One Hour Bag Charm

My mom bought me a Miche bag for my birthday last year.  She also bought my first two covers, one for my birthday and one for Mothers Day.  I finally made my first purchase, another cover, "purse panties," and chain handles.  During my online shopping I noticed that they have charmers (this isn't just charmers it's all the accessories, but the site doesn't make it easy to get just the charmers), so they were in the back of my mind.

While I wasn't thinking about it when I purchased it, once I put it on my bag in late August (also around when my facebook friends start talking college football), I realized that it is perfect Cougar Crimson!  Now, I have been calling it my "football season purse."  I've been out of school for over three years now, but "Once a Coug, Always a Coug!"  My first question to my husband was "do you know if we have a Cougar key chain somewhere?  I have an idea for my next project."  I found it pretty easily later that week, it was on one of our spare key, key chains.  Well, it didn't end up being "next" but it's done now!

It took a couple trips to various craft stores (I'm so lucky to have Jo-Anns, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby within 10 minutes of home) over a few weeks as I realized that I needed more supplies.  I finally got to sit down for an hour this morning and get it put together.

Directions
Collect your supplies.

1.  This is all of the supplies.  Used some and skipped some, but this is what I had out to work with.

2.  From the stash.  Jump rings in two sizes, and some clear bobbles that didn't get used for jewelry last Christmas.

3.  Charms and key chain.  My first attempt included all three, but it wasn't what I was going for.  I took off the key chain hardware and added my own clasp.

4.  Beads I purchased for this project.

5.  The last supplies I bought, realizing I needed the chain and the jewelry pins.



Put base together and add beads as desired.

I added three lengths of chain to the same ring that the key chain charm was hanging from.  In the future I would do one long and two short, since I ended up trimming one of the long ones down.

Add your first bead(s) using a jewelry pin.  Keep adding until you're happy with the results.

I didn't look at the Miche charmers before I started, but the next one I make, and there will be a next, will incorporate the beads into the chain instead of hanging the beads off the chain.