Personalized Jewelry

When I was in the hospital after giving birth to our daughter via cesarean section, my dear husband gave me this necklace with our children's' names on it, from Hannah By Design on Etsy...

I love it and wear it almost every day. And since he gave it to me, I have seen other personalizable jewelry items sold in the beading departments of craft stores. I decided to try a DIY project, and share it here with you.

Here's the main cast of characters...

Plus, I forgot to include the Mod Podge and Glossy Accents in the photo. The Patera pendant is the first piece we will be working with. First, you cut your picture (or you could use pretty scrap paper, even multiple layered shapes) to fit the inside of the pendant. I started by tracing it, then had to keep trimming a little at a time to get it to fit inside the frame.

Then, I Mod Podged the inside of the pendant, and stuck down my photo. It helps if your 3-year old is goofing off in the background, asking what you are doing every minute and then replying, "Oh, you are?" each time - makes for great concentration and precision...

Once I stuck down my photo and let that dry for maybe 15 minutes, then I Mod Podged over the top of the photo...

I let that dry, then comes the Glossy Accents. I put it right over the top of the photo...

You want to make it very full, like a domed shape...

Mine was that full and after it dried and shrunk, it was very depressed; not risen above the rim at all. If you want it to be domed, you will have to do 2-4 applications, letting it dry in between. I was okay with it not being domed because I am lacking patience. After each coat, before it dries, you will want to dig out any bubbles that may be left over. I used a slip of paper to lift them out...

And after it dried overnight, it looked like this...

Next, I strung my leather necklace material, and added two glass beads to each side of the pendant. After that, I added the clasps to the end. Mine consisted of an end clamp, mini key ring, claw and closure, another mini key ring, and another end clamp...

What do you think?

Other than I look like a dork when I take pictures of myself in the mirror!