Decorative lanyard

**lady9ball** · 11-02-2009, 10:44 PM

We were tired of losing our e-cigs under the car seat or in the woods (lost forever!) so I came up with a fairly quick and easy lanyard.

As a bit of a crafter, I had some polymer clay laying around. I picked up some scraps and made a swirly red, white, and various pinks design. I wrapped a dead battery (guts torn out) with a few layers of tin foil to keep the final product from being too tight. Then I flattened out the clay and rolled it around the battery and trimmed it all up nice. Along with that, I made a couple of small beads (just rolled into a ball and poked a toothpick through) and baked it all in the oven for 20 mins at 275deg.

After it was baked and cooled, I super-glued the beads to the side of the tube of clay. Then I strung some leather cord through the holes and knotted the ends.

I had picked up some rubber O-rings at the hardware store - 5/16 ID in this case fit my Vapor King battery nice and tight but not too tight. I slipped one on, followed by my clay tube, and then another O-ring.

Now I won't lose any more e-cigs! The key to the design is the O-rings - you could make the tube out of a lot of different things I suppose - it just happened that I am into polymer clay and it works beautifully for this. My design is simple, it could certainly be prettied up quite a bit.

**rocketvapor** · 11-03-2009, 12:16 AM

Well, that is slick! As a non-crafter myself, I bow to you! I like the fact that it leaves both ends open so you can use it without having to take it out of the lanyard.

You should sell these! One question, due to my ignorance of the material: Is the clay brittle after curing? I break things easily!

Very nice!

**lady9ball** · 11-03-2009, 01:50 AM

Thanks! It has turned out to be pretty handy. No, the clay isn't brittle - I think it would hold up well to abuse.

Don't know about selling them. I might make a few more, take some pics with a decent camera and see if anyone is interested. If not, I'll have a nice assortment for myself.

**leaford** · 11-03-2009, 11:43 AM

Hey, you're horning in on my market here!

Just kidding, of course!

That looks great! It even matches!

(Do you by any chance have the Pink case and/or PCC?

)

**lady9ball** · 11-03-2009, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by leaford

Hey, you're horning in on my market here!

Just kidding, of course!

That looks great! It even matches!

(Do you by any chance have the Pink case and/or PCC?

)

That's why I posted it here instead of in the V4L forum - I really don't want to step on any toes!

But at the same time, this is a pretty simple and cost effective way to keep from losing our precious e-cigs and I wanted to share the process.

I don't have pink everything, just the one battery. I'm going to make matching ones for all of my battery colors, though!

**lady9ball** · 11-11-2009, 02:29 AM

I decided that this isn't really a lanyard. Not that I'd wear it to a dinner party or anything fancy, but it's kinda pretty and it serves a purpose. So here is my newest finished E-cig Pendant.

I have more that I'm working on, and will most likely make more of this style in different colors. Right now I'm just trying to gauge interest before I buy more supplies and consider selling them. If you think you might be interested in something like this, PM me, because frankly I have no idea if anyone else will like them as much as I do.

Just keep in mind that the color and design possibilities are endless, so if you like the concept but not this particular pattern, there would be other options, including more masculine ones.

Thanks for looking!

**leaford** · 11-11-2009, 03:49 AM

That looks great! Like a tortoise shell!

**lady9ball** · 11-11-2009, 04:29 PM

I take that as quite a compliment coming from the true Mogul of Lanyards!

This technique is actually supposed to be a retro/mod pattern. I used varying shades of green with a little blue for accent. The pictures do not do it justice. I tried a different camera but did not get the outcome I hoped for.

Most non-crafters are not familiar with the qualities of polymer clay. After it is cured, it can be sanded and polished to a high shine so no finish is needed. It is also quite durable. There are techniques for making faux ivory, onyx, abalone, mother of pearl, tortoise shell (!!), torquoise, cinnabar, agate, tooled leather, lizard (snake, aligator, crocodile) skin, etc. etc. etc. It is available in a wide assortment of colors that can be mixed to create any color imaginable. It can also be mixed with various other materials such as spices, sand, glitter, etc. - in other words, it is one of the most versatile crafting materials out there.

Oh yes, I should mention that there are stunning photo transfer techniques, as well!

I personally like to embellish with nice beads or gemstones and I prefer to create functional pieces rather than just jewelry items, which is why this particular endeavor appeals to me so much.

Anyway, thanks for looking! I guess my obsession for this material got the better of me in this post.

**abhowe** · 11-11-2009, 04:41 PM

I would like to see a lanyard for the GG Transformer...... Too big to put in pocket...... Would be good hanging from neck...... Good luck to the GG Lanyard maker.....