Bromeliad

A few little changes

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:51:00 +0000

Got one of my faux Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis pillows out of storage. It looks fresh again with a cobalt blue throw.

Thrifted this basket, which now holds my entire craft stash. (The bottom fell out of my last basket, also thrifted.)

Almost threw out these fake budding branches. Trying them for a pop of white in the bedroom. They tip over once a day.

And bought my very first item from Anthropologie, which privileged me with the bag with the ribbons and the grommets and the dainty font and the tissue paper - for a soap dish on sale for $5.

It's hand blown Mexican glass. Structurally it functions as a soap bar Slip N Slide, landing my Dove behind the sink every morning. I'm thinking about turning it into a piece of jewelry.

The delights of blogging - posting photos of one's bathroom sink to an admiring audience of 10 or so.

My DIY closet makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:32:00 +0000

Here are few closet cleaning tips that worked for me. And photographic evidence that it looked good for even a minute.

As mentioned earlier, my goal this year was to get real with my closet - in other words to think about what I really tend to wear.

Belts are one thing I have a lot of. But I hardly ever wear a belt. So I threw out belts by the handful. Above are the freshly organized survivors.

Clothes are no longer crammed like the 2 train at rush hour. I came to the conclusion that I rarely wear red, purple, lavender, or pink. So I got rid of that whole end of the rainbow, except for a couple of items in coral and yellow.

This has done miracles for me. If everything you've got is either blue or green or a neutral - then everything goes with everything. Close your eyes and grab any top and any bottom and they will be pretty much fine together.

Jackets have been cut back to four and probably could be further reduced to one or two. Shirts and blouses are also blue, green or neutral.

Then there are the shoes and jewelry. Two purges and still out of control. It's OK. I'm auditioning for The Coveteur.

My DIY easy leather journal

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:48:00 +0000

Make a quick leather journal from a dollar store notebook and a thrift store coat. This is similar to my DIY rustic leather journal except this one uses an inexpensive notebook for lined paper (instead of cutting your own paper.)

It's easy enough to make a bunch as teacher appreciation gifts or as a DIY gift for groomsmen in a wedding party.

Get the full tutorial at Dollar Store Crafts.

Spring cleaning - shoes and accessories

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Above is a small fraction of my Shoemageddon. At last count I had 26 pairs on active rotation and probably just as many stashed in tote bags in the bottom of my closet.

Shoes get out of control because they are so easy to try on and look interesting even when not actually being worn. If the shoe fits, take it home and store it.

If one is feeling down about personal excess of any sort, one can always turn to celebrities to feel better. Take a stroll through The Coveteur and various other blogs and your own shoe issues will dwindle to a single shelving unit.

So, gotta ask - does anybody out there not have enough shoes for a centipede with a personal stylist?

Spring cleaning - getting real with your closet

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:33:00 +0000

Have you started spring cleaning yet? Here are some tips and inspiration to get you started or keep you going.

First I'd advise a spring cleaning mantra. My friend Katie's mantra for 2013 was "space not stuff." Mine has been "get real."

'Get real' means to sit down and make a list of what you really never wear.

I did this and came up with the following:

wrap skirts
short fat furs

Since I don't own any this was not helping.

So I tried a list of "things I tend not to wear."

I tend not to wear:

red, pink, lavender or purple
pants
non-neutral shoes
jackets

I'm not sure how far this will get me in eliminating half my closet.

How about you? Are there broad categories you know you really don't wear?

Closets via The Coveteur and Domaine.

Spring party

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Food envy alert. Homemade braided bread. Ham baked overnight and monitored like a newborn. Things with real caramel rum sauce. Dips, bits, bites. People sneaking off to other parts of the house to snort from-scratch-totally-real key lime pie. This is how my family parties in Ohio.

Wish you were here.

Wish I were here.

Gatsby book clutch

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:57:00 +0000

If you plan on standing in line for the opening of The Great Gatsby, do it in literary style with a Gatsby book clutch, complete with a tutorial and print-ready vintage cover.

Little cousins

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:15:00 +0000

Babies can wear a facial of snot and potting soil and still be cute.

Below is the referenced potting soil going into baby cousin Piper's mouth. The photographer did not stop this, but Aunt Stephanie did.

If I could talk I would say 'I'm so tired my pigtails are crooked.'

Meanwhile, big brother Brock was transfixed.

By friend Isabella's video game.

DIY decor inspiration from Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

You don't need soaring ceilings and a Manhattan view to incorporate some doable decor inspired by Athena Calderone's Brooklyn apartment.

But it sure helps.

Calderone, an interior designer, is practically a neighbor. Not withstanding that my one-bedroom Brooklyn Heights pad could fit into the foyer of her DUMBO rooftop apartment, I think we have a similar aesthetic. Here are some of her attainable decor tips, plus a few of my own.

My tip: Don't be ashamed of your IKEA. The bed above is a Malm.
Her tip: Combine polarizing elements . . . like a clean environment with eclectic oddities.
My tip: Lean heavy on the clean environment. We've all got eclectic oddities out the wazoo.
Her tip: Your living room should make a statement. You spend most of your time there.
My tip: Go for some huge art. Even the dumbest paint splat will look interesting if it's enormous.
Her tip: You can transform a room and create a moody elegance with a statement color.
My tip: Keep your color palette limited.
Her tip: Paint your bed the same color as your walls for a streamline look.

Is Athena's apartment your style?

My DIY fabric dahlia flower pin

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Here is a super easy flower pin to make. It's actually a do-over of a DIY I did three years ago. Production values have gone way up at Bromeliad since then, and the old became an embarrassment.

So for a spring frame of mind, I'm trying it again (even though technically dahlias are a late summer flower). This takes maybe 15 minutes. The key is picking the right fabric.

Cut a strip of light-weight non-fraying fabric that's four inches wide and as long as you like. Longer= bigger flower. Mine was as long as my tape measure and it made an aggressively enormous flower. You can piece shorter strips together.

Fold the fabric in half and cut slits every half inch or so. For a more dahlia shaped effect, you can taper the strips on the end if you've got the patience for that sort of thing.

Roll your strip and glue as you go. As you get near the last few wraps, cut your slits all the way to the end. You want the back of the pin to lay as flat as possible.

Cut a little circle from a plastic container and one or two fabric circles. Glue the plastic to the back of your brooch and glue fabric over it to cover the fact that your pin materials were taken from the trash. Glue a pin back above center and allow everything to dry.

Fluff the pin and wear if you dare. Vintage insect pin inserted onto the fabric brooch is optional.

Tulips

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:04:00 +0000

One advantage of the unseasonably cool weather in New York is that the tulips are sticking around longer than usual. I like them up close and very personal.

Here are a few in the neighborhood taken with a 50mm lens on normal and on backwards to turn it into a macro lens. I was really excited to discover the macro option until a friend at work informed me you can buy adapters for it and he had in fact built his own. I'm never on the front end of the curve.

Earth Day DIYs from nature

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:29:00 +0000

I'm a day late, but as readers of this blog are aware, every day is Earth Day at Bromeliad.

If you're in the market for an upcycled DIY, check out my DIY gallery, which is 90 percent stuff made from other stuff.

Today's roundup is a special kind of reuse - DIYs that come straight from the ground. In other words, the main ingredient is sticks, rocks, branches, bark - the free craft supplies of the great outdoors.

Painted stone statement rings from Alisa Burke.
Twig necklace from Plan B.
Gold twig bangles from A Pair and a Spare.
Ring from a rock from Creme de la Craft.
Birch bark lamps from Ruffled.
Driftwood orb at Creative in Chicago.
Painted stone ring at The Perfect Pear.
Stone pendants from Bromeliad.
Gold leaves on a backyard branch from Family Chic.
Twig wrap bracelet from Popsicles and Pinatas.

Pinned it / Wore It - Retro neutrals

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Welcome to the latest installment of Pinned It/Wore it, where I try to wear my Pinterest Style board.

Today's inspiration comes from the photo below, which has been all over Pinterest lately although it's actually at least three years old, since I posted it on my blog in 2010, which qualifies as a classic look.

Below is my version. Even as a less-than-exact match (no box pleats, no pullover, no bow) , it turned out to be an easy and wearable outfit.

My outfit is 100% thrifted, right down to those Marc Jacobs flats. Regrettably, a full skirt similar to the one in the inspiration photos is hard to come by, especially in white. Ironically, full skirts (an "older" style) are only available from retails who cater to younger women.

H&M had an awesome off-white full skirt as seen below on Laura at Buy Now Blog Later but it's sold out online. Maybe you can still pick one up in a store. It's not the same but you could also try this white jersey full skirt from American Apparel.

Above are two more options: a striped skirt from Anthropologie and a black full skirt from ModCloth. A similar full skirt available in red, navy green and black at Asos.

Can you pull off a full skirt? How about a big bowed blouse?

Thrifted and gifted

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:11:00 +0000

A few favorite recent acquisitions.

Above, a lush floral I gifted to myself. Good floral is hard to find. Good cheap floral even more so. This is from the teenybopper store Rainbow. I paid $17 for it. There's a similar one on their website for $12.

Tip: Stuff never goes on sale at the Rainbow in Brooklyn. If you like it, buy it immediately.

To help you appreciate the coolness of this blouse, I present to you a list of somewhat similar blouses. Keep in mind, you could buy 65 Rainbow blouses for the price of one of these. Clockwise from left: Haute Hippie floral blouse at Piperlime, Love Moschino floral blouse, Dolce and Gabbana silk floral blouse, Vivienne Westwood floral blouse.

In the recently thrifted category would be my tapered Marc Jacobs bow flats, which were like new when I got them and has to be THE FIND of the season.

I tracked down a similar pair of Marc Jacobs flats for $620, which, if I had known, I would have had someone carry me from place to place whenever I have mine on.

Some more affordable bow flat and tapered flat options would be as follows:

Mel by Melissa Mel Stawberry black patent bow flats for $39 and free shipping.
Me Too Patty black bow flats for $54 and free shipping. (My friend who had ankle surgery swears by Me Too brand for comfort.)Widely regarded as a dead ringer for J.Crew's Viv flats.
JCP has bow flats for $35 and a whole series of tapered Worthington flats in various colors for $28. Can't speak to the comfort level.

Have you found any good deals lately?

My DIY raw stone pendants

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Mr. Bromeliad made these as gifts for his family from bits of stone and granite we picked up on the beach while in Thailand. Since most of the stones were granite and thus hard as a rock, he couldn't drill a hole in them very well. His workaround looks like a pretty good imitation of electroplating but doesn't require much in the way of tools.

To make similar no-hole-required pendants from raw stones or crystals, you will need teardrop or flat-backed stones, solid-core solder (no acid flux) that you can get at a hardware store, a heat-resistant cup (Mr. Bromeliad used a large plumbing end cap), drill and matching chain.

First, glue a bail to the flat side of each stone and allow to dry. See this post on how Mr. Bromeliad made bails from jack chain.

Drop some solder into your cup and heat over the stove until it melts.

Them let the solder cool a little. Try dipping in the stone, bail side into the solder.

Getting the solder to stick is tricky. If the solder is too warm, it will roll right off the stone. Same if the stone is too cold. Just about the time you are ready to completely give up, they will start to stick nicely. (Using flux did not seem to help.)

You want the solder to cover up the bail and part of the end of your stone.

Allow the solder to cool. Then use a drill to gently open up the hole in the bail.

String your pendants on matching chain (silver in this case.)

Place in a fancy gift box.

Impress all your nieces.

My DIY jewelry bails from jack chain

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:39:00 +0000

This DIY is a precursor to next week's tutorial, both of which come to you courtesy of Mr. Bromeliad.

It takes some fooling around with jewelry making before you start to learn the names of things. A bail is the loop at the top of a pendant that can connect it to a jump ring or a chain. The other thing you learn about jewelry making is that pieces parts like bails don't always come cheap.

Fortunately you can make dozens of bails with a dollar's worth of jack chain. You can find silver and brass jack chain at most hardware stores.

Below is what jack chain looks like.

You can make two kinds of bails - the type that glue to the back of a pendant and the type that go down into a hole at the top of a pendant, which I think is called a pin bail. Below you can see the DIY pin bail on the left and the glueable bail on the right.

The glueable bail is the easiest. Just separate the individual loops from the jack chain by slightly opening them with pliers.

For the pin bail, you will additionally need to open one of the loops all the way, as seen below.

Then use the pliers to cut part of the loop off, just leaving a straight "pin."

The glue-on bail goes on the back of your stone or pendant like so.

The pin bail goes down in the top of a pre-drilled hole like so.

DIY raw stone and crystal jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:29:00 +0000

Here are more than a dozen DIY jewelry projects for making your own raw crystal or raw gemstone jewelry. I'll share some of my own starting next week.

Tanya at Dans Le Townhouse has a through tutorial for creating a crystal necklace seen below using a bullet shell casing.

She also made these clever agate necklaces without drilling a hole by modifying a craft store bail.

Carly from Chic Steals made this gold-dipped wire wrapped necklace.

I love this DIY Nallik necklace from Pacific Rain.

Emily from Delightfully DIY make this cool crystal quartz nugget necklace as a guest post at My Chic Life.

One of my favs, the gilded geode ring from Swellmayde. Not hard to do but looks fabulous.

You can't beat Natalie's tutorial from Creme de la Craft for sheer simplicity of materials for her gold rock ring.

Kim at Lovelyish used polymer clay for these chunky Adina Mills inspired rings.

Because I'm Addicted had this easy tutorial for a raw crystal necklace made from crystal beads.

Nina at Meli Melo made this wire-wrapped gemstone necklace. The instructions are in German but the photos are universally understandable.

Rachel at Transient Expression made a Pamela Love inspired spikey crystal ring.

Unfortunately Oh! created a chunky amethyst collar necklace.

Alessia from A Matter of Style made this extraordinarily blingy crystal cuff for Style.it.

Gotta include Dream, Create's DIY Pamela Love cuff again.

Both Style Cameleon and Burnt Feather made raw quartz necklaces using the top piece of a holiday ornament.

I found several of these via the meticulously sourced True Blue Me and You.

Raw stone and crystal jewelry inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:08:00 +0000

For lovers of chunky, choppy, rocky gems, it's great to see quartz, agate, amethyst, azurite, malachite, chrysophrase and you name it allowed to shine in its raw state.

Here are a few of my favorites to get the creative gears tumbling. We'll have some DIY versions starting next week.

Source: lorilangille.blogspot.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: mirandahope.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: plumo.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fashion-canvas.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: twigsandsand.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: nallik.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: shopbop.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: leopardhawk.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: margaretelizabethjewelry.blogspot.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: vegajewelry.com via Samantha on Pinterest

My DIY gallery and a blogiversary

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:42:00 +0000

After five years of blogging, I finally broke down and made a DIY Gallery. It was a ton of work but not impossible to do. It's worse if you wait five years.

I made a DIY thumbnail photo gallery tutorial if you want to give it a try, complete with screen shots, code and so forth.

Thanks to Laura at Laura's Crafty Life for the html code to get me started and to Erica at Caught on a Whim for a gallery layout inspiration and for pointing me to Laura.

It's all there in a gallery now, five years of projects, no matter how poorly executed or badly photographed.

By the way, does it feel like everybody's blogs got incredibly beautiful and professional all of a sudden? I'm still in awkward blog puberty but it was worse in 6th grade . . . I mean in 2011. I think I've come so far and then you see somebody else's fabulousness. But then again, their parents probably did that science fair project for them . . . I mean, they probably paid a nice professional for a solid design.

Thank you to my loyal readers for sticking with me. All 10 of you.

A few fine florals

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:46:00 +0000

First day of spring. Feels like the dead of winter.

But in honor of the date, a few florals.

Florals are everywhere but they can be iffy. You want something 1600s, not 1980s. Here are a few that qualify: (clockwise from right) 1. Floral top. 2. Floral pillow. 3. Floral clutch. 4. Flower motif.

DIY trends for Fall 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:05:00 +0000

I know. It's almost spring. Who cares about fall? When it's still not even 40 degrees in New York, I do. Also, I'll post this now then you can forget about it until some gloomy November when you need a project.

My favorite trends were iridescence (easy to love, hard to spell), the closely related trend of bugs on everything, and portraiture.

Source: web.stagram.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Above, iridescence in the form of a London street fashion clutch and next from Tory Burch. Below you see both iridescence and bugs in Tory's dragonfly shoes.

Source: web.stagram.com via Samantha on Pinterest

There was beetle mania at Tory Burch. Beetle fabric below.

Source: toryburch.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Beetle fabric and beetle bag.

Source: vogue.com via Kira on Pinterest

Beetle necklaces.

Source: vogue.com via Sin on Pinterest

Lanvin was also all over insects. In addition to butterfly dresses and more beetle fabric, there was this craziness.

The last trend probably wasn't even a trend, just something I want to try - faces. First, there's the Dolce and Gabbana mosaic portrait fabrics.

Then this interesting necklace I saw twice on street fashion sites. Anybody know who makes it?

Are there any trends you are loving (or hating?)

More DIY Fashion Month inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:07:00 +0000

A whole month of fashion weeks certainly merits two posts, especially since the French did not get to weigh in on the last one.

DIY collars have been around awhile but two variations could be a cutwork and beaded collar like the Valentino one above or a textured color-contrasting one like the Miu Miu one below.

Then there have been lots of fun things with fur, like shoe pom poms.

Very bright fur hats at Chanel.

And lots of fluffy furry bags.

This one is practically a lap dog with straps.

Then there are new variations on multi-color fur.

DIY fringe necklaces have been done. How about DIY ombre fringe?

Alert reader Nicola Lynde pointed me to Celine for DIYability. First the jewelry - simple bands with a single round stone.

There's also this fairly simple but interesting cape.

And a lot of crazy dresses with sleeves as belts. I can see my bloggie friend Donatella knitting one of these up already. For us less talented DIYers, this might be an idea for an oversized thrifted dress.

Add two buttons to your coat hem a la Chanel.

Fabric paint something Picasso-ish like Dior.

Check out those sleeves.

At least three people were photographed with this necklace. You might try a variation of this tutorial to make something similar.

More big metal necklaces.

And a simple yellow rope necklace.

And a big ornate collar necklace.

Add polka dots to a vintage bag like Miu Miu.

You might do a trompe l'oeil version of the bag below with a plain white tote, a sharpie and a straight edge.

And check out the Elvis necklace.

And a photoreal clutch. I am so on this trend. Get a tutorial here.

Images are via Style.com and Fashionologie.com

Pinned It/Wore It - Fur chubby

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Welcome back to fashion mythbusters, where we take lovely outfits found in Pinterest and actually try to pull them off.

This edition of Pinned it/Wore it comes to you courtesy of the stylish gal below spotted during New York Fashion Week.

Source: theautumnissue.com via Samantha on Pinterest

She looks sporty and warm and adorable.

The cropped fur has popped up all over the place this winter. Here are a few examples.

Source: profreshstyle.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: harpersbazaar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fabsugar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: style.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fabsugar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fashionologie.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: devorelebeaumonstre.com via Samantha on Pinterest

A little research led me to the information that this style of coat is called a "chubby." Take that as a warning.

Here's my attempt with a thrifted animal print coat.

Zipping didn't make a difference.

The photos where I'm not turned slightly to the side I won't even post.

The coat had a yummy caramel color and was warm. But it was also a size too big, which wasn't helping.

Final review: I felt like a woodchuck.

This test caused me to recollect that there has never been a time that a cropped puffy coat looked good on me. As my mother would say of certain styles: "It's not doing anything for you."

I'm 5' 5". Presumably a tall thin person might look good in this coat. (But then again don't they look good in everything?) If you're craving wild animal print or fur, I think the average woman is better served with a longer coat.

But, if you like this look and don't mind possibly channeling a bottom-of-the-food-chain ground mammal, I would first check out thrift stores since many of today's fur coats are deliberately designed to look like something that fell out of grandma's closet.

However, here are a few new coats that I might be tempted to try.

A faux Mongolian fur coat that's also available in black.

A cool multicolor fur hoody that looks all Prada-esque

And a luxe looking tricolor faux fur (on sale).

Have you pulled off a chubby without looking, well, you know?

DIY Fashion Month inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:10:00 +0000

New York, London, Milan and Paris have all had fashion weeks through February, which means lots of aspirational trolling through the catwalks and streets from the comfort of my sofa.

Here's a few ideas to send you digging through your craft stash.

Add pom poms to your shoes.

Incorporate a granny afgan and needlepoint and somehow still look hip.

Add furry tails to your scarf.

Add a tail of fake dyed hair.

Puffy letters for your hat or bag.

Add nubby things and a single cord to your purse.

Add just about anything to the bottom of your shoes.

Dolce & Gabbana added an entire bird cage.

Shred your ski mask.

Make a doggie bag worth taking home.

Add a faux fur muff on a chain.

I don't know what D &G put on this purse, but I want it.

Add pins to your whole dress.

Source: marieclaire.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Make a fringe leather peplum.

Source: marieclaire.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Make a "cool" necklace like Lanvin. Or add some enormous insects to your top.

Add anything you could hang on a rearview mirror to your hat.

Did you see anything that inspired you during Fashion Month?

All photos unless otherwise indicated are via Style.com.

My DIY J. Crew Flower Lattice necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha Baldwin) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:47:00 +0000

Get your spring florals going early with this DIY version of J. Crew's Flower Lattice necklace.

This project is a great way to repurpose old brooches and does not damage or permanently alter them. You can easily disassemble or rearrange this necklace later if you want your pins back.

Here's the inspiration necklace, which is no longer available in the multi-colored version. (You can still get the crystal one for $228. )

Here's the real one again captured by Tommy Ton for Style.com.

I spent zero dollars to make mine since I used vintage brooches I already had, along with some Tori Spelling pendants and chains I had on hand.

To make the Flower Lattice Necklace, you will need:

necklace template, available for free at examiner.com
9 brooches - 3 small, 3 medium and 3 large. You can also use large round earrings or rhinestone buttons or Styled by Tori Spelling pendants.
elastic metallic thread
2-6 jump rings
1 chain with clasp - I used a Styled by Tori Spelling necklace top since it gives you a chain and lobster clasp for only a few bucks.

First, print out my necklace template and use it to arrange your pins as shown above, otherwise it gets very confusing as you assemble the necklace.

Start with the bottom of the necklace. Flip two of the pins over and tie them together with elastic metallic thread as shown above. Pull tight and knot.

Tie a third pin or button to the first two. Flip the necklace over from time to time to make sure the pieces are laying the way you like. If you don't like it, just cut the thread and try again.

Continue tying pins together. Eventually the bottom seven pins will be lashed together like this on the back. Trim the extra thread.

The front will look like the photo above.

Next, use a jump ring or two to attach the last two pins, one on each side of the necklace.

Then attach the chain to the top two pins.

Have a spring moment.