Way back in 2015 I shared an idea as a guest over at The Pinning Mama to make a pendant from a popsicle stick.

Here in the UK we call these lolly sticks, or craft sticks if they are bought in packs from a craft shop. We also spell jewellery like this and not jewelry! This is causing me no end of trouble as I give this tutorial a title and add some words to the photos. I’m mixing my British English with American English! Hopefully you can all crack the code and know what I’m talking about!

Anyway, whatever you call them they are fun to make jewellery from, very inexpensive and a perfect craft for kids and adults. I’ve expanded the original idea to make more jewellery items to share with you today.

How to make jewellery with Wooden Craft Sticks

To make a popsicle stick jewellery you need:

• Popsicle / lolly / craft sticks mine were 2cm wide

• Scraps of pretty paper

• Mod Podge or PVA

• A drill with tiny drill bit

• A craft knife and metal ruler

• A jump ring (mine were 7mm x 5mm oval)

• Chain of your choice

• Earring findings

• Clear Sealant Spray (optional but probably a good idea)

In these photos I jump between several different versions, different papers. I just took a bunch of photos as I went and then picked the clearest, the method is the same throughout.

First make holes centrally at each end of the stick about 3mm from the edge using the drill. Don’t get any closer to the edge than this or you risk the wood splitting. You can get 2 pendants or 1 pair of earrings from each stick. I’d recommend drilling holes in a whole load of sticks, just so you have plenty in case any do split.

Next cut the end off the stick. Measure and mark a pencil line then slice it several times with a craft knife (against a metal ruler for the first couple of cuts) until it’s cut right through. 5 or 6 cuts on each side should do it. You can make this any length you want depending on what paper you will be using to decorate, mine varied from 3cm to about 4.5cm. Use a little bit of sandpaper to smooth any rough edges.

Paint a layer of Mod Podge over the little wooden piece and lay your little scrap of decorative paper over and smooth it to make sure there are no bubbles. If you have a bit of the paper you want to centralise, just hold it up to the window and slide it into position before the glue dries.

Leave to dry and then cut out using your craft knife or small scissors. Do leave it to dry, it only needs about 30 mins to an hour at the most. If you try to cut round with a craft knife whilst the glue is still wet it is highly likely to drag the paper and cause wrinkles.

Poke through the hole again with a cocktail stick or skewer, as you will have covered it with paper.

Coat with a layer of Mod Podge to seal and leave to dry again. Do one side and then the other, leaving to dry each time.

You may wish to seal your jewellery further with a spray sealant.

Add a jump ring and chain of your choice if you are making a pendant.

For earing just add earring findings. These decorated wooden sticks are super lightweight so ideal for earrings.

This is a great project for any age, for younger children you’d need to prepare the popsicle sticks ready by pre drilling and cutting them and letting the kids glue the paper in place, teens could probably be fine with supervision. You know your children and their abilities best!

I especially love this jewellery set made with a craft themed paper. My paper came inside a craft magazine many, many years ago but I’ve found a few similar ones here, here and here.

Fun, easy, cheap! What more do you want from your craft projects?!

Julie

I’ll be sharing this idea at these link ups