inspiration | wreck. renew. repeat.

Mother’s Day roundup

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Raegan

As you know, Mother’s Day is this Sunday. If you didn’t know…maybe this post will help you with your last-minute scramble to find a present.

I believe handmade jewelry is the perfect present to give women (and some men) for any and every holiday. If you’re not crafty, Etsy is a great place to support jewelry makers. And if you are–here’s a few of my favorite DIYs from other bloggers that you can give mom this year:

1. Fabric Button Earrings from Sada Lewis

These require a few extra materials from the craft store, but you can make a ton of them with just a few pieces of material. You can make them for mom now, friends on their birthdays or sisters and aunts for Christmas–the gift you can keep on giving.

2. Barbed Wire Pearl Drop Earrings from Studs and Pearls

If you’ve done any of my DIYs or have made jewelry before, you probably have the materials you need to make these earrings. If you don’t have the fish hook earring parts, you can make them from long head pins. The “barbed wire” and pearl combo is perfect for moms with a little bit of edge.

3. Beaded Pendant Necklace from A Beautiful Mess

I have made a few variations of this necklace before–while this DIY lists the cost of materials as $40, you can easily drop this cost by using thrifted beads, natural materials for charms or mixing and matching beads (A Beautiful Mess uses all black onyx).

4. Beaded Tassel Bracelets from I Spy DIY

This bracelet uses embroidery thread to make a tassel, but you can always use a chain tassel if you don’t have thread. I don’t know about you, but this looks like a grown-up version of the yarn-and-bead bracelets I gave my mom when I was a kid. Pretty and nostalgic!

5. Fiona Paxton Necklace from Thanks, I Made It

Awesome DIY of a Fiona Paxton-inspired necklace. If you don’t have enough chain to make a long version, it would still make a cute short necklace.

Gift ideas on this blog:

Ring bracelet

Stone pendant necklace

Button studs

Beginner necklace

If your mom likes wine, you can also make a charm to dress up a gifted bottle. DIY will be up later today!

Lately, I’m in love with…

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Raegan

..Extra long charm necklaces

If you saw my post about tassels, you know I’m obsessed with them. Last week, I threw together a few necklaces using just two beads and a tassel. I gave one to a friend for her birthday (I wish I could find my camera cord–I love how it turned out. Like, I want to ask for it back). Another one, I love so much I’ve worn it five times in the last week. Every time I’ve worn it, I’ve gotten multiple compliments.

Here it is:

The beauty of this necklace is that it can be recreated and look entirely unique depending on the beads you choose. You probably can’t tell in this photo, but each bead is on its own headpin with wrapped loops on each end. The tassel has a bead cap (thrifted–I don’t usually have these), but would look good without one if you want to save $$.

When I say “long,” I mean that this bad boy hits right above my belly button. I rarely measure chain when I make necklaces and go with what looks best. This is also because I can’t find my ruler–spring cleaning turned out to be a bust this year! If you want to measure, this graphic might help:

DIY: Stone pendant necklace

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Raegan

In my Thrifty Tuesday post yesterday, I included a photo of some stones I found at a vintage store in Dallas. I couldn’t wait to do something with them, so I came up with a way to make them into pendants. You could do this with any stone you find.

Supplies:

Stone
Chain
Glue (preferably clear glue–I used a hot glue gun and it turned out messy)
1 head pin
3 jump rings
Lobster or other clasp

Making the pendant

Wrap a scrap of chain around the top of your stone.
Slip head pin through chain on the back and twist ends into a wrapped (or simple) loop at the top.
Secure chain and loop with glue.

Attach pendant to chain and complete with the lobster clasp and jump rings. I also fastened a circular charm with my initial that I found in a vintage store. I only had hot glue, so the back of mine looks a little rough.

A clear glue like Gorilla Glue or Super Glue would probably work better. I used about 18″ of chain, so mine hangs about mid-chest. This pendant would also work on a 20-30″ chain.

Copycatting

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Raegan

I firmly believe it’s okay to copy other people’s jewelry. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, am I right? Let me clarify by adding that I believe it is okay to copy if you do not plan to sell. It is one thing to practice jewelry making by copying pieces you like, it is another to make money off someone else’s designs.

When I first started playing with jewelry, I wanted to make things, bend things, create things. But everything I came up with, I didn’t want to wear. It was just a little… messy. So I started copying jewelry from blogs or Urban Outfitters or Instagram pictures. This made me really think about the final product before I began and analyze how I would have designed it differently. Now I waste less materials (mess-ups can be costly), and I actually wear what I make.

What type of jewelry do you buy?

Start there. If you always buy statement necklaces with colored beads, try finding one you like and copying it. You will be more likely to finish it and it won’t collect dust hanging in your closet.

Move on.

Spend some time copying, but follow your own impulses and ideas as well. I have recently become a fan of mood boards. I tend to be a little all over the place, and they help me focus to one idea. I look through magazines and tear out pictures of jewelry I like, current trends and things that have a retro or bohemian vibe. Sometimes it can be a font, color, pattern or photo that sparks an idea–throw those in there too. You can also make them digitally, but I like tangible ones that I can hang in my closet or above my desk.

I also use Evernote and drop in photos or blog posts that I stumble across.