One of the fun things I did in my childhood was make my own necklaces from seeds. The seeds are free if you save them from melons you eat during the warm days of summer.

You can use watermelon, cantalope, honey dew, pumpkin, or gourd seeds.

Make sure you get a regular watermelon, not the seedless kind.

The easiest way to do this is to gather the seeds and put them in a drain bowl and wash them to get all the sticky parts off of them. Then lay them out on paper towels to get rid of the extra moisture.

Then, thread a needle with dental floss or sewing thread coated with beeswax. (You can get beeswax blocks from the quilting department of the craft store or a bee farm).

While the seeds are still wet, thread them on your string. If you'd like you can add wooden beads as spacers to make a more interesting design.

If you only use one type of seeds, your necklace will only be one color. For a fancier necklace, mix black watermelon seeds with tan cantalope seeds.

If your seeds are already dry, you can soak them in a little water for maybe 20 or 30 minutes to soften them again.

Make a strand of beads big enough to fit over your head one, two or three times. Tie the ends in an overhand knot and sew the excess threads down through five or six beads to hide it and then cut off any leftover bits

Hang your seed creations in a warm place to dry for a week or two.

Be sure to make a few extras to trade with your friends or to give as gifts.