Scrabble Tile Pendant Tutorial

I’m excited to share this tutorial for Scrabble Tile Pendants from Mark and Stefani at HomeStudio. They’ve so graciously provided this how-to for making these lovely pendants to all of us crafters. These pendants are great for necklaces, charms, and gifts to give. To purchase these pendants with HomeStudio’s one of a kind designs, please visit their Etsy shop.

Scrabble Tile Pendant Tutorial

Supplies needed: · Paper · Scrabble Tiles · Scissors · Craft Glue · Metal File · Mod Podge · Small Paint Brushes · Utility Knife · Diamond Glaze · Super Glue · Small Aanraku Jewelry Bails in Silver

Step 1:
Choose your paper wisely! I use a template card, a little template on an index card with a hole the size of a scrabble tile. That way when I shop for paper, I can see if the pattern will fit the tile. You can use almost
any paper you find; scrapbook paper, card stock, Japanese Washi paper, origami paper, gift wrap, even lightweight recycled greeting cards. Everything will become a possibility, so experiment. Using a light box (or holding your paper to the window), use your template card and trace the pattern for your tile. Trim the paper about a 3/4” to 1/2” around your outline. Allow enough excess paper so you can hold the paper while spreading the glue.

Step 2:
Using a paint brush and your light box, “paint” a thin layer of glue (I use Tacky Glue) onto the back of your paper. Place your tile in the box, being sure to notice which way is up so your letter isn’t upside down when you’re finished. I like using a thin glue.

Step 3:
After about 10-20 minutes your glue should be dry. Using a utility knife, carefully trim around the outside of the tile being careful not to cut the tile in the process. The wood is pretty soft.

Step 4:
Gently file the edges of the paper to be smooth and flush with the side of the tile. Since the wood is soft, be careful not to file too hard. You may want to experiment with different types of metal files in order to find the one you like best. The one I use is a medium grit file.

Step 5:
Now you need to seal the paper. Use a paint brush to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge. I like to seal the top and all sides. Let that dry for 10-20 minutes. I like to lay my tiles on wax paper so the glue doesn’t stick to my work surface. A cookie sheet lined with wax paper works perfectly!

Step 6:
Once the Mod Podge is dry, it is time to apply the Diamond Glaze. Do NOT shake the glaze. First, I like to make a little dot on my wax paper. The first dot usually has a bubble & I’d rather have it on the wax paper than on my tile. Holding the bottle at an angle, apply the glaze around the edges and then fill in the middle. Be sure to get close to the edges. The glaze shouldn’t roll off the edge, but in case it does, just file it off when the whole thing is dry. If you get a bubble, which will happen, just use your finger nail to pull it off the tile. You can use a needle, but I find that is harder to do. Diamond Glaze is water soluble, so it just washes off with soap and water. Now let your tile dry for a minimum of 4 hours. I let mine dry over night. Dry your tile in a cool place where it won’t get bumped by anyone.

Step 7:
Now attach the silver bail. Hold the bail with your fingers, put a drop or two of glue and hold the tile in place. I like to use Super Glue because then it’s stuck “forever”! The only down side, is that if the bail isn’t exactly centered, it’s tricky to remove. In seconds, it’s attached and ready to go!

Step 8:
Now to clean up any rough edges. Get your metal file again and smooth down any rough edges and excess glue. Now you’re finished! Enjoy your pendant.

© 2008, HomeStudio. All rights reserved. Use of designs, images, or content without permission is prohibited. Please contact homestudio111{at}gmail.com for permission of use. Please feel free to use this tutorial for personal use and have fun crafting!

34 Responses to “Scrabble Tile Pendant Tutorial”

on 02 Sep 2008 at 12:18 am1 scraphag (Casey Toney)

this is just a darling idea. thank you for posting a tutorial!
on 02 Sep 2008 at 11:31 am2 Katie

I’m heading to Michael’s now to pick up the supplies I don’t have so I can try this out. thanks for sharing!!
on 02 Sep 2008 at 11:32 am3 Katie

Oh, one question, do you buy the scrabble tiles somewhere or just use them from an old game?
on 03 Sep 2008 at 9:13 pm4 Marie

Katie - For the answer to your question, it would be best to ask the tutorial owners, Homestudio, what they suggest. You can contact them on their Etsy site, homestudio.etsy.com. From my experience, I know people who’ve purchased a new game set and then had tons of necklaces to make. I’ve also heard of people looking at thrift stores or garage sales for the Scrabble game. I actually wonder if anyone is still playing the game or just making fun crafts!
on 08 Sep 2008 at 9:20 pm5 Kellie

Thanks for the great idea. I just used it tonight as a craft activity for the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group I lead and it’s an understatement to say it was a HUGE hit!

As a side note, I was not able to easily find Diamond Glaze, but a found another product called “Triple Thick” at Joann which seemed to work well as a substitute.

As an answer to the question about the tiles, I was able to order them from Hasbro. Search around on the website for replacement tiles. There were also several postings on Ebay.

I’m new to your website and absolutely love it - thank you!
on 09 Sep 2008 at 1:12 am6 BamaCat

You can order just the tiles from Hasbro.
They are fairly cheap.
Like 5-6 bucks for a bag of them.
They have wood & onyx ones. :o)

http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=cs_parts
on 13 Sep 2008 at 11:43 am7 ginger

Wonderful tutorial can’t wait to try it be a great gift.
hugs ginger
on 06 Oct 2008 at 8:23 pm8 Kristen

The paper you used is gorgeous! Where do you find it? I have several stacks and none of it is as cute and vibrant as yours. My favorite is the pink one with two owls :)

Thanks!
on 12 Oct 2008 at 8:54 am9 Tia Jones

As a paper and scrabble lover. This post rocks. I will be adding a little flair to my scrabble board.
on 20 Oct 2008 at 7:09 am10 Nina Jay

When using the Diamond Glaze, how much should we use? I checked to see if the tile had dried a day after I put the glaze on, and it looks dry but makes dents on the glaze if I poke it. Any suggestions?
on 21 Oct 2008 at 1:50 pm11 Marie

Nina Jay - It’s hard to answer how much glaze to use. But let me tell you how I put it on… I go around the edges first and then fill in the center. Then I add another squeeze in the middle. I let my pendants dry for 2 days before I send them out - 3 if it’s humid. Even now, if I push my fingernail into the glaze, it’ll leave a dent. Even pendants I made a few weeks ago will still leave a dent from my nail.

If there is a dip in the center of the pendant when it’s dry, then try using more glaze. If it’s milky in the center, try using a little less.

Hope this helps. :) Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.

Stef & Mark
on 24 Oct 2008 at 8:01 pm12 Crystal

Thank you so much! FYI…I picked up Scrabble today at the Goodwill for $1.99. I can’t wait to get to work on making these as holiday gifts!
on 25 Oct 2008 at 8:49 pm13 kittyanydots

thanks so much! i’ve designed graphics for pendants and have been wanting to try making pendants too! this is just what i needed! :)
on 29 Oct 2008 at 8:25 pm14 Melbell

I just finished making a couple of pendants and they are still sitting there wet but looking really good so far.

I went to and/or called three different large art/craft store and was unable to lay my hands on diamond glaze…no one had ever even heard of it. Not wanting to order it on the net and have to wait I used a clear bar-coat type material that dries to a very hard glass-like finish. It’s the stuff they use on bar tops to make it smooth and shiny. It’s by Enviro-tex and it’s a two part mix so it’s a pain to clean up the tools afterward but it’s nice and thick so you can push it right to the edge of the tile without it glopping over.

Also a couple of other tips I found. I used index cards as my “drop cloth”, one for each scrabble pendant, and stuck the scrabble tile to it with REMOVABLE double sided tape (make sure you don’t use the “permanent”). then I drew a little arrow indicating which side of the tile was up since I couldn’t see the letter side anymore. If you get a good stick with the tape it gives you AWESOME leverage for maneuvering the tile and being able to pick it up easily without getting your fingers in the mod podge or in the resin. Also I used a pen to write down on it when i put on the resin so I will know how long it’s been on there without having to remember! :) The index cards also make a good solid white backdrop if you want to draw a design for you pendant or use stickers.

Another thing I came up with is if you have to mix your own resin, use a dropper (i found mine in the cake decorating isle at Hobby Lobby) to squeeze the mix onto the tile. This gives you the same control that you get from that pointy tip on the Diamond Glaze bottle, and it wasn’t as hard to clean out as I thought it would be. Make sure not to be shy about pushing the resin or whatever all the way to corners of the tiles, i can already see that I didn’t make QUITE to the edge of the corner on one of mine…no one else in the whole wide world would ever notice it, but i see it and it’s starting to bug me lol. As long as you are using a thick compound and being careful, you won’t push it over the side.
on 05 Nov 2008 at 2:51 am15 Grandma Jani

Those are darling. They remind me of the charms that have fun poetry and old fashioned pictures on them. They sell them, along with the really long key chain metal necklaces at boutique shops. They also have initials in fun fonts on the tiles. I don’t think you will ever run out of ideas for your blog; my clever daughter-in-law!! :)
on 05 Nov 2008 at 10:40 pm16 Penny

This is great! Thanks so much. Not sure I’ll have the patience, but deft. going to visit her Etsy shop! :) Thanks again.
on 08 Nov 2008 at 8:53 am17 Leslie

AWESOME tut! I was wondering what type of paper you use? Do you use anything special? If I am printing images from my computer would regular computer paper work?
on 10 Nov 2008 at 9:57 am18 Sasha

These are clever and cute! I have so many scrabble tiles to actually do this with! Thanks for posting.
on 11 Nov 2008 at 12:36 am19 Kendra

Thank you so much for this! I have been eyeing these necklaces for a while now. I love how graphic they are! These will make great gifts because they are homemade, but don’t look very homemade.
on 11 Nov 2008 at 8:03 pm20 Stephanie

I just love those scabble tile pendants. I am going to try my hand on those and give them to my nieces… Great job!!!
on 12 Nov 2008 at 9:05 am21 Corinna

This is a GREAT tutorial. I can also speak from experience that Home Studio’s pendants are beautiful and very well done. I recently bought 3 of them, 1 for myself and 2 for gifts, and I’m going to go back and probably buy some more later!

Corinna http://www.myscrapbooklife.com
on 12 Nov 2008 at 7:49 pm22 LuLu

I have a collection and passion for necklaces. this is fantastic.I have 3 little daughters that I want to make these for. plud great teacher gifts…if I don’t make them I have to buy them!!thanks so much for the tutorial I am a wee bit crafty but some in blog land are incrediable that I feel a bit untalented!
on 13 Nov 2008 at 1:10 pm23 Gina

Great tutorial! I am a visual learner and really appreciate all your photos and step-by-step instructions. Thanks!
on 14 Nov 2008 at 7:17 am24 Jinx

Thanks SO much for the tutorial! Now my daughter can make personalized gifts for ALL her friends this Christmas without breaking the budget!!
on 15 Nov 2008 at 12:35 pm25 Jan

Hi

I love these pieces. I have a few questions.

1. Do you leave the letter for the back?
2. I can’t find Diamond Glaze or Triple Thick.. not at Michaels or Jo Anns.. is there anything else? I looked at everything and it nothing seemed right to me.
3. I cannot find the bails you show here at either store. I assume they are silver. Where do you get yours?

THanks
I can’t wait to make some!
on 16 Nov 2008 at 10:46 am26 Dawn

why not put the paper over the letter side, so the back is just plain wood?
on 16 Nov 2008 at 11:52 pm27 Stephanie D.

You won’t find the bails in any stores you would have to order it online i got mines on ebay, it’s quite expensive. You can find triple thick at hobby lobby, it’s like 3 bucks for the small one and 5 for the big one. I just started doing this and it’s super easy! I find that if you are handy with a exacto you can just mod prodge the tile to your paper and cut around the edges! I didn’t use special mod prodge i just used the regular one.
These make excellent rings!
You can get diamond glaze online too… it’s like 6 bucks. (ebay)
on 17 Nov 2008 at 1:21 pm28 KRISTIN

I’m having a Bloggy Open House tomorrow and I was wondering if I could use this post for a Make and Take. I would link back to you.
on 17 Nov 2008 at 1:37 pm29 Kristen

Has anyone ever used fabric instead of paper? I have some gorgeous scrap fabrics that I would like to use but I was unsure if this would work with the Diamond Glaze.

Thanks in advance!
on 18 Nov 2008 at 9:34 am30 Michelle

Do your images ever go blurry? I read somewhere to use clear nail polish to seal it first. Does anyone know if it will yellow? When I use Mod Podge I was getting some bleeding or a blurry effect after a few days. Any pointers?

Thanks!
on 19 Nov 2008 at 4:24 am31 Monica

Hi there!
I made a ton of scrabble tiles last night and woke up this morning to see that the paper had lifted from the sides of the tiles (on every one!). I used everything listed above for materials but replaced the Diamond Glaze with Ranger’s Glossy Accents. I had used it before with other tiles but for some reason this did not happen then. Please advise — how do I get the paper to stick to the tile without lifting?

Thank you so much for the help that anyone can provide!!! :)
on 19 Nov 2008 at 9:37 am32 Monica

Hi again everyone,
For those who have used Envirotex Lite, does that bubble???
Thanks,
Monica
on 19 Nov 2008 at 12:47 pm33 Sarah

This is a wonderful idea! I was so excited, so I instantly put a wanted request on freecycle and within a few days I received a broken box and board with tiles from someone who was going to throw it away! Off to go purchase the other items and get started on this amazing idea! I think this will be a great teacher gift, gift for distant friends that you never know what to get them and a small gift for someone you want to get something but never know what!!! :)

Thanks for the idea! I love your blog! Creative people are so inspiring!!!
on 19 Nov 2008 at 6:34 pm34 Stefani (HomeStudio)

Hi everyone! We are thrilled that you are all having so much fun making pendants. Are you all ready to come help us during the Christmas rush??!! :)

We’ve had a few questions that I’d like to answer here.

Q: Where do you find the glaze?
A: There are several places online that carry Diamond Glaze. http://www.ornamentea.com has some good prices or http://www.joann.com usually has it in stock.

Q: Lifting corners?
A: I place heavy cutting board or even a stapler on the back of the tile as the glue is drying. Just be careful that the tile doesn’t shift as you place your heavy object on it…otherwise the image won’t be centered. Sometimes a tile will be old and slick from wear. That will sometimes effect the glue & make it difficult to stick. I like using newer tiles - just my preference.

Q: Where do you find the bails?
A: There are several sellers on Etsy who sell Aanraku bails. Just type “Aanraku bails” into the search bar of Etsy.com and be sure to search under supplies.

It’s fun to personalize the pendants with the letter on the back. Just know that the bail sometimes hides a lot of the letter.

Hope that helps out some. Please let me know if you have other questions. Thank you!!