Washer Necklace

The main one was as a gift for my kids I teach at church. I had been wanting to give them something, but didn’t want to spend too much, and I didn’t want it to be a crappy gift.

Like I said, that is when the light went off. I was ECSTATIC!

The first thing that I had to get was the metal stamp set. I ordered it online from Harbor Freight. It cost me about $7 plus shipping. If you have one locally, it could be even cheaper!

I got my washers from Home Depot. I didn’t check the tutorial first to see what sizes I needed; I just eyeballed it. I SHOULD have though. I bought 3/8″ and 5/16″. These are a bit too close in size. I should have bought the 3/8″ and 1/2″ to get the bottom washer to show better. Also – when you go, make sure to check colors. I had to do a lot of searching to get two bags that were the exact same. Who knew metal had different colors? (the guy I asked to help me certainly didn’t! lol)

Stamping was much harder than I thought it would be! I had to stamp outside on the cement to get a good indent in the washer. Good thing washers are so cheap!
Here is how many I went through:

Another great tip for you guys is really pay attention to the way the stamp is facing. I swear I double checked and still ended up with these:

E’s, C’s, and G’s all have to go a certain way. Note taken!

Here’s a funny story for you though! I lost brain cells when I had my son, and they’ve yet to come back. (Yes, I know they aren’t coming back. I’m just hoping I make some new ones!)

Last night I needed to test out the stamp set. Since it was so late I did it in the basement on the concrete. My hubby came down with me for man support (metal stamping seems manly to me.) I started with C and did my first stamp. I was SO UPSET! I couldn’t believe they had sent me a defective stamp set! My hubby asked to look at it and immediately started laughing. He said “You stamped it the wrong way! (laugh laugh) If you do it this way, you might get what you want. (More laughing.)” I’m not alone in these moments, am I? I guess if I had to choose, I’d rather be dumb than have a defective stamping set!

Once you finish stamping, it’s time for permanent markering. According to the tutorial, all you need is a baby wipe to wipe off the marker when you’re done. Well, you do need one, but you better wipe it off fast! I mean FAST! As in have the wipe right next to the washer in your hand ready to go, under one second FAST.

To put it together I used a 3/8″ Pink sheer ribbon from TRR, a bead I found at JoAnn’s, which was incredibly hard to find. Remember the bead needs to be big enough to fit the ribbon through. I also used magnetic clasps to make it easy for my girls to put on.

Now when you cut the ribbon, put it on the washers and then put the bead on. The bead should go on before the clasps do. I might have learned this the hard way. Another tip is to cut the ribbon diagonally so it is easier to put through the clasps. I tied two knots on both sides of the clasps and just one knot worked perfectly.

And here is my first attempt!

I also stamped the little girl’s name on the back to make it more personalized.
Do you think she’ll love it?

Mine didn’t turn out quite as well as Emily’s, but I’m pretty sure it takes lots of practice. Don’t worry I have 7 kids in my class (6 girls, 1 boy) so I will be getting lots of it!

Want to see the tutorial? Check out Not So Idle Hands.