DIY Heirloom Necklace

Happy Friday Sweet Hearts... TGIF, right!

This week has flown by with Thanksgiving preparations & a birthday party to throw! {yes, that would be my own, lol} The pine needles have been racked, Christmas lights have been strung, wreaths deck the hall, a Honey Baked Ham has been ordered & the countdown has begun. My holiday goal for this year is to simply relax & 'Go With the Flow'. The words "Get away from the bird!", now live on in infamy.

With Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to share with you my very favoritest necklace that I have ever made...my 'Heirloom Necklace'. By now, most of you know me to be completely sentimental & overly nostalgic. I wanted to create a piece of jewelry that could be worn close to my heart & could hold some of my most precious mementos, my very own heirlooms.

I started with a handful of memories.

From left, my Mother's 18th birthday, 10k pearl & ruby ring

a sterling silver art nouveau girl my Father bought me when I lived in Utah back when I was 20

a locket with my Wedding picture in it, along with a picture of Courtney & I in Florence, Italy

a metal my Father won in 1953 for the 440 yd dash

a Liberty dime pendent that Robert bought me when we were at Mount Rushmore

a copper football from the 50's, my Dad was Captain of the football team

another track metal my Father won in 1952 for the 440 yard run

a 50's baseball mitt charm for Robert's baseball team he played on when we 1st met

a Saint Frances religious metal

Courtney's Brownie pin

the '74 charm from the tassel on my graduation cap

a mounted Indian Head penny given to me by Robert's parents

a locket with pictures of Kai & Courtney in it

& a tiny chain with my Mother's initials JB on it,

pieces of my heart!

I used 2 different kinds of chain. A heavy antiqued silver chain to attach the charms to & a smaller brass chain on either side of that, to get the desired length I wanted. The charms were all attached with simple jump rings & a brass clasp was added to one end. {my necklace is 18" long, not including the brass clasp} 

When I was at the show in Texas, I got so many wonderful compliments on this necklace, everybody LOVED it...but most importantly, I LOVE it! Everything on this necklace means something special to me.

What an amazing gift this could be for someone you love or even for yourself! The biggest challenge is gathering the 'handful of memories' & even those can be found in some of the most unlikely places.

I am joining Debra of Common Ground for her Vintage Inspiration Friday post. There are many lovely links to visit and I hope you will enjoy them as well.
Have a Fabulous Weekend Friends!

XOXO

vintagesusie