Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and that means that local jewelry stores are in overdrive trying to sell necklaces, bracelets, and rings costing three to four figures. Granted, I am not much of a fine jewelry gal (or a Valentine’s Day gal, for that matter), but that seems crazy to me. I like the idea of showing a friend, family member, or spouse you care about her, but I don’t see why it should cost a month’s rent to do so.
I much prefer a one-of-a-kind gift that really means something specific. These Message in a Bottle Necklaces are made from dollar store materials and cost next to nothing to make. But, when personalized with a unique sentiment written in your own handwriting, they become just as priceless as any cookie cutter diamond tennis bracelet.
When I showed you my Mad in Crafts Work Room a few months back I pointed out these teensy bottles of microbeads that I found at Dollar Tree. The contents are actually decorations for nail art, and each $1 package contains EIGHT mini bottles! The miniature vials with their miniature stoppers were prime for a jewelry project… and I finally got around to it!
Mich from the fabulous blog Mich. L. in L.A. made adorable jewelry out of the these bottles with the glitter still in them. She’s the one who really knows how to make jewelry, by the way. I have neither the tools nor the patience to deal with the minutia of jewelry making on a regular basis, so these necklaces are a rare project for me. If those stinking bottles weren’t absolutely screaming to be made into jewelry, I think I would have skipped it. But, no matter how often I told them to PIPE DOWN OVER THERE, they were insistent. “We must become accessories,” they demanded. And so I obeyed.
To make Message in a Bottle Necklaces, you will need:
dollar store nail glitter set (bottles emptied of glitter)
paper and pen
jump rings (optional)
additional charms (optional)
Begin by tearing a strip of paper to size. In order for the message to fit in the bottle, the short edge of the paper must be no wider than the height of the bottle. It turned out that I tore this strip a smidge wide so I had to tear off a few bits to make it fit. On the paper, write whatever secret message is special to you: song lyrics, a special date, a Bible verse, whatever. Just make it be meaningful and written in your own handwriting.
My husband’s and my first dance at our wedding reception was to “Passenger Seat” by Death Cab for Cutie. The final lyrics of the song are “For all time” so that phrase is always special to me.
Using your precision tweezers, roll the slip of paper into a tight roll and insert it into the tiny bottle. Replace the stopper and your message in a bottle charm is complete!
At this point, you can slide your charm onto a chain, add the closures, and call it done. Simple, meaningful and beautiful. All hallmarks of a lovely Valentine’s Day gift.
If you want to take things a step further, you can add the bottle stopper to a jump ring with another small charm. I chose a pearl to keep with the “lost at sea” feel of the piece.
These are very elegant necklaces (especially considering the price tag) and they are neutral enough to be worn with most day-to-day outfits.
If you want to make more of a statement necklace, try adding a large pendant behind the bottle. This mother-of-pearl-esque charm frames out the bottle and draws the eye.
However you style the actual necklace, it is the sentiment inside that counts. And that’s kind of a lovely message for a Valentine’s Day gift to have, isn’t it?
Full disclosure HERE.
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Thanks, Jessica Hill
