Mom Worthy Craft Projects ...Happy Birthday Mom!

Hello Everyone! I know that it has been a while since I've posted but I have been crafting away! For me May means Mother's Day and Mom's Birthday. This year I was on a quest for the perfect gift for my Mommy. But what do you give the woman who has been there for you since day one? I really wanted to make her something special and from the heart. The only problem with homemade, after age six, is that you have to make sure it doesn't look homemade. Luckily for me, my mother loves jewelery and accessories. I did a little hunting and came up with two mom-worthy craft projects. 

First, I ventured to a local bead store to try my hand at beading for the first time. It was so much easier than I expected.

 I picked a black and white color combo that would go with almost everything! Then I simply headed home and began to lay out the beads in a pattern I liked. 
I also got some help from this tutorial: http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com/


Items needed: Jewelers Wire, Beads , Clasp, Crimps, Needle Nose pliers (I stole my husband's), Bead Stoppers (clamps that hold the beads in place until you are ready to finish it off) . 
This is what I ended up with...

 The second gift I wanted to make was a matching purse. So I scoured the Internet and found a beautiful clutch pattern on the Martha Stewart website. I just had to try it! 
The inspiration:

    

http://www.marthastewart.com/269495/fabric-clutch


My version...

I think it turned out pretty well! I had so much fun making these items for my Mom. Check out the tutorial above. You too can make a totally unique purse for any occasion.