Homemade Christmas: Pendant Necklaces & Glass Magnets

This post may seem  a little tardy in its timing, however many of the recipients of these homemade gifts are also readers of my lil’ ol’ blog.  Didn’t want to spoil the gift giving.
Neither of the projects were novel techniques.  They were inspired by several creative ladies and have a been in my “To Try” folder for some time.
First up…

Glass Marble Magnet Sets
These little beauties can be made a variety of ways and the variations are endless.  I found the tutorials at Not Martha and DIY Life to be extremely thorough and helpful. 
The basic idea is pretty simple and you need the following supplies:

• pretty patterned paper – thicker is a better
• flat-bottomed glass marbles – the ones in the floral department at Michael’s
• E-6000 glue
• circular paper punch
• strong round magnets

Use paper punch to cut out circles of chosen paper.  Attach paper circles to marbles using E-600 glue.  Let dry for an hour.  Attach marbles to magnets with glue.  Let dry and enjoy!  Of course, you can visit the tutorials at Not Martha and DIY Life for much more comprehensive instructions.

For packaging, I used an idea that I found at Madigan Made.  Many of the tutorials I read suggested using metal tins, but I couldn’t find any and thought this idea was pretty frugal and cute. 
For the packaging you’ll need:  treat bags, heavy card stock, small washers, staples, glue and labels.
I glued the washers to the card stock:

Attached the finished magnets, placed them into the treat bag and found coordinating card stock to seal the tops of the bags.

Put a staple through the bag and both papers:

And finished them off with a label to cover up the staple.

Next up….

Glass Pendant Necklaces
When I first came across this idea at Simply Modern Mom, I knew I just had to give this project a try.  Again, SO MANY OPTIONS!!!
I followed Simply Modern Mom’s tutorial pretty much word for word, down to using wax paper on my work surface.  Worked perfectly!
First, I cleaned up my glass tiles.

Then I picked out several different papers that I deemed “wearable”. 


I couldn’t find “Diamond Glaze” but this “Paper Glaze” worked out fine.

Attached the paper to the tiles using the Paper Glaze:

After drying, I sealed the backs of the pendants with another layer of Paper Glaze.

I let that dry overnight before attaching my bails with E-6000.

I let the finished pendants sit overnight before moving them.

Here are a few examples of my finished necklaces:

All wrapped up and ready for gifting!
***UPDATE***:  (11/26/11) I’ve had a lot a e-mails recently regarding where to purchase glass tiles, bails and ball chain necklaces for making this craft.  I bought all of the items through Sun & Moon Craft Kits.  They also sell the Diamond Glaze.  This store used to be through Etsy, but not anymore.  I've changed the link to their new site.  The seller is wonderful, the product was perfect and shipping was fast.  Hope that helps you out!
So, that’s the extent of my crafty gifting this year.  Both projects were fairly simple and the recipients loved them all.  Thanks again to Not Martha, DIY Life, Madigan Made, and Simply Modern Mom for their awesome inspiration and tutorials!
     
I’m linking this post up to the below parties!  Check them out for some fabulous inspiration!