Double Tear-Drop Necklace Tutorial

So even though I am back home visiting the rents, I am still crafting a whole bunch. This is my favorite so far:

And guess what? It cost me less than $20 to make! 


I found this on Pinterest and put it on my "to-do" list. Well, when my little sister came in town to visit she was wearing a similar one and she got TONS of compliments. So of course I had to make it!


The original tutorial is found over here at The Morning Letters blog. She did an amazing job at the tutorial! I suggest reading it, she goes into great detail!


Here is what I did in photos:

First, I painted the teardrop acrylic gems. I found them at Hobby Lobby in a packet of 2 for about $2. They are 2 different sizes: one is about 3 inches long and the other is half that size. I painted them in acrylic paint. Since this was my first attempt and I am a perfectionist, I messed up a few times. Good thing about acrylic paint on these gems: You can peel off the paint if you mess up! I ended up painting 2 coats and finding it too clumpy so I peeled it off. The next time, I dipped my brush in water before the paint to thin it out. This worked much better even though I had to apply 3 coats this time. I let them dry one side at a time on wax paper. 

After the acrylic paint dried, I applied 2 coats of a gloss varnish that can be used with acrylic paint. This gave the gems a shiny protective coat.


*These gems are not the easiest to find. I tried Michael's, A.C. Moore, and a few other small craft stores. No luck. Hobby Lobby was the only store BUT I also found them on Amazon!*

After the gems dried, it was time to string them. I bought 1/4 inch ribbon, glass beads, and jump rings (big ones!). I decided the larger gems would be my bottom string and the smaller gems would be on the top string. 
 

After stringing both strands, it was time to tie them together. I wanted to use a larger bead but couldn't find any that matched, so I just used a bead the same size and it worked fine. 
 

I double knotted the 2 strands together after stringing them through the bead. I tied a knot at both ends. When I wear the necklace I just tie it in a pretty bow at both ends!


I plan on making a variation of this necklace for my little sister's birthday gift. No worries, she knows about it already. I plan on sharing that tutorial too! 


I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and try it out yourselves, it was very easy for me. This was my first time making any sort of jewelry and it turned out great!