Creations by Kara

Creating a home. . . with a can of spray paint in one hand and a measuring cup in the other.

Washer Necklace Tutorial

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I'm not a big time jewelry wearer. I don't even have my ears pierced. (I know. A fashionista I am not.)  I do however, love fun necklaces. I saw some of these cute washer necklaces a couple of years ago, and I made a bunch up. I wasn't sure it was going to work, so I didn't do a tutorial as I was going.
Last week my cousin called and asked if I could show her how to make some. She needed a girl's camp craft, and wanted to make these washer necklaces. So I had her come over, and this time I made sure to take pictures of every step so I could share the tutorial with you. :)

washer necklace-tutorial

Washer Necklace Tutorial

What you will need:
-Washers (any size will work)
-Scrapbook paper
-Tiny sharp scissors or exacto knife
-Craft glue or super glue
-Glossy Accents (I got mine at Robert's Craft)
-Nail file
-Hemp or leather cord, or ribbon
-Beads (optional but very cute)

1-Pick the size of washer you would like to use, and cut a piece of scrap paper slightly larger.
washer necklace-tutorial2-Punch out the circle for the middle of the washer. (I take my punch with me so I can buy washers with the size of hole the same as my punch.) If you don't have a punch, you will have to use tiny scissors to cut the hole out. It is a little tricky, but I have done it with success. Just trace the washer on the back of your paper, make a tiny hole in the middle, and carefully cut out the circle.
washer necklace-tutorial3-Place the washer on the back of your paper. Make sure your holes match up, and trace around the outside edge.
washer necklace-tutorial4-Cut out your circle, and glue it to the top of the washer with some craft glue.
Pretend like there is a pretty picture right here of the
paper on the washer. Somehow I lost it. ;)

5-After the glue is dry, take a nail file and sand down the edges of the paper. This will even out any imperfections and make the edge nice and smooth.
washer necklace-tutorial6-Now it's time to add the glossy top coat to your necklace. Some people use Diamond Glaze, but I couldn't find any, so I use Glossy Accents.
Place your washer on a piece of waxed paper. Take the tip of the bottle and slowly squeeze a line of glaze around the very outside edge of the washer.
washer necklace-tutorial7-Repeat for the inside ring of the circle. If your washer is small like mine, the lines of glaze will just blend together and cover the whole surface. Magic!
(If you are using a larger washer, just keep adding glaze till the washer is all filled in.)

8-Look closely at your washer and make sure there is no paper showing. If there is, use the tip of the bottle or a toothpick to spread the glaze to those areas. You want it to be sealed really well.

9-Let your washer dry completely. I usually wait overnight. Now it's time to add the cord. I usually use hemp.
10-Cut a piece of cord about 30" long. Fold it in half and thread the loop through the center of the washer.
11-Pull the loop around the two loose pieces on the side, and pull it tight. You should end up with something like this:
12-Now add a bead and use a square knot at the top of it to hold it in place.
13-Now all you have to do is tie a knot in the top of the cord. That's it, you are finished! Wasn't that easy?
You can make them in all colors and sizes. So darn fun!

Linking up with:
DIY under $5 Todays Creative Blog The Shabby Nest I'm topsy turvy tuesdays

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55 Comments

  1. These are so fun! A great project for kids this summer! My son also used washers to make a wind chime at scouts, and this would be a good way to dress them up!

  2. they look great and I bet the were fun to make too!

  3. Those are so cute! I want to make some!

  4. I like the addition of the bead, it's a nice finishing touch! My fave is the big polka dot one. Thanks for linking up with DIY under $5!

  5. Thanks for the fun tutorial! Can't wait to try these! I shared on my Treasures for Tots FB fan page too: http://www.facebook.com/treasuresfortots

  6. Cute & simple, the best kind of project! Thanks for sharing!

  7. Thanks for this timely post Kara! Just in time for our Beehive activity last night. The few girls that showed up were very excited about what they made. You might see a few at church on Sunday :)

  8. I love these such a cute gift project!

  9. So cute! I think it will be a fun summer afternoon activity when my oldest is driving me nuts. :)
    xoxo,
    Amy

  10. How cute are these?!?! Thanks for the great tutorial! I would love if you would come link up to Saturday Social!!

    http://socialsalutations.blogspot.com/2011/07/saturday-social-week-8.html

  11. LOVE love love this! So pretty!

  12. Love these! I made one a while back and used leather as a necklace. I didn't want it too long, so I am still searching for something to use on the ends to clamp to the leather. Someday I will wear it! *sigh* I love how you added a bead to the end of yours too! Beautiful!

  13. These look great! My daughter has been making these for her friends.
    Emily
    domesticdeadline.blogspot.com

  14. So cute! I love all the color combinations!

  15. Lovely necklaces!

  16. So beautiful! And for only the cost of a few supplies. What a great way to use up leftover scraps of decorative paper. I am definitely going to need to borrow this idea! I found you over at Someday Crafts. My girls will love making these when they are older so thanks for the inspiration!

  17. What a great idea! They are super cute!

  18. what a cute idea something that I could get my daughter and her friends together before school starts
    come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

  19. What a fun and creative idea:)

  20. This is super cute and super easy, I love it

  21. Cute!!! I've been stamping letters on washers lately. I think this would be fun on the other side. :)

  22. I've seen this done before (a long time ago–it's awesome)! Thank you for linking up last week at Sew Woodsy! Please come back tomorrow and link up your most recent project!

  23. I have been making a bunch of these with different variations and have linked back to your sight for your awesome tutorial. Thanks so much!! :)

  24. These are so cool and easy. I found your link from tipjunky. I think my daughter and I will try and make these for teacher gifts.

  25. I found this tutorial on Pinterest this other day and made some necklaces this weekend. They were so much fun!! I blogged about them todya and linked back to you.
    Thanks so much for shraing the tutorial!!

    • These are adorable. Each Christmas I try to come up with a new idea for making a project with my 4 grandgirls. Then they have something nice to give their friends for the holiday. They love working with all of us together and since I buy all the materials, it's no cost to them.
      Thanks for the great idea!

  26. i made 3 this afternoon, and i walked away knowing they need to dry for a long time. i come back maybe an hour later and my glossy accents has run off my washers! :( i wiped it up some but my nice smooth finish is no more. has this happened to anyone else? ty

  27. Wonder if you could make the washers interchangeable like the bottle top necklaces? Great tutorial! Thanks for the inspiration!

  28. Thanks for the tutorial! I tried this last night, but this morning I found that I had a lot of air bubbles. What can I do to avoid the air bubbles. I didn't notice them last night when I applied the glaze. Thanks!

  29. Thanks so much for this! We love it! Our women's church group will be making about 75 today for gifts. Great idea.

  30. I got stuck pretending there was paper stuck on the washer after you put the glue on…

    LOL!
    These are so cute; thanks for sharing and spurring on my sometimes stagnant imagination.

  31. I never knew you could create a beautiful piece of art from a washer! That was a fun tutorial, thanks very much for sharing this with us!

  32. I love this idea! I'm having trouble with the glossy accents turning yellow when it dries, and air bubbles popping up. Any ideas?

  33. So cute, I'm going to make some. Question, did you also put scrapbook paper on the back of the washer?

  34. So adorable! And I love that you use a circle punch to cut out the center. I'm headed to the hardware store right now!

  35. Super cute tutorial! Thank you for sharing:)

  36. Pingback: Favorite Projects from 2011 | Creations by Kara

  37. These are so cute! I'm going to have my special needs students make the to sell to raise money for a field trip. Thanks for sharing!

  38. This is the best comprehensive tutorial I have seen on these. We will defiantly be doing this on girls craft night. Thanks for being so thorough.

  39. What a cute idea! I think I'll have to make these with my niece. She'll love it! Thanks for the great post.

    http://craftrunwag.blogspot.com/
    twitter @craftrunwag

  40. Thanks these really look great. Deb

  41. Love, love, love this idea! I'm making some now. My first two have tiny air-bubbles that I couldn't get out. I tried popping them with a toothpick…no such luck. I tried dragging them out….nope. Got any tricks for dealing with air-bubbles?

  42. Do you put the paper on both sides? I am just having a hard time seeing the back bare, sorry I am a bit OCD.

    • I leave the back bare, but you can finish it if you want to. You just have to wait till the front is totally cured, and be extra careful that none of the glaze drips to the front. Another option is to finish the back off with nail polish in a matching color. Have fun!

  43. Pingback: My Top 10 Favorite Crafty Gifts « Chaotic and Crafty

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