make good

I worked on a few really fun freelance craft projects this summer that are just out now and I am so glad to finally be able to share them with you. The most fun were these pasta necklaces, made for the Real Simple special Family issue. I found a great technique for dying the pasta and had a blast mixing the colors and shapes. I think the necklaces turned out surprisingly sophisticated for being such a classic kiddie craft. In fact - almost all of them got snatched up after the shoot by the adults on set!

 

To make the colors, mix one tablespoon rubbing alcohol with about 15 drops of liquid food coloring, or one good squirt of gel in a resealable plastic bag or glass jar. Add the pasta and shake until coated. Let sit for about 3-10 minutes, shaking periodically to keep the color even. Remove pasta and place on a towel-lined cookie sheet. The pasta should dry in about 5 minutes and you're ready to string! I had about 10 different types of pasta and made loads of colors, so the mixing & matching for the finished necklaces was really fun. I loved experimenting with all the different shapes and seeing how they worked together. What combination would you make?