Saturday, April 23, 2016

DIY Prince Tribute Necklace: When Doves Cry Purple Rain

We lost another member of rock n' roll royalty this week, and all the Prince stories and celebrations and mourning flooding my feed the past few days gave me an idea. An idea that made me put off my final Dapper Day post and do a little crafting, instead.

Someone told me I was the first to use the term "sad crafting" for my Alan Rickman tribute a few months back, but I think we've all had times when just *doing* something helps us process. So crank up Raspberry Beret, my friends, and let's go crazy making a "When Doves Cry Purple Rain" pendant:



Here's what you'll need:


- guitar pick metal blanks
- dove charm
- small purple tear-drop beads (these were the best I could find)
- thin silver chain
- silver head pins & O rings
- (optional) silver bail for hanging


1) Use small nippers to cut off the hanging ring from your dove charm, then file the leftover bumps smooth with a metal file.

2) Cover the metal guitar pick with painter's tape to protect it from scratches, then mark and drill 3 or 5 evenly spaced holes. I did a few variations, so here's what it looks like with 5 hanging beads:

 
 Personally I like it better with just 3, but that's up to you.

3) Insert & loop the head pins into your beads. (I use a 1-step looper for this, which is amazeballs.)

4) Now hang your beads with the thin chain and O rings, arranging the heights in a nice tapered effect.

5) Glue down your dove charm with a small dot of E-6000. (Let it tack up a minute before pressing it down, so the glue doesn't seep out underneath.)

6) Add the bail to the guitar pick if you're using one, or if not, just use a large O ring for hanging.


 
 Done!

I like that this is a subtle design you could wear everyday, but still one I bet a lot of Prince fans will pick up on.

Oh, and here's one more variation I did using a white dove charm:



 I'm not as big of a fan of the white dove, so since I had two of them, I tried an aged silver finish on the other one:

 
... which I liked even less. o.0

So I swapped the charm for a second metal dove, and will just save this one for a future project.

Of course now I have three necklaces and only need one, so I'm giving away both of these...

 ...to two of you!

Want one? If so, tell me which is your fav in the comments, and I'll pick two of you at random by my next post. I'll even ship internationally, because who loves ya? THIS GIRL.*

[Full disclosure: the 5-bead has some tiny scratches around the holes (on the right - see?) since that was before John & I realized we should cover them with protective tape first.]

Also, since I realize this project requires some tools that makes it a little more difficult to make on your own, I *could* make more of the metal-dove-three-drop versions and offer a few for sale, if any of you are interested. Let me know in the comments, since I'm still mega shy of this whole actually-selling-stuff thing. (If enough of you want one, I'd probably look for better teardrop beads, too.)

And finally, a few bonus shots of Lily "helping" me work:




Thanks, Lily-kins.

****

*UPDATE: The give-away has ended!

The winner of the white dove pendant is: Melanie Wood
And the winner of the 5-bead pendant is: Renee (of The Crown Of Beauty)

Congrats, ladies, and please e-mail me your mailing addresses!


124 comments:

  1. I like the three bead white dove one. Fantastic job!

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  2. I'd love the five bead version. I thought I could not get any sadder after Bowie's passing, then this. Prince was such a big part of growing up for me. 2016 is the worst :/

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  3. I really like the three bead with the white dove. These are lovely! It was really sad to hear about the news.

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  4. The one with the silver dove is absolutely gorgeous! My mom loves Prince and she was so disappointed to hear of his passing, I'd love to win one for her and if not, I would definitely be interested in purchasing one!

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  5. Please don't sell them, then they'd fall into a tragicrafting category and right now it's a nice tribute and tutorial.

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  6. I love the five-holes one, i like the way to dove fit on it. Very nice tribute.

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  7. I love the white dove. I have to admit I'm finding it so hard to turn the radio on right now.

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  8. I'm in love with the second one! A beautiful tribute to Prince.

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  9. Yes yes yes to all of this!! While I would be ecstatic to win one (either one, I love them both), I would 100% purchase one if you made them!

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  10. I love the silver five bead. These are amazing. This year has been so difficult, the world has lost so much talent (and we've had personal losses as well, I'd like to fast forward to 2017, please).

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  11. The five bead version is so pretty! I love your picture of Lily too - my dog Ruby has been doing the same thing to me while I try to do my homework!

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  12. It takes an immensely creative person to even think of this. Love the whole idea of it, and the outcome is beautiful and classy. Agreed on the purple beads, though; it would look better if they were smooth. And the white dove charm just isn't very pretty, but of course that's not your fault. I do like the metal one a lot, but I don't want to toss my name into the hat since it should go to someone who is a huge Prince fan and will wear it every day. I'm only a medium-level Prince fan, and I almost never wear necklaces.

    Oh, and you made a mistake up at the top. You said you put off your "final" Dapper Day post. Listen, Jen. We all know you have more than one more post's worth of glorious Dapper Day photos, and if you read through all the comments on the second Dapper Day post, you will realize that there's going to be mutiny if you DON'T do more than one more. Just trying to save your ass from the inevitable revolt if you cut us off too soon; that's all! ;) Don't shoot the messenger!

    And, Lily = adorable ball of fluffy love. Hope she's doing really well lately and feeling great.

    KW

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  13. Those are lovely. <3 What a great tribute. I like the silver dove with the 5 beads.

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  14. I love the one on the left but really, I just want to win Lily. ;) BUT, should you ever get the gumption to make these and sell them (YOU SHOULD), you could do so many variations on this! A guitar pick with MON/MONDAY would be a sweet Carpenters reference, one with an apple/walrus/blackbird/JPGR initials would be great for Beatles fans (I love their song Rain), one with a tiny rainbow with the drops just seems great in general...see? SELL THEM. ;)

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  15. The one on the left is gorgeous! You're so darn crafty!

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  16. I love the 5-drop metal dove version. And I agree, you should make and sell these!

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  17. I'm not as big a Prince fan as I am other artists, so I'd don't want to put myself in the running, so that they'll go to others who will cherish them more. However, I love your trend/habit/ability to turn sadness into creativity or inspiration. Not because tragedy can't make art--it does a lot--but that you do things when sad... but you also acknowledge and discuss the times you *can't,* and reassure everyone that those times are okay, too, and that worrying about worrying just deepens the hole.

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  18. The white dove three-bead is my choice. The more I learn about Prince, besides all of his glorious music, the more I'm sad that he's gone so soon. This is a beautiful, subtle tribute. If I win this, I do hope it comes with some cat hair attached...

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  19. Beautiful idea! And I love seeing that Lilly is onsie free still. (:

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  20. Lily helping is the best type of help ;)
    I love the 5 bead one, scratches and all.

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  21. I'd like the five bead one, but not for me. I would send it to a friend from high school. She suffered from hyperemsis gravidarum throughout both her pregnancies, and listened almost exclusively to Prince while she was so sick. She seems to be taking his death pretty hard, and I think she'd appreciate it. Also, shipping it to her would be significantly less expensive than shipping it to me in France....

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  22. I love the three beads with metal dove and would totally buy one if you made them.

    Oh and for the contest, I like the metal done better.

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  23. I don't particularly care for either necklace, but Lily is a beautiful cat. Give her lots of love from me.

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  24. I love these. I especially like the one with the white dove, I like the way it extends over the edge of the plectrum.
    Would love to have it to wear.

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  25. I adore the white Dove version personally! Sad crafting is a brilliant idea :)

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  26. Love the 3 bead one, another inspired 'sad crafting'.

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  27. LOVE the five bead version!!!! Great work, Jen!

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  28. The five bead is my favorite. What a great tribute craft. Love it!

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  29. The 5 bead is my favorite. What a great tribute craft ☺

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  30. Lilys' eyes are so beautiful. I like the 5 drop one

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  32. I love the 5-bead one! (And Lily's eyes are the prettiest!)

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  33. I LOVE the 5 bead one! You are so creative! The design is subtle, yet any Prince fan will totally pick up on the tribute! Love it!!!!

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  34. I love both! But I guess the 5 bead one if I had to pick. I live in Minneapolis, which is where Prince lived and his death is HUGE up here. The all night party to celebrate his life was right near my work.

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  35. These are amazing! I love the 5 bead one. What a great sad crafting idea!

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  36. Katie S

    I love the 3-bead with the smaller silver dove; although, they are all wonderful. It has been a very good year for sad crafting. I sure hope it turns around for all of us.

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  37. I love the five-teardrop one but they are both so gorgeous!

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  38. SO sad about Prince. I feel like 2016 is taking all my favorites from me. :( But, I love the five bead version!

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  39. Love the 5-bead necklace - what a great memorial. Let us know if you make some to sell. (But I hope I win one. ;) )

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  40. what a sweet tribute.

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  41. The 5 bead silver one is nifty, it's a little more like rain.

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  42. I would love to have the 5 head one. Hopefully one of these days I will stop procrastinating and learn how to do some awesome crafts myself. Lol!

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  43. Awesome! I love the silver five bead one.

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  44. I often have trouble posting on this site. I really like the 5 tear pendant. But all of them are beautiful. Have you tried looking for amethyst tear drops on lapidary sites? Fire Mountain Gems is one that comes to mind.

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  45. I love the five bead one!! And if I don't win one I would be willing to purchase one just like it. We're taking his passing really hard here in MN. He was and forever will be , ours.

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  46. The silver five bead one is my favorite. Prince was such an amazing artist and this is a great tribute.

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  47. I'm a fan of the silver dove.

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  48. I love the five bead one, I would totally buy one if I could. and Lily is sooo pretty!

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  49. Lily is just so cute! Ithinkthese are great, and if your buttons were any indication, I bet they'd sell well.
    I also love crafting and am still shocked when I post a picture of something I've made and someone asks if I can make them something too. All I can see are the flaws, but it's nice to know that other people aren't staring angrily at that wonky angle, or weirdly shaped lump,or the one slightly larger eye...etc.
    P.S. I made your Mandrake for myself and a friend immediately asked if I'd make one for his girlfriend's birthday. It's such a cute idea, everyone loves it!

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  50. I love the 5 bead one! And hiii Lily!

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  51. Pet snuggle help is the best kind of help.

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  52. I like the 5 bead one. They are all beautiful.

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  53. I like the metal dove, 5 bead one better, and I bet the scratches aren't all that noticeable. Gorgeous work, as always.

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  54. I love that your brain goes to crafting to memorialize and honor our heroes. I I'm with you on liking the silver dove with three beads the most, but my second favorite is the five bead one. I love all of your crafts. Thank you for sharing your crafts, love and self with us. Hugs!

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  55. I would love the white dove one! These are so beautiful, Jen. If I don't win one, I'd be willing to purchase too. And Lily looks like she's SO helpful! ;-)

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  56. This is awesome. what a great way to pay tribute. I personally like the one with 5 beads and the silver dove. I love this idea. Thanks for sharing!

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  57. It's a lovely tribute to a wonderful artist. I'm a lifelong resident of Minneapolis and my whole city has turned purple to honor him. I would love to have any of those necklaces!

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  58. Did you ever visit the regretsy website? Tragicrafting was one of the big categories.

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  59. Lily is adorable as always. I love the 5 bead one! Your crafts always look so nice, mine never come out as well. I'll just have to stick to baking.

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  60. You are so imaginative with your crafts! I would love the silver dove one for my mother who loves Prince and doves equally!

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  61. Just wanted to comment to say how much I admire your crafting abilities! I'm not a big Prince fan, so I'll leave the drawing to others who are. Thanks for being so generous!

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  62. I love the silver dove. What a wonderful tribute to an amazing artist.

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  63. I love the 5 tear silver one. Bonus: my favorite Prince song is When Doves Cry. Second fave is Thieves in the Temple.

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  64. Yesterday at Earthday Birthday, Shaman's Harvest did an acoustic version of 'When Doves Cry' and it was waterworks from there. (I like the 5 gem version btw)

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  65. I'm usually not big on necklaces since I think I have a fat neck, but I love the five drop one enough to wear it often. I shared CW's tribute post because it made me laugh on what was otherwise a horrible day. Thanks for that.

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  66. They are all beautiful! I even liked the white dove-turned silver one! I would totally buy one. I used to have a booth at a local craft store. Most everything in there was handmade items, and I remember one booth had a sign on it that said, "I know you CAN make it yourself, but WILL you?" I absolutely love all your tutorials and when I do want to make it myself I do, but I also would love to just be able to buy it and give you money for your genius. (And also cause I have a "why buy it for $15 when I can make it myself with $97 of craft supplies?" Mentality and buying it from you would save me lots of money 😄)

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  67. The one with the five beads is lovely.
    I love that you always reach out and try to help people cope when large tragedies like this happen. Showing people something they can do, something they can create to help them deal, that's really beautiful.

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  68. I love the silver one. I hope I win it so I can give it to a dear friend who is really grieving over the loss of Prince.

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  69. Love the silver one! And I love how you channel your talents!

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  70. These are all great! I like the 5 tears best, though. Thank you for the creative sad crafting. It helps. I hope. P.S. Yes, sell your creations! I'll never make them as much as I would like to.

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  71. I love the silver one- such a lovely tribute to such an amazing musician. :)

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  72. As a way to avoid the tragicrafting label, and yet still help people make something like this when they don't do drilling, maybe you could just sell the guitar picks with holes drilled in them? That way the picks could be made into jewelry to honor any musician or band, alive or no longer with us.

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  73. Thanks for sharing this. Sad crafting is a perfect phrase. I like the silver dove better. For what it's worth, I liked the bigger dove in silver as well.

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  74. Your sad crafting cheers me up. I like the white dove the best.

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  75. I wish I had the talent in just your little pinky finger. I like the five bead.

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  76. Lily has the most beautiful eyes! Thanks for sharing pictures of her. I really like the 5 bead one!

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  77. Thanks so much for this post. I mourn his untimely death and would certainly wear the 3-bead in tribute.

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  78. Sad crafting is an excellent way to process some of the feelings inside when something unexpected has happened. It is good therapy. While I'm not a huge fan of Prince I will miss his unique style and huge contribution to the music industry. The picture of Lily always makes me feel good!

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  79. In love with shinyApril 24, 2016 at 8:16 PM

    Those are lovely! They make me want to get off my biscuits and color or play with materials. They're that pretty.

    Not in for the contest just wanted to ooo over the shinies :)

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  80. I love these "sad crafts". This one is as beautiful as the one for Alan Rickman. Of the two you're offering, I like the 5 drops with silver dove better.

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  81. I agree that the three beads is better than 5, but the metal dove is my favorite of the two that you're giving away. They're both pretty, and I love that people manage to find their own way to pay tribute to someone/something that is/was meaningful to them. In your case, crafting pretty things.

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  82. They are all beautiful. I think the one you're keeping is the best! However, of the two you're giving away, I like the 5- beaded silver dove. If I won, I would give it to my son's 5 Th grade teacher, who was especially impacted by Prince's passing. Prince was an amazing singer and songwriter! So sad.

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  83. Is it too late to get in the drawing? I would give it to the friend who told me about Prince's passing and had spent all day watching his videos. Her hands no longer allow her to craft. Slight preference for the 5-bead, but if your random picks land on 2 of us who want that one, either would be lovely!
    -dbc

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  84. As a Minneapolis gal I can say the entire city, state, etc is still at a loss. The outpouring of love from his fans far and wide has been amazing to see, and is a true testament to the artist and man he was! MN loves and misses him :( (oh, and I'm digging the 5 bead silver dove version - just in case it's not too late to enter for one of your always-amazing crafts! Love your blogs Jen, been a fan for years!)

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  85. You're right, Jen, this year has been especially tough for us losing creative giants (Alan Rickman hit me the hardest before Prince's death). I live near the Twin Cities, and we've been inundated with news, tributes, and the like since the news broke on Thursday. I'm not a huge Prince fan, but I briefly considered going to downtown Minneapolis for one of the dance parties which have taken place nightly since Thursday.

    I'll leave the winning to others who are bigger fans than me. I appreciate you sharing your therapeutic crafting work with us!

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  86. I have a friend who is a huge Prince fan. She was devastated. She said his death was also the 5 year anniversary of getting her Prince tattoo.

    I would pick the 5 bead for her, but she would probably like either.

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  87. The five bead one is gorgeous!
    When my little brother was seven or so, we got him a remote control car. It was a red corvette, and my dad sang the song every single time my brother brought it out. He does surprisingly well on the high notes.

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  88. I like the 5 bead one. A lovely tribute.

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  89. The 3 bead one is so pretty!!! :3

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  90. Both are gorgeous! I think I prefer the silver dove a little bit more than the white one, so I guess I'd pick the 5 bead one!

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  91. Both are awesome, but the 5 beaded one is my favorite. Let's Go Crazy was the first song they played at my wedding reception :(

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  92. I think the white dove kinda distracts the attention away from the rest of the necklace. So I like the five bead best. And I love that your kitty is "helping" you. Just like mine when I try to go down the stairs

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  93. I like the 5 bead necklace. However should I not win, and you decide to sell these, I would buy the silver dove in the 3 bead.

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  94. I love both of them but the silver 5 bead is my favorite of the two I think.

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  95. I love both, but Think the dove on the 3 bead is kinda cool

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  96. Love the one with the silver dove. What a cool way to do tribute!

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  97. I love the one with the white dove. My aunt in law is a Prince superfan and is absolutely heartbroken. I would love to give this to her.

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  98. I love the 5-bead, but mostly, I wanted to tell you that I think this is such an elegant, subtle tribute. Prince was the soundtrack to some of the happiest times in my life, so I find this particularly touching.

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  99. I love the five bead one. I still haven't had the ambition to head over to First Avenue or Paisley Park. The thought of all the crowds is overwhelming to me, but I'd like to pay my respects somehow. "Purple Rain" was the soundtrack for my sophomore year of high school.

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  100. I love the five bead one. I still haven't had the ambition to head over to First Avenue or Paisley Park. The thought of all the crowds is overwhelming to me, but I'd like to pay my respects somehow. "Purple Rain" was the soundtrack for my sophomore year of high school.

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  101. I love the silver one with the 5 beads ... they're both lovely, and I'm glad you were able to turn something bad into something so pretty.

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  102. I love the five beaded one. The all silver emphasizes the purple beads! Beautiful idea!

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  103. I was never a huge Prince fan, but these necklaces are pretty rad. Sweet recognition to a legend.
    Very creative. I like the guitar pick as a base.

    --Piper P from Washington State

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  104. Love it! Esp the 5 bead one. and Lily has the best eyes

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  105. When my sister and I were young, we were obsessed with the movie Purple Rain. I dug out my CD from the movie and have been cranking it in the car for the last three days. I would definitely be interested in purchasing one of those pendants if you decide to sell them (and if you will ship to Canada). Of course getting one for free would be awesome too (because I am Indo-Canadian and FREE STUFF ROCKS!) and I think the pendant with the white dove is a beautiful one

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  106. I'm torn... Love the three bead look, but like the silver dove more.... I guess I'd have to go with the silver dove one :-)

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  107. I like them both, but am partial to the five bead silver dove one! Super pretty crafting to help you heal, Jen.

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  108. Beautiful work, and a very lovely tribute. If I had to chose, I'd pick the silver with the three beads.

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  109. They're both gorgeous but I prefer the 5-bead version. I can't believe another icon of my youth is gone waaaay too young! 😭

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  110. I want one. I need one. Pleeeeeease make some more so I can buy one. Doooo it. Dooo it. Please. :)

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  111. I super-love the all silver one with the five beads!

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  112. This a beautiful tribute. Thank you

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  113. My favourite is the 5 drop. I love the dangliness and I love Prince. You are amazing Jen, always able to find a creative outlet. Fantastic!

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  114. I would totally shop at EPBOT: The Store! ;D I always enjoy your craft posts/projects, but the wearables are my favorite.
    And if this giveaway is still open, I'd like a shot at the white dove necklace, please! -Christina H.

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  115. Beautiful, and a great tribute to Prince. I would totally buy one!

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