Remember the cheap owl necklace makeover saga? That was fun! [You can read about it here, here, and here!]

 

Well, I’m up to my usual antics with this cute little octopod! This necklace is cheap as chips on Amazon, and so ready for a makeover to take away some of its slightly creepy steampunkiness! [It’s under $2 right now, with free shipping, but I got it for under $1–you just have to search around the site and be patient to find the best price.]

First I grabbed my jewelry pliers to remove the pendant jump rings from the necklace.

Any long nose pliers would work, but remember to twist the two ends of the jump ring apart. Do not pull the jump ring open or you will warp and weaken it.

For my first color choice, I grabbed a foam brush and some pink acrylic paint.

I just dabbed the color into all the nooks and crannies.

The first coat was still tacky when I added the second, but two coats had it all pinked up.

The problem was, the color dried incredibly flat, which just was not the look I was going for.

So a quick spray with spray gloss gave it a nice shine.

However… this necklace got a few more coats before I felt satisfied… But it was not because it needed the extra coverage but because I kept tweaking until I loved the color! This pink just felt a little too bubble gum, so I grabbed more paint, but this time from a less expected source: nail polish.

This time I lacquered up this little octopus with two watery shades of green-blue nail polish.

I even added a little silver glitter nail polish, just hitting a few high spots… reminiscent of sunlight reflecting off the ocean’s surface… right?!

Hmmm… Still not sold…

Okay, so for round three, happy worlds collided: I brought back the pink, but did it with nail polish this time for that lovely lacquered finish.

I grabbed a hot pink shade and a relaxed orange hue for this last coat. And by George, I think we’ve done it!

This orangey-pink necklace looks great against navy for the summer! And I’m happy to add another cheap-as-chips necklace to my fun accessories! WHEEEEE! 🙂

Hey, remember some of our other fun, easy, and cheap-o jewelry makeovers?

Fun, right?!

Perhaps an enamel look for an old silver piece? Or, heck, don’t want to paint, just make a new necklace out of what you’ve got! Like this:

…Or this:

And when I’m not painting or combining, I’m making jewelry from scratch, I guess…

I made this beachy necklace last May as I looked forward to a summer trip to the beach.

Of course, I rarely have to buy beads because I have this little box, full of beads from old, unworn necklaces, just waiting to be made into something new!

Or just make your own paper beads! Easy peasy nice and squeezy.

Okay–ahem–slight rabbit trail there, sorry! But the point is this: What are you waiting for?! Grab some paint… or, er, nail polish, and seize some WHEEEE! 🙂