Mom Jewelry

I’ve never been the trendiest person, but I have always loved jewelry.  We all know I’m super cheap, so I don’t tend to buy a bunch of new clothes.  Inexpensive necklaces have always been a cheap and easy way for me to update my wardrobe.  Unfortunately, Baby Robert has decided that he likes to pull really hard on my necklaces.  It isn’t safe for him to play with my jewelry, so I’ve stopped wearing it all together and I’ve really missed it.

Last week Robert and I went to a fancy children’s boutique just to browse.  I am proud to say that several of the outfits in the store were retailing for over $50 and I had already bought identical ones for less than $15 on Zuilily and the consignment stores.  While I didn’t find anything on sale for Robert, I did find the perfect thing for me:  a nursing/ teething necklace.

 This is a food grade silicone bead necklace made by Chewbeads.  This one retailed for $38.  I found it cheaper on Amazon, but I’m glad I made this impulse buy.  Plus I was happy to help out a small business.  Once I started wearing it, I was hooked.  I love feeling feminine again and wearing jewelry, and Robert enjoys chewing on it and playing with it while I nurse.  I immediately wanted more, but there is no way in hell I will be purchasing another necklace at that price.

I decided to see if I could buy the beads and make my own.  Turns out, several Etsy shops sell them, but by the time I pay shipping and handling and get all the beads I want, I will be paying a pretty similar price unless I buy in bulk.  And let’s be honest, I don’t need 500 silicone beads, so that’s not going to happen.  I took to Pinterest to see if there were any other ideas for nursing/ teething beads.  The most popular teething necklaces on Pinterest involve sewing, and since I hate measuring, I don’t sew.  Since fabric covered beads were out, I decided to stick with large wooden beads with a knot between each one.  I also played around with braiding old fabric scraps.  This is what I came up with.

All the materials for the first three came from JoAnn’s Fabric.  I bought wooden beads and strong fabric and leather for the necklaces.  Each bead has a knot between them, so if it does break, only one bead will fall out.  I tested each of these and pulled on them a bunch to make sure they wouldn’t easily break.  The necklaces are knotted in the back instead of clasped, this way I can change the length.

The pink one is made of fabric scraps that I braided and knotted together.  Robert loves all four of them.  Here are some shots of us.

This is Robert playing with one of the necklaces while we nurse.  He used to hit my face, but now he plays with the beads.  I think we are both enjoying nursing more!

The last picture is of me in my pajamas.  Yes, I’m even wearing the necklaces in my pajamas.  Robert likes it so much that I try to put one on every time I nurse.

I spent about $30 on all the materials and still have tons left to make more necklaces.  They may not look as nice as the official Chewbead necklace, but it sure was fun making my own, plus a hell of a lot cheaper!