Painted Pasta Jewelry

by Rita Richardson

An Imagination Station Activity
Age: 3 and up
Time: An hour or more
Type of Activity: Arts and crafts

This colorful project is a great way to wile away a rainy afternoon.

Materials needed:

Pasta shapes -- tubes, macaroni, wagon wheels; anything that has an opening

Tempera paints/poster paints

Yarn to thread the pasta

Paintbrush

Large blunt needle with big "eye" for threading

Hairspray as a fixative

What to do:

First decide what piece of pasta jewelry you want to make -- bracelet, necklace, belt, or anklet -- and measure a piece of yarn two inches longer than you'll need.
Decide which pasta shapes will fit together well on the length of yarn. Try to vary the shapes for an interesting design.
Paint the pasta shapes and let them dry thoroughly on newspaper.
After the pasta is dry, string together the pieces with the needle and yarn.
Tie the ends off with a bow.
You may want to spray the jewelry with a light coat of hairspray to prevent the paint from running if the pasta gets sticky or wet.
Allow the pasta dry again, then have a jewelry fashion show display your amazing creations!