A to Z, 2012-- J is for...

ME!

No, wait... that's not quite right... well, I mean, it is, but it's not the word I want to talk about.

Today's word is Junk.

As much as I love to use fancy rocks and beautiful gems and whimsical glass, there is something to be said for creating something beautiful out of practically nothing. I believe that the term now is called "upcycling"-- using things that would have otherwise been discarded, for an entirely new purpose.

My mom picked up a pair of earrings down in Florida, made from soda can tabs and shells:

Thanks for sending me the photo, Mom! Love you lots <3

On Pinterest, you can find many more things like this-- a ring made out of an old fork,  a bracelet made out of old credit cards or gift cards, a bracelet made out of knitting needles, beads made out of old rulers, a bracelet made out of tape measures, a necklace out of old book pages...

Oh... I almost forgot... they have beads made out of paper, too! This example used Archie comics... I wonder who made it? They must be an AMAZING artist, and a wonderful handmade jeweler~ hee hee hee!

(By the way, those links are NOT from *my* Pinterest page... just someone who has very similar interests to mine!)



I love getting deals at thrift stores and bargains at yard sales. It's the thrill of the hunt-- the idea of finding something special that I can use for a project, something that has been discarded by someone else.

On my most recent thrift store expedition, I found two very interesting objects at an absolute steal-- less than $5 for both--

I'm going to have to do a close-up of each of these at some point. They're all really interesting beads-- carved from stone-- some of them look like chess pieces, others look like Transformers, others look like Aztec relics. Oh, and there's one bird thrown into the mix, too~

Or at least, I think it's a bird... either that or a fish...

And "found object" number two-- a brass bracelet, with black and white resin centers!

I've already taken apart the black and white and brass bracelet-- I'm using one of the "links" as a focal point on a necklace-- but I have NO IDEA what the stone beads are going to be yet.

My family always said that one man's trash is another man's treasure, and I couldn't agree more. Before you throw something away, think not what it is today, but what it *could* be.

See you all tomorrow. Happy creating!

Day Twenty-Seven... Learning Resin!

I want to start making my own beads and jewelry components. The other day I picked up a kit to make resin jewelry. I have all the necessary supplies... now I just need to feel well enough to do it.

If it turns out well, I'll post the results (proudly) on this blog. If not, well... there's a site for failed projects that just might be calling my name. If it comes to that I will probably be very upset.

Anyway, I'm still under the weather, but I'm proud of myself for being so productive today. Here are the earrings:

I nicknamed these "Double Jade", since the two beads used are two types of jade. There's teal jade for the bottom, and blue jade for the top!

Now, I usually try to get at least a few different views of my jewelry, to show it off to the best it can be. Unfortunately, this is all you're going to get for now.

The camera did not pick up the color of the jade as well as I'd like. The one on the top-- the smaller bead-- is a dark blue, and it came out more of a black color. The one on the bottom is teal and white, and came out looking like a gunmetal grey-blue.

Today's earrings have been a complete Color Fail.

At least they're gorgeous in person. And at least the photo doesn't look *terrible*~ it just doesn't show up the colors as well as I'd like.

If I ever get a better photograph of these earrings, I will gladly show these earrings off again. In the meantime, have a great evening, and I'll see you all again tomorrow!