I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think!
The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a second thought of WHAT IF THEY ROLLED AWAY.
What a relief to avoid a beading mishap right out of the gate! Also worthy of note, they do include extras of each bead type, which came in handy because I ended up dropping a few even with the towel in place, and I also managed to crush part of a crystal bead when I got a bit overzealous with a metal loop (more on that in a sec).
It was extremely easy to follow the step by step instructions to make each ornament. The only thing I was worried about creating the loop at the end, as the instructions noted that it will take "some hand strength" to do so. If you know me even a little, you know that I am not known for hand or upper arm strength, but the good news is that I found a way to create the loops, even if they don't look exactly like the picture (if I can do it, so can you!).
My hand was a teensy bit sore after the session was over, so I would probably invest in nicer pliers with a more cushiony handle if I were to make more kits (and I would definitely like to!).
Best of all, it took me a sum total of 1 hour from start to finish to make all 3 ornaments, and that was even with taking lots of notes and photos for this blog post! To be perfectly honest, when I sat down to make this kit, I planned to just do one and then save the others for another day....but it was just so fun that I couldn't stop!
I was beyond impressed with the quality of this kit, and could totally see myself making more ornaments to give as gifts - each kit retails for just $9.99, making it an affordable stocking stuffer, secret Santa, or guild gift. Solid Oak has a lot of other interesting kits, charms, and jewelry making supplies available here in their online store, and lots of fun tutorial ideas here on their blog.
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I was super impressed with this compact little kit, which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).
The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a second thought of WHAT IF THEY ROLLED AWAY.
What a relief to avoid a beading mishap right out of the gate! Also worthy of note, they do include extras of each bead type, which came in handy because I ended up dropping a few even with the towel in place, and I also managed to crush part of a crystal bead when I got a bit overzealous with a metal loop (more on that in a sec).
It was extremely easy to follow the step by step instructions to make each ornament. The only thing I was worried about creating the loop at the end, as the instructions noted that it will take "some hand strength" to do so. If you know me even a little, you know that I am not known for hand or upper arm strength, but the good news is that I found a way to create the loops, even if they don't look exactly like the picture (if I can do it, so can you!).
My hand was a teensy bit sore after the session was over, so I would probably invest in nicer pliers with a more cushiony handle if I were to make more kits (and I would definitely like to!).
Best of all, it took me a sum total of 1 hour from start to finish to make all 3 ornaments, and that was even with taking lots of notes and photos for this blog post! To be perfectly honest, when I sat down to make this kit, I planned to just do one and then save the others for another day....but it was just so fun that I couldn't stop!
I was beyond impressed with the quality of this kit, and could totally see myself making more ornaments to give as gifts - each kit retails for just $9.99, making it an affordable stocking stuffer, secret Santa, or guild gift. Solid Oak has a lot of other interesting kits, charms, and jewelry making supplies available here in their online store, and lots of fun tutorial ideas here on their blog.
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They are soooooo pretty!
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