Grandma's Strawberries

As I mentioned, my grandma, a painter, was a big fan of strawberries. These are some of her personal projects. The strawberry pendant has a twin--it used to be a pair of earrings she wore often. The strawberry pin is actually from my great grandma, so really we're spanning 5 generations of strawberry adoration!

Robin's Egg Necklace

These beads are leftovers from a ceramics experiment with minty glaze...now reborn as a robin's egg necklace!

Delft Charms

Much to my delight I found these dainty little charms at Michael's and am turning them into jewellery! 

Reclaimed Jewellery Frame

My friend Meagan made this jewellery hanging piece from a frame she found on the road and a thrifted crocheted pillow cover. She painted the frame with a mix of Antibes Green and Louis Blue Chalk Paint, waxed it, and then used a staple gun to attach the lace. It could be used for displaying cards and such too! Isn't it lovely? Well, hint hint: Meagan will be starting up a furniture refinishing business soon...

Daisy Statement Necklace

This triple daisy charm looks as if it came from the 1960s, but I actually bought it at Michaels. I love its glossy enamel-painted finish, gold base, and overall cheer!

Vintage Find: Pearl Collar

This beautiful necklace, made in Japan, is a family heirloom from the 1950s. It was in the dress-up box until I rescued it for nobler purposes. You know you have become a vintage fashion enthusiast when you realize that the accessory you paired with a tutu, Mardi Gras beads, and rubber boots as a child is actually a glamorous masterpiece that deserves a better view than the plastic walls of a Rubbermaid!

DIY Scalloped Series: Necklace

Materials:

Glue gun

Paint brush

Acrylic paint

Thin wooden semicircles (Note: I started with 4 circles and sawed them in half to get 8 semicircles)

Ribbon the thickness of the wooden semicircles (I used a length about 30 inches)

Step 1: Paint the wooden semicircles with your desired color or pattern. 

As you can see, I gave mine a golden edge and painted one side mint green. When I want a more neutral necklace I can wear it with the wooden side showing to match my hair and skin.

Step 2: Center and hot glue the painted semicircles onto the ribbon to make a row of scallops. 

The extra ribbon at the ends can be tied in a bow as the closure.

Ta-da!

Anchor Attire

I've been on a nautical fashion spree--a wonderfully inexpensive nautical fashion spree! I snagged the chambray anchor print shirt for $2 second hand (originally from GAP), and made the necklace and bracelet using a pair of pliers and some time. The necklace is just a piece of wire I bent into an anchor shape and then wrapped cotton string around it. I made the bracelet out of a scrap of gold chain with anchor buttons attached by gold wire jump rings.



Barbie Tea Pendant

I added jump rings to this pink-flecked Barbie teacup and teapot and slid them onto a long chain with a droplet bead to create a unique necklace. Suddenly kids' toys have fashionable potential! 

Vintage Baubles Restoration

These costume jewellery necklaces, which were my great-grandma's in the 1960s, have been in my dress up box since I was a toddler. I've always loved their smooth, colorful beads, but I never wore them for real because they were an awkward length. 

I hesitate slightly when it comes to taking a pair of scissors to a vintage item, but, since the necklaces were just sitting uselessly in their jewellery box getting more and more saggy as their string disintegrated, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to salvage them.

All I had to do was shorten them on some fresh string and now I can wear them as bright, chunky statement necklaces! Plus, there are several beads left over that I can use for another project down the road.



DIY Beaded Tassel

Materials:

A beading needle

A couple inches of wire

Seed beads

Scissors

A large, decorative bead

A spacer bead

Needle nose pliers

Elastic thread

Step 1: Bend a loop in the wire and slide on the spacer and decorative beads. This loop will be the top of the tassel.

Step 2: Bend a loop in the wire, snipping off any extra, on the other end of the decorative bead. This loop will be the bottom of the tassel and will hold the beaded tassel strands.

Step 3: Measure and cut a 10-inch piece of elastic thread. It is going to be folded in half to create two approximately 2-inch long beaded strings of the tassel, allowing fraying and tying room. Obviously if you want your tassel strings to be longer you will have to cut a larger piece. 

Step 4: Thread the elastic into the eye of the beading needle.

Step 5: Pull the beading needle through the bottom wire loop so you have two equal pieces of elastic sticking out each side of the loop.

Step 6: Thread seed beads onto one side of the elastic. Remove the needle and tie a knot at the end of the string.

Step 7: Repeat step 6 for the other half of the elastic.

Step 8: Now your tassel has two full beaded strands. Repeat steps 3 through 7 to add as many strands as you think suits your tassel.

It will add some sparkle to your wardrobe or décor!



DIY Pearl Collar Necklace

Materials:

A bracelet chain with a clasp

4 jump rings

A shorter string of pearl beads (mine was 10'')

A longer string of pearl beads (mine was 17'')

Pliers

Step 1: Secure the two strings of pearls with a jump ring at their centers.

Step 2: Fasten one of the ends of the two strings of pearls together with a jump ring, leaving one pearl free on the longer string.

Step 3: Attach the non-clasp end of the bracelet to the longer string of pearls with yet another jump ring.

Step 4: Use the final jump ring to secure the other two ends of the two strings of pearls together, again leaving one pearl free on the longer string. That pearl will hold the clasp to close the necklace.

There you have it! A classy collar necklace to dress up even the simplest t-shirt.

DIY Shell Pendant

Next time you're at the beach, keep an eye out for a shell with a hole in it to create this simple, pretty pendant.

Materials:

Shell with a natural hole in it (or carefully drill a hole in a perfect shell you found...I leave that to you!)

Needle nose pliers

Jump ring

Toothpick

Acrylic paint in the color of your choice

Paint brush

Step 1: Paint the inside of the shell, and let it dry.

Step 2: Use the toothpick to paint along the ridges of the top of the shell, and then let that dry.

Step 3: Use the pliers to secure the jump ring in the hole of the shell.

Step 4: Turn your pendant into a keychain, a bracelet, a necklace... 

Whatever you decide on, the mermaids will approve!



DIY Rickrack Rose

If you love these Modcloth necklaces as much as I do, then you will be delighted by this tutorial!

Materials:

Rickrack ribbon in the color of your choice

A needle and matching thread OR a hot glue gun 

Step 1: To make a rose that is 1 inch in diameter, cut a 30 inch length of rickrack. For a rose that is 0.5 inches in diameter, cut a 15 inch length of rickrack.

Step 2: Fold the length of rickrack in half.

Step 3: Starting from the folded end, weave the rickrack together, as pictured above. It will naturally start to twist, so you will have to flatten it out as you go.

Step 4: Pinch the folded end of the rickrack and start rolling it up.

Step 5: As you roll the rickrack, make sure you sew or hot glue it in place at frequent intervals.

Step 6: Sew or hot glue the end of the rickrack length to the bottom of the rose. If you'd like you can mount it to a fabric or metal backing to cover up any unattractive stitches or glue lumps.

Step 7: If you prefer the open petal look, unfurl the bottom edges of the rose.

Now your rose is complete and you just need to decide what to do with it! You could, for example, make it into a ring, a brooch, or a headband decoration. Or, you could make a matching rose for a pair of earrings, or several roses to sew onto a purse or a shirt. I decided to mimic the look of the Modcloth necklaces and create a rose cluster necklace.

I sewed two half inch roses to a 1 inch rose and attached a jump ring to each so the group would sit nicely on a chain. As you can see, I didn't bother to put a backing on the cluster.

Ta-da! It's amazing what you can make with a little bit of ribbon and time!