getting crafty: bird nest necklaces

Our craft during this month's meeting was a huge hit... who doesn't love a cute little bird nest necklace? These would be great gifts for friends, family or even your child's teacher. And how sweet would these be for mother & grandmother gifts? Can't wait to hear if anyone decides to make one at home!

What you need: 

• 2 yards of 24-gauge jewelry wire (you can change the gauge to give your necklace a lighter or heavier look)
• pretty glass beads in whatever color you want (glass works better than plastic because they don't get scratched as easily)
• necklace chain

Instructions: 

1. (Optional) Twirl wire around a pencil or pen to make a corkscrew. This will give the wire more texture. (See pictures below for textured vs. smooth.)
2. Straighten wire & thread desired number of beads onto one end, arranging them as you please. 
3. Wrap wire around your "eggs" until you have formed your "nest"... you will have some leftover wire at this point. It may be helpful to hold the beads between your index finger & thumb as you wrap the wire around. 
4. Now it's time to secure your nest. Thread the end of the wire up through the nest from back to front. Wrap it around the edge of the nest in the spaces between the beads. You may want to wrap it neatly for a structured nest, or you may want a more unstructured "freeform" nest. (See pictures below for examples.)
5. On the back of your nest, use remaining wire to form a small loop to thread your necklace through (remember that your necklace clasp has to fit through it so don't make your loop too small). Secure loop by wrapping wire around its base and/or twisting the wire through an existing coil on the nest. If your loop gets squished while you're securing it, use a pen to help round it back out. 
6. Cut off excess wire & tuck loose end into nest. 
7. Put your lovely little pendant on your necklace & enjoy!

And because I can't resist sharing pretty pictures, here are a few of my favs:

Example of a neatly structured nest (click here for source):

Example of a "freeform" nest with more texture (click here for source):

Example of a nest with a single "egg" (click here for source):

Example of various colored "eggs" (click here for source... this is the original tutorial that inspired this crafty cuteness!):