{Hand-made Goodie of the Week} Black Bead and Flower Statement Necklace

I made this one a while back and LOVE it!  It's so easy to do and makes a great addition to any wardrobe.

I'll be showing you how to make a pretty and easy statement necklace that won't break the bank.  Make one for yourself or give it away as a gift, or both!

I love a pretty and simple statement necklace.  Something that packs a punch without being overwhelming.

Photo courtesy of Forever 21

I saw this necklace over at Forever 21's website back at the beginning of the year.  I went to try and find it in the store, but no luck.  Then I thought, hey, I could make my own!

To make yours, you'll need:

About 3 yards of black "pearls" (I got mine at Joann's)

Sheer black fabric

Black ribbon, about 1/2 in. wide

Needle, thread, glue and glue gun

Start by cutting 3 lengths of the beads: one 35 1/2 inches, one 31 1/2 inches and one 27 inches.  You can adjust the measurements if you don't want your necklace as long.  Lay them out longest, middle and shortest (as shown in the picture.)

Cut two lengths of ribbon, 4 inches long each.  Glue on the ends of the beads, keeping them in the laid-out (longest, middle, shortest) order.  Glue the other ends to the opposite edge of the ribbon.  Be sure to keep them in order so they don't get twisted!

Glue on the other piece of ribbon, covering the beads.

There!  Now it's time to make the flowers.

Cut 4 9x 1 1/2 inch strips of the sheer black fabric.  This will make three flowers-two small and one large.

Fold them in half, without creasing so you end up with a tube and hem together the edges, about 1/8 of an inch in.

Start rolling the tube, turning the raw edges at the end in.  Stop when it looks like this and stitch in place.

Gather the remainder of the fabric and roll around the center.  Stitch in place.

For the large flower, sew two strips of fabric together, end to end and repeat the steps for the small flower.

Now it's time to attach the flowers.  Decide where you'd like the flowers to be and start with the top one when you begin attaching them.  Glue the flower onto the center strand first.  We'll attach the addition strands once all of the flowers are attached.

Attach the large flower next, followed by the last small flower.  Once all of the flowers have been glued onto the center strand, attach the flowers to the other strands.  Be sure to keep the beads tight, but not over-tight, so there's no sagging or bunching in between the flowers.

And there you go!

Your very own, pretty statement necklace!