Monday, April 15, 2013

Make A Parakeet Mirror Pendant

Polly wanna necklace?



I made them from parakeet mirrors.

(crickets)


You know, parakeet mirrors!  From the bird section of the pet store.  They come simple or ornate, in lots of fun colors....


The perfect ready-made frame for a big, bold, Mod-podged pendant.








Want to DIY?  Read on for the quick and simple tutorial.



Begin by removing the bells and whistles.



Most have plastic hangers that just pop off without tools.  (If yours has metal jump rings, you'll need to open them with pliers.)

Now cut out a little scrap of art to match the frame.  I wasn't sure what I wanted in my frames, so I cut a whole bunch of options.



I used several different weights of paper - card stock, origami paper and magazine pages - all worked equally well!  I tried 'em on with the different frames, and eventually found the ones that sang to me.  What do you guys think you'd put in yours?  Perhaps a Victorian silhouette?

Ooh, ooh!  Just had the brainwave of the yearPerhaps a Victorian silhouette of your pet.  OMG I am so doing that!

Breathe, Mich.  Breathe.  Back to the tutorial.

Clean the mirror with alcohol or glass cleaner.  Then paint on a layer of decoupage medium.



Place your art in the frame and smooth it out.  Cover with another layer of decoupage.






Let that first coat dry.  Apply a second coat, too, to really protect and seal the paper.  And ta-da!   Your pendant, she is done!


Add a complimentary necklace, as plain or as elaborate as you like.  I tried both ways with this teal pendant, and still can't decide which version I like best.


Fun, eh?

Now I want to show you a slightly different version, using the plastic back of the mirror instead of the glass.  Bonus: you'll have a hidden makeup mirror on the back of your necklace!




This version has just one small additional stepuse coarse sandpaper to rough up the plastic.  (It helps your art to stick.)  Go on - really scuff that surface!



Clean off the dust, then follow the same steps as described above.  A slather of decoupage inside the frame, then two coats on top...





And there ya go!  For these Snow White fairy-tale mirrors, I decided on simple graphics cut from old greeting cards.




Okay, my friends, that's the Polly Wanna Necklace project, sure hope you enjoyed it.  Now - off with you!  To the pet store!


While you're there, mebbe you could pick up something on sale, to donate to an animal shelter in need.


28 comments:

  1. I put a picture of sand dollars in mine (from a picture in a magazine), along with teal handmade paper beads and teal glass seed beads. I had to paint mine teal (the mirror frame) since the pet store did not have teal (with acrylic paint). I love how it turned out. Thanks again Michelle!

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    1. Hehehe on the fairy tale ones it would be cool to have Snow White on one side and the Queen on the other, with maybe an apple charm.

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  2. Sweet and simple - seems like something my girls would enjoy...the fairytale idea by Shannon sounds really cool...

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  3. These look so cool! No one would ever guess they were bird mirrors. I'm going to have to try my hand at this. Next time I go to the pet store, I'll pick up one or two and see if I can be as creative as you!

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  4. OK I thought you made the whole parakeet mirror thing up. I had no idea ( clearly I have never had birds) they existed, not to mention would never have thought to do this creatively genius thing with them!

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  5. These are the coolest Michelle! Really...I can't believe you thought of this. OK, yes I can..you're a genius!

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  6. I didn't even know you could get Parakeet mirrors - how cool are they??? Great idea to turn them into necklaces!

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  7. I have got to try this! You always have the best ideas :D

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  8. Simply love! I shall try this today. Thanks for the inspiration! You rock!
    Aunt Sherry

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  9. I would be cool to have a mirror on one side and art on the other. I was at a carnival last month and thought a lot of you. I will be mentioning it in my upcoming post :)

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  10. So very clever. And, kuddos for mentioning picking up something to donate for your local shelter. Shelter pets ROCK... & so do you!

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  11. Mich, such a fun idea with adorable results! I guess I have to go get some Polly wanna stuff now to play around with :) Love the chinoiserie effect of the ornate frames.

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  12. Hey,what a cool and smart idea!love your blog.Me and my friend have just created a new blog and it would mean much to me if you visited it:www.thecrafterthemerrier.blogspot.com

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  13. Thank you so much! I blogged about this today: http://indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-colorful-monday-round-up-ephemera-and.html

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  14. That is just so clever, I never would have guessed!

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  15. I think I'm going to make one for my niece but leave the mirror on one side and mod podge a picture of Tinkerbell on the back so she has a mirror necklace with her favorite fairy!

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    1. Maybe glitter the frame as well

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  16. This is brilliant! Now I'm thinking about how I can turn a picture of my Golden into a miniature work of art.

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  17. So cute & how fun colors :) Awesome..

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  18. I saw this on Dollar Store Crafts and just fell in love with the idea. It makes such a cute and creative statement piece. I got so many compliments on the one I made. And everyone was so shocked at what I used to make it! Awesome tutorial!
    ~Kelsy

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  19. I love these! But where did you buy the fancy mirrors? They don't have them at petco. Did you get them online?

    Thanks!

    B. Jones

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    1. Hi, B! I did find mine in stock at a Petco, but if your local stores are sold out, they are available from the online website:

      http://www.petco.com/product/114499/Insight-ActiviToys-Fancy-Mirror-Bird-Toy.aspx

      Hope that helps!

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  20. This is so fun... Hmm... wonder if Mei Mei mind if I took something from her barbie house to make this project?

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  21. Wow, how fun is this? Love it, so inexpensive, easy and funky! And the blue one? Version number two! :) I'm your newest follower ~ hope you can stop by some time and say hi!

    Kathleen

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  22. Totally Fun! I thank my sister for sending this post my way! :-)

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