Fantastic Christmas/Bridesmaid Gift

I discovered this project (done by none other than Martha Steward) through another blog several months ago and have been excited about trying this project out. I bought enough to do six of these necklaces (four gold and two charcoal grey), and they ended up running me about six to seven dollars each. (Shhhh!!!! Don't tell!) They'll cost more (about ten dollars) if you do just one. It took me 45 minutes to do the first one and only about 20 to 25 minutes to do complete necklaces. It ties in the back with a ribbon. The girls I gave them to LOVE them. I realized they'd make easy bridesmaid gifts or Christmas gifts, so I'm posting this in time for the holidays/upcoming weddings.

p.s. Don't you just LOVE that shirt?! I found it at Banana Republic on sale, and just LOVE it! I don't normally button the top button, though.

A few notes on how to approach this:
1. I don't have time to dye my own pearls, although it doesn't look hard. The problem is that I wasn't sure what color the pearls would end up if I did them on my own, which is important so that they match the tone of the satin ribbon. As a result, I opted for already colored ones.
2. I bought everything for the project from Joanne Fabric (pearls, ribbon, tapestry needles, stretch cord, and crimp beads). I had everything else I needed (pliers and matches) at home. You will probably want to purchase nail glue as they recommend, though. i thought I had some of that at home but didn't.
3. Matches? Yes. Once you're done, make sure you hold the end of the ribbon close to a burning match so that it melts slightly (don't go too close, though, or else the ribbon burn gets clumpy instead of remaining unnoticeable).
4. I crimped mine different than Martha did, but mainly because I didn't have the glue and was afraid the necklaces would come undone.
5. Questions? Call me. I'd be happy to tell you more about what I did, what type of beads I bought, etc. Happy crafting!