Anthro Merit Badge Wooden Necklace // DIY

I mentioned in this post awhile back that I was crushing on Anthropologie wooden Merit Badge Necklace but I felt like I could make it for 2 dollars...Well, turns out I could make it for FREE. I love free. Before I begin this tutorial I must admit that I photographed this DIY 3333three3 (!) months ago and have been too darn lazy to edit the photos. Ack! Here goes nothing. Enjoy!

For this project I used a chalk pencil,  tongue depressors, paint, cheap jewelry chain, Xacto knife, a jewelry file and a thin piece of wood. The wood I used for this project actually fell from the bottom of a vintage buffet table that I use as my desk. I couldn't figure out where it fell from so I scratched my head then made a necklace. Alls well that ends well. If you don't have scrap pieces of wood falling from furniture in your home I would suggest using wooden tongue depressors.

Using a chalk pencil I traced out some shapes based off of the original necklace as I wanted to recreate the look. I found the circle and rectangle most visually appealing but think adding a triangle or an octagon would add a lot of visual appeal. 

Using an Xacto knife cut around your drawn out shapes slowly. Don't forget to use a self healing mat for this step. Also I can't stress the importance of doing this step slowly for a lot of reasons but mainly for safety (I want you to finish this DIY with all your fingers and skin intact) and because if you rush chances are the end result will show it. Just sayin...

To avoid getting slivers its really important you use a jewelry file or even sand paper to smooth and bevel the edges. I would recommend that you do not skip this step because if you do the necklace will create little pulls and runs on your clothing.

To make a hole with out using a drill, because I am afraid of drills, I first twisted an Xacto knife against the wood then twisted a round jewelry file around until the hole went uniformly through the wood. I am sure there is an easier way but I am also sure that way involves a drill.

Take a moment to clean up each piece with a damp cloth to remove the chalk and saw dust before you paint and finish up this DIY.

 Self explainitary really...go nuts with this step. 

I used a low grade sand paper to create a rustic and worn in look. Do you know that look? Yeah, I love it.

Again, self explainitory. Go nuts.