This beautiful "Dia de los Muertos" jewellery making kit contains a colourful collection of glass, porcelain and stone beads, with sugar skulls and symbollic beads and charms, to create joyful jewellery in the style of the 'day of the dead' celebration of life!
 
The simple tool-free techniques and clear instructions make this handmade jewellery making kit suitable for complete beginners, whilst experienced jewellery makers will love the gorgeous collection of materials, including European-style (large hole) beads, faux suede cords, glass and metal charms, tassels and findings, providing plenty with which to design and create.
 
The kit comes beautifully presented in a glass jar too, making a very pretty present or delightful decoration whilst you're waiting to get started!
 
From charm bracelets to chokers, lariats to anklets, bag danglers to even a bookmark, you can choose how you wish to use the bountiful collection of materials to realise your own pieces - no specialist tools needed (just a pair of scissors to cut the cord). Using the pre-assembled findings included, a few basic knots and maybe a fancy decorative knot too, you can create simple and stunning jewellery and accessories. There's plenty of materials included to easily make 10 or more items: how many pieces you make depends on your designs. Full step-by-step instructions are included to show you how to form 5 different jewellery making knots, together with ideas for how you could assemble different style pieces, which you can easily adapt to create your own designs. There’s also a plastic needle to help push the cord through the beads when using the cord doubled up.
 
Whether you are making items for yourself or as gifts for others, you may choose to follow a single style or experiment with different patterns and designs: you could create simple pieces focusing on a single bead; sweetie-style charm bracelets brimming with beads and charms; boho lariats and bag danglers using long lengths of cord; or maybe incorporate some fancy knotwork as a design feature.
 
Dia de los Muertos collection
 
This Day of the Dead inspired collection features 50 glass, porcelain and stone European-style beads in faceted, pearlised and turquoise finishes. The beads come in gorgeous ‘Frida Kahlo’ colours, typical Mexican folk art and sugar skull shades of obsidian, bone, cherry, marigold, amarillo, cactus, azure, turquoise, dark purple and desert rose.
 
The kit includes 6 Tibetan silver sugar skull charm beads, with cross, ‘love’ heart and marigold ring charm beads (2 of each) too. There are 6 charms dangling from heart scrolled bail beads, featuring butterflies, papel picado and guitars - no Mexican celebration is complete without a mariachi band! There are also faceted black foil glass heart charms on a striped bail, faux suede tassels, key rings, bag dangler swivel clasps and a metal bookmark.
 
The charms and beads represent important symbols in the Dia de los Muertos festival, an explosion of colour and celebration of life as lost loved ones are joyfully remembered:
 
marigolds colourfully decorate arches and awnings to create fragrant doorways to the dead;
sugar skulls are traditional offerings and gifts, and inspire masks and fancy face paint;
crosses symbolise the Catholicism of the celebrations, that take place on All Saints and All Souls days (1st and 2nd November);
butterflies arriving in Mexico to overwinter are traditionally believed to be the souls of lost ones returning for their annual visit;
papel picado - intricate punched paper - make colourful banners and some believe the perforations allow the souls of the dead to pass through;
guitars and traditional mariachi bands fill streets and homes with joyful music; and
'love' hearts remind us of the lost loved ones who the remembrance celebrations are all about.
 
This kit contains:
 
50 glass, porcelain and stone European-style beads
6 sugar skull European-style charm beads
2 marigold ring European-style charm beads
2 cross European-style charm beads
2 'love' heart European-style charm beads
2 butterfly charms on a heart scroll bail bead
2 guitar charms on a heart scroll bail bead
2 papel picado charms on a heart scroll bail bead
6 faceted glass heart charms on a striped bail bead
2 faux suede tassels on a round bail bead
2 rolls of faux suede cord (5m each)
2 x keyrings
2 x bag dangler clasps
1 x metal bookmark
1 x plastic needle
1 x glass jar
instructions and ideas
 
... all beautifully packaged in eco-friendly organza bags and a glass jar
 
For adults and older children*
 
*I generally recommend age 10 and over as by this age it’s usually possible to learn the knots unaided (4 are pretty straight forward and the 5th is more tricky as it’s a decorative ‘Josephine’ knot), though younger children can do the kits with some adult help.  As there are no tools required (all the bits involving jewellery pliers have already been done by me!) and there’s lots of beads and charms to work with, there’s plenty of designing fun to be had for all ages and abilities, alongside the making.