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
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.
2-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.
3-Place the washer on the back of your paper. Make sure your holes match up, and trace around the outside edge.

4-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.
6-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.
7-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!











July 11, 2011 at 2:53 pm
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!
July 12, 2011 at 10:07 pm
they look great and I bet the were fun to make too!
July 13, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Those are so cute! I want to make some!
July 13, 2011 at 3:38 pm
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!
July 13, 2011 at 6:43 pm
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
July 13, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Cute & simple, the best kind of project! Thanks for sharing!
July 14, 2011 at 9:19 pm
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
July 18, 2011 at 1:42 pm
So glad you used my tut, how fun! I wish I would have seen some of the girls on Sunday.
July 15, 2011 at 4:47 pm
I love these such a cute gift project!
July 15, 2011 at 6:53 pm
So cute! I think it will be a fun summer afternoon activity when my oldest is driving me nuts.
xoxo,
Amy
July 18, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Watch out, because they are very addicting!
July 15, 2011 at 6:59 pm
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
July 18, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Darn, I didn't make it in time. The linky list was already closed. I'll have to try again next week.
July 15, 2011 at 7:56 pm
LOVE love love this! So pretty!
July 16, 2011 at 7:53 am
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!
July 18, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I've made a few with ribbon and used magnetic clasps on the end. I wonder if that would work with the leather?
July 16, 2011 at 12:10 pm
These look great! My daughter has been making these for her friends.
Emily
domesticdeadline.blogspot.com
July 18, 2011 at 1:47 pm
So fun. I bet they are loving her!
July 16, 2011 at 4:27 pm
These are super cute!
July 17, 2011 at 1:23 am
So cute! I love all the color combinations!
July 18, 2011 at 1:48 pm
That's the hardest part for me-picking the paper. So many choices!
July 19, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Lovely necklaces!
July 20, 2011 at 10:50 am
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!
July 20, 2011 at 3:13 pm
What a great idea! They are super cute!
July 20, 2011 at 8:13 pm
what a cute idea something that I could get my daughter and her friends together before school starts
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July 21, 2011 at 6:02 am
What a fun and creative idea:)
July 21, 2011 at 5:09 pm
This is super cute and super easy, I love it
July 23, 2011 at 10:18 am
Cute!!! I've been stamping letters on washers lately. I think this would be fun on the other side.
July 26, 2011 at 9:34 am
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!
August 18, 2011 at 7:43 pm
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!!
August 21, 2011 at 9:58 pm
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.
August 22, 2011 at 9:09 am
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!!
August 22, 2011 at 10:53 am
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!
August 26, 2011 at 5:00 pm
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
August 29, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Wonder if you could make the washers interchangeable like the bottle top necklaces? Great tutorial! Thanks for the inspiration!
September 4, 2011 at 4:23 am
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!
September 17, 2011 at 7:28 am
Thanks so much for this! We love it! Our women's church group will be making about 75 today for gifts. Great idea.
September 20, 2011 at 2:59 am
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.
September 28, 2011 at 8:00 pm
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!
October 15, 2011 at 6:58 pm
I love this idea! I'm having trouble with the glossy accents turning yellow when it dries, and air bubbles popping up. Any ideas?
November 19, 2011 at 11:20 am
So cute, I'm going to make some. Question, did you also put scrapbook paper on the back of the washer?
November 29, 2011 at 8:17 am
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!
November 30, 2011 at 10:28 am
Have fun with them! And yes, being able to punch out the centers is a huge timesaver!
December 24, 2011 at 10:34 am
Super cute tutorial! Thank you for sharing:)
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January 11, 2012 at 8:23 am
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!
January 12, 2012 at 9:36 am
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.
January 22, 2012 at 8:29 pm
What a cute idea! I think I'll have to make these with my niece. She'll love it! Thanks for the great post.
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March 10, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Thanks these really look great. Deb
March 13, 2012 at 7:56 am
Thanks Deb! Hope you try them out!
March 21, 2012 at 7:56 pm
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?
March 22, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Usually a pin worked for me, but sometimes all I needed to do was blow on them really hard. Good luck!
May 7, 2012 at 2:35 pm
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.
May 8, 2012 at 9:24 am
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!
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