Octopus Garden - Painted Octopus Necklace

Make this sweet pink octopus necklace with these simple directions and you'll be the talk of the aquarium!

You'll need:
1 brass octopus
7 gunmetal jump rings, 9 mm
2 gunmetal jump rings, 7 mm
14 inches of gunmetal chain, cut into two equal pieces
13 inches of gunmetal chain, 2 mm x 4 mm links, cut into 3 inch, one 4 inch and one 5 inch piece
1 dapped gunmetal filigree flower
1 spring ring clasp, 12 mm
1 pink plastic flower bead, 22 mm
1 red glass druk, 6 mm
.010 Soft flex bead stringing wire, 6 inches

pink spray paint
clear spray paint

chain nose pliers (2 pairs)
wire cutters

Before you begin, you'll need to paint the octopus. Carefully wash it using dish soap and allow to air dry. Place the octopus on newspaper in a well ventilated area and spray two thin coats with the pink spray paint, allow to dry 30-60 minutes between coats. Follow up with a thin coat of the clear spray paint to make the finish last longer. Allow the whole thing to dry overnight before making your necklace. I don't generally paint the back, but that is up to you.


1. Use the bead stringing wire to 'sew' the druk and flower bead to the filigree piece. Trim the excess wire. You can glue the knot with something like E6000 if you want, or back the filigree with a piece of suede or felt (cut to filigree size) to hide the knot if you wish.


2. With the chain nose pliers use three 9 mm jump rings to attach the octopus to one piece of chain as shown. Use two 9 mm jump rings to attach the octopus to one side of the filigree piece. Use the remaining two 9 mm jump rings to attach the filigree piece to the remaining chain piece. Close all your jump rings securely, the ones in this photo need a bit of attention!


3. With the chain nose pliers use one 7 mm jump ring to attach the three pieces of 2x4 mm gunmetal chain to one side of the octopus. Use the remaining 7 mm ring to attach the ends of the 2x4 chain to the end of the large link chain.



4. With the chain nose pliers open the ring on the end of the spring ring clasp and attach it to one end of the necklace. You'll clasp the necklace by hooking the clasp into the other end of the chain.

You can find all the materials for this project at Ornamentea.com or either of our Raleigh stores. Let me know if you make your own sweet octopus garden necklace!