Dictionary Necklace

I know this little project is similar to some others I have shared… I guess if you read here regularly, you could spot my style from a mile away, haha.  I was packing and reorganizing over the weekend and came across some wooden earring sets that Pick Your Plum sent me in a grab box a while back.  I had forgotten all about them.  I’m not a big earring buff, is probably why.  But just because a kit comes with earring wires doesn’t mean that you can only make earrings, right?

I had the idea to get out my Mod Podge and make a necklace – this is what I came up with.

I decided to use a clipping from the dictionary that included “art”.  (It’s not front and center because I was trying to avoid “arson” as much as possible, LOL, although I may have gotten a little too much “artery”.)  I really like how it turned out!

If you decide to raid your stash and find some nice wooden discs, or maybe you have the same earring kit as I do – or, you want to pick up something this same shape – let me give you some tips for adding clippings to a pendant like this.

You can just trace around your disc in pencil, and trim your clipping out.  Yes, I cut this out of a real dictionary, but it was a dollar store one so I really didn’t feel guilty.  I have hundreds more words in my $1 dictionary that are just waiting to be part of other crafts. 

It’s up to you whether you want to do any additional painting first – though if you want to add some color to your pendant, you should paint your disc before adding the clipping.  You could also distress it afterward, if you like that sort of look!

Now – my love for Mod Podge developed over time.  That’s right – I didn’t fall for it right away.  Are you surprised?  There are a few things you have to get used to when you work with it… once you get to know it, though, you will wonder how you ever got along crafting without it.  The biggest tip I can give you is that Mod Podge is a water-based sealant.  So that means, when you add it to your paper, the water in it will make your paper expand slightly.  This can cause bubbles or bumps if you try adding Mod Podge to your surface first, and THEN adding paper to it.  You want to brush it on the backside of your paper first, and let it sit for a minute.  Then, stick it to your disc.  This will ensure that you get a nice, smooth, bubble-free finish.

Rather than try to cut out the inner hole too, I just poked through, cut most of the extra paper away, and stuck the edges down to the inside of that inner hole.  No one is going to look that closely, though if you really don’t like that look, you can sand off the excess paper as soon as your Mod Podge is dry.

Once you like the positioning, give the whole thing another good coat of Mod Podge to seal it.  Next, just add a big jump ring and a chain, and you have yourself a one-of-a-kind necklace!

Do you have any special words that just “suit” you?