Safety Pin Jewelry

Original Pin

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/467318898804769691/

Safety Pin Jewelry

This is the craft idea that I got to make for the minions.  I figured, "OOOOO, I can try this to see if it is something I can do with the kids at a gathering to keep them from running all over the place". Then I started it. It takes time. A lot of time. And a lot of patience. And a lot of little pieces going to here and there and everywhere. If you have 1 or 2 children, on a rainy day, and you have the materials, times, and patience, this is perfect. If you don't, don't do it to yourself. I took the short-cut for this. My craft was a necklace to see if it would even work. Not bad, but definitely not a "you must do this tomorrow" kind of kiddie craft. 

Materials 

Beads

Safety Pins

Glue

Thread/Ribbon/Rope

Extras

Charms

How I Did It

I bought the beads and the safety pins from the Dollar Store and the Tacky Glue and charm from Hobby Lobby. For one necklace, it cost less than $3.00.

Now, the craft calls for a stretchy type of rope/string/ribbon, which I purchased and attempted to use.

Try tying a knot with this thing. Try it. I dare you. Because if you can do it, please, take video, send it to me, and help me because I could not, for the life of me knot this stuff AT ALL. After about 30 minutes of struggling, I panicked and thought "Craft time over, I have nothing to post on Wednesday". Then I realized I have ribbon from a project I had in the past for a friend and decided to try it with that. 

I attached the charm to the center of the ribbon and tied it off.

Then, I began to work on the safety pins themselves. I went with three difference sizes, as I wanted to make a cascading look on either side of the necklace. I used different sizes in the beads and playing around with which beads when on to which safety pin. Once I figured that out, I put a little of the Tacky Glue on the pointy end of the pin and closed it shut. 

Next, I figured out exactly how I wanted the necklace to look when it was completed. You thread the string through the hole at the bottom of the safety pin, not where the pin closes (unless you are creating a bracelet, then you have to string it through both ends). Once you have them all the pins on both sides, tie each end with a knot. 

Now, this is where you can get creative. I did not finish it because I did not know how I wanted to finish it. It is long enough to be a necklace, but it could also work as a bracelet. There are two ways you can end this; you can slip knot the end of the string to each other, allow you to adjust the length and size, or you can buy a hook and eyelet to tie at each end, setting an exact length. Since I am going to have to make multiple of these, I figured the hook and eyelet route is going to be the best bet. In the end you have a pretty cool piece of jewelry that is homemade and took a decent amount of time to make, which mean less time that the kids will have to destroy something else.

Conclusion - Maybe Pin It

This is a 3 pin project. It is fun. It is a good use of time and energy. But it is a lot of time. It is a lot of patience. It is a lot of little balls that you will be vacuuming up for the next 6 months. Only attempt this if you really think that your kids will sit down and not make a complete wreck of your work area and there is NOTHING else to do.