Wooden Block Necklace

At long last, I'm sharing the how-to for this wooden block necklace. (Promised way back here.) It was something I'd shopped for and not found, but I felt the shirt needed something since all the pizazz was on the back. So I bought materials and got to work. 

I'm not a jewelry-maker, nor is that a hobby I aspire to, so you can make this no matter who you are. It doesn't require any jewelry-making tools or know-how. 

What you'll need:

• necklace chain - found mine at Hobby Lobby
• craft paint
• foam brushes (3)
• drill
• adjustable wrench
• wooden blocks
  3/4" or 1"
• hot glue & gun
• q-tips (optional)

This necklace is great because you can make it any color to go with that outfit that needs something special. Or if you're making a gift, you can choose a couple shades of her favorite color and throw in the metallic she wears most.

The first and trickiest step is drilling the holes through the blocks. Thankfully, they come in a package with several, so you can redo one if you need. I marked the center of the block with a dot and gave them to my husband to drill. (Yes, I cheated.) But I could've done it if I needed to. Use an adjustable wrench to hold your block still and then drill through slowly to get it straight. And know they don't have to line up PERFECTLY. You can see mine weren't exact, but there was enough overlap to let the chain go through. 

Now it's time to paint. I stuck the q-tips in the holes so I could paint as many sides as I needed. Remember, the two blocks on the outside need their ends painted too. 

I should've painted the "tops" of the peach and the florescent pink during this step, but I wasn't thinking, so I had to do it later. Once they're dry, feed the chain through them. Then you can use your hot glue, gluing them end to end, which will keep them perfectly squared with each other. 

Another option is to spray paint these little guys. I'd go that route if you have a color on hand, but if you don't, it'll make the project more expensive. Craft paint is around $2 where a normal size can of spray paint is $6. They sell little cans of spray paint, but you don't have the same color selection. 

How's your Christmas prep going? Does anyone else suddenly feel behind when others post pictures of their Christmas trees on Facebook? I had a twinge of that and told myself, "You never even used to know when your friends put their trees up. Knowing when they do it doesn't mean there's suddenly a "right" time to do such things." So I'm content to bring our little tree home this weekend. (I'll probably still have trouble keeping it watered all the way til Christmas!) Hope you feel some love this weekend...deep down inside you and spilling out. I felt that last night when we were driving separately and I watched my kids hooded heads bob in the backseat of their Daddy's car. Such a good feeling. If it comes your way this weekend, sit with it and enjoy as long as you can. There's nothing better.