Quick Craft: Turn Any Disney Pin Into A Necklace With This Easy DIY Converter!

The other week I accidentally 'bounded as Mickey Mouse, so I went looking for a necklace to finish off the outfit:

I couldn't' find any good necklaces, but I *did* have a cute Mickey pin... which completely disappeared on my black sweater.

So I did this!

This is a super easy trick that doesn't harm the pin, is comfy to wear, and turns almost ANY pin into a wearable necklace - which I am SO EXCITED about. I don't consider myself a pin collector, but even I have a good dozen or so that would make fantastic necklaces. And since I never wear pins but always wear necklaces, this gives me lots more options!

Just look how cute:

To make your own pin-to-necklace converter you will need: 

- a Disney pin

- a thumbtack

- 2 metal jump rings

- and 2 sets of jewelry pliers

To make it look a little nicer you can also use a necklace bail like I did, but that's optional.

Here's what you do:

 

Take one rubber pin back - which probably looks like these.

Stick a thumb tack through the back tab, like this:

 Make sure the hole is closer to the bottom of the Mickey head:

 

Now, stick a jump ring through that hole. (This part's tricky, and might take a few minutes. I find a gratuitous use of "colorful metaphors" helps.) 

Once the first jump ring is in, add another jump ring OR a necklace bail. Your choice.

 Here's how it looks with just a jump ring:

 

And here it is with the bail:

And that's it, you're done!

Your pin-to-necklace converter should look like this from the back:

And this from the front:

 Now string it on a pretty chain or cord, and have fun deciding which pin you want to plug in first!

Ideally you'll want a pin large enough to hide the rubber backer, since smaller pins like Piglet here still show the backer and can sit a little wonky:

 

Here's how it looks from the side:

 

The rubber pin back isn't pokey at all; it's very comfortable. If you wear it in the sweet spot on your clavicle, then the pin doesn't lean forward much, either.

If a little of the backer does show, it's not very obvious:

 

Especially from a distance!

 I hope this simple DIY inspires you to put your pin collection to better use, gang, and get it out of that dusty drawer and into your daily wardrobe! Remember, you only need ONE converter, since you can swap out pins with ease, so I bet almost all of you have what you need to make one right now!

 

 This converter also lets you keep your pins as pins without damaging them. If you want a more permanent conversion, though, then I'd recommend clipping off the metal pin spike from the back, sanding it down, and then using a little epoxy to add a glue-on necklace bail.

So tell me, do you have any favorite pins you'd like to wear as a necklace? Which ones? And if you end up making your own necklace converter, be sure to share pics on FB or Instagram, and tag me so I can see!

******

P.S. Looking for more crafty projects? Then check out my tutorial page!

I've got over 150 fun builds there for you to browse!