Lightning In A Bottle Tutorial

Remember that time (a few days back) I showed you this Guess The Mystery Thing necklace, featuring a little captive Cupid?

Then I revealed the secret ingredient...

Binky!!!  That's right.  A dollar store baby pacifier plus a little imagination equals lightning in a bottle.  Here are two more versions - aren't they cute?

Want to DIY?  It's pretty simple and lots of fun!

Start by cutting off your nipple with a sharp pair of scissors.  (Note: I will never write those words again, and you shouldn't either.)

Find a small embellishment that will fit inside.  Shove it in there.  Then use a pushpin to poke holes through both lips of the opening.

To finish off the top, you need a headpin, a flat spacer bead and a somewhat skinny filigree jewelry finding:

Suggestions on where to find the filigree: try part of an old chandelier earring, or peruse the 'earring findings' section at a craft or bead store.

Now thread the headpin through the filigree, the nipple and the spacer bead, like so:

Fold the headpin up so it holds everything together.  Trim the headpin short (about 1/2 inch) and make a little bitty loop.  Turn it nice and tight against the flat spacer.

Now you have the basic pendant!

Optional: try curving the filigree a bit, if it's pliable.

Then add a jump ring and a chain, and huzzah!  Necklace done!

Here's the back view:

It's very fun to experiment with different embellishments.  I made this ladybug one for a seven-year-old:

In this more grown-up version, I used little nature charms and mixed metals:

One comment about these.  As any mom or baby knows, a pacifier will pick up a bit of fluff when not firmly planted in someone's mouth.  Your necklace will definitely attract the occasional fiber or sprinkling of dust.  Just wipe with a damp cloth to de-fluff.  (Resist the urge to pop it in your mouth.  Not a good look!  Trust me on this one.)

So do tell - what would you put inside your binky?

Okay, my crafty fiends, that's today's upcycled jewelry project.  Hope you come back for more.