This beautiful Cross Necklace Made out of Nails has always been a popular Religious Easter Craft for kids and adults. It’s a nice rustic looking necklace that would be a great fit for Men, Women, Teens, and Kids. I think this is such a cool idea for making cross necklaces, key chains or a Sunday School craft for Easter.
Cross Necklace Made out of Nails – A Religious Easter Craft…
Here’s a short video on this Easy DIY Cross Necklace for Men, Women, Teens, and Kids to Wear…
Years ago, my son’s Sunday School Teacher made this with his class for an Easter Craft. I absolutely fell in love with the idea, and I knew you all would too.
I love the rustic appeal to the necklace.
I really love the fact that the Cross Necklace is made from Nails.
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For those of us that celebrate the resurrection of Christ, using nails for the cross necklace carries meaning behind it.
When I first posted this craft, I hadn’t actually made the craft myself. I just went by the example I had to explain the process. This time, I went out an purchased supplies to make it for a more specific tutorial for you.
Here’s What You’ll Need for your DIY Religious Easter Craft…
You’ll Need:
- 4 (2 inch) Masonry Cut Nails – the ones shown are (2 inches)
- Leather or Hemp Cord – about 24 inches (leather is more comfortable on the back of the neck)
- Glue Dots – Line Roll (I recently found out that glue dots come in rectangular 1-inch pieces now. You could also use the original circles, but I really liked how perfectly the strips of glue fit the edges of the nails)
- Optional – jewelry wire
- Low temp glue gun and glue sticks
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Here are instructions for this Easter Cross Necklace Craft…
- take 2 of the Cut Nails and place them opposite of each other
- *Notice that they are “not” completely aligned at the ends. That is so the nails will be defined on the necklace better
- Use glue dots to secure them in place
- Do that again with another pair of Cut Nails
- Now form the 2 pairs of nails into a cross
- Use a glue dot to secure them together
- Take the leather or hemp cord, and at the middle of the cord wrap a loop at a diagonal around the middle of the cross
- Secure with a knot at the back
- Now, start wrapping the middle of the cross alternating with the pieces of hemp cord around where the middle of the cross meets
- When you are finished, tie a knot on the back over the top of the X you have formed with hemp cord
- *Another option would be to take jewelry wire and wrap the cord to the necklace so it makes it’s way up to the top of the nails and secure the nails with the wire at the top
- Slip the necklace around your neck or use someone else as a model
- Find the perfect spot to tie a knot in your hemp cord to form a large enough loop to pull on and off the head easily
- tie the knot and you are finished
- Use a low temp glue gun for any spots that don’t feel secure
Don’t forget – If you need a better visual, watch the 1-minute video for help in assembling the cross…
This is the original craft. I couldn’t find the exact nails like the ones in this picture this time, but I like the substitute nails that were at my local hardware store just fine.
~ Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
I am looking for nails like this to make necklaces at vbs. I have made them a few years ago and I would love to make them again. If you could tell me where you found these nails I would so appreciate it.
Hi Angela. It’s been a while, but I believe I found some at a local hardware store – Menards. Home Depot, or Lowes would be good options, too. I wish I could find the necklace to go compare at the store and give you a more specific answer on the type and length that was used. I hopped on Amazon real quick and included some links to Amazon above for you. I like the rusty looking masonry cut nails, too. The metal looking ones are referred to as cut nails or steel cut nails. I hope this helps.
Are these 2 inch nails or 1 1/2?
The nails are 2 inches long
Hi Melissa, making the nail cross as a church project. Could you please tell me the size of the glue dots you used ? Small,medium or large. Thank you, Sara Jane
I can’t say from experience. This was actually a craft that my son’s Sunday School Teacher did with him. I loved it so much, I shared it on the blog. I have had plenty of experience with glue dots. The bigger you go, the sticker they get. The nails will need plenty of adhesive to keep their bond. I would use large. They have the best hold. If they are too bulky for the nails, you can always trim them with scissors by cutting them in half. I hope this helps. It is a beautiful craft.
Thank you Melissa for getting back to me so quickly…I certainly try the larger glue dots ! Sara Jane
Do the glue dots continue to let the nails move, or do they eventually hold tight?
The glue dots hold the nails together, but they won’t harden up into a tight bond, like super glue will. Glue dots are tacky and should give a strong enough hold to keep the nails in place as you, or the kids, secure them with the rope. They are kind of there to just lend an extra hand holding the cross for you as you wrap it with the rope. You can still wiggle the nails around and twist them back and forth, but the rope keeps them from pulling apart. The glue dots are a great sealant in this craft because they are tacky – they hold objects together immediately without waiting on them to dry, and they form to whatever you need. If you used hot glue, the glue dries so hard that it could make an unwanted space between the nails. You can squeeze the glue dots so there is little or no space. Again, The rope that wraps around the center of the cross is what really keeps them secure. If you are looking for a stronger bond between the nails…I’m sure that you could use some kind of super glue or even a sealant to bind the nails together completely. I hope this helps. I have the cross necklace in front of me as I write this. It truly is a beautiful necklace. 🙂
Thank you very much.
Hi,
Ask for cut masonry nails. they have them in 2″ size.
🙂
Are these 2-inch nails?
Yes. They are 2-inch nails.
How do I get the oil off the nails so it won’t get on their clothes or necks?
Hi Linda. If the nails have a oily residue on them, try using mineral spirits or a metal degreaser. You can usually find these are your local or big box hardware store.