I am always on the look out for a fun and unique gift idea for friends and family. This year my new go to gift are these cute Glass Tile Pendant Necklaces. One of my favorite parts of these necklaces is that they are so easy to make. They are also really versatile and unique and you can make a wide variety of them to be as unique as the person you are making them for. Today I am sharing with you the tutorial so you can learn how to make tile pendants too.
I found the glass tiles and bails to make these here. I bought my Diamond Glaze at Ben Franklin Crafts.
All you need to do is take your glass tile and clean it off. (They were a bit dusty upon arrival). Then find your favorite picture of a child (it has to be a picture from a laser printer or photo store), scrapbook paper or even a peice of fabric as the necklace design.
With a pencil trace around the tile square. When cutting out the square of paper (or other material), cut inside your line so that it fits well on the square. Coat the printed side of the paper, the side you want to see on your necklace, with your diamond glaze. You do not need a lot of diamond glaze, just a couple of small dots will be sufficient. You just need enough to cover a thin layer of the glass tile. Attach your paper to the glass tile. If any excess glaze runs out of the edges of the glass, immediately wipe it clean with a damp paper towel.
Turn your glass tile over so that you are looking at the back of your necklace. Paint a thin layer of Diamond Glaze over the entire back of the necklace and let dry.
When dry, place a small drop of Diamond Glaze onto your bail (chain attachment) and attach the bail in the exact middle on the back and at the top of your necklace.
When the glaze has dried, your necklace is finished and ready to wear. Aren’t they adorable? I made a few for myself and then let the girls each pick out a design for their own necklace. My sisters don’t know it yet, but they are going to be getting some of these for their birthdays this year…Surprise!
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Wow! It looks so professional. I can´t get that material here in Mexico, but next time I’m in the states, I’ll stock up.
AWESOME! I have to try this!
I came over from momadvice.com.
These are incredibly cool. Very pretty and unique. Thanks for sharing your idea!
Great idea.
I hope to try this soon
meg
onourwayonline.com
Very cute! I linked to this on my weekly link roundup.
Hi, where can we buy the glass tiles?
I bought mine from some company United Crafters.
Anonymous-
You can buy the tiles at the link I provided at the top of the post, and I have also seen other ETSY sellers for them. I also just recently saw sheets of some multi-colored ones (with some clear ones included) at Home Depot in the tile aisle.
On ETSY, did you get the small or the large bails?
Love your ideas!!!!
Anonymous–I bought the small tiles from ETSY. I just measured mine and they are 7/8 of an inch square.
When I look at the silver bails on ETSY, you can buy small or large ones (but they do not specify the actual dimension…..).
Which size fits best on the back of the tile you use?
Thanks so much for sharing your very clever and creative ideas!!
Anonymous–The bails I bought measure from top to bottom, 5/8 of an inch.
I can't wait to make these! Your ideas rock! I did have a question about the necklace part of this project…where do you find the necklace (or chain) part that doesn't look "cheesy"? I appreciate your help!
I've already done a few of your ideas and LOVE them!! I'm a huge fan!
So adorable! Then again, everything on here is!! I LOVE all of your ideas! Your site is one of the first that I open each day to see what is new! Thanks!!
I want it now dude!!!
What a great idea and it looks so easy! Thank you so much for sharing!
How do you prevent air bubbles. I did a few this weekend but my favs ended up with tiny air bubbles :(
My girls (ages 7 & 4) and I did this and it was fabulously fun. We bought our supplies at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6465686§ion_id=5746861
We're planning to do this again!
I absolutely love this idea. I want to make some for Christmas! What a great gift! I also was wondering about the chain part of your project. Where did you get the chain in the pics? All of the ones I have found online look pretty "cheesy".
Thanks again for you idea
Shannon
Just so you all know, the ones at Home Depot can't be cleaned up to be clear (not the colored ones, the 'clear' ones) to use for this exact necklace. The white stuff on the back is baked into the back. I took the tiles to Home Depot and they tried their heaviest remover on it and it didn't even budge. Just FYI.
Have you seen the glass tile pendant videos at http://www.createapendant.com
They have kits and supplies too!
I have tried to put a photo on a tile and I end up with streaks. I have not been able to find the Judi-Kins diamond glaze locally and have used Triple Thick. Could it be the glaze or something else.
Micro glaze is the stuff you can put on photos printed from ink jet printers. It is a paste. You can find it on ebay. You just rub a small amount on, allow to dry for a few minutes, then rub the excess off.
Hi,
I avoid streaking by printing on photo paper with an inkjet printer. Also, finding the diamond glaze, glass, bails, etc has been easy, I buy from http://www.etsy.com/shop/Karenscraftsupplies She has a wonderful selection and shipping is very fast!!
I just wanted to share where I found some great quality but inexpensive glass tiles. I picked up 80 1" tiles for $12.00. The website is http://www.unitedcraftersinc.com
they also carry the diamond glaze, the bails, the micro glaze, etc.
I do have a question. When I made my pendant I put the picture on, then I put a plain piece of black card stock to be the back (makes it look very nice). Do you put a plain color on the back so you can't see the image on the back or do you just have the one layer? If you do have a back, how do you obtain nice edges that look professional? The front of my pendant looks nice, the back is plain black which looks nice, but the side has the glass, then the white layer (from the picture/design), then the black layer from the black cardstock. I'd like to make it look rounded and smooth on the sides, how is this obtained?
I have so wanted to make something with glass tiles…wasn't sure how, or even where to get the right tiles. Thanks to your blog, now I know! Love this. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I needed a good idea for gifts for Christmas. I just tried my hand at them and posted pictures of my first attempt at http://coffeecupsandcrafts.blogspot.com/
and linked to your blog. :D
These are really cute! We did something similar for our summer program at the school I teach at. Ours were drawings the children had made (which you can shrink on a photocopier). we used large flattened marbles that came in a small bag at the dollar store. They have a little bit of texture on the glass which you may or may not like, depending on what style you're going for, but they're interesting because they're round and it gives it a bit of a magnifying glass look. We also put strong(ish) magnets on the back to make them into super cute refrigerator magnets! Oh! and we used plain white glue; it worked just fine to attach the paper. The magnets were adhesive backed. Just thought it was an interesting twist you all might be interested in :)
Just to clarify – you used more diamond glaze to attach the bail? Not superglue or E6000? Thanks! And how long did everything take to dry?
The simplicity of these pendants are what make them so beautiful!
I love these! Such a sweet little craft. I learned to make these just yesterday at the CK Scrapbook Convention (Creating Keepsakes). Craft Fantastic company had a booth there & offered free classes. They used the same type of glass tiles, the glue glaze to adhere the paper but they used E6000 to glue the jewelry bails on. They also take an additional decorative piece of paper & apply to the back side to make the back decorative as well. You could even paint the backs or apply silver of gold leaf. So many ideas! Thanks for sharing.
How do you purchase this item? :)
Trish–There is a link at the top of my site that says “The Idea Room Store”. Click that link and it will take you to all the items that I sell. Let me know if you still need any help.
I’ve had trouble with pictures. I use a ink jet printer and have tried the micro glaze but my colors still run after 24 hours. Also when I use E6000 to glue on the bails, it makes a blurred spot on the picture when it dries. I found if I use clear box tape on front and back then cut them out, this works best for me. Just don’t get any air bubbles in the tape. Hope this helps some people.
I’ve done quite a few of these and I had the same problem that the pictures would run. put the glue onto the picture then take your glass tile and push down onto the picture forcing all bubble to run out. Hold for at least a minute then put something heavy and flat on top to keep bubble from forming.
Usually the reason it runs is because there is too much glue.
Hope that helps!
I use a spray sealer such as Krylon Crystal Clear to seal both the back and front of the inkjet picture before applying the Diamond Glaze but the really best solution is to print with a laser printer… Hope this helps
Help! I want to make these. Were they the medium or large bails from that etsy store? Also, where did you get the necklace part? I would like to make these for my daughter’s friends for Christmas. Thanks!
Great tutorial!
If anyone needs help making glass tile pendants I’d love to help. I carry all of the supplies needed to make these and other pendants. My contact info is on my website:
http://www.sunandmooncraftkits.com
XO,
Gina
Hi! I have been wanting to do these myself. So before I found your site, I went to Home Depot and bought a sheet of tiles, clear and colored. The stuff on the back doesn’t come off, unless you have a Dremel with an etching bit. I was so distraught when I first got them home, then I got to thinking that you could have an additional colored border. I etched the “stuff” off of the middle of the tile, glued a pic on and it turned out pretty cute. But it is really fine dust, so take precautions. You can also write things in the baked enamel, but you have to write backwards to see it correctly ;)
Hello Amy. Thank you for great tutorial. I added the link to your tutorial to my blog. http://digitalcraftportal.blogspot.ca/ Please let me know if I am not supposed to do that. I will remove.
Alexandra
Where do I buy the glass tiles?
The place i purchased them from is in the post.
I buy my items primarily from WillowRunCrafts.com
Ohh i love this idea its so easy to make and so pretty! but what store can i buy them from ????
i love this idea so easy to make and so pretty! but where and WHICH STORE can i buy these glass tile pendants from? plz inform :D
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I’ve been making these for some time now and have found Etsy to be quite expensive. I buy all my supplies from http://www.sunandmooncraftkits.com/
They’re wonderful!
If you are using an image that you printed out you need to spray it with a fixative first. I use Krylon Preserve It…digital photo and paper protectant. it is moisture resistant and protects against fading. Also, let me know if you have a good technique for applying the E600…I have tried many times and the bail never sticks. I have actually given up and now have a bunch of tiles and bails!
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What are you using to apply the diamond glaze? I used a soft paint brush, but it still looks streaky on the back?
I just used the tip to move it around if needed. Hope this helps. Thanks.
Hello! I live in Sweden and have big problems getting hold of Diamond Glaze. Do you have any tips for another glaze that is very similar to Judikin’s? I’ve tried a few others but they don’t give the shine I want. I use the glaze on paper beads. One of the ones I tried also smelled bad. :P
Thank you for sharing your incredible ideas. :)
Vigdis in Sweden
You can use clear epoxy resin (or even some epoxy glues) which would be tougher than the white glues. You can apply those over the tiles. Hope this helps.