NEWIE NECKLACE.

Ever since she could talk, Nugget has called noodles "newies". And we've never corrected her because we just think it is so gosh darn adorable. We found this project in a recent issue of Family Fun magazine and were excited to try it.

It was super easy and lots of fun. Nugget was able to help with almost all of it, which is our kind of project! We had so much fun that I even emailed a letter and these pictures to Family Fun with high hopes that they'll publish our praises in their 'mailbox' section in a future issue. We shall see. Anyhow, here's the how-to, in case you want to try it too!

Taken from the August 2011 issue of Family Fun Magazine...

For each color, mix about 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 10 to 12 drops of food coloring in a ziplock bag.

Add 1/2 cup of dried pasta (we used rigatoni) to each bag and shake it to cover the pasta with dye.

Leave the pasta in the dye for about 5 minutes, shaking it occasionally.

Next, spoon the pasta out of the bag, placing it on paper towels.

After about 15 minutes, turn the pasta pieces over. Let them dry completely.

Tie one pasta piece to the end of a length of yarn to act as a stopper. For a simple needle, fold a twist tie around the other end of the yarn and twist its ends to secure.

There you have it! We doubled the batch, because I knew Nugget would want to make lots and lots of necklaces. And the twist tie needle idea is genius! Perfect for little hands and a great fine motor activity for little ones.

Happy newie necklace making!