BrittanyMakes

The I Spy series is holding strong! We're on week 9, can you believe it? I've enjoyed every moment, immersing myself in the blogosphere every week, making new friends and amazing contacts, not to mention I'm now following a bunch new favorite blogs.  My bookmark toolbar is overflowing!

I'm very excited to share today's DIY.  The project itself is very near and dear to my heart, mainly because I've been making and designing jewelry since I was in High School.  While I was in college I sold my designs at a fashion forward boutique in NorCal.  It was great experience and I received excellent exposure, but sadly, jewelry designing took a back seat to my career the minute I started a full time accounting gig.  I've since picked it back up, with this ol' blog here as my main vein of encouragement. 

One of my favorite things to do as a jewelry designer is recreate, or hack, a major designer's piece.  In today's feature, Kelly from Herringbone Lane made a knock-off Kate Spade necklace.  And just like Kelly, I can never justify buying a piece of jewelry with a high price tag.  Especially something I can make myself. 

Here's Kelly's gorgeous Kate Spade knock-off:

Let's put it side-by-side against the Kate Spade version…

Wow! Kelly's version is so beautiful and vibrant! The navy and gold contrast is so striking.  I'm not going to lie, I am a fan of the neon Kate Spade version, but at a fraction of the cost, I'd take Kelly's necklace hands down.

Let's see how she put this necklace together:

Kelly picked up some supplies (all of which you can find at a local bead store, or even Michael's)

Next, Kelly strung the beads on the rope chain using a scrap piece of floral wire, so smart!  Finally, she attached a clasp to the chain with a jump ring, using pliers to open and close the jump ring.

Kelly claims she's a jewelry making novice, can you beliee it? She knocked this necklace out like a pro. And I just might have to make my own version!