Red Bauble Necklaces

When I asked Adelae what she wanted to make people for Christmas this year, she immediately answered, "necklaces!"  With our "Baubles" theme this Christmas, it was a pretty simple jump to suggest that we make Red Bauble Necklaces!  This is a fun, simple, gift idea, or throw one together as a last minute party accessory for yourself!

materials

  mini red ball ornaments (plastic, if you can find them without an ugly seam)

twisted red or gold cording  (we found our spool in the gift wrapping aisle)

craft glue

The cording we found was designed for gift wrap, and while I'm sure the plastic silver balls are lovely on a package, they were a quite unattractive as part of our necklace, so first we striped the silver off, leaving only the twisted red cording. 


Measure the cording around your neck to determine how long you'd like your necklace to be, and then add another 7-10".  Our cords were just short of a yard per necklace - probably about 33". Singe or use clear nail polish on the tips of the cording, as needed, to prevent fraying.

Next, add a sliding knot closure. Knot the necklace together, leaving about a 5-8" tail, as shown above.  Then simply knot the end of the cord to the necklace, as shown below. The sliding knots will allow the wearer to adjust the length of the necklace and style it to match their neckline.

Finally, just add your Christmas ornaments!  For some people maybe just one bauble is all you need. Others just need more - a lot more!  To add the bauble(s), just pinch together and pull out the wire hanger at the top of the ornament.  We found it was easiest to take off the entire metal topper, then the wire. 

Once the wire is released, hook it in between the two strands of twisted cording - exactly in the center of the necklace. Pinch the wire back into the metal topper, add a dab of glue, then pop the ornament back onto the topper. 

One is cute, especially on a longer cord. Alternatively, add many, many baubles - at least 12 - on a shorter cord for some serious festivity for the nativity!

I guess since we've been talking about the red bauble as a reminder of the Eden fruit and our sinful nature - a reminder of our desperate need for a Savior - this necklace is somewhat of a scarlet letter.  Still, without the pain of the Law there is no sweetness in the Gospel. When you put on your new necklace, take a minute to remember your sin, but then let the red color remind you of your Savior, whose blood conquered sin.  If Christmas is only about celebrating a birth, it's almost as shallow as the commercial Christmas of our culture.  Christmas is about the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus, the victor over sin, death and the devil - making His coming a time of joy beyond measure and grand reason to celebrate the season!