frida necklace

turn a kindergarten craft into something super snazzy.

i've had frida kahlo on my mind lately. specifically, her chunky beaded necklaces. when i came across some big dyed wood craft beads, i knew immediately what they were destined for. i bought 2 packages to have a variety of colors to choose from, and it was a good thing because there were a lot of defects.

• nylon paracord, cut into 2 strands: 16" and 18.5" long
• 15mm dyed wood beads
• 20mm dyed wood beads
• 25mm dyed wood beads
• gold toggle clasp with cord caps
• glue gun and glue sticks
• needle and thread that matches the cord
• lighter, and files (if necessary)

• with lighter, burn the ends of each cord to prevent fraying and help with stringing the beads.

• check to make sure the beads have a clean hole drilled. if there are any splinters, they will snag the cord. i had to give all the beads a quick filing to make them smooth.
• string beads on cords, putting the largest sized beads in the middle. the longer cord uses all three sizes of beads, the shorter uses the smallest and middle size beads.

• keeping the ends of both cords lined up, stitch them together securely. trim the ends, keeping in mind that the toggle cap needs to cover the thread completely.
• heat up hot glue gun and apply a drop to the cord ends. insert into toggle caps and let cool completely.