Make a Cartoon Pendant

I have a dirty secret. I let my kids watch ridiculous amounts of cartoons when we are on the road. In the early years of motherhood, I tried to insist my kids would look out the window when we drove. I was young and idealistic. I had my kids best interests at heart.

The "look out the window and learn" ideal quickly melted away around the forty-eighth time one of my kids started yelling, "He's looking at me! Make him stop looking at me!" Oy. "Lookits" and "touchers." I remember the same style of teasing when I was a kid and now my kids were doing it as well. I challenge you to make one of your kids stop looking at the other. In the car. While driving. Talk about distracted. Out came the VCR. Then the DVD. Now the kids use computers and are wishing for an iPad. Same car. Different technology. Clearly, I failed the battle hymn of the tiger mother.

Bottom-line: although they started off with Sesame Street, now my kids love to watch the Simpsons and other cartoons when we are on the road. Yes, even my Dean's list, distinguished AP scholars. Simpsons. Over and over again. Thank goodness for headphones, so I do not need to listen for what seems like the millionth time. (The only thing worse than "are we there yet?" is hearing the Simpsons on TV saying "are we there yet?")

Before: Broken Toy

I do not know where this Krusty the Clown toy came from. One of the kids may have wanted the toy for a birthday present long ago. The toy may have been a giveaway from some junk food meal. Or the toy may have been a party favor from a long ago party. We found the broken toy in the toy box. Krusty lost his body; all we had left was the head...but we all agreed the broken toy would make a funky looking pendant.

After: Pendant by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
Toy
2 small screw eyes
1mm black satin cord

Tools
Flex shaft, Dremel or drill press
Size 58 drill bit 
Center punch
Parallel pliers or chain nose pliers 

Step 1
Clean the toy.

Step 2
Mark the top of the toy with the center punch and then drill a hole in the top of the toy. Marking the toy will prevent the drill bit from slipping when you drill the plastic toy.

Step 3
Screw the screw eye into the drilled hole. Use the pliers for leverage when you screw to help screw the screw eye into the toy.

Step 4
Feed the 1mm black satin cord (or chain of your choice) through the hole of the screw eye.

Related Tutorials
Make Dog Earrings from Toys  
Make a Spider Pin from a Toy
Make a Lizard Pin from a Toy
Make a Necklace from Figurines

Further Reading
"500 Pendants & Lockets: Contemporary Interpretations of Classic Adornments (500 Series)"; Lark; 2008.
"Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1-20";  Matt Groening; 2010.
"The Krusty Book (The Simpsons Library of Wisdom)"; Matt Groening; 2006. 

Day 66.  Month 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: screw eye, toy
New Jewelry a Day.