So I’ve been on Pinterest a lot lately, and I’ve see tons of washer necklaces and bracelet tutorials! I wanted to create a necklace that was a little different than what I’ve seen, but easy enough for anyone to do. You can choose different colors for your necklace, but I’ve decided on a beautiful blue ombre effect. For this project you’ll need washers of different sizes, a necklace chain, acrylic paint, a small paintbrush and superglue. So, let’s get started!!
First thing you’ll want to do is separate you washers into groups. For this style of necklace, I wanted a graduated look, where starting in the center are my largest washers, graduating to tiny washers at the ends. So decide how many washers you want of a certain color. Mix your paints together so that you have a gradient of different colors. Here I have seven colors, ranging from deep blue, to white, so I made seven groups of washers. I wanted the one in the center to be super dark blue, the next two beside that a little lighter, the next two lighter than that, and so on. Does it require a little math? Maybe, but it will turn out great in the end.
Next lay your washers down on a piece of wax paper or foil. Don’t paint them on paper towel, as you see in the photo, because they might stick to the towel causing little bits of paper towel to stick to them later on- guilty! (Hey, we all live and learn, right?) Next, with a small paintbrush, paint each group of washers the color you’ve chosen. Thin coats will cause the paint to appear smooth and not streaky. I let the first coat of paint dry for about 20 minutes and then came back with a second thin coat. Once that is completely dry, string your washers on a necklace chain. I did mine, smallest to largest to smallest. This chain was from an old necklace that I’ve decided to reuse.
You’ll find that the washers do not naturally hang flat as in the picture here, so you’ll have to glue them down that way. The key to this is making sure that the washers are CENTERED on the chain. Start from the middle and lay the washers flat in the way you would want it to lay on your chest if you were wearing it. If you’re slightly obsessive like me, you’ll want to straighten out the washers exactly in the curve that you want and then glue them down. Superglue the edges of the washers together, only where they meet each other, to secure them. A little bit of glue is key, so that your fingers don’t get caught in all the stickiness! Once they’re glued down, that’s it!! There’s no more adjusting it, so make sure before you glue it’s straight!
And you’re done! Have fun with this craft and even try mixing up the paint colors a bit for a more colorful effect. Happy DIY!
And you’re done! Have fun with this craft and even try mixing up the paint colors a bit for a more colorful effect. Happy DIY!