I am a Dremel owner

Those that know me know one thing is true, I am by no means crafty. While you don't need proof that I'm a craft making failure, I have substantial evidence for your amusement. Please feel free to scroll down for the Easter Egg Mistakes of 2008, or look here for the gingerbread house fiasco of 2007:



Go ahead, laugh it up.

The thing is, I truly believe I have artistic vision. I keep investing into what I hope someday might be. So I decided my skills might lie in jewelry making. I was looking for a hobby to have at home, so I bought some wooden tiles, some chains, leather string, and earring hooks. I bought some decorative paper and several varieties of mod podge (my favorite is the sparkly variety http://www.plaidonline.com/apMP.asp#Sparkle). And I bought a dremel.

One thing to note is that I don't feel comfortable using a hammer or a screw driver, I don't know what made me think I should spend $75 on a powertool. WikiHow makes the process seem so easy:

1.Decide how big you want it to be. If you want it to be an inch long, cut it slightly bigger.
2.Find a small branch. Make sure it's okay to cut it first. Crepe myrtle, tallow, and hibiscus wood work well.
4.Secure the branch to something like a table, and saw the branch into 1/4 inch discs. Saw 2-3 of them so if one breaks you don't need to start over.
5.If you want to write on your pendant, get some sand paper. Use 60 grit for the first sanding and 620 grit for the smoothing. (If you want the pendant as is, continue on to step 6.)
6.After you have sanded it smooth, use a pencil to draw the outline, and color pencils to make a design.
7.Drill a hole for the chain or string.
8.Seal the pendant with a clear sealer so the design doesn't come off.

TIPS

You could also carve a design in the wood. If you do this, be careful not to cut your fingers as you carve the wood. Instead, secure the wood in a vise.
Instead of pencil, try ink, or consider burning a design using a pyrography machine. Depending on the ink and the wood you use, it may tend to soak in. Cut several disks so you can experiment with different designs.
Try cutting the branch at an angle if you would prefer a taller pendant. The angle will make the pendant come out in an oval shape.

Yeah, right. I tried and I ended up sanding off half of my pendant. Dang it. While it wasn't an initial success here are some things I learned for the next time I decide I want to try again:
1. Use eye goggles to prevent wood shavings from going in my eye and to prevent the foul language that follows.
2. Put down newspaper to prevent marks on the nice cherry wood dining room table.
3. Find patience. Your first few times will most likely suck.

I'll try again once I have the goggles and let you know how it works out, but don't put in your orders for any jewelry yet.