I don't know if you know this but...I'm kind of a big deal.

The beauty of making something with your own two hands is that when it comes out wonderfully you can just sit back and bask in the glow of your own awesomeness. There are many times that my crafting endeavors fail or come out looking completely different than I had planned in my head but when they come together in a harmonious explosion of creativity...well that's the kind of things dreams are made of.

The one downfall is that this time I can not claim originality for this bit of crafty awesomesauce. I was perusing my favorite productivity quick sand, Pinterest, this afternoon and came across this tutorial:

http://www.ecabonline.com/2010/04/braided-bead-necklace.html

It was lovely and simple but amazing all at once. I've been getting more into jewelry lately and the turquoise and gold just sang to me. I ran right out to JoAnn Fabrics (and then Hobby Lobby) to collect the necessary bits to make my own (I am not one of those people that pins things that I will never make, I'm usually the opposite and must recreate it right away). Mine isn't "perfect" because I couldn't get findings all in the right shades of gold but I think it still looks fantastic. Behold!

Please disregard my Saturday-crafting-not-looking-so-good self and focus on the beauty of that necklace. I think tomorrow I am going to try rose gold chain with cream beads because when I love something I need it in every color imaginable (refer to shirt above, I have it in 2 other colors).

Just some words to the wise if you choose to use this tutorial: it is pretty straightforward but what it doesn't mention is that tying the knots is the worst part of the project. I think I ruined 3 of 6 strands and had to restring them because of knotting issues. It helps to knot two strands of thread together before putting on your first bead pinch and then put your beads on after that. I also kept a ruler handy to keep the first string of the set on part with 5.5 inches (you could easily make a longer one, I really want to make a full necklace and pin a rhinestone broach to it) and then you can measure your second of the set against that.