I am not a reliable Christmas gift-giver. I think it’s because I talk myself out of giving gifts that aren’t perfect. One year I made a whole batch of dipped oreos to send to a friend and then I couldn’t get the packaging just right and so I ended up eating them all myself.
Halfway through this resin jewelry project, I got stuck because jewelry turns out to be very tiny and tedious. You can buy jewelry supplies at Hobby Lobby or Joanne but they won’t be very high quality. And you’ll still end up talking yourself into buying fifty bucks worth of tiny bits and bobs that will scatter all over the floor when you rip the tiny bag open with more force than necessary.
You need teeny pliers and teeny wire cutters, and maybe a teeny saw and teeny soldering iron.
Your little girl will secretly try on all the clearance necklace chains you bought from Kohl’s and jumble them into hopeless, tangled wads. So the project will sit on your bedroom dresser while your husband piles his clean underwear on top. (Someone help me figure out how to use the drawers in a dresser–it would change our lives.)
Besides, I don’t even wear jewelry, so that real quick turns into an excuse to not finish the project. But I really love letters and words and typewriters. I worked really hard on prying the keys off that old typewriter. Braved the toxic resin fumes. And I wanted to make a couple more presents. So I wiggled and willed my nimble fingers into shape and did some more crafting this afternoon.
This is the locket necklace that inspired the madness:
I bought it for $26 at a local boutique and immediately decided I should try and make my own. The original is not perfect nor well-crafted (you can see the glue poking out under the edging around the letter key). So why do I think my jewelry (and oreos) need to be perfect before gifting?
Here is the shift key sunk into a wooden resin circle frame and affixed with a jump ring to a hoop necklace. I didn’t do a great job of sanding off the resin that seeped under the charm. But who cares? It’s a one-of-a-kind, fun little statement piece that is sure to spark interest.
Best of all, I learned something new.
Here’s to finishing what we started!
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