Blissdom Canada: Meet Lisa Leonard Designs / How To Shorten a Necklace Chain

I had a really great time at Blissdom Canada a couple weeks ago, and have been wanting to share the particulars with you guys for what seems like ages! I got to meet up with some incredible people, some of which I had only met once before at Shes Connected, and others I had met for the very first time. Whichever the case may have been, each and every new acquaintance I made is something I will cherish for a long time.
So to give you guys the goods on what happened in Blissdom, I’ve decided to work through each post by sponsor. And there were many sponsors, so in theory there should be many posts!

Right off the bat, I’d like to introduce you to Lisa Leonard. She has a very lovely and inspiring website at Lisa Leonard Online where you can find some beautifully hand stamped, unique jewellery, as well as some fantastic photography on her blog, which could keep this little pinterester happy! 😉

Lisa Leonard Designs

Lisa created a gorgeous pendant specifically (I believe) for Blissdom Canada, that I’ve been wearing every day since receiving one! I really love the simplicity of the design, but for me, it’s also a daily reminder that there are incredible women (and men, heh) out there that I can chill with on Twitter or even out around town! And every time I think about those awesome peeps I can’t help but 🙂

There was just one issue with these fun pendants, that at first I figured was just a “plus sized” issue. My chain was too small. It felt more like a choker than a necklace, but this wasn’t a new problem for me. I’ve been lucky enough to be gifted with jewellery a few times in the past by friends and even family, and more often than not, the chain would be too small.

So it wasn’t something that I was obsessed with, as I have a ton of chains at home that DO fit; it was just a reminder that plus sized is often over looked.

Or so I thought.

It wasn’t until I sat with @WhispersInspire the following day and saw that her necklace was WAY too long (the pendant was hiding where only her DH should see, lol!) that I began to wonder if the chains really were “one-size fits all”. So with that bit of an epiphany, I asked if I could try her’s on.

Turns out that this chain also went where only my DH should see, but it was closer to wearable for me, so @WhispersInspire was gracious enough to trade chains! 🙂 The one I originally had fit her nicely too IMHO.

So the only suggestion I’d have if either Blissdom and/or Lisa Leonard decide to gift such beautiful pieces of art again, is that there should be size tags included. Otherwise, amazing work you awesome gals!!

So as I said, the chain was a bit too long to show off the most import part of the necklace (which may have been a pleasant surprise for me, heh. It’s not often that I get a chance to say that!); luckily I’ve worked with chains before, and knew how to shorten it. And if anyone else (particularly from Blissdom) happen to have the same issues, hopefully this How To pictorial below will show you how to shorten the length of a similar chain should you ever need to.

Tools you will need: Side-cutting pliers (or scissors if you don’t have), and flat-nose pliers (optional)

Simply using your fingernails, pry open one of the chain clasps wide enough to let the chain fall out.

Remove the pendant from the chain (so that it won’t fall, or get in the way), and then measure out how long you wish the chain to be. To do so, wrap the chain around your neck to determine a length you’re comfortable with, but be sure to not include the extender chain (if you have one) as part of your measurement. Once you have an idea where to cut, use your pliers or scissors to remove excess chain. And don’t be worried about cutting too short if you have an extender attached.

Once the chain is cut to your desired length, simply place the chain back into its clasp and crimp it closed with your flat-nose pliers (or fingers if you don’t have one. available)

Looks good as new! 🙂

Alternatively, if you need to increase the length of your chain, you could either include an additional extender, OR remove the one attached and find a longer extension to use instead.

If you have any Q’s on how to fix your necklace’s length, please don’t hesitate to give me a shout!

Again, I want to thank Lisa so much for such a generous gift. I really love the pendant and will be wearing it for a long time to come!

If you’d like to visit her site to view all of her unique works of art, you can do so here. 🙂

Oh! And if you’re curious of what the rest of my nails look like, here you go! 😉