15 Jewelry Projects From Up Cycled Materials

I am always looking for ways to reuse something I have or something someone has discarded.

I also love the challenge of taking something common and doing something uncommon with it.

Take a look at some jewelry projects that started with some very non-jewelry related items.

These bangles got an upgrade with buttons and some earring flowers.

Find the post here.

A vintage spoon and a bullet casing became this fun necklace.

Find the post here.

These fun rose bracelets are actually made from plain white sheets.

See how to make your own here.

And more sheets transformed this bangle to a fun cuff.

Tutorial here.

These plastic bangles got a makeover with some washi tape.

Make your own by following this tutorial.

The following pieces remain among my favorites to this day.

These were made from plastic tubing, shotgun shells and were dressed up with recycled silk strips.

See the full post here.

Some incorporated hardware pieces as well.

Don't throw away that old puzzle because some of the pieces are lost.

Make some earrings instead.

See the post here.

You might want to raid your kids pockets after seeing this post.

A simple glass marble becomes a fun yet sophisticated necklace.

See it here.

The same post shows how to turn a tiny glass Christmas ornament into a tiny time capsule.

A bullet casing can become an amazing jewelry piece.

See the full post here.

These pretty earrings started with some paper flowers from the scrapbooking section of your favorite store.

See the post here.

How about making some very artistic earrings from some beads, yarn and discarded book pages?

See them here.

More buttons...

This time getting a new life as a fashionable choker.

Here is the post.

This bohemian sweetheart stars beads made from felt and discarded book pages.

See the post here.

I promise to bring you more up cycled jewelry pieces soon.  

It is my favorite thing to create.

Thanks for stopping by....

                  Linking up with these great blogs.

Mixed Media Collage

Ok, I am going to be honest.

I have never really played around with that layered mixed media style.  

It seems so complicated and mysterious.

But this summer I bought a Tim Holtz burlap wall hanging with numbers on it that seemed perfect to test the process out on.

I picked it up at the thrift store for $2.

Here is the finished product.

This dialogue is one of my favorites.

I started by using some gesso over the existing numbers/design.

I did not think to take pictures on that journey.

Only the destination.

I used a variety of stencils from DecoArt as well as their Media Misters.

Man, are those things awesome.  

They are so saturated with color. 

I really liked using them with the stencils.

The only part of this I tried and did not like was when I tried to use the large tree branch stencil with the yellow mister.

On this design, it just does not stand out.

I also used the One Step Crackle to add some very subtle texture.

To make the texture pop, I used a wash of black paint and then wiped away the excess.

Some little punched butterflies add some dimension as well.

This canvas sums up how I am feeling about my art lately...

I just try.

It may work, it may not.

Every little part of it teaches me something.

And every little bit of experience adds a little more wind beneath my wings.

Every attempt is a chance to soar....

I'll take it!

Thanks for stopping by....

                Linking up with these great blogs.

Workbench Wednesday: Canning Lid Ring Pumpkins

Inspired by a canning ring pumpkin I saw  in Mary Jane's Farm magazine, I decided to try my own.

Pen N Paper Flowers made a fabulous white version with book page strips added.

I bought a couple dozen mason jar rings at the flea market and set off to make myself a pumpkin.

I followed her directions and tied together about 2 dozen rings.

Then I spray painted them....

That did not work out. 

 I had to keep moving and respraying them, many, many times.

So I cut my string that was holding them together and repainted each one separately.

This was actually much faster, easier, and used less paint.

I did some with white paint and a few with ivory paint I had leftover from another project.

Ready for the next step...

Gluing on the book strips.

This took forever. 

Each lid needed more than one strip.

For my wide mouth lids, each ring needed 2 1/2 book strips.

Each pumpkin has 24-25 rings.

Once the strips were all glued on, I used cotton twine to tie them all together into a ring.

Then I cut a piece of a log about 3-4 inches long.

I glued it to the top of my pumpkin and covered the glue with spanish moss.

I also turned it over and added extra glue underneath to reinforce it and then used Spanish moss to cover the glue there as well.

I do love the way it turned out.  I am sure the other rings are on their way to becoming fall decor as well.

Thanks for stopping by....

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Back to School Craft Lightning

It's time for another great Craft Lightning.

This time it is Back to School Crafts in 15 minutes or less.

I gave some thought to what I wanted to do for this post.

What do parents and children struggle with when it is time to go back to school?

Organization and getting ready.

So I created this quick way for parents to help their child be responsible for getting ready in the morning.

All you need is:

 Some scrapbook paper or an old favorite book

Scissors

Sharpie Marker

Dry Erase Marker

A clear plastic standing slide in picture frame

And some stickers of you wish.

Remove the paper from the frame and use it to mark and measure how big to cut your decorative paper.

Cut the piece to fit in your frame.

Write a checklist of tasks your child needs to complete each morning with the Sharpie marker.

Slide it into the acrylic frame.

Add stickers if desired.

Each morning have your child check off each task as it is completed.

I used the pages from a beloved book that literally fell apart.

You could use scrapbook paper, a family photo, or a favorite drawing.  

You can also write the checklist directly on the acrylic frame.

I chose to do it on the paper so the list can be easily changed as the child grows.

You can also change it for specific days of the week.

Thanks so much for stopping by....

Hop over to see the other great 15 Minute Back to School crafts by clicking on the picture below.

                           

Do You UTEE?

Last winter I discovered the magic of UTEE.

I had read about it, but had no idea what it was: Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel from Ranger.

Why didn't someone say so?

Anyway, it is essentially little beads of plastic that you melt in their little melting pot.  

Then you can dip all kinds of things into it.

They end up getting coated with a clear plastic coating that looks like glass.

My favorite things to UTEE are paper flowers and paper leaves.

Come see how they look in some designs.

To make a hole, I put a wire in a votive flame to heat it and then just held it on the petal to melt through.

Sometimes I twist a little as I do it as well.

See how they look like glass?

I often make little leaves from discarded book pages.  Each leaf has a piece of floral wire sandwiched between 2 pages so I can give them a little bend before I dip in the UTEE.

The UTEE makes each leaf so much more sturdy but it still looks delicate.

I added a bit of green tint to the UTEE batch for the leaves.

If you have never tried it, I do highly recommend it.

It is addictive though.

It is also worth the investment to buy the mat. 

It gives you a place to put everything while it cools and any extra UTEE just peels right off when it is cool to be used again.

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.

Book Page Dresses

One of my very favorite ornaments for the tree are little origami dresses.

Made with discarded book pages and a few vintage trims, they are so simple.

I love adding little crepe paper wings that I stitch by hand.

I carry these in my Etsy shop Artistic Endeavors 101.

They look sweet  on the Christmas tree.

They make a fun package gift tag.

My plan is to get some more of these made soon.

I will show them to you when I do...

Thanks for stopping by...

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