{DIY Name Necklace}

Hey, y'all!  Last week, I shared this DIY Name Necklace at Through the Eyes of the Mrs.  Today, I want to share it with y'all.

Have you ever seen those acrylic name necklaces?  They can be a bit pricey, and they have to be custom made.  You can make one inexpensively yourself with just a few supplies.  The main supplies you need are Shrinky Dink plastic, paint, and necklace making supplies.  (Shrinky Dink plastic sheets are about the thickness of a transparency.  When the sheets are baked, they shrink and harden.)  The other supplies you probably already have on hand.  Start by printing out the name for the necklace.

You need to be aware of a couple of things, though.  First of all, Shrinky Dink plastic will shrink down 1/3 it's original size in the oven.  Whatever size you want your name to be, you need to print the name three times larger.  Also, you need all the letters in the name to touch.  I created the name I used with my Silhouette program.  I chose a cursive font (That's Font Folks), ungrouped the letters, scooted any letters not touching together, and then welded the shapes together.  Then I simply printed out the image.  After the image is printed, you need to trace your name on a sheet of Shrinky Dink plastic (follow the directions on the package) and cut out the traced image.  Use a craft knife for those impossible-to-cut spots.

Then paint the rough side of the plastic with acrylic paint.  (Other mediums can be used.  Those are listed on the package.)  Punch a hole on each side of the name where you plan to attach the necklace chain.  You MUST do this before baking the piece.  Then it's time to bake.

Bake the name according to the Shrinky Dink plastic directions.  Please do not rob yourself of the joy of watching the name curl up like the Wicked Witch of the West's feet in The Wizard of Oz!  You need to watch the name shrink anyway because sometimes when the piece shrinks, you need to quickly manipulate it with a toothpick to straighten up a piece that shrinks crookedly.

In the image above, you can see the printed name I traced and the baked name.  The baked name will be a hard plastic now.  To keep the paint from coming off the back of the name, you need to seal it some way.  I simply coated mine with Mod Podge.  Then it's time to add glitter because, let's face it, everything is better with glitter!

Coat the top of the name with Mod Podge and sprinkle with glitter.  To keep the glitter from coming off the necklace, I covered the top with a layer of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.  The only step left after the piece dries is attaching the necklace.

Thread jump rings attached to lengths of chain through the name holes.  Attach a clasp to the chain, and you're done!

 I think this necklace looks a lot like the acrylic versions.  The name is not as hard as acrylic would be, and if you jerk it around, it could definitely break.  But with that being said, it's so inexpensive, easy to make, and beautiful!  Plus, everyone should use Shrinky Dink plastic once in her life because it's so fun to watch shrink in the oven!!!