Glitz and Glamour

Give your handbag some pizzaz with this gorgeous beaded charm

Corinne Bradd, MJ Designer

These bag charms would make great pressies this Christmas; hang them on the tree with tiny tags stating who they’re for

Grab yourself a handful of glittering gems and create your own line of funky fashion bag jewellery. Once you’ve made a custom ornament, all your friends will be crying out for one. This fabulous piece is so simple to make, yet it looks like a designer piece and the colour scheme can be altered to suit any bag.

Bag Charm

1. Find the centre link of a 10cm length of chain and attach a silver jump ring into it. Fasten two more rings on either side of the middle, laying the chain flat to ensure they are all on the same side. Begin with the centre strand of beads and thread three medium-sized beads and a large crystal onto a head pin.
2. Bend the top of the pin into a loop and attach an eye pin. Thread this with seed and small crystal beads to within 1cm of the end. Form the first eye pin into a loop and attach another threaded with more seed beads and crystals. Bend the eye pin into a loop and attach to the centre jump ring on the chain.
3. Make four other tassels of beads in this way, balancing your use of silver charms, large, small, and accent beads, by laying the pieces out flat against the centre length before attaching to the jump rings. Fix a lobster clasp to one end of the chain. The charm can then be fixed to a bag, either around the handle or onto a d-ring.