Category Archives: jewelry

Plastic Bottles Hit the Runway

Of Dreams & Seams Pet Purses

I can see using Dreams and Seams instructions and adding a wrist strap to make a mini-purse.

Bracelet by Kirsten Sonne

Bracelet from recycled plastic by Kirsten Sonne

Recycle White Necklace with Plexiglas chunks by Harriete Estel Berman

necklace made entirely from recycled plastic

You seriously will want to take a look at all of the fabulous jewelry from artist Harriet Estel Berman entirely made from recycled and found objects.

The world is your oyster, so we encourage you to protect that precious gift with a dedication to reusing and repurposing every chance you get! Our bodies are made up of about 75% water, but life is 100% inspiration…combine the two and you’ve got the perfect reason to take one of the most commonly used everyday objects and turn it into an elegant, wearable creation- a sea-tastic pair of translucent statement earrings. To create, reinvent a plastic water bottle, cutting out 2 circles approx 2-3” inches in diameter.  Heat up the edges with a lighter, and watch how they instantly curl and ripple.  Pierce two holes with a needle.  P.S.- You may need to heat the tip of the needle before you pierce the plastic. Thread jewelry wire through a pearl and twist both sides together. We wrapped wire around the toothpick of our Swiss Army Knife to make a tiny loop for the earring wire to slip through the top.

from PS I Made This

 

Computer Cable Necklace -- Rainbow Layered Wires

necklace made from computer cabling

bracelets made from soda tabs

bracelets made from plastic bags

Kind of makes you think twice before tossing something in the recycling bin doesn’t it?

“Silver” Bracelets Renewed

I have these “silver” bracelets that I picked up on a family vacation. I love that one is engraved with “family”, one with “friends”, and one with “faith”. I had fun wearing them until the silver rubbed off exposing the copper underneath in wacky patches, so I stuck them in a drawer and forgot about them.

 One year later while packing for a trip to the same resort I came across the bracelets and for sentimental reasons wanted to bring them.
Out came my silver paint pen and several coats later I have brand new “silver” bracelets.
I thought about spray painting them but I was worried that the paint would fill in the words.
These pictures don’t really show the dramatic difference. Trust me, they went from unwearable to wearable with a few pen strokes.

Outdated Sunglass Cases

Since I’ve upgraded my sunglasses and they’re now all over-sized I’ve found that none of my sunglasses cases work with my new lenses. So I set out looking for some other ways I could put my old sunglasses cases to use.

Gym and Beach Jewelry Holder

Stash sunglasses cases in your gym and beach bags and you’ll have a safe place to stash your jewelry when you take it off to work out or hit the waves.

Can you believe there's a sunglasses case under this glitter?

Small Clutch

Grace over at Stripes and Sequins came up with an amazing idea for turning a sunglasses case into a small clutch purse.  Check out her step-by-step tutorial – I promise, it’s a lot easier than it looks. I love her choice of rose gold glitter for this project.

 

Small Craft Project Case

A sunglasses case is perfect for a small craft project such as friendship bracelets or beadwork.

 

Restaurant Entertainment

Stash some crayons and/or markers in a sunglass case and you’ll be prepared the next time you’re little one gets antsy at a restaurant. You can always ask the waitress for a piece of paper if you don’t have any with you.

 

That’s all I’ve got, but if you all think of any other ways to use old sunglasses cases please post in the Comments below.

 

Soda Can Jewelry

You only get 10 cents for turning in a soda can at the recycling center – why not turn your soda cans into jewelry instead? Here are some ideas I found out on the Internet, collected from some of my favorite bloggers.

Re-Imagined Waste

 

Rolled Beads

Upcycling: Re-imagining Our Waste has a fantastic tutorial on making very wearable Soda Can Jewelry.

 

 

 

 

Pop Tab Purse

Check out this HubPage on how to make a Pop Tab Purse! Wow! Seriously, wow!

 

Pop Tab Bracelet

Instructables has the Pop Tab Bracelet tutorial.

Pop Tab Bracelets

 

Soda Can “Tiles” Bracelet

made by Twelve Crafts Till Christmas

This tutorial tells you how to make these tiles, however I would use elastic in place of the fabric so that I wouldn’t have to bother with the button. Plus, I think it would look better without the button. Note to bleeding finger: the Modge Podge is a step you don’t want to skip. It coats the sharp edges of the soda can so that your jewelry is safe to wear.

 

Soda Can Earrings

made by Shona at The Artistic Life

Shona’s earring tutorial.

That’s it for now. Check back later as I’m sure I’ll add more tutes to this page as I come across them or as I develop them myself.