Craft Tutorial: Gumball Machine Toy Charm Necklace

When I heard that the theme for Iron Craft this week was “lucky,” the first thing that came to mind was “lucky charms.”  Then my thoughts went to charm bracelets, and from there this fun idea evolved.  I love buying the tiny toys from quarter machines in store lobbies, but I’ve never really had a use for them.  But now I do!  This project is so easy and so much fun that I see a lot more toy charm making in my future!

You need:

• Gumball machine toys
• Tiny eyelet screws
• Glue
• Beads
• Chain

Directions:

The hardest part of this project is gathering up the materials – namely the tiny gumball machine toys.  I tried using a variety of different toys made from different materials and found that those made from hard plastic are easiest to work with, but I also had success with soft plastics and rubbery materials.

Using the smallest eye screws you can find, dip the tip in a dab of glue and carefully press it into the top of one of the toys and twist clockwise.  Turn until the screw is all the way into the toy.

String the charms into a chain (I used a dog tag style ball chain) using beads as spacers.  I used some beads I had left over from another project, but pony beads would also work very well because they have large holes and come in bright colors.

I think I may be addicted to these little charms!  I need to start watching the machines everywhere I go for more little things to add.  I think I smell an ongoing project!