Depression Gift; Green Army Man Jewelry

First I want to give credit where credit is due. I got this idea from Knight & Hammer, a small jeweler. Right now they are having a sale on their gold army men jewelry, portions of the proceeds benefit the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

As much as I love their army men, there is no feasible way I could ever afford it, until the prize patrol arrives. So I will make my generic version using real green (brown) army men.

First, a bag o' army men.

Of course you need to play with them a bit. MAN DOWN!

Now we need to remove their pedestals.  Don't be tempted to just snap them off, you will take their poor little toes with it. I used a pair of wire cutters, then filed down any points.

Next heat up a needle and stab him in the head with it. 

Not only are you making something cool but you get to relive your tortured toy youth.  Ah memories. . . Fun!!

Don't allow the needle to cool off in there too much, you will have a hard time getting it out. Next you will need a piece of wire, folding it to create a hook to hang the army man from. This too will need to be heated up before torturing your toy. Shove the wire into his head and allow it to cool.

You can stop here and add leather or chain. But I just happened to have a can of Aluminum  spray enamel 

 *insert evil laugh here* 

Spray one side of your army man, dry, flip and repeat. Be sure to get his crotch and the top of his head.

my attempt at a close-up

These make great Christmas ornaments as well.

Pack of army men $1. aluminum enamel paint can be found at the hardware store for $2-$5.  You can find wire there as well. But since I go to auctions and buy wire in bulk, not sure how much that would cost you.