DIY Leather Flower Necklace

Hello my people! It has been a long time since I've posted a crafty project. I've been in a craft lull for some time and haven't had the inspiration to get my hands dirty. After strolling through Etsy yesterday some thing caught my eye that I just had to try! 

In the Jewelry making world I have previously worked with such materials as wire and beads, with my last obsession of bringing fabric into my collection. After seeing this necklace on Etsy, I have been inspired to try something new...Leather!  This is what I found and the next photos are me trying to re-create it.

 

Cute right! So the first thing you have to do is find some leather. When I started researching on where to get dyed leather, I found out its not as easy or cheap as I had hoped it would be. I did however go to Michaels and grabbed a couple of their scraps to work with. They don't have a great selection of color range but because this was my first try and was basically an experiment, I bought what I could. The thicker the leather, the better...but its also more expensive. :(

Something I thought about after I had been home for a couple days after my purchase was that I could have totally gone to Goodwill and bought old purses to cut up and use for leather! Next time, that's what I'll be doing. 

Ok so first things first. I drew a flower pattern in Illustrator in a few different sizes and cut them out. 

 

Then I used my pattern to cut out my leather flowers.

Next, I arranged my flowers how I wanted to put them together before gluing them down.

 

Once I have them how I want them, I used a hot glue gun to stick them together. Needle and thread would work just as good, but I love my glue gun when working with fabrics/leather.

After they are glued together, I cut out a piece of felt to put on the back to keep the bunch in place.

I also looped a metal ring through each side, so the chain has something to hold on to.

And there you have it! A rockin Necklace! Perfect for spring.

 

Cute Right! I'm itching to get more colorful leathers to play with.

Here are a few other necklaces that I found on Etsy that I am totally in love with.