for my niece, Mia....

...her favorite color is "Tiffany Blue" and she's a "beachy" kinda girl so this is the stack I came up with for her.

And heres' the stack I made for myself.....

it started out with just a few and then just grew and grew as I became obsessed hooked on making them!

I used a mix of new and vintage components for these as well...

From L-R:

I used a SS heart de-constructed from a 50's bracelet and paired it with vintage Creed sterling and faceted glass rosary beads; The next one is a beautiful vintage gold and diamond watch that I filled with vintage pearl beads and a vintage rhinestone cross. Instead of chain, I wrapped a leather cord with silver bead balls; For the next one, I used a vintage French charm and, again, paired it with some vintage sterling rosary beads and a small length of chain; For the last one, I used two stunning vintage  rhinestone & SS earrings...connected them together and then added more of the Creed sterling rosary beads.  

From L-R:

This first one is actually ONE bracelet made out of Memory Wire. Easy peasy! I used mother of pearl, Swarovski crystal and glass beads throughout; For this next one, I removed the shank from a vintage Krementz cufflink and glued it to a bezel. The cuff link is mother of pearl and platinum....stunning. I ran a small length of leather cording through the bezel and added some crimp beads and a toggle clasp closure to finish it off; For the next one, I used a tube bead that says "Faith" and some Chinese Knotting Cord. I added beads on each side of the tube bead, divided by knots, and then finished off with crimp beads and a toggle clasp; The next three bracelets were all made using the same technique of wrapping leather cording with either bead ball chain or vintage rhinestone chain. They are finished off with a vintage button for hooking closed.

I love the way you can wear a few or all of them together depending on what you're wearing. The combinations are endless.

This site offers some wonderful tutorials on how to make some of the leather-wrapped and macrame-style ones if you'd like to give them a try. 

The other techniques I just learned along the way...trial and error really. 

I hope to offer you all more of my own tutorials on this blog this year and, despite my lackluster start to 2013, show you a "new and improved" Petite Michelle Louise!

"Merci" for your friendship through the years. They are some of my life's "blessings."

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~