JEWELRY TUTORIAL: Fingerprint Heart Necklace
I've seen a few tutorials on making clay fingerprint hearts, but I'm terrible with clay, so I've never made one. I was looking for wood circles in Hobby Lobby and saw these wood hearts. I knew they would be great to play with for jewelry designs. I thought about the fingerprint hearts, and realized I could do something similar, but with paint. You could do these with any color paint. You could leave the wood bare and just have the fingerprint hearts, or paint the wood a contrasting color before making the finger prints. I made three necklaces...one with just my fingerprints as the controlled one (the one with just the date), one with my husband and daughter's fingerprints (for me), and another with my daughter and my finger prints (for my mom). These make great inexpensive gifts for loved ones. It's a nice way to get the kids involved in a wearable craft.
The way I made these requires using a Dremel rotary drill, but if you aren't confident with or have a power drill, I've included another simple way to make the hearts hang. My power drill was one of the best birthday gifts I've bought, and has been used for a lot of jewelry and art projects. If you know you'll get a lot of use out of small cordless drill, buy one, otherwise I'll have many jewelry projects with a work around for you all. The supply list is written for one necklace, so if you are making multiples, you'll need to increase certain supplies...hearts, chain, jump rings, paint amount, and lobster clasps. Ok, onto the tutorial!
SUPPLIES:
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) If you want to base coat your heart 1st, you'll need to paint it 1st before doing anything else. Pour a little of your desired base paint color onto your foam plate. Using your paint brush, paint the sides and edges of the heart, letting each dry in between. Give them all a 2nd coat if needed.
2) Wash your brush and dry it. Squeeze a little of the paint for the fingerprints on the foam plate. Using the clean paint brush paint the full pad of one finger. I chose my index finger, but my husband used his pinky. Carefully press the finger onto the heart, following one angle of the heart. Let that fingerprint dry. If you want to use the same finger for the 2nd print, you need to wash it clean of paint. Repeat this step for the 2nd fingerprint, following the opposite angle. Let the prints dry. Wash and dry the brush again.
3) With the paint pen, on the back of the heart, write names coordinating with the prints, or the date. Let them dry for a few minutes.
4) With the clean paint brush, paint a thin even layer of Mod Podge onto the sides and edges, letting them dry in between. Do a second layer if desired. Once the heart is completely dry, you can move on to the next step.
5) If you don't want to use a drill, you can spread a thin layer of E6000 onto the front of the bezel, and glue it to the back of the heart, with the loop centered in the valley of the heart. Let dry for overnight before wearing.
6) If you do want to use the drill, put the thick phone book or magazine on your work surface. Place the heart on top. With the drill on slow speed, carefully make a pilot hole near the valley of the heart. This is just deep enough to steady the drill while using the fast speed to finish the hole. If you aren't confident with using the drill on fast speed, you can finish drilling the hole on slow. You need to stop every few sections and clear the hole of wood dust.
7) Hold the heart still with your other hand, while you drill. If you don't hold it, the piece will spin freely when the hole is completed and possibly warp the hole. With the drill on fast, finish drilling the hole. Stop every few seconds to clear the hole of wood dust, for faster drilling.
8) With the two pliers, open a large jump ring by moving the ends opposite directions, back and forth, enough to slip the jump ring through the hole in the heart.
9) With your fingers, slip the jump ring through the hole in the heart. Using the two pliers, close the jump ring by moving the ends towards each other until they touch.
10) For the chain necklace, follow my Basic Pendant Chain Necklace Tutorial. You will need the chain, measuring tape, pliers, wire cutters, 2 remaining jump rings, and lobster clasp for this.
The way I made these requires using a Dremel rotary drill, but if you aren't confident with or have a power drill, I've included another simple way to make the hearts hang. My power drill was one of the best birthday gifts I've bought, and has been used for a lot of jewelry and art projects. If you know you'll get a lot of use out of small cordless drill, buy one, otherwise I'll have many jewelry projects with a work around for you all. The supply list is written for one necklace, so if you are making multiples, you'll need to increase certain supplies...hearts, chain, jump rings, paint amount, and lobster clasps. Ok, onto the tutorial!
SUPPLIES:
- 1 Small wood heart - I bought a pack of 12 from a craft store
- Acrylic paint - For making the hearts. I used red, but you can chose a different color if desired. I left the wood bare before printing, but you can paint the heart 1st, if you want a different contrast
- 1 Small flat paint brush - For painting fingers
- 1 Black fine paint pen - For writing
- Mod Podge Matte or Outdoor - For sealing the painted wood
- A cup with water - For cleaning the brush of paint and Mod Podge
- Paper towels - For cleaning the brush of paint and Mod Podge
- Foam plate - I'm fond of foam plates for holding paint while I work, but you can use something else if desired
- Wax paper - For protecting your work surface from the paint and Mod Podge
- Dremel drill with a small drill bit - For drilling the holes in the wood. I have a 7.2V Cordless MultiPro. It has 2 speeds and works well enough for my limited needs. The bit in my drill is 5/64"
- A thick phone book or magazine - For protecting the work surface while drilling
- 3 Silver jump ring - For attaching the pendant and making the chain necklace
- 2 Pairs of pliers - For opening and closing the jump rings
- Wire cutters - For cutting the chain
- Silver chain - For making the chain necklace
- 1 Silver lobster clasp - For closing the necklace
- A fabric measuring tape - For measuring the necklace length
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
If you aren't confident with or have a power drill, you can use these supplies to add a hook to the back of the hearts.
- 1 flat back bail - For hanging the heart pendant. I suggest these Heart Bails, since they go with the heart theme. There are rectangle and teardrop bails too. You need the kind with the flat section, for gluing
- E6000 glue - For attaching the bezel to back of the pendant
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) If you want to base coat your heart 1st, you'll need to paint it 1st before doing anything else. Pour a little of your desired base paint color onto your foam plate. Using your paint brush, paint the sides and edges of the heart, letting each dry in between. Give them all a 2nd coat if needed.
2) Wash your brush and dry it. Squeeze a little of the paint for the fingerprints on the foam plate. Using the clean paint brush paint the full pad of one finger. I chose my index finger, but my husband used his pinky. Carefully press the finger onto the heart, following one angle of the heart. Let that fingerprint dry. If you want to use the same finger for the 2nd print, you need to wash it clean of paint. Repeat this step for the 2nd fingerprint, following the opposite angle. Let the prints dry. Wash and dry the brush again.
5) If you don't want to use a drill, you can spread a thin layer of E6000 onto the front of the bezel, and glue it to the back of the heart, with the loop centered in the valley of the heart. Let dry for overnight before wearing.
6) If you do want to use the drill, put the thick phone book or magazine on your work surface. Place the heart on top. With the drill on slow speed, carefully make a pilot hole near the valley of the heart. This is just deep enough to steady the drill while using the fast speed to finish the hole. If you aren't confident with using the drill on fast speed, you can finish drilling the hole on slow. You need to stop every few sections and clear the hole of wood dust.
7) Hold the heart still with your other hand, while you drill. If you don't hold it, the piece will spin freely when the hole is completed and possibly warp the hole. With the drill on fast, finish drilling the hole. Stop every few seconds to clear the hole of wood dust, for faster drilling.
8) With the two pliers, open a large jump ring by moving the ends opposite directions, back and forth, enough to slip the jump ring through the hole in the heart.
9) With your fingers, slip the jump ring through the hole in the heart. Using the two pliers, close the jump ring by moving the ends towards each other until they touch.
10) For the chain necklace, follow my Basic Pendant Chain Necklace Tutorial. You will need the chain, measuring tape, pliers, wire cutters, 2 remaining jump rings, and lobster clasp for this.
That's it for this tutorial. I hope you all have an excellent Valentine's day with a loved one, family, or friends. Love doesn't need to be romantic to still be enjoyed. Happy makery!
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