How-to: Easy Custom Necklace Pendants

Today’s project is a fast and easy one that can be personalized and customized in so many ways!  Use old book pages, photos, or even scrapbook paper to create one-of-a-kind pendants and necklaces for yourself or for a friend!

Supplies needed to make your own custom necklace pendants:

• Signed Sealed and Remembered Frame Charms (I used the antique silver rectangle and the round antique brass charm bezels)
• 2mm Cable Chain (hematite finish or antique bronze finishes to match)
• Jump Rings and Clasps (the assorted kits in silver or antique brass finish are perfect for projects like this, they have everything you need!)
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Wire Cutters
• Jewelry Pliers
• Paper of your choice – recycle a worn-out book, use a personal photo, or choose the perfect scrapbook paper!

These charm bezels are a complete set with a protective, self adhesive epoxy dome included. Select your paper, and attach the dome exactly where you want it. Trim off the excess paper.  If you want book text, don’t forget that you can photocopy books in good condition, or re-purpose those with bad bindings.

Add a coat of Mod Podge to your bezel, and attach the dome to the bezel.

You can personalize these pendants in so many ways!  Check your scrap stash to re-use bots of your favorite paper.  The beauty is, you don’t need much at all!

Once your charm is complete, you can make and assemble your chain.  (You can also use pre-assembled chain, but I really like this cable chain for jewelry, and attaching a clasp isn’t difficult at all!)  Just trim off your chain to the exact length you want.  The most common length is 18 inches, but if you like longer or shorter necklaces, bulk chain can accommodate whatever your preference!  Then, use jump rings to attach both ends of the clasp to both ends of the chain.

In just a few minutes, you will have a finished piece to be proud of, that’s custom-made just for you (or a gift recipient!).  You do need to allow the Mod Podge to dry for a few hours (I usually just leave it overnight) but the active time making one of these necklaces is only about ten minutes, once you choose your paper!

What would you like to capture in a piece of jewelry?  A photo?  Sheet music?  Do you like the book page look, or would you choose something else?  

Adrianne

Adrianne is a writer, artist, designer, wife, and mom of 2 kids. She blogs at happyhourprojects.com where the theme is tutorials and recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Her favorite projects are jewelry-making, paper crafts, and recycled crafts. She participates annually in ArtPrize, an international art competition, and she’s the author of the book DIY T-Shirt Crafts: 50 Ways to Recycle a T-Shirt (August 2015).