A little necklace

A couple of weeks ago, Ginny's daughter, Miss I, turned 5 years old. I can't believe it! I met Miss I on the day she was born, and it's been so wonderful to watch her grow into this (comparatively) huge person who talks and walks and tells jokes and loves to pick out her own clothes. When I made Ginny a necklace for her birthday, Miss I saw it and asked if I would make one for her too. I decided that I would, though I knew I wanted it to be beaded - rather than strings of bead and strings of chain, like Ginny's. I learned the technique for using crimping beads when I made this necklace for myself. So, all I had to do was look at my beads and get inspired. I decided to use some of the extras from Ginny's necklace, partly to economize and partly so they'd look at least a little similar. This is what I came up with:

I did some internet research before making it that suggested an appropriate length for a 5 year old kid was 12 to 14 inches. As I saw down with my beads and put them in pattern, I realized that getting to 12 inches exactly was going to be very difficult, and I figured it was better to go over than under. The total length was just about 14 inches, and I added the growth chain, so hopefully it will last for a while. When I got to the party and put it on the birthday girl, I realized that 12 inches would have been way too short.

I think this shot gives a better idea of the colors of the beads.

I also got her a box to put the necklace in. I'm not sure whether she has a jewelry box, but I thought it might be nice for her to have a place to store it.

Then, I decorated the outside of the box with her name on the top and polka dots along the sides before tying the whole thing up with a yellow ribbon. It was a hit!