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Are you old enough to remember pop beads? When I was a kid my mom had some of these plastic beads that had a hole in one end and a piece of plastic that stuck out of the other end. You could fit that into the hole of the next bead and just connect dozens and dozens of them together. When you took them apart they made a satisfying “popping” sound.

That was so easy! But if you want to make jewelry that is really creative, you may have to do a little more work. For instance, are you a cat lover? How would you like to make a pin that looks just like your cat ? It’s not impossible!

OK, maybe that would take some work; you know the old saying about anything worth doing is worth doing well. It’s true!

And once you make some cat jewelry, you can probably make some dog jewelry as well. We love our pets, and they are right there to give us inspiration. You can start out just playing around with a lump of clay. Maybe you’ll even come up with some wonderful modern art sort of design.

When it comes to any kind of creation, the truth is that the process itself can lead to all kinds of adventures. Maybe you’ll start out working on a cat necklace and end up with an autumn tree design. That’s the way it often happens for me.

There are some wonderful books on jewelry making that I can recommend. One is by a woman named Nan Roche . She is so creative and may inspire you in ways you can’t even imagine.

But please remember this: Be patient with yourself. Don’t get frustrated if your first efforts aren’t what you envision. The real truth is that if you can envision something, then you can also do it. But it can take time and work to get there.

What’s great about jewelry making is the size. If you want to make a piece of artwork, it is less cumbersome to start out with something you can craft in your hands, holding and shaping it till you get what you’re looking for.

And like those pop beads, you can certainly make some beads, drill holes in them and string them together. That is one of the earliest forms of jewelry and we are still wearing necklaces today- probably millions of years since our first ancestors created that first daisy chain or bunch of seashells strung together.

Craft stores are wonderful sources of inspiration. There you’ll find dozens and dozens of books to get you going. Try picking out one that looks appealing to you, take it home and make a list of ingredients you need to get started. Then your second trip to the crafts store will be like going to the grocery store with a list of what you need.

That will be more economical and more fun because you’ve had all that time at home to plan your project!