Bead of My Heart Valentine's Art

Create Valentine's Art With Beads or Old Necklaces

Hi Everyone,

I have three large candle jars full of beads and old necklaces. Some of them were 

given to me by my grandma on my mom's side. When I had sleep-overs at Grandma's,  

we would sit on the edge of her bed and rummage through her jewellery box 

and if one of her necklaces was broken or she no longer used it, she gave it to me. 

I thought that was just the greatest thing ever.

Today I thought I'd show you a piece of Valentine's 

art I made using one of her necklaces. I made it yesterday afternoon.

Here are some of the things I used to make it.

My trusty glue gun, a pencil, picture frame, a mat board or thin piece of 

wood to fit the frame, iridescent gold liquid acrylic paint, gloss medium 

or Mod Podge (gloss), ruler, utility knife, and a necklace. 

Quick Tip: You can speed up this project by using a blow-dryer between paint coats.

I use high speed and medium heat, keeping my dryer about 6" from the surface.

Measure and cut your board to fit the frame, minus an eighth of an inch, so 

7 7/8" x 9 7/8" for an 8"x 10" frame. Brush a coat of Mod Podge or Soft Gel Gloss 

on the board and let it dry. Next, brush the iridescent gold all over the board in 

a random pattern, creating brush strokes in different directions so they catch the light. 

Like this:

Cut a heart template from a cereal box, to a size that will fit inside the frame, 

center it, and trace around the outside of the heart with your pencil.

Having the necklace is a huge time-saver, as opposed to loose beads. The strands 

can be removed from the spacers by bending the connectors open with pliers.

Drizzle a line of hot glue along your pencil line, 

a little at a time, and lightly press the strand into the hot glue. 

If you have to cut the strand, put a drop of hot glue where 

you will snip the string to save the beads from falling off. Once

you get all the way around the pencil line, do the same thing again 

with another strand of beads.

Here is the Valentine's art all done. 

To finish the frame, I brushed on a coat of primer, followed by two coats of pale pink 

craft paint, letting them dry in between coats. I then applied a coat of white, which I wiped with a rag before it dried. I wanted the pink to show through. I applied 

a coat of glossy varnish, avoiding he beads, to protect the finish. Everything I 

used except the paint, was free! Gotta love that!

Hope you all have a great day!

Val