Loose change

So I got kicked off SYTYC....but I still had my project done for Cultural Week....so I thought I would share anyways....and this is what I came up with....

you know the outifts that belly dancers wear?

(I know...pretty hot huh?!)

well this necklace is inspired by these outfits..

but before we begin

some explaining.

I have debated about this craft for awhile....not sure. I will be defacing money.....I know know.
But I justify it.

Here's how.

I  am just using pennies. People vacuum pennies up. They are tossed aside with garbage (not by me...I'm cheap.) If you see a penny...do you stop and pick it up? People rarely do....not even for some good luck.

and my next justification is this:

what I am making would cost more than just 1 penny...or 100 pennies. So in all actuality I am increasing their worth.

and to finish off with:

you know those machines at Disneyland that smashes the penny and makes it into a scene for one of the rides........(dear FBI agent...go after them first)

so let's begin...and if you have any mean comments about it just skip it. I already heard it from my husband.

train tracks. (in the middle of nowhere I might add)

some pennies (and maybe  5 nickels...don't judge)

Put them all on (if I was too do it again WHICH I'M NOT I would spread them out more. A few overlapped and made indentions.

Now, I have heard stories of pennies on train tracks that shoot out and hit cars or people or what not. Just for the record this is completely off the road. If they were to shoot off it would hit dirt. seriously...maybe some tumble weeds. (nobody was harmed in the smashing of the pennies)

ohhhh....dirty.

gave them a bath in vinegar and salt

and them scrubbed them with a wire scrubber

it was a dirty job but somebody had to do it.

Got a hot and sexy man to drill some holes in the tops for me

(note the no soliciting sign...and my two dollar thrift store chair that needs to be sanded down and repainted! and see the brown board in the back ground and the spray paint..yet another project!)

Bought some copper wire and cut it into 3 inches strips

Thread it through the hole and twisted right at the top of the penny

did this step for all the pennies

Then took half the pennies and added some beads

the top bead wouldn't fit on the two wires...so I just took the wires and twisted them right above the bead.

Now I bought this necklace at Walmart for $3 and it's perfect cause it keeps the pennies seperate and it was easy to space them out.

I just twisted the wire around the link and made sure no sharp edges were left.

I also started right in the middle of the necklace and worked out

I did all the ones with beads first skipping a link...then came back and put in the pennies with no beads in between (they were a little shorter than the other ones)

I didn't go all the way around...and once I added all the ones I was going to  I wrapped some beads with the wire to finish off the ends.

Total Cost:

$3. necklace

$3 in beads

$1 copper wire

13 cents (pennies.)

I had a few left over and made another necklace

...(I actually had this leather necklace leftover from another necklace and wrapped the copper wire around it.)

and made a keychain

This penny wasn't exactly smooshed flat.

and can I tell you they sound so pretty. I really want to make a wind chime out of these pennies...but that would involve MORE defaced pennies so I won't!

*a girl and a glue gun is in no way encouraging the defacing of government property.