craftgrrl | Disclaimer: I have meaty little hands.

I heard a rumor that someone wanted a tutorial for the Morrissey rosary.

YOU WILL NEED: (from left to right)

Resin and catalyst

Epoxy of any sort, or equally hardcore glue

Wire clippers

Felt, or appropriate backing material

Eyepins (One for each bead)

Cross, or equally pleasing dangly bit for the bottom

Cheapass necklace from the dollar store, for the metal frame around the stone, if you can't find any at Michael's (I couldn't. If you want to be really fancy, you can order actual centerpieces from places online like

http://www.rosaryworkshop.com/PC_03-CENTERS-Recent.html

and leave it as it is, or choose one that is appropriate for sticking a picture over.

Glass beads (33 for a 'wearable' rosary, 53 for a standard rosary)

Spacer beads (6 in either case)

The picture you want inside, in various sizes, to be sure one will fit

Needlenose pliers

Wire (guage doesn't matter, but thin is easiest to work with)

Gay-looking scissors

Here is a link to an illustration of all the beads in a full-sized rosary:

http://www.stbonaventure.org/images/rosary.gif

A full-sized rosary will take longer to make, and is usually too long to wear. I shortened my rosary by 2 "decades" (see link for explanation) in the main loop. At this length, the centerpiece falls about between the breasts (or lack thereof).

Thread a bead onto one of the eyepins. Trim the eyepin, leaving enough wire sticking out of the bead to be able to bend it into a loop. A better and more thorough explanation of the technique can be found here:

http://www.beadsforprayer.com/Rosary/making_rosary.htm

Bend the wire into a loop using the instructions in the link above.

Continue the chain by threading a bead onto a new eyepin, then threading the straight end of the eyepin into the loop you just formed on the previous bead. Trim and bend the new loop around the old loop. Warning: This is a very frustrating process. You may go through several eyepins before you get the hand of it, so have extra on hand. Ideally, you're supposed to be able to make a perfect, round little loop, but this is very, very hard to do unless you're already good at it. What I ended up doing with was squished little loops, which actually look okay, as long as you remember to squish the round, premade loop on the other end of the eyepin so that they match. Continue beading, using the diagram found at the link about the first picture as a guide for which bead to use when.

When you're done the main loop, create another little strand to be used at the bottom of the centerpiece, as seen in the link/illustration. Attach your charm to the bottom of the strand.

Break the loop off your cheap dollar store necklace, if you're using one.

Pry Mr. Cheap Jewel out of the frame.

Use the jewel to trace the size of your picture, and cut out.

Do the same with the felt or alternate backing material.

Apply and spread epoxy onto the inside of the metal frame. You should try actually mixing it first, unlike in this life-like demonstration.

Insert your picture, and wait for it to dry (boring).

Once the epoxy is dry, pour resin (you should try actually mixing it first, unlike in this life-like demonstration) into the frame, adding just enough to create a domed top. Wait for it to dry (boring).

You can skip the next couple of steps if you're using a proper centerpiece with three loops already attached. Otherwise, cut a length of wire, thread on both ends of the main strand and the empty end of the charm strand, close it into a circle, and bend it with your fingers to form a triangle. Using your hands or the pliers, pinch each point of the triangle a little bit to form "ears" in which the last loops of the strands you have will sit without sliding around the triangle. This picture is actually not a very good example, the wire I've used got kind of mangled and I poked myself and got mad and gave up. Either way, you should end up with a closed wire shape approximately the same size as the back of your centerpiece (but not any larger, or it will show from the front) that keeps the loops in place, in the shape of an inverted triangle.

See? Mangled.

Apply a generous amount of (mixed) resin to the backing, over the wire shape. Be sure to add a lot, because the felt will act like a sponge.

Press the felt piece firmly into place, adjusting the position of the wire shape as you go, and making sure that none of it shows from the front. Wait for it to dry (boring).

If you have made a small-sized rosary, you may want to go back, open the middle of your main strand, and attach jewellery findings, if you wish to wear it as a necklace.

Since resin usually retains a bit of tackiness even after it's dry, you might want to coat it with a bit of clear nail polish, or some other type of sealant, if you're fancy. When using nail polish, you may find that the resin clouds over after you apply it. Don't worry, it will be clear again once it's dry.