The Wearin' of the Green (jewellery, that is!)

Everyone is Irish on March 17. Which means you have time still to plan your outfit and your jewellery. Having Irish roots on both sides, I've always been an enthusiastic participant on St. Paddy's Day. So today I thought I'd put together some resources and jewellery ideas for you to use as you plan for a day of fun and celebration on March 17.

For projects that run the gamut from stringing to bead weaving, there are some great ideas on Artbeads.com This project, from the Artsbeads site, is woven on a loom and is called Tiernan.

There are some cute projects on the beadaholique.com site: simple earrings, necklaces and bracelets to make using easy to find components. You'll be decked out in something fun in no time flat and at a cost that won't break the bank. I really like this domed ring, since it reminds me of a piece I made that captured moss and stones from my recent trip to La Cascade in France. 

Beadfx has this pretty inspiration piece from a few years ago by Stephanie Dixon called Eire.

Enamelist extraordinaire and soon-to-be-published author Steven James is sharing this sweet enameled Shamrock pendant project on YouTube. It's just under 15 minutes long to watch and he packs a lot of info into that short time.

Over on the Beading Gem blog, there's a post from a few years ago that lists several projects for you to follow or use as inspiration. Felted projects, wirework and beads!! I just love this beaded shamrock ring...

Click here for some Craftsy inspiration from last year.

There are so many online resources to find and use royalty-free Celtic symbols and images that you can reproduce in any material, from polymer clay to loomed beadwork to wirework. My favourite resource is Dover Publications and you can now buy single pages from them as pdfs instead of full books.

And I'll finish up this blog by talking about a piece that I collaborated on with Sue Henry and Gail Speers using a shamrock-shaped TriPetal design by Brenda Schweder on the Now That's a Jig! I think it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day and I'll wear it with my green outfit! 

Share your ideas for St. Paddy's Day jewellery and/or post photos below. Let us see how you celebrate the Wearin' of the Green. Erin go bragh!