Are you looking to add a hint of color and pattern to your summer wardrobe this year? Instead of splurging on designer tops and dresses, consider updating your closet with a few simple pieces of DIY jewelry! Below, you’ll learn how to transform plain wooden beads into three colorful, patterned necklaces using paint and simple gold chains.
Mix up your favorite colors of acrylic paint on a plastic paint tray using a paint brush and different proportions of Liquitex Basics Value Series Acrylic Colors Set. Once you have the colors just right, slide Medium Round Wood Beads onto wooden dowels and aluminum pipes so that they don’t move around on their own. Leave about two inches of space between the beads so that they don’t touch each other during the painting process.
Dip your detail paint brush into white paint, and add alternating large and small circles to the beads. Allow the paint to dry for 10 minutes, and then add a second coat of paint so that you don’t see the wood finish beneath the white paint.
Dip your detail paint brush into the colors you mixed in Step 1, and create coordinating dots on top of the white ones you made in Step 2. Leave a white border around the colors to make them pop. Allow the colored paint to dry for 10 minutes, and then paint on a second coat of each so that you don’t see the white painted circle through the colored paint.
You may also want to paint a few wooden beads in solid colors for added contrast. Allow the finished beads to dry on the dowels or pipes for an hour before handling.
Remove the beads from the dowels or pipes. Since this set of Goldtone Chains comes in a package of three, lay out your beads on a flat surface, playing with them in three groups until you are satisfied with the color and pattern combinations. Use needle nose pliers to help you string the beads one by one onto the gold chains.
Once you are happy with your bead combinations, clamp the necklaces closed to keep the beads from coming off. Now, you can hang them next to your vanity or place them in a jewelry tray to slip on and off as the mood strikes.
These DIY painted necklaces are darling when layered together over a chambray shirt paired with linen shorts, and they even look great on their own with a simple sundress. Get creative with your ensembles and be prepared for compliments all season long!