Holidays make us all sparkle, even into the New Year, and this year was no exception but instead a reminder of past sparkles in my history. Being a performing artist for so many years had quite its fair share of the wonderful invention we call G l i t t e r. Glitter on the eyes, chest, hair, body, and eyelashes was just a regular routine for a dancer and her friends. And as the B52’s sing….on the mattress and the highway too!

I was taken back to the old days of high school and ballet classes circa 1990’s lately, and remembered a wonderful and fun gift exchanged during performances. The Fairy dust package, or bottle. To some it was simply enchanting. Mysterious and fun. Maybe just a mess to parents, but we ballerinas and dreamers loved it.

I decided to bring the enchantment back to life this Christmas in the form of a gift for my five year old cousin. While making it again this inspired me to do a tutorial which I will complete below. Hope you love it a much as we do.

Long live the glitter!

Here is what we will be making:

Materials used:

• One glass bottle pendant from your local Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, or online bead shop. Some have cork tops like this one shown, others may be screw on or pop top.
• Some sort of stringing material. I used ribbon but substitutes may include leather, silk, rayon, waxed linen, strung beads or even chain.
• Finely dusted glitter. The finer the better since it is a magic dust, but once again anything may do.
• Charm, crystal, or other embellishment. I’ve used a Swarovski glass crystal as a choice in this tutorial.
• Jump Rings, Spring Rings, Wire.
• Jewelry tools. Scissors.
• Small piece of folded paper for transferring glitter.
• Fray Check.

Step One:

You are not restricted to any order here, so have fun. I started with the bottle because I looked forward to filling it with glitter.

Take the folded paper piece and pour a liberal amount of dust / glitter into the crease and into the bottle. Make it as full as you want, or whatever is pleasing to the eye. You have the option of either leaving the bottle open if it is a cork or removable top, or gluing the top securely.

Step Two:

Next we want to embellish the bottle with either a jump ring, spring ring, or simply wire some sort of looped piece that we can run the ribbon, cord, or leather through. If you use a flat or thin ribbon, be warned that it will slip through the ring. In one completed versions I chose a larger jump ring. This also gives the advantage of adding other components or charms later. In another I tried a spring ring, which works like a keychain. You may also want to experiment with wire for a more organic look.

Open the jumpring with jewelry pliers, either round nose or flat nose. There are many tutorials on techniques, but most importantly, you do not want to separate the ring by pulling the ends away from each other. This will ruin the natural shape of the ring. Instead you want to pull each end away from the other. For the spring ring I use something to create enough opening that will allow the ribbon or cord to pass through, like loading a keychain.

To find lessons on technique and beginner tutorials and supplies, I am supplying a link to Fusion Beads. Love their service and site.

Step Three:

Now it ‘s time for the Swarovski heart to be added. Here I have used a sterling silver wire here, 22 gauge. Openings in glass charms can break easily with force, so I carefully run the wire through and create a twist of of two or three swirls, clipping the tail end off with my wire cutters. This dabs into wire twisting technique a little bit. You could double the wire here, even cage the heart with a wire wrap.

I want to attach this wire to the jump ring, so I run it through and secure another twist.

Step Four:

Lastly, we string the ribbon through the loop and secure the ends with a knot. I then add some fray check to the tips to prevent stray hairs. You could go with a clasp or anything on the ends. This was an easy solution for the wearer, who puts everything over her head.

Voila! You’re done. Now enjoy your little morsel of magic, and don’t hesitate to put your own twist on this. Ideas are endless when you think of all the colors of glitter and ribbon, leather, clasps, and more. Please check back to my site for added information and links to additional resources. And just in case you would like to purchase a pre-made creation, please link to the store and original product here.

Thanks for stopping by!

~McGlamorous