Great Gifts - Thanksgiving & Fall Charm Jewelry Ideas

Fall is a great time of year. Warm sweaters come out from hiding, the kids are in school and Thanksgiving is just a heart beat away. This year we came up with some great Charm Jewelry Ideas to be given away as gifts or to jazz up your own wardrobe. These are easy to make and look delightful. Fall Leaf Earrings These beautiful enameled charm earrings are great for any outfit this fall. They are simple to make and even easier to wear. Personalize them by adding your own beads. Materials: 1 - Pair of French Earring Hooks 2 - 1 inch eye pins Beads of choice 2 - Fall Leaf Charms 1 - Pair of Round Nose Pliers 1 - Pair of Flat Nosed Pliers Steps Step 1 : Thread beads onto eye pin saving 1/4" of pin at top to make a loop. Using the flat nosed pliers, bend wire at a 90 degree angle. Step 2: Using the round nose pliers, grip the end of the eye pin that you just bent. Roll the eye pin around one side of the eye pin so that it forms an eye. Step 3: Repeat for the other eye pin. Step 4: Using the flat nosed pliers, open one end of the eye pin and attach the leaf charm. To do this hold the eye pin so that you can see the circle. Push the opening away from you, hook the charm on, and pull the end back. This will keep the circle shape, as opposed to opening the eye pin by "unrolling" the eye. Repeat with the other eye pin. Step 5: Using the same method as Step 4, attach the French hooks to each the eye pins. Tips: I tend to squeeze French hooks into a tighter U so that they do not fall out of my ears. Another good idea is to use small clear rubber earring backs Thanksgiving Day Charm Bracelet This fun and flirty bracelet is a good family activity. Easy and quick to make for most ages! Materials: 1 - Translucent Stretchy Cord 1 - Pilgrim Boy Charm 1 - Pilgrim Girl Charm 1 - Large Pumpkin Charm 1 - Turkey Charm 1 - Large Leaf Charm 1 - Corn Husk Charm Needle Nose Pliers Assorted Beads 6 - 6mm Jump Rings Steps: Step 1: Cut your stretchy cord to the desired length. Knot one end of the cord and add your beads. Step 2: Tie the two ends of cord together. Pull firm. You can add a touch of super glue just to make sure. Step 3: Using needle nose pliers, open the jump rings and attach the charms spaced evenly around the bracelet. For opening/closing a small number of rings, I use a pair of pliers to hold the ring and push it open or closed with my finger. The ring is opened or closed by twisting it apart, not by pulling it open or pushing it closed. You do not have to use 6mm jump rings, but larger jump rings will be easier to use than small standard sized jump rings. Pumpkin Charm Zipper Pull This great zipper pull is quick to make and will jazz up almost anything. It can act as a zipper pull on backpacks, coin purses, hand bags, totes, and sweatshirts. It can also double as a key ring. Especially great for extra keys around the houses. These can be made with initial letter charms as a little gift for someone special, or make a team spirit mascot charm for your kids gym bags. Materials: 1 - Lanyard Hook 1 - 1 inch Eye Pin 1 - Large Pumpkin Charm Assorted Beads 1 - Pair of Round Nosed Pliers 1 - Pair of Needle Nose Pliers Steps: Step 1: Add beads to your eye pin leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top of the eye pin. Bend the wire 90 degrees with your needle nose pliers. Grab onto the end of the wire with your round nosed pliers and wrap it around one side to create another eye. Step 2: Attach the pumpkin charm to one eye, by opening and closing the eye with pliers. You open an eye pin the same way as a jump ring. (see above) Step 3: Attach the lanyard hook onto the other end of the eye pin. Now you are ready to jazz it up!