I made several of these scrabble tile pendants as graduation gifts (along with bookmarks) They were so easy and so much fun. Here goes my very first tutorial....
Gather your basic supplies. There are several other necessities, but I'll tell you about them or show them to you as we navigate through this.
Break out the Mod Podge to adhere your papers to the back side of each tile. Don't use the Dimensional Magic shown above for this, but the waterbase sealer/glue. I used the Matte formula. Allow it to dry for at least an hour. Tip: a blow-dryer speeds up that time!
Now, carefully trim off the excess paper with an x-acto knife or use sandpaper. I like to use sandpaper, but be careful to sand downward in one direction only or else your paper might lift.
First, place your image over the paper. I used a butterfly sticker here. I also used butterfly images that I shrunk down to the appropriate size then printed off my printer. A caution here though. Spray your image with a workable fixatif and let it dry...or else your image will bleed. Not good! I used vellum paper to print my scripture reference, then I sprayed it, let it dry, then used Mod Podge to adhere it to my tile.
Then, I used Plaid's Extreme Glitter Hologram. I just brushed it over the butterfly. It gives a really nice glittery effect without covering up the color or detail in the butterfly. It dries quick, but I let mine sit for a least an hour to make sure. Or I break out my trusty blow dryer! I slightly distressed the edges of my tile. Here I used a brown distressing ink first then blue.
This is the fun part! Oh yea, if you want, you can add a rhinestone. I like to add it before I smother my tile in Dimensional Magic, but you can also add it after. Simply attach it with a dot of Super Glue. I also used a Sharpie to draw on little antennae.
Now, I don't know if this would make a difference or not, but I put the Dimensional Magic around the edges first then fill in the middle. Allow it to dry for at least 3 hours in an undisturbed place, no blow-dryer here!
Use Super Glue to attach the bail (I actually use small Aanraku bails). Work quick because it only gives you a few seconds before it's stuck in that place forever! Add a chain and here you have it, a recycled and up-cycled scrabble tile! The butterfly and rhinestone actually sparkle more than this photo reveals. The Dimensional Magic leaves behind a thick glassy look.
I made this one for my daughter Sarah (I also sell these in my Etsy shoppe). I turned the tile sideways to accompany the shape of the crown.
I made these Scripture book marks to go along with the butterfly pendants. I thought it would be nice to have the verse written out since only the reference would fit on the tile. I wrapped them up and gave them as graduation gifts.
I hope you enjoyed my first tutorial. There will be more to come :)
ps. I would be delighted to answer any questions you might have (or to hear your feedback); just ask me in the comment section and I'll get right back to ya!
