Seeking Heart Jewellery?

When it comes to choosing a gift for a new baby girl, most people don’t immediately think about jewellery (for example, heart bracelets or charms) but instead they focus on other things such as clothes, blankets, bibs and any number of other practical items.  But babies are made to love and to show the love you feel for this new little person - so what better gift than jewellery?

I particularly like the heart bracelets and heart charms that are available in stores and on-line that can be personalized especially for baby.

Stores such as Things Remembered have some beautiful heart bracelets that you can have engraved with the child’s name or initials.  One I really like is the Birthstone Angel bracelet.  Not only can you have the heart engraved with the baby’s name and birthday but you can buy a matching necklace to go with it.

Another unique gift idea would be a starter charm bracelet that can be added to over time to commemorate milestones in baby’s life.  This truly would be a lasting gift that could become a memories bracelet to pass on to the next generation.

A number of babies have their ears pierced so why not choose from the selection of tiny heart earring that are available?  Loveivy has a selection of children’ jewellery and you can find some cute birthstone heart earrings.

There are any number of different heart charms to choose from that can be engraved with a special message.  A heart locket engraved with either a name or special date makes a lovely gift.  If a photo of mom and dad is put inside as the little girl gets older she will always have a keepsake of how her parents looked when she was born.

Although it is mostly little girls who wear jewellery there are some pieces that you can buy for a baby boy.  If dad or mom is a soccer fan how about getting a soccer pendant or if they are baseball fans there is the engraved baseball pendant?  Or equally popular for little boys would be a St Christopher pendant.

There are lots of other personalized gifts to choose from that are suitable for both baby girls and baby boys, for instance a personalized piggy bank or “My First Year” album or even a personalized brush and comb set.

Whether you are choosing from a range of heart bracelets, heart earrings, heart charms or sports charms or other assorted items, choosing a personalized gift for that special bundle of joy will show how much you care.

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When you give heart charms as a gift it is a way of telling the person you are giving it to that you love them.  The most common date for giving heart related presents is February 14th, St Valentine’s Day.  Stores are filled with heart cakes, heart cookies, heart shaped boxes of chocolates and of course heart jewellery.

Telling someone you love them is not confined to Valentines Day or to that special partner.  There are many occasions that can be commemorated with personalized heart charms.  Give them as a special anniversary gift, for a special Mother’s Day present, to let Grandma know that she is loved or to thank a special friend for just being there. Whoever the present is for they are sure to appreciate the fact that you have sought out something special just for them.

How about a heart charm with the birthstone of the recipient set into it?  Or how about giving one to a new mom with the birth date and name of their new baby on it?  And I really like the padlock and key heart charms from Things Remembered that you can have engraved with your own message.  In fact Things Remembered has a whole selection of charms for every occasion in their charm story collection.

The great thing about heart charms is that they can be worn on a bracelet or chain around the neck or even on a keying.   And there are so many different sorts to choose from depending on your budget and taste.  The saying goes that “diamonds are forever” so maybe the perfect gift for the love of your life would be a diamond studded heart charm.

One of my favorite collections of heart charms is “The Open Heart” designs by Jane Seymour.  These make ideal gifts for friends or family and are really beautiful.  My husband bought me one of these charms for Christmas and I never take it off.  You can now show that special man in your life how much you love him as there are Open Hearts cufflinks in  this collection!

Very popular throughout history have been locket heart charms.  Some ladies kept pictures of their husbands or fiancé in them with a lock of their hair especially if their loved one was in the military and away from home.  Moms often keep photos of their baby and their first curl when it is cut off.  These are lovely keepsakes and very personal as the wearer can keep their loved ones close all the time.

There are many different kinds of heart charms to choose from to suit any occasion so remember you can give your heart to that special someone any time not just on St Valentines Day.

What could be nicer than receiving a a heart brooch, especially if it is a piece of jewellery that has been made just for you?  From little girls to grandmas, most women love jewellery whether it is given to them as a present or bought to accessorize a special outfit.

Below are two examples of how to make a heart brooch which are simple enough for even children to make.

A. Fabric Heart Brooch

First of all, what you need (all these items can be bought from a craft store):

1. Piece of fabric large enough to cut two heart shapes - felt is ideal but you can use any fabric
2. Permanent fabric glue such as Crafter’s Pick Fabric Glue
3. Permanent gem fixing glue
4. Pack of pin backs (you can use the rest to make other brooches)
5. Fiberfill for stuffing
6. Sequins, gems or glitter to decorate

Next, what to do:

1. Cut out 2 heart shapes of equal size from the felt or fabric
2. Follow the instructions on the fabric glue and glue the edges of the two heart shapes together leaving a small opening to allow you to stuff the heart
3. Leave the glue to dry before stuffing
4. Stuff the heart to the thickness you want - don’t overstuff - and then glue the opening together and allow to dry
5. Glue the pin back onto the middle of the heart using the gem fixing glue and allow to dry
6. Decorate the heart with gems, sequins or glitter glue

You can buy sheets of sticky back felt from craft stores which you could use for this project and would be ideal for younger children to use as it wouldn’t need padding.

B. Dough Heart Brooch

Another great way to make a heart brooch is to make it out of clay or dough.  You can either buy some modelling clay from a craft shop - make sure that it is the sort that will either “air dry” or can be dried in the oven - or make some dough using the recipe below.

First, what you need:

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1/4 cup salt
3. 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
4. 1 cup warm water
5. 1 teaspoon oil
6. food coloring
7. 1 package of pin backs (available at any craft store)
8. Sequins, gems or glitter to decorate, or watercolor or tempera paint and small paintbrushes

And what to do:

1. Put the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and oil into a pan and add the water a little at a time to make sure there are no lumps.  Add the food coloring a few drops at a time to achieve the color you want
2. Stir over a medium heat until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the side of the pan
3. Remove from the pan and knead until it is smooth
4. When the mixture is cool store it in an airtight container or a sealable plastic sandwich bag - the dough will keep for a at least a week
5. To make the brooch make a heart shape out of the dough then set aside to air dry.  This should take about 2 hours ideally leave it overnight to dry fully before decorating
6. Press the pin back into the heart before the dough is fully dry
7. When the heart is fully dry decorate with either sequins, gems or glitter or with paint

Because there will be dough left over you will have enough to make a heart brooch for Mom, Grandma and even for yourself.  Or you can use your imagination and make a flower, a butterfly or any other design brooch to give as a present.

So have fun making either a fabric heart brooch or dough brooch and I’m sure whoever receives this as a present will know it was made with love.