pixie dust necklace

While perusing the aisles of my local dollar store recently, I came across a package of 8 tiny bottles of glitter in the nail art section. My initial thought was that they would be perfect for adding some sparkle to small projects. Thinking about it further, I realized they would be perfect to turn into pixie dust necklaces. Give these as gifts or as party favors for kids and teens. You can even make them into less-girly “wizard amulets” by using dark or neutral colored glitter (like copper), a black ribbon and silver or black beads – perfect even for boys.

Project estimate:

  • Nail art glitter bottles, package of 8 for $1
  • Ribbon, on hand or $0.50 and up
  • Beads, on hand
  • One head pin for jewelry, on hand
  • Pliers, on hand

Total: $1 and up

The bottles of glitter used for these necklaces can be found in the nail care/nail art section of Dollar Tree in a package of 8 (seen below)

Please note: These bottle are very small so they are not appropriate to give to children who still put things in their mouths. You may also want to consider gluing the lids onto the bottles depending on the age and activity level of the recipient.

dollar store nail art glitter package

Step 1: Make the charm

Select beads that coordinate with the glitter and ribbon you will be using. String the bead(s) onto the head pin. Make a loop to attach the charm to the necklace as follows:

  • Leaving some space above the top bead, bend the head pin down with pliers. (now is a great time to go ahead and loop it around the ribbon instead of threading the ribbon through later)
  • Grasp the top of the bend with your pliers.
  • Using your hand or a second set of pliers, wrap the end of the head pin around the top of your charm.
  • Clip off the excess and use pliers to press against loop.

(disclaimer: I am a super novice jewelry maker. If you have more experience or a technique that works better, by all means, do that!)

how to make a charm for a pixie dust necklace

Step 2: Add the glitter

String your favorite bottle of glitter onto the ribbon with your charm.

Step 3: Make the necklace adjustable

I chose to make my necklaces long enough to easily slip over the wearer’s head. You can finish your necklace with a bead to make it adjustable by threading both ends of the ribbon through a snug fitting bead (mine is an “E bead”) before tying a knot. This will let the wearer slide the bead to  adjust the length of the necklace if desired.

adjustable necklace bead

That’s it! Making these necklaces is quick and fun. You can coordinate your glitter color based on the occasion (just empty the bottles and refill with your glitter of choice):  Make pink and red necklaces as valentine’s gifts. Use green for St. Patrick’s day. Or create an assortment for a pixie party and let each child pick their favorite color.

Here are some more examples of ways to make your necklaces:

pixie dust glitter necklace

pink pixie dust glitter necklace

pixie dust glitter necklace blue