My daughter loves playing with my jewelry. She's particularly obsessed with my bangles and necklaces which inspired me to make her a necklace. It was fun and she sat on my lap for different parts of the process. The hardest part was asking her to keep her fingers from touching the paint even though it is non-toxic. We got through it and I love how the necklace turned out.
My babe is a spunky gal and so I picked punchy colors to go with more wintry colors for our Fall/Winter edition of this necklace. I say edition because I hope we continue to create jewelry together. In due time, I look forward to watching her get her fingers inky as she finds enjoyment in making with me. :) For now, I'll share my process for creating this necklace.
1. Start with bare wooden beads. Use a Dremel to smooth out any scratch bits.
2. Hold beads up with a skewer on a helping hands. Have a tweezer on hand to hold down the bead as you paint.
3. I broke out my Kaisercraft paints from my Kaisercraft Design Team days. After all this time, they're still just right for painting!
4. Patiently wait for beads to thoroughly dry. Add extra coat of paint if necessary. Air dry again and then coat with a thin layer of matte Mod Podge.
5. Once fully dry, string on leather or faux suede cord. Pair the necklace with practically anything! It's beautiful on a blank canvas of a solid white or black shirt, but it also works so well with even busy patterns.
It was a hit and she loves it! What are you making?