I don’t make the journey halfway across the country to California very often, and so the last time I was there I pocketed a small handful of tiny pebbles from my favorite beach, and when I came home I made this glass vial treasure bottle necklace that will allow me to wear a little of my favorite beach around my neck anytime that I’m lonesome for it. Are you, too, a collector of sandy souvenirs? Although this treasure vial necklace takes less than five minutes to put together, you may find yourself spending a long time at your craft table, constructing little necklaces from all your natural treasures. Read on for the tutorial: Since the vial that you’ll be using is so small and light, go ahead and buy a real glass vial with a cork stopper instead of a plastic one. It’s unlikely that you’ll drop your necklace, but even if you do, the vial is so light that it’s unlikely that it will break. I bought my little glass vials new in the jewelry aisle of my local craft store. They were inexpensive, and came with the eye pin already mounted into the top of the cork stopper. If you prefer to use an upcycled vial, however, you can hunt around for old test tubes, plastic pill bottles, or vintage glass jars, and then obtain a cork stopper to fit them. If your glass vial doesn’t come with an eye pin, simply push one into the top of the cork stopper, pull it out, put a dab of very strong glue on the tip of the eye pin, and then push it back into its hole in the cork stopper and let it rest while the glue cures. When your cork is ready to go, fill the glass vial with your sand, or pebbles, or rich Arkansas dirt, or whatever else you want to show off. Next » Next, put a dab of very strong glue around the perimeter of the cork, where it will be touching the inside of the glass vial. You don’t need very much because it’s strong stuff, and also because you don’t want excess glue to seep out under the cork inside the glass bottle, where you can’t wipe it away. Push the cork into the glass vial, and carefully wipe away any excess glue that might seep out over the top of the cork. Let the whole vial rest while the glue cures. Next » When the glue has cured, slide your new treasure bottle pendant onto your favorite chain, or tie it onto a nice piece of hemp twine. You now have a beautiful new necklace, complete with happy memories.
