LET’S MAKE A HORSE HAIR KEEPSAKE
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Over on Etsy, you can find some AMAZING jewelry artists that make the most beautiful horse hair keepsakes. I have a few shops I’d love to use when it comes time to say goodbye to my ponies, and I’ll share them at the bottom of this post because their pieces are BEAUTIFUL, but as for this post, I want to share the horse hair keepsake I made!
LET’S GET SOME HAIR
If you’ve ever looked at jewelry artist recommendations for horse hair keepsakes, most I’ve read through prefer to use the horse’s tail and like to have at least 10 inches or longer to work with.
For the keepsake I made, I just used a small chunk from my pony Mixies bangs. I like to give her an annual trim during the summer because who wants hair in their eyes? Plus, she looks cute with a trim.
To trim Mixie’s bangs, I use two small rubber hair binders. I wrap one in the middle of her bangs and one towards the bottom. Then I trim between the two binders with scissors.
Am I a professional hair stylist, NO WAY! But Mixie still looks like she could be on a runway for a fashion show, so styling!
WASH AND PREPARE THE HAIR
Next, I decided to wash the hair because Mixie likes to roll in her dry lot, and she gets a little dusty. I just used my regular hair shampoo and a small bowl in my bathroom sink.
After I scrubbed the hair with soap and my fingers for a few minutes, I rinsed it under the sink water and let the hair dry on a towel for 24 hours.
The shampoo I am using is called Amika hydro rush intense moisture shampoo it’s not for horses. It’s my human hair shampoo.
TIME TO MAKE THE KEEPSAKE
SUPPLIES USED
- Scissors
- Mod Podge
- Craft Paint & Small Paintbrush
- Wood Pendant with Glass Cabochon
- Necklace Chain
- Clean & Dried Horse/Pony Hair
The first thing I did was paint the inside of the wooden pendant with craft paint. I used Multi Surface FolkArt Craft Paint in the color Hawaiian Surf.
When the paint was dry, I applied Mod Podge over the craft paint and then cut small pieces of the hair to place in the center of the wood pendant over Mod Podge.
Next, I needed to apply the glass cabochon on top of the hair, but first, I needed the glass top to hold, so I again used Mod Podge and applied it to the flat surface side of the glass.
I secured the glass and wood pendant to the table with tape while it dried, and when it was dry, I added a beaded necklace chain that I already had in my jewelry box.
Of course, we had to have a photo op with my best friend and gal pal, Mixie, since I did use pieces of her bangs, after all.
This project was harder than I thought it would be; laying the horse hair nicely and evenly onto the pendant was a little challenging. I had no idea how it would turn out after the Mod Podge dried, but at least I tried.
My keepsake may not be as perfect as the pieces I’ve seen on Etsy, but it’s cute and a great little lucky charm I can keep with me until I need a professional one made. Which, hopefully, isn’t for a very long time.
As for the shops I was talking about on Etsy, a few I’m interested in shopping with include HorseHairCreationsCH, EquineKeepsakesLTD, and CurlyLocksJewelry You’ll have to check them out.
XOXO
Emily
If you want to learn more about the adorable Mixie and how she came into my life you can read her story at MEET MIXIE- MY MINIATURE SHETLAND PONY.
You can find more crafty projects under the LETS DIY – ARTS & CRAFTS category on the blog, or if this is your first time on to SHE PAINTS FOR PONIES, start HERE.