Neon Stone Necklace // diy

Neon is HUGE right now, and I completely LOVE it {that could be because I blessedly missed the neon-soaked 80's}. However, as much as I like to bust myself out of my wear-mostly-neutrals rut, I don't really want to go out dressed like a highlighter.

That's where accessories come in! Here are a couple I am currently drooling over:

 Kate Spade, $278 // Kendra Scott via Nordstrom, $118 // Jcrew, $150

Some more {slightly cheaper} statement pieces for inspiration:

Aida Kibur via Pink Mascara (sold out) // Ann Taylor // Pree Brulee 

So loverrly. Don't their bright colors make them look like candy?? I just want to eat them. But of course, being me, the first thing I notice are the prices. I'd never pay that much, EVUH. So, it's DIY or Die ;)

I bought this monstrosity (from JCPenney; go big or go home), and got to work. A coupla coats of primer and nailpolish later, I had this:


{it started out like this:}

The necklace arrived at my doorstep in pieces. 

Since the stones on the necklace I bought were multi-colored, I gave all the stones a once-over with some primer. My necklace was a piece of crap and the stones kept popping out {see above}, so I just took 'em all out and gave them a squirt of primer-from-a-can {I've heard of other people who paint without primer, but the stones end up being see-through and that's gross.}. 

I put the stones in their settings for picture purposes only :) I liked the primer so much I almost left them like this!

When the primer dried, I just painted each stone liberally with bright-colored nail polish {I chose a bright coralish-tangerineish color, in on-trend with the Pantone Color of the Year}. It took about two coats for the look I wanted. After the paint had set long enough to dry, I sprayed the heck out of them with spray-polyurethane. {it acts as a kind of topcoat to your nail polish. This stuff isn't going ANYWHERE.}

Afterwards, I dabbed a little bit of "never-let-go" E-6000 glue on the edges of the stones with a toothpick and stuck 'em back in.


See? Pretty easy :)

And since poorly-lit nighttime photos in my PJs don't do the color justice, here's what it looks like in natural light

Necklace: $13 

Paint: $1

Total Savings: $98-$258 (!)

Fine by me :)