Crackle Glass Pebble Pendants - Simple Gifts

This is one of those crafts that you make, and it's very gratifying.  These pendants are so pretty, and they are so versatile that they can easily become your favorite accessory.  I made several that were just clear glass, and the people who received them as gifts immediately said they were their go-to item when they needed a simple but elegant accessory. 

These are made with glass pebbles that are found in the floral and decorating department at places like Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.  You can find several colors to accessorize your outfits, represent a birth month, or they can look festive and fun for an upcoming holiday.  

Bake them in the oven, shock them into cracking with ice water, glue on a bail, and poof you're done!  See the specific instructions below.  Now have some fun! 

Here's how to make them.  

Crackle Glass Pebble Pendants

• Glass pebbles (I do many at a time so that I have them ready made)
• Wire glue-on bails (instructions on how to make these HERE)
• E6000 glue or Super Glue
• Chain, ribbon, or leather for necklace 
• Bowl of ice water 
• Cookie sheet or aluminum pan 
• Towel 

INSTRUCTIONS:  Place the glass pebbles in a pan in a single layer.  I do several at a time to save on energy and to make sure I have them ready for future crafts.  Place the glass pebbles in the oven, and turn it to 500 degrees.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Have ice water ready.  When pebbles come out of the oven, immediately dump them into the ice water.  They will sizzle, bubble, and some may even break, but the rest will begin to crackle.  Leave in the water for about 5-10 minutes, to allow pebbles to cool completely and finish crackling process.  Remove from water and drain on a towel. 

When ready to make, flip pebble over, and glue on one bail using E6000 glue, centering so pendant will hang evenly. 

Allow to dry/cure for 4 hours, preferably 24 hours.  Flip over and add necklace, then wear.  These are adorable as short pendants strung on a ribbon choker, or worn as a long statement necklace.  

Top 10 Posts of 2012

It's that time!  Time to reflect on the past year.  Since I just started this blog a little over 3 months ago, I don't have a whole lot of posts, but there have been over 100 of them.  I thought I'd do a recap of the most popular ones.  Click on the title of each numbered post to see the original. 

1.  Freezer to Crock Pot or Grill Recipes

Four recipes that were made to go straight from the freezer into either the crock pot or to place directly on the grill.  Recipes included Mango Chipotle Chicken, Smothered Pork Chops, Beef Tips, and Pepper Steak. 

2.  Sharpie Decorated Mugs - Simple Gifts

Directions on how to use Sharpie markers and plain white mugs or dishes from the dollar store to make gifts.  Decorate and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

3.  Kasie's Mom's Calzone Recipe - Guest Post 

This was a guest post written by my friend, Kasie Robinson, who is a fellow transcriptionist and jewelry maker.  Check out her awesome story and recipe, and then cruise on over to her Artfire shop HERE for some darling earrings.  

4.  Broke Food - Pad Thai Ramen 

Make a tasty, exotic-tasting meal with simple ingredients from your cupboards.  This recipe features that ever-popular food Ramen noodles but is dressed up in a way that is satisfying to both your taste buds and your pocketbook. 

5.  Freezer to Crock Pot Cooking Tips

A list of hints and helps for turning your own recipes into freezer-to-crock pot meals.  

6.  Grocery Savings Strategies 

Tips, tricks, and thoughts about saving on groceries that do not normally go on sale or have coupons readily available. 

7.  Crock Pot Foil Packets for Veggies 

Want to cook all your food at once but don't want the flavors to mix?  Foil packets for the crock pot may be the answer.  Just wrap up your items, seal in foil, and place in the crock pot!

8.  Wire Wrapped Glass Pebble Pendants - Simple Gift 

Use a dollar store glass pebble, wire, and some pliers to make a beautiful, unique, and simple gift. 

9.  Freezer to Crock Pot - Salsa Chicken 

This is a recipe for the crock pot that is basically chicken chili but uses chili ingredients rather than the usual white sauce that's associated with chicken dishes. 

10.   Homemade Glue-On Wire Bails - Simple Gifts 

This is a tutorial for how to make a glue-on bail that turns almost any object into a pendant for a necklace.  Simple, easy, and very pretty! 

There they are!  The most popular posts for 2012.  Thank you to all my readers who have made this adventure so much fun.  I look forward to seeing what 2013 has to bring!

Simple Gifts - Homemade Glue-On Wire Bail for Pendants

 Glue-on bails are so much fun.  They can turn just about anything into a pendant to wear as necklace.  However, buying glue-on bails is expensive if you're trying to keep costs down.  There's an easier way.  Grab a spool of Artistic Wire jewelry grade wire from a craft store such as Hobby Lobby or Michael's and make your own!

I usually buy around 20 gauge wire in a nontarnish finish.  There are several colors, but I'm fond of the simple colors such as silver, gold, or aged brass. 

I'll be doing another post on Wednesday for hardware store jewelry as a  simple gift, and these glue-on bails make excellent parts of this project, so watch for the blog post! 

GLUE-ON WIRE BAILS 

ITEMS NEEDED:

• Approximately 6-7 inches of jewelry grade wire (I prefer Artistic Wire brand)
• Wire snips
• Needle-nose pliers wrapped with tape or round nosed pliers for jewelry making
• An ink pen or pencil to serve as a mandrel to wrap the wire around
• E6000 glue (to glue bail onto object). 

General information: Keep in mind the weight of the object this bail is going to be glued to.  If the object is heavier, you may want to use the double-loop technique for more strength.  If you wish to just use a single-loop bail, you may want to use a heavier/thicker gauge wire. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SINGLE-LOOP GLUE-ON WIRE BAIL:  Snip off approximately 6-7 inches of wire.  Straighten the wire and run it between your fingers several times to heat and soften the wire.  Eyeball  approximately the middle of the wire  and wrap it around your pen/pencil.  Twist it 3-4 times.  Make sure ends of wire are even.   You might need to snip off a little bit to get an even length.  

Next, begin curling the wires in a spiral either inward or outward.   Make the first curl around the end of the pliers.  

Then remove the pliers and use the flat part of the plier to grasp and turn the wire in circles to form a spiral.  I usually do at least 3 full spiral loops.  

Repeat this on the opposite side until the the spirals are even.  Do not curl too close to the loop so that you have  room to glue the spirals to the back of the object.  You'll need the "stem" part between the curls and the bail to show.  

Glue to the back of your object with E6000 and  allow to dry for a minimum of 4 hours... preferably 24 hours.  

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOUBLE-LOOP GLUE-ON WIRE BAIL (Shown in top photo):  Snip off two sections of wire, approximately 6-7 inches long.  Loop both wires around the pen/pencil, then twist 3 times to form a stem.  Cut the tails of the  wire so that the  wire closest to the bail is shorter than the bottom wire.  Beginning with the top  wire, form spirals, as instructed in the single-loop bail instructions.  Use approximately 4 spirals for the top wire.  For the bottom wire, repeat, but make only about 3 spirals.  See photos above.   Curl either inward or outward, as your artistic inspiration fits.  Do not curl spirals too close to the stem of the bail, as the bail will be too close to the pendant.  You want to  have enough  room to glue the spirals to the  back of the item, have room for a small stem, and then the bail.  Once finished, remove the pen/pencil from the bail, straighten, and glue on  using E6000 glue.

These bails are so simple to make and can turn a plain item into something very elegant just by gluing one of these to the back.  If you have glass decorative marbles used as fillers for  vases, glue one of these to the  back for a simple yet elegant pendant!  Glue one to the  back of an interesting button.  Find a pretty rock that has been polished?  Glue a bail to that and wear it as a necklace!  The possibilities are endless.