3-Step DIY: Mini Glass Bottle Necklace

Last year I made a goal to get into DIY projects, specifically with ceramics, felt, mini gardening, and jewelry-making! I’ve spent so much time on the computer and in the digital world for work that I’ve felt really out of touch with just using my hands to make creative, tangible things.

Getting art, journaling, and doodling back into my life has been something I’ve been craving for the past year, and living with my grandparents in Taiwan for the past 3 months has finally allowed me to do that! My grandpa is one of the first artists to launch ceramics & pottery into the mainstream art movement in Taiwan in the ’60s. My grandma creates all the glazes that he uses for his works, and the both of them have always been huge inspirations to me. Grandpa also paints watercolors daily, both on canvas and in his journal—all of our immediate and extended family have numerous of his paintings hung up in our homes! And my biggest inspiration for this foray in DIY world is my mom–she’s a DIY expert and is magic with crafts & jewelry-making. She makes and sells her own headbands at arts & craft fairs in California, and recently started felting. I guess you could say the love for art runs in the family.😅

I found that DIY crafts materials in Taiwan are super cheap, so I went out and picked up a few goodies on a whim to create this easy tutorial. I’ve had a thing for mini glass bottles since I moved to Paris earlier this year, so I got really excited when I found different shapes & sizes ranging from $10 – $49 TWD each (that’s like $0.30 – $1.20USD). No matter where you live though, you should be able to find all these materials at your local arts & crafts store. So let’s get started! :)

Total Project Time: 10-30 minutes

Materials (for 1 necklace):
– 1 mini glass bottle
– 1 necklace chain
– 1 mini screw eye
– 1 pair of pliers or tweezers

Optional:
– Glitter, gems, or beads (to put into the glass bottle afterwards)
– Tiny succulent or pebbles (to put into the glass bottle afterwards)
– Thin waxed brown string (to tie around the neck of the glass bottle)

Step 1: Take your glass bottle and make sure the cork is nice and snug in the bottle. You don’t want that moving around when you’re screwing the screw eye into the cork.

Step 2: Place the tip of the eye screw firmly in the center of the cork. Then hold the bottle firmly while turning the screw head clockwise until it’s screwed in securely. Then get the necklace chain ready!

I used a 45 centimeter chain, which is a nice average length for a charm necklace. But feel free to use a longer chain for a more bohemian look or shorter one if you like the resurfaced choker trend!😉

Note: Depending on your necklace chain and eye screw size, you might be able to thread the chain right through the hook. However, my chain had rings at both ends that were too big to fit through the hook, so that’s where the pliers (or tweezers) come into play!

Step 3: Carefully use the tweezers to slightly pry open one end of the necklace’s rings. Then remove it and thread the chain through the eye screw’s hook. Replace the ring and use the tweezers to close the ring evenly again.

Your necklace chain should be strung through the eye screw hook like shown above.

Step 4: And voilà! Your necklace is complete (did you make it in 10 minutes?)! The last step is optional, but also the most fun & creative: decorating!✨

Of course you can keep it as is, if you love the simple + minimalist style.

I do really love that look, but I also love being able to change my look subtly from day to day. The mini glass bottle is perfect for that because I can remove the cork and swap out different tiny objects depending on my mood!

Right after making this one, I found some beautiful print wrapping paper from my Christmas present from my brother. I decided to cut out a tiny strip, roll it up like a little secret message and place it inside the bottle. I’m planning to buy some glitter, small beads, and perhaps even a teensy succulent to decorate my next few necklaces. There are no rules, so get as creative and crazy as you want!

So, let me know if  you try making your own and send me a picture of your masterpiece–I’d love to see it!!❤️ Also feel free to give me any feedback, this being my first DIY tutorial and all.😅 Thanks for reading and happy crafting!

xoxo, Joce