Fashionable Macaroni Necklace

CREATE A Fashionable Macaroni Necklace!

Craft + Design Medium: Jewelry
Ages: 5+ (younger artists will need an adult’s help)
Safety Considerations: None 
Time: 1.5 hours (including drying time)

 

 

Description: Get inspired by the concepts of jewelry artist Holly Anne Mitchell, who rethinks the everyday object of newspaper and creates new, meaningful, + wearable art with it. Create your own sculptural + colorful necklace made of the everyday object, macaroni! 

Conversation Questions: Journal about, think about or ask each other these questions: 

  • Which words or pictures do you see in the work of Holly Anne Mitchell? Why do you think she chooses those parts of the newspaper? 
  • What new MEANING is she creating with this everyday object, newspaper? 
  • Which other materials do you see in Holly Anne Mitchells work?  
  • Which other everyday objects around you can be turned into wearable art? Go on a treasure hunt to find them.  

Supplies:  

  • Dried macaroni pasta with holes (any shape or size will work as long as you can put a cord through it)
  • Acrylic paint + a paintbrush  
  • Paint markers 
  • A cord or thick yarn 
  • Scissors 

Steps: 

  1. Choose a variety of noodles with holes in them and cover your work area to protect it
  2. Paint noodles in a variety of colors
  3. Lay out everything to dry  
  4. Use paint markers to add designs, or use paint and a small brush
  5. You can even add words to create a meaningful message like Holly Anne Mitchell
  6. After your beads dry, organize them into colors, and lay them out in the design that you would like to string them
  7. String the noodles onto your cord. Tip: Cording is easier to get through curves because it’s more stiff. Floppy string can go through straight noodles more easily. 
  8. Use different shaped noodles to create a unique design for your necklace