Scrabble Tile Necklace Tutorial: Another 5 X 5 craft

A 5 X 5 craft costs $5 or less to make and 5 minutes to put together. Buy supplies in bulk and split the cost with friends for a fun and cheap craft night!

I officially christen this week "Scrabble Week"! I've got a couple of Scrabble tile tutorials on the way in the next few days. We'll start with a simple pendant necklace. Here's what you'll need:

Scrabble tile

Pinch bail

Paper piercer or similar sharp tool (even a skinny nail would work)

Ball chain necklace

(Scroll to the bottom to see where to find these items)

This is a pinch bail. It's a jewelry component that "pinches" a piece of jewelry in place rather than relying on glue.

No special jewelry tools needed, either. Simply pull the bail apart to get it ready.

With a self healing pad underneath (or similar surface to protect your table), press the paper piercer through the Scrabble tile. (This picture is deceiving . . . you should make a hole ABOVE the Scrabble letter, centered. I was making a different pendant in this picture, so just ignore the placement of the piercer if you can! Sorry for the confusion.) The wood is so soft that you don't need much pressure. Simply push down and twist the piercer around until it goes through the other side.

Press the pinch bail closed by pushing the small nails through the hole you made with the piercer. Your tile should look like the one pictured above. Slip this on a ball chain and it's all done! Easy, right? Not to mention cute. I made one of these for my friend Lindsey and she got tons of compliments when she wore it. Who knew something so cute could be so easy (and cheap!) to make?

Here's some resources to buy the supplies:

Scrabble tiles: This Etsy shop sells individual tiles for 25 cents a piece. This other shop sells 10 tiles for $1.00. (These listings are as of the post of this blog . . . if they are no longer available, do a simple search on Etsy.com for "scrabble tiles." There are numerous shops that sell them.)

Stay tuned for the next Scrabble tile project!

Pinch bails: Believe it or not, I got a small bag of pinch bails at Walmart for around $3. You can find them even cheaper on Etsy.com. Jewelry making is very popular right now so you should have no trouble finding pinch bails at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or JoAnn.

Ball chain necklaces: Again, these are very popular and easy to find at any craft store in the jewelry section. I would compare prices online before you buy them at the store, however . . . sometimes shops on Etsy have them for much cheaper. Make sure to take into account how much shipping costs first, though.

Stay tuned for more fun with Scrabble tiles!