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Thanks to the wonders of bezels,mod podge, and modge podge dimensional magic,you can easily create a custom pendant in one night. I've made a handful of (un-photographed) dictionary necklaces before, and I plan on making pendants with maps as soon as I get my hands on some more bezels. Super addicting and super unique!
This necklace maybe cost me $3 tops to make. Cheap yet thoughtful graduation gift for a friend? Hecks yes.
Apologies for the crap photos - my camera is not well suited for close ups.
for that and the fact that its super cute, i give you 5 stars!!!
kay, so there are a few ways you could make them. I'll run you through my old process(the instrucable one) and my new process, then a few more options for you. It's going to be a little wordy, I hope that's alright :)
The Old Process: Grab a bezel from Hobby Lobby, who was a pretty nice selection. Take a dictionary page and cut your word to the shape of you bezel (the package should have a little outline of your bezel you can cut out and use as a template.) Coat the top with maybe 3 or 4 coats of mod podge, letting dry between each round, which isn't a huge deal, it takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes. It's a good TV project, actually. I'll tell you why you need that many coats, as it applies to my new method, too: the glaze I use(mod podge dimensional magic) eats the old dictionary paper. It's actually a little alarming to see it disintegrate. I take it the most common glaze, Judikins Diamond Glaze, does the exact same thing. Judikins actually has a special glaze out for old paper, but I have no experience with it.) Once you have your 3-4 coats, mod podge the back of your pendant filler and place it in the pendant tray. Let set for a while. Then comes the fun part! Take mod podge dimensional magic and very carefully start squeezing into your pendant tray. It will come fast. There will be bubbles, which can be easily "dragged" over the edge with a sewing pin. What you need to worry about it being as even as possible. The dimensional magic takes a long time to dry, sadly, so I'd let it set between 12-24 hours. You will probably need another coat or two of D.M, so just rinse and repeat :)
New Process: I JUST upgraded to glass tiles and pendant trays(I highly recommend buying from
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CandyTiles2?ref=pr_shop_more
if you go this route. And "like" the shop on facebook, they post coupon codes a lot.) and this is a fabulous tutorial for using them: http://celticmommy.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-make-custom-oval-necklaces.html But bear in mind you will need to do the "coating" of the paper before using glaze, like before.
Option 3: Hobby Lobby has little "frames" with glass inserts for jewelry making. They're not great, I will not lie to you. They fall apart easily because they're so cheaply made. I'm sure you could find nice ones on etsy, however. The advantage of this is that is is simply a frame. so it goes together super quickly.
Option 4. Get some glass domes, which you could buy from the etsy shop I referenced further up the page, or even be as simply as clear glass flat back marbles. You can just coat your paper with modge podge and stick the marble/dome to it when it's still wet, then let it dry and glue a bezel to the back. I personally like the finished look of a frame, and with this method you may be able to see brush strokes, however, people love these, so you could totally do it.
Option 5.(Whew!) Mod podge your paper to a scrabble tile, coat with 3-4 coats of modge podge, and then give it a healthy coat of dimensional magic or diamond glaze, and glue a bezel to the back. Oh! And for any mod podging, use foam brushes! artist brushes leave tiny, distinct brush strokes. ....and that concludes your novel for today! If you have any other questions, I would love to answer them :) Happy crafting!
Will you have instructions? Just a materials list and written out directions would be useful...even if you don't have pics for each step.
If you would consider it helpful,I will try my darnedest! I'll work on writing out a tutorial on the morrow and throw it up here sometime this weekend :)
I got the bezel at Hobby Lobby - the oval one cost $1.99, but they were having a half off sale on that brand. They have a fair amount of other shapes,but the oval + square ones seem best suited for the look. I know that Micheals just launched a bezel line,but they are pretty darn ugly and somewhat overpriced,if I may be frank with you. Other then that,I know that etsy(under supplies) and potentially amazon would have good prices and a wide selection. Good luck!