Create a Bold, Statement Paperweight Using a Broken Pendant

Once in a while, something in my stash of craft supplies ends up being crushed or broken.  This was the case with this 'art-i-cake' crown and wings pendant.  The piece split in two which resulted in the loss of one of the rhinestones.

I didn't have the heart to throw the pendant away, so I decided to repurpose it as a piece of desktop bling.

This is one of those simple projects that only requires some background material (paper, fabric, etc.), as well as the dimensional item that will be the focal point of your design.

As is the case with all dimensional items, make sure it fits within the recessed area of your paperweight.  The recessed area is the ceiling height of the interior display space.

I used the Round Paperweight Kit (PhotoWeights: Round Paperweight Kit) which includes a self-adhesive mounting board and bottom pad, as shown above.

One of my favorite supplies to keep on hand are small books/stacks of cardstock scrapbooking paper.  These typically include a variety of colors and patterns, giving you a virtual library of backgrounds to choose from.

Place the adhesive side of your mounting board onto the reverse side of the paper (or other material) you'll be using as your background.

Using a pair of scissors, cut any material that extends beyond the edge of the mounting board.  The mounting board will act as an excellent cutting guide.

If you're working with a pendant that has a loop or a bail, remove it with a pair of jewelry nippers.  Use an emery board or fine sand paper to smooth the edges.

In the following steps I'll essentially reconstruct the broken pendant by gluing the pieces to the mounting board.

Lay the pieces of the pendant in the center of your mounting board and mark the edges of the pendant by placing removable tape on the board.  The tape will act as a guide when you're ready to glue the pieces into place.

I prefer to use hot melt glue for pendants that have impressed areas on the back surface.  Liquid glue will run, especially when it pools into impressions.  Hot melt glue will fill in gaps between the pendant and the mounting board.

After the pieces of the pendant were glued to the background, the rhinestone that had previously popped out was re-set with clear glue.

After the liquid glue holding he stone dried completely, the mounting board was placed face-down into the recessed area on the bottom of the paperweight.

To finish, I covered the bottom surface of the paperweight with the self-adhesive bottom pad.