DIY #4 Big pearl necklace

Hi decorating fans! 

Today we're meeting for a new DIY (I'm not teaching you anything new)! 

With the arrival of the beautiful days I wanted to decorate in a way that makes you travel. That's why I propose you to make this necklace of big pearl inspired by Bali decoration. 

Material 

You will need :

• self-hardening clay, I bought mine on amazon from Pébéo (1Kg will do)
• macramé string (for the pom-pom) 
• scisors
• some string 
• a toothpick 
• white acrylic paint 
• bicarbonate of soda
• and a knife to cut the clay

Decorating tips 

• I opted for white paint but once finished you are free to choose the colour you want for your necklace
• The same goes for the pompom! I made it out of macramé rope but you can also make it out of wool, coloured or not! 
• I also chose to make this size of ball but you can also choose to make more or less balls than me, you can also make them bigger or smaller (to each his taste!!!)
• Once finished you can hang this necklace or put it on one of your furniture for example 
• It will go as well inside as outside in a room or a living room!

The necklace 

Step 1 

Cut your clay into small pieces to form balls of the same size. 

Form your balls with your hands. You won't get perfect balls! But it is these imperfections that we are looking for. They are the charm of this necklace! If you have too many imperfections you can smooth the dough with water. 

Step 2 

Once your balls are formed you will insert a pick or toothpick inside to make a hole so that the string of the necklace can pass inside. Be careful not to make the hole too small or the string will not fit! 

Step 3 

Your balls are now shaped and pierced. I made 30 of them (it was so long!!!!). You will now have to wait at least 2 nights for it to dry as the balls are thick (yes, a little patience).  

Step 4 

Once the balls are completely dry you will mix some paint with baking soda.

Paint your balls quite roughly and wait one more night for the paint to dry.  The bicarbonate of soda mixed with your paint will give this rather rough and artisanal aspect to your creation! It creates a chalky look, a bit like pottery!

Step 5 

Now all you have to do is thread the beads onto your string and tie a knot! You can put a piece of macramé string to form a loop so you can hang your necklace. 

The pom-pom 

Step 1 

Come and cut several pieces of rope of about 30cm (actually I chose 30 cm but you can take more if you want a longer pompom, or less for a shorter one !!!!)

Step 2

Come and fray the strands of these strings until you get the thickness you want for your pompom. 

We won't hide it, the more it is provided, the better it is !

Step 3 

Take another strand of string and tie all these other strands together. Don't make the mistake of cutting the string (I can see you want to cut it, but I promise you it will be useful!). 

With another strand you will tie the other strands together again. 

And bimmmm, a pompom. Easy, isn't it? 

Step 4 

Now you will cut the end of the pompom to make it even.

Isn't that nice? 

Step 5

Last step before you can admire your masterpiece. You are going to tie the end of the string of the pompom (that you obviously did not cut just before :)) to the necklace. 

And here is the result! Nice, isn't it? I find the result very summery!

If you reproduce this DIY, don't hesitate to share it with me! Use the #margotathomeDIY on social networks and send me your pictures at margotathomeblog@gmail.com, I'll be happy to repost them! 

By Margot