Paris Necklace Tutorial

Today I will be sharing with you this beautiful Paris necklace that I made. It had been a little while since I had made jewelry and it felt good to do so again... especially since this is a gift! (Shhh...)

I was lucky enough to be sent this box jammed packed with Mod Podge supplies from the folks over at Plaid. Look at all those goodies!

For this project I used the new Podgeable Shapes (available at Michael's) to make the charms for the necklace. (About half the shapes have holes to be used as charms.) It couldn't have been easier.

Other new products from Plaid include these great papers. Many of the designs are the exact sizes of the shapes, which makes it even easier. If you look closely you can see where I have set 4 of the charms on the papers to determine what I like best.

If you want your charm to show a design that isn't the size of the charm, you can use these handy stencils to trace the shape on the paper. (This photos shows a few punched out so you can see how they work. )I used the stencils on all the charms except the blue rectangle charm because it was the only one that was the exact size.

To attach the paper to the shapes you simple coat the paper with a layer of Mod Podge and stick it to the shape. Make sure it is centered and that there are no bubbles (no photos of this because it was hard to hold the camera and apply the Mod Podge at the same time but it's very simple).

Next I had to figure out my design.

I played with several different chains, but this was an easy choice. The hard part came in choosing the embellishments. I quickly narrowed it down to pearls, but what color??? I liked the white because they stood out...

But I liked the bronze because they helped the charms stand out.  In the end I chose the bronze pearls and assembled the necklace. Use jump rings to attach the charms, and head pins to attach the pearls. (If you need help with these steps check out my "Jewelry Basics" tutorials.)

And voila! My beautiful Paris statement necklace is complete. When I attached the charms there was a lot of space in between each one, so I went with two pearls in each space.

Here's a close up of some of the charms so you can see the the detail in the papers.

You can uses these shapes to customize any piece of jewelry with any paper. Ooh! Or how about photos? That would make a cute gift for a grandma- photos of the grandkids? The possibilities are endless!

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This post was brought to you as a paid promotion by Plaid and the Blue Print Social. All opinions are my own.

If you want to see more projects using Mod Podge goodies, check out the links below.

Mod Podge Rocks book review

 I was lucky enough to get a copy of Mod Podge Rocks by Amy Anderson (blogger at Mod Podge Rocks) to  get to share with all of you. Ready? Let's take a peek inside...

 Look at all those projects! You get full color illustrated step-by-step instructions for each project. In addition, there is a gallery at the back of the book with more Mod Podge projects created by other bloggers. Sco-ore!

 I love this book page pumpkin project. If you aren't into book page crafts, think of the infinite possibilities for pumpkins using Mod Podge.  What a great alternative or addition to regular carved pumpkins.

 This lamp project is darling. (Ha, I picked a book page and a bird craft to share with you. That is SO me!) What I love about the book is that there is a wide variety of projects using Mod Podge on so many different surfaces. Even if you don't like the style of the lamp, you can still follow the instruction to use Mod Podge on a lamp shade or similar surface.

My favorite part of the book is the section at the beginning that explains in great detail the different types of Mod Podge, their uses, and a general how-to guide before you dive into the projects. I found this especially helpful because I recently received a giant box of Mod Podge products (some are brand new!) with which I will be creating a tutorial to share with you later this month.

Whether you have used Mod Podge for years and years, or are a beginning crafter, you can find something useful in this book. And isn't it great to see a fellow blogger have such success? Support Amy and show her some love by picking up your own copy!

Yes I was provided this book to review, but all opinions are my own.

Etsy Shop or Blog Monogram Letters

Since I have written about monogram letters here, and here I thought I would post a tutorial on how to cover the letters with paper. I usually make the letters for a family name, but this time I thought it would be fun to make YB for Yellow Blackbird for my craft room. It would also be fun for a blog name put on a computer desk or something.

I did this tutorial at night so the pictures aren't that great- sorry! Here we go!


You can buy letters at any craft store. I sometimes use wood, but found these paper mache letters at Hobby Lobby for $1.77 each.

The first step is to choose patterned paper. Choose something that matches your shop or blog name. You can see that I chose a gray paper with yellow birds! Trace the letter on the back of the paper. (Make sure you put the letter face down so it isn't backwards.)

Cut out the paper.

Next paint the edges of the letter a matching color. I usually use the paper background color, but decided to go with an accent color this time.

You can see by the pictures that I messed up and painted the letter first, then traced it. If you do this you will have to repaint the letter to cover up your pencil marks.

Let the paint dry.

Use Mod Podge to attach the paper to the letter. Swipe a coat on really fast, attach the paper and smooth with a bone folder or side of a credit card. If you get the mod podge too thick it can cause the paper to wrinkle and even tear.

If you want extra protection and shiny-ness add another coat of Mod Podge. : )

Embelish letters as desired. For the B I hot glued a flower and yellow button on the edge. I wrapped the Y in yellow ribbon.

Ta da! Display proudly!

In addition to my fav linky parties listed in the side bar, this post will be linked up to:

Altered Picture Frames (and of course a monogram letter)

As I have mentioned several times already, my brother is getting married soon. I already showed his fiancee's bridal shower and gift, but my mom and I were invited to another shower for her. I wanted to make something for the first gift but didn't have time. I was glad to have a chance to make some home decor and give to her.

I purchased 3 plain wood frames at Dollar Tree. I painted each frame black. For this frame I created the very popular singed flower and added a metal "happily ever after" charm.

I decoupaged patterned paper on to the next frame. I added the ribbon over the part that wasn't perfect. : ) I cut the back off a button and glued it on.

I added red stickers to this frame and then put a coat of Mod Podge over it.

Of course I also have to throw in a matching monogram wood letter!

I think they will look great all in a group or individually.

I sure hope she liked them! : )