Ombre is everywhere right now and some of the projects are pretty intense. I thought I would try my hand at the ombre look with an easier technique on some vintage wooden blocks for this DIY necklace. You can use any color gradient, paint each block a different color altogether, or go monotone.

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Materials

Vintage wood blocks
Acrylic paint For an ombre effect, use one favorite color and mix varying amounts of white.
Paintbrushes
Sandpaper
Ribbon or cord
Power drill
Drill bits
Mixing dish for the paint
Bamboo skewers

Directions

Step 1: For painting, you want the wood blocks to be clean and dry. Sand them with your sandpaper to prep your surface.


Step 2: Take your wooden block to a work space where you can drill, then put something under the block to catch the bit when it goes through. Drill a hole straight through the center of each block using a drill bit that leaves a hole big enough for your ribbon to go through. When the bit goes all the way through, reverse the direction to pull the drill out. Run it through again in both directions to make a clean, smooth tunnel through your block.




Step 3: Add some of your paint to your mixing dish and paint your first wooden block. Cover the drill holes but don’t let too much pain drip into them.

Step 4: When fully painted, put a bamboo skewer through the hole and rest it on the rim of a bowl to dry. This is a good time to fix any paint smudges that may have occurred while holding the block.


Step 5: Now you are going to mix a small amount of white paint with your color of choice to create a shade that is slighter lighter than the original color.




Step 6: Paint your second block with your new shade in the same way you did the first.


Step 7: Create the next two shades by adding increasing amounts of white to the same amount of your color of choice.



Step 8: Paint your last two blocks and place them in the bowl to dry.

Step 9: Cut your ribbon or cord to the length you want it.


Step 10: Thread your ribbon through the drill hole in your first block.


Step 10: Continue threading the ribbon through the rest of your blocks just like you did for the first. If your ribbon gets stuck at any point, use the bamboo skewers to push it all the way through.


Step 10: When all of your blocks are on the ribbon, tie the ends in a bow and wear it at the length you prefer.


More:

• Mint Ombre Wall
• Cork Heart with Wine-Stain Gradient
• Color Block Mountain Painting