Dictionary Page Pendants

Last week, I had the exciting opportunity to guest post over at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy and to co-host Jaime’s fabulous Thursday linky party.  {By the way, if you haven’t linked up yet, click here to share your latest projects…can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to!}
Anyway, I shared this tutorial for how to make a dictionary page pendant.  Just in case you missed it, here’s how you can make a fun, one of a kind piece of jewelry that’s totally personalized.  It’s a great idea for Christmas gifts…
DICTIONARY PAGE PENDANT
The necklace you see pictured is the one I made as a thank-you gift for Jamie since she was kind enough to share her blog and party with me!
Materials:
dictionary
camera
printer/photo paper/photo software
beveled pendant
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic {I loooove this stuff!}
First, I had to choose a dictionary page and get it in printed form.  I didn’t want to cut up our actual dictionary, so I did the next best thing.
  I photographed the page I wanted.  I chose the definition for “craft.”  I really wanted “crafty,” but the way it fell on the page, the word was at the bottom of one column and the definition was at the top of the next.  Alas.  I got a little grumpy with this part because the flash blurred the words, but no flash gave me this dark image.  But, I knew I could fix it up with a little editing.
Then, I used my trusty Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 software to crop it to the size I needed, brighten it, boost the contrast, and apply a Time Machine effect.
I printed the image on matte photo paper, then trimmed it to fit inside my beveled pendant.  A little bit of Mod Podge on the bottom holds it in place.
Then, the fun part!  I squeezed one of my favorite supplies, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, all over it to fill in the pendant.  Don’t worry, although it looks cloudy now, it dries totally clear!
At this point, all you have to do is let it dry and then add a chain and you have a finished pendant!
Or, if you’re an advanced {or adventurous} jewelry maker, you can get a little fancy.
While I waited for it to dry, I did a few other things to make it extra snazzy.
Optional Materials to jazz it up a bit:
crystals: your choice of colors
head pin
initial bead
26 gauge wire
jump rings
chain and clasp
jewelry pliers: needle nose and flat
wire cutters
 First, I decided to add some color using crystals.  I chose blue and yellow since they match the CSH blog theme.  I put them on a head pin, bent it 90 degrees, and trimmed it to about the length of my smallest fingernail.
Then, I used needle nose jewelry pliers to bend the wire into a loop.
I also wanted to add an initial for personalization.  I threaded 26 gauge wire through this “J” bead, twisted it, formed a loop, and wire wrapped it.
I put the crystals and the “J” on their own jump rings and attached those to the pendant.
Then, I added a chain, and TA-DA!  My gift is ready.
This is really a pretty simple project, and you can make it personal in so many ways.  You can use any definition you want, or you can substitute sheet music, a book page, a copy of a poem, a map, a photo…the possibilities are literally endless! 

Here’s the one I made for myself using the definition of “dance” and my favorite color, purple!

I also used this technique to create the Hope Pendant, which was part of the un-giveaway I’ve been bugging you about for days.
What definition and colors would you use?  If you make one, I’d love to see!

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34 Comments

  1. You know what would be a GREAT twist on this? To do a snippet of a child’s name with what the name means — tie in a couple of birthstone beads and that would be a great present for a new mommy (or grandmommy)! Thanks for the terrific idea! 🙂

  2. Omagosh. I LOVE this! I really really wanna start making jewelry but I feel like I might not be able to…like I’d be a jewelry making FAIL. BUT, that dimensional magic looks so easy! I love Mod Podge. LOVE. I might have to try this. 🙂

  3. I must look for the mod podge dimensional magic the next time I’m out. This is such a neat idea and turns out so pretty each time you do it.

  4. Great ideas, Amy! I love the bling you added at the top of the pendant. So many different ways you could personalize this for friends and family! Thanks for sharing!

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