How to Reuse a Silk tie to make Earrings.
I am a really big fan of both homonogous and dangle earrings. For this week I thought I would experiment making some dangle earrings. The main ingredient for this lovely new accessory is an old silk tie. The best part is that these earrings are super light weight!
How to Reuse a Silk Tie to Make Earrings:
1. Cut about a 2 inch section from the silk tie. Take out the insides.
2. Cut the 2 inch piece at the seams to create 2 rectangles of fabric.
3. Fold the fabric in half, right side to right side. Use a hot iron to create a crease.
4. Sew the two sides of the fabric.
5. Fold the fabric inside out. You will have one side that is still open. Carefully fold the fabric in on itself and sew the sew shut. For more info on this step check out step two of my tutorial on a silk tie necklace.
6. Pick a button and center it on your new silk tie square piece. Starting from the back sew your button to the fabric. Make sure to leave extra thread at the end so you can attach your earring hook.
7. Attach your earring to the hook.
YAY! You now have a new pair of earrings. I think these work as dressed up or casual earrings. They are fun, simple and unique!
How to Reuse a Necktie to make a Necklace.
Girls can wear ties too, you know. They will just wear them a bit differently. This tutorial has two tutorials in one. I wanted to learn how to make a tshirt flower, and, at the same time, learn to make a necktie necklace. So, that is what I did.
Here is how to reuse a necktie and tshirt to make a necktie necklace:
1. Place the neck tie around your neck and pin it wear your clasp/button will go on the front. Cut out any excess tie material from the center. For my tie I cut 14 inches from each end and left the rest for another project.
2. Sew each open side closed; then sew them together.
3. To make a tshirt flower:
a. Cut tshirt fabric into different sized circles.
b. Use a needle and thread and sew around the edge of the circle.
c. Pull the thread so the fabric bunches up togehter.
d. To secure your new flower put the needle and thread through the center a few times. Then, put your needle underneath the thread that is at the center of your flower. Don’t pull it all the way through; just enough to create a loop. Put your needle through that loop 2 times and then pull tight.
4. Design your tie. Use a button as your necklace clasp.
5. Sew your flowers, buttons, button holes and whatever else you want on to your new necktie necklace.
I changed my design at the last minute….
How to Reuse Playing Cards to make Petal Earrings.
A while back I made some simple playing card earrings that I deemed perfect for your next poker night or crazy Las Vegas weekend. Well, I have now designed version TWO of my playing card earrings product line. This version is a bit smaller, slightly more complicated and still just as fun! So, if you have a deck of cards laying around that you are wondering how to reuse, I have a tutorial that will upcycle 2 of those cards. If you are looking to reuse playing cards, you stopped by the right blog today my friend, here you go!
How to Reuse Playing Cards to Make Petal Shaped Earrings:
1. Pick the two cards that you would like to use. I chose the king and queen of spades.
2. Cut 3 petal shapes from each card.
3. Lay the petals in a stack and spread them out so that the tops are still stacked but the bottoms are expanding away from each other.
4. Pick a button to go on the top of your petals. Get some thread and a sewing needle (tie a double or triple knot at the end). Push the needle through all three cards and then through one of the button holes. Keep sewing your thread through each button hole.
5. When you have gone through each button hole twice cut the thread where it meets the needle (you need extra thread to attach your earring hook). Now you have two pieces of thread. Tie them in a knot two times to secure your button and cards in place.
6. Hold your earring by the top of the thread and let it spin until it settles. Put the thread through the earring hook so that the front side of your earring will show when the hook is in your ear. Tie two knots to attach the thread to the earring hook.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the other card.
And there you go, easy as easy!
Have fun wearing your awesome new earrings.
Spotlight: Whitney Smith of At Whits End Design
This week’s spotlight is on Whitney Smith who takes paper scraps and turns them into amazing and colorful bracelets and necklaces. It’s like wearing miniature paper lanterns. I love that idea! So whimsical and fresh.
Here’s what Whitney had to say:
1. Tell us your story…How did you get to where you are now as an artist?
Growing up, I always enjoyed various arts and crafts. I was never focused in one area of art. My mother was very artsy so I was able to try out many areas of artistic expression with her through the years. Even though I loved art, I never considered myself an artist.
When I moved to San Francisco for college is when I feel I truly found and defined my artistic self. I had a great little apartment, the inspiration of a bustling city mixed with natural beauty and a melting pot of creative vibes from my fellow San Franciscans. Here is where I really started focusing on reusing things and trying out new techniques. I mostly dabbled in painting, photography, sewing, knitting, and jewelry making. When I move back to the south bay area, I took the love for these things with me and continued to work on various art projects.
My boyfriend told me about Etsy one day and I knew I wanted to become a part of it with my jewelry. At the time, I wasn’t making paper beads, in fact, I had never heard of them. I was only making jewelry out of glass beads and gemstones. A lot of the beads in these pieces are actually recycled from other jewelry that was broken or leftover from other projects. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered paper beads and how much fun you can have with them. I went crazy with all of my old magazines and printer paper! I decided to start selling the paper beads and pieces made from them along with my jewelry on Etsy.
I now consider myself an artist but only because I feel that everyone can be an artist if they choose to be.
2. Why do you reuse material?
I reuse materials for several reasons. 1) It’s good for the environment. It’s a way to recycle things that would otherwise be thrown away. 2) Using recycled materials can save you money because most people just see junk and are willing to give them away. 3) Recycled things have a story all their own. There is something so fun about using an object that has had a life as something completely different before it was turned into your piece of art.
3. How do you come up with ideas for creative reuse?
I get a lot of my ideas from just looking at the piece and asking myself what I can do with it or how can I use it in my project? Usually I already have an idea from something I saw that inspired me so it’s really just a matter of finding the pieces that I think fit and figuring out what I want to do with them. In the case of paper beads, I have to decide what colors are going to work with my project and how I want to arrange them.
4. Explain your process. How do you get from paper to upcycled necklace?
First I choose my paper. Any type can be used such as used printer paper, magazine pages, sheet music, scrapbooking scraps, newspaper, origami paper, book pages, etc. I personally like to reuse printer paper or magazine pages since I have those in abundance. On the page, I measure out the beads with a ruler to make sure each will be about the same size, usually 1 inch or less. This is also where I decide what shape I want the final bead to be in. Then I cut out the triangles, rectangles or other shapes for the beads. Then comes the rolling! There are actually fancy bead rollers out on the market but I personally just use one of my paint brushes that I have dubbed my bead roller. As the last inch of paper is about to be rolled, I put a little bit of glue to hold bead together. I leave them to dry overnight (there is a lot of drying time when making these haha). I like to paint my beads so once they are dry, I add 3 coats of whatever color paint I choose, drying for at least a few hours in between coats. Then I add a design, which can be kind of tricky considering the “canvas”, is small and curved. After the design dries, I add 3 coats of varnish to give the bead durability and shine with more drying in between coats. After the last drying period, you have your beads! I usually do them in small batches so I end up with between 8 and 16 beads. After that, the possibilities are endless. I recently used paper beads in a bracelet for a contest also using chain, small glass beads, headpins and a barrel clasp. I have seen paper beads used in jewelry, other accessories, glued on canvases and even in a beaded curtain!
5. What advice do you have for anyone interested in creatively reusing something?
Have fun with it! Look at your materials with an open mind and just let it flow. Recycled things make some of the best pieces!
6. What inspires your work?
Most of my work is inspired by the things I see around me. Sometimes things just stand out to me. Every once in a while I’ll get inspired by a person or a specific object but most of the time I make things that are kind of my own interpretation of what I see. I feel when I make a piece that was inspired by something, it has it’s own way of immortalizing it for me.
7. Any favorite artists?
I love Monet’s water lily paintings and Auguste Rodin’s sculptures. I also love Jonathon Bowser’s goddess art.
8. Where do you want to be in 5 years as an artist?
In 5 years I’d love to have my own little boutique for all of the art that I do. Later on I would also love to open an art center for children since working with children is my other passion.
See more from this artist here:
ETSY
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AtWhitsEnd
http://www.facebook.com/atwhitsenddesigns
ARTIST’S BLOG
http://www.wsmithart.blogspot.com/
Spotlight: lookwhatimade
Well, I seem to be running into a great many upcyling jewelers these days. The amazing thing is that each one is so unique and different. I love the creativity and “eye for reuse” behind the artwork of lookwhatimade. I mean, who thinks of turning old jacks into earrings? I LOVE IT! I am also a huge fan of Tina Fey and might need to get myself some blerg earrings.
The interview follows:
1. Tell us your story…How did you get to where you are now as an artist?
i always loved to collect things, it is the natural course for the product of two collectors/pack-rat parents. both ‘organized’ in their ways, as am i; despite what my boyfriend says!
i was raised that you recycle, compost and re-use whenever you possibly can, so i guess it would be foreshadowing that i am now more conscience of it than back then. i think that there is always an alternative for anything besides the landfills and it kills me when i see what people throw away and what a ‘disposable’ society we as americans (especially) are.
to help pay the bills, i have worked in many restaurants and restauranting gigs and it made me so sick to see how the solution to most things is: “just throw it away.” out of sight, out of mind right? wrong! so i do my part, i may have been known to ‘bully’ others into it as well, in taking responsibility for our planet. reduce, reuse and recycle. they taught it to us at such a young age, it’s a wonder to me how it didn’t stick to others as it did me.
in sculpture classes at sfsu, they urged us to bring in odd, old and random things for making projects out of, i also took art for kid classes and they would take ANYTHING for ideas of things to do with kids. it was then that i learned of SCRAP in san francisco, if you have never heard of it, you have to check it out! www.scrap-sf.org anything i am getting rid of gets the scrap screening, what a place! along with the many bins of random STUFF that i have schlepped around through various moves, i finally found my niche! and old things just started becoming new things and life was good! i also love to go to swap meets, antique stores and second hand stores. thanks mum!
it was my parents and places like those that have helped me get to the point in my art that i am at now. and of course actually giving a damn, compared to back in the day when it was a chore and not a passion and challenge of ‘how can i save this from the landfill?’
2. Why do you reuse material?
i love giving old things new life. i love the fact that we throw one bag of garbage away about every week/week and a half. that we compost and i cut up all of our paper recycling packaging into business card sizes and am getting a custom made stamp so i can make my own business cards instead of order ones. i love the reaction that my items get from (most) people when they find out that it is from recycled, vintage or used items. it is catching on, just slowly and very demographically. us on the west coast seem to be more into it that those back home in the midwest or on the east coast and down south. a lot of them just don’t care, don’t recycle, or compost. a lot of places don’t even offer recycling to people, how is that!? how could you conscientiously throw away a recyclable item into the garbage!? it baffles me and makes me want to double my efforts to make up for them.
it is also exciting (and super frustrating!) when you go on a hunt for something second/third or whatnot-hand and find it! the thrill of the chase and hunt, everything is held in a more satisfying light and you are even more proud of your creations.
3. How do you come up with ideas for creative reuse?
some of them just “speak to me” and others are morphed from some 6degrees of it’s original idea. for example, in sculpture class, i was needing a good project, had a BUNCH of the fortunes from fortune cookies and a fair amount of corks from, well the bottles of wine we enjoy. and i was thinking of what to make and all of a sudden: POOF! it came to me; a cork tree with fortunes for the leaves! (photo #1) so i began cutting out random fabric leaves, epoxied the fortunes and stuck them into old wire hanger branches. (just an unfolded wire hanger with whole corks pierced through it. the leaves had floral wire hand threaded through them so they could stick into the branches) the trunk of the tree was made by cutting corks in half (whew!) and affixing them onto a recycled drop clothe. and viola! CAUTION: falling fortunes was bourne. only while in the making of the trunk, i was laying and walking on the cut corks and said to brian (my boyfriend) ‘wow! this is SUPER comfy to walk on! it would make a cool floor mat… and there you have the birth of the cork mats! things like that are how i get to my spot i am in now! it is fun and crazy the things that come out.
4. What is your favorite piece you have ever made?
my favorite piece… hmmmm, in terms of function, i would have to say my pick me series. they are actual playing guitar picks made of recycled metals and sterling silver, cut into my rendition of a pick. then they are hand stamped with the pun: ‘pick me’ on them. i LOVE puns, it is a family trait that i am most proud of i think. between myself, my family, brian and his family, i lead a very punny life!
followed closely by the cork mats; they are SO comfortable!!!!
as for aesthetic, i would have to go with the cork tree! i am often amazed that i made it due to it’s size. that photo does no justice! it was on display at a flower shoppe at pier 3, before they closed. i am told it brought in a lot of business. or on-lookers at least!
that’s a tough question, i actually like all of my works…. but that’s the top 3!
5. What advice do you have for anyone interested in creatively reusing something?
GO FOR IT!!!! let your imagination run wild, just start putting things together and see what happens! challenge yourself to use only one or two new materials… it’s hard! (ie: silver, epoxy, etc)
6. What inspires your work?
hhhmmmm, nature. the flow of things, beauty of the great outdoors, shapes, my loved ones, my mood!, how things fall and the nature of the piece.
7. Any favorite artists?
anyone who makes an effort to reuse items, refurbish things and are against needless throwing away of stuff.
8. Where do you want to be in 5 years as an artist?
5 years…. running my own successful business out of my garage studio on our acreage of beautiful california land. to be known well enough to have a following that allows me to concentrate on my creations and what it is that i will be working on at that point in my career. hopefully larger items, and more ceramics and welding -in a green manner of course and not necessarily together, but ‘who nose’! i miss working big, it requires a lot of space and ventilation!
all i really want is for people to catch onto the whole reusing notion and seek out items that are made in that way. and not choose to go to target or wherever because they are saving a few bucks. artists need to get paid for their work as well as ideas and making them a reality. i want the “starving” to be taken out of my “artist” label!
See more from lookwhatimade at the following sites:
check out my shoppe on cosa verde: http://cosaverde.com/store/lookwhatimade/
and follow a link to or checkout my etsy shoppe at: lookwhatimade.etsy.com
follow me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/lookwhatimade/169162766577?ref=mf
and twitter: http://twitter.com/lookatwhatimade
and flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lookwhatimadeitems/
read/comment on my blog: http://www.blogger.com/profile/14189660953411813675
Spotlight: Violets New Vintage
Betsy Berberbian has a wonderful line of unique upcycled jewelry. She sees beauty in used circuit boards! Check out her interview below.
1. Tell us your story…How did you get to where you are now as an artist?
I got to where I am today by walking on two different roads, the jewelry road and the painting road. The jewelry road is where I recycle, so I’ll start there. I don’t think of the jewelry I make as art, to me its a craft. I have always loved jewelry and grew up in a family of jewelry loving women. My mother,grandmother and aunts always wore big earrings, lots of bracelets and necklaces and huge rings…all the time. (They all had big hair too, but that is another story) Their jewelry was noisy ..lots of bangles and charm bracelets making that ‘tinkling’ noise when they moved their hands. Jewelry was collected and worn by all the women in my family and I caught the bug at an early age. When some of the family jewelry was handed down to me I started to re-work it or I would take it apart and make new, more modern looking jewelry. We all repaired and re-worked jewelry, so my jewelry thing started at a very early age.
2. Why do you reuse material?
I started using re cycled materials ages ago when I couldn’t always afford to buy new findings or stones. I would look around and make something from what I already had. I never thought it would be in style to do this. I started using the circuits for jewelry when a girl friend of mine was moving and she gave me tons of circuits and findings she didn’t want anymore.She knew I was a ‘waste not want not’ person and thought I would make proper use of them. I made jewelry from these circuits and then started cutting my own circuits from old computers…..Violets new Vintage was born. I do use recycled materials to make a statement against waste. Our society wants us to buy NEW stuff all day long and I reject ‘serial shopping’ as a past time.
3. How do you come up with ideas for creative reuse?
I always have creative ideas…a glass is a template if you turn it over and use it to make a circle. I don’t run out of ideas and love to experiment. If you sand a circuit you can get down to the copper and there are interesting patterns there that I am working on now. Experimenting leads to new ideas and designs.
4. What kind of reactions do you get to your work? Any memorable experience?
I get positive reactions from the circuit jewelry, but it isn’t for everyone. Most of my friends don’t like it and I make them more classic style jewelry, sparkly stuff. My most memorable experiences were from people who gave my circuit jewelry as gifts and made their sons or husbands happy. They wrote to tell me that the ceramic circuit jewelry was a big hit on Christmas.
5. What advice do you have for anyone interested in creatively reusing something?
My advice is to be bold and experiment with your materials. Spend time abusing it, painting it, bending it…see what happens. Also, give yourself room to work. having a space to be creative in is essential. (be messy)
6. What inspires your work?
I am inspired by the intricate or linear patterns in the circuits. I look at them with a painterly eye.
7. Any favorite artists?
Rene’ Lalique is my favorite jewelry artist. His dragon fly designs are incredible.
8. Where do you want to be in 5 years as an artist?
In five years I would like to have completed a huge body of work; paintings and jewelry. I would like this work to surprise me and every one who looks at it.
For more ifnormation about Betsy B. and her Violets New Vintage products, click below:
Violets New Vintage Esty Shop
Artist’s Blog
How to make earrings out of playing cards.
I hate when I go to play poker and realize that a card is missing from the deck. It’s like when you are about the finish a puzzle and you finally notice that there are some pieces missing. Man that really gets me going. (: Well, rather than tossing the whole deck of cards out as a loss, add to your super funky and fresh jewelry collection!
How to make earrings out of playing cards:
1. Pick a pair of cards you like.
2. Poke eleven holes across the top of each card with a sewing needle.
3. Thread some heavy duty thread (starting through the back and at one end) over the top of the card. Only go through the first 5 holes. Do the same starting on the opposite side.
4. Loop each piece of thread through your earring holder and back through the center hole.
5. Tie a knot with both of your strings. Make a triple knot so it doesn’t go back through the hole.
6. Repeat this process with the other card!
Have fun wearing crazy fun earrings!
Check out my collection of awesome upclyced stuff at my online shop HERE.
Spotlight: Hydra Designs
I am having such a great time getting to know the eco-crafting community! I get so inspired looking at beautiful creative reuse. This week I would like to introduce you to an artist who reuses materials to make jewelry. Nikki of Hydra Designs makes jewelry that, to me, stands out as a little whimsical and a little mythical. I am a big fan of earrings and love what she has done with her collection. Nikki was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.
1. Tell us your story…How did you get to where you are now as an artist?
I would say my inspiration to be an artist came from my mom. I’ve always wanted to draw since I was young, even under the age of five. My mom was always doing something creative, whether it was building and refinishing furniture, designing and sewing her own curtains, duvets, pillows or oil painting.
I started taking art in my freshman year of high school and then was encouraged by my teachers to try out for the Gifted and Talented Art program. My mom’s always stated that I was a natural artist, and I admit I took to it like a duck takes to water. I’ve never thought there wasn’t anything I could do, and learned that with time you can master an aspect before delving into another. I also learned early on that you should never say something is impossible and that there’s always some one to teach you a new technique.
I went to a JC, was planning on attending the Academy of Arts here in San Francisco and ended up working as a visual merchandiser for quite quite a few years where all those handy odd skills I learned came in very useful.
I started making jewelry over a decade ago for myself when I couldn’t find anything I liked, then proceeded to give people things I was wearing because they admired them so much. About a year ago I was nagged into submission to finally start trying to sell my baubles.
2. Why do you reuse material?
Working as a visual merchandiser, you were trained to look at everything as a component, and what it’s reuse factor was. Everything had to have more than one purpose, and from learning to fix antiques with my Mom, I started to look at old bits of broken jewelry as a component. Broken chains, singled faceted semi-precious stone earrings, broken strands of pearls, stones, everything became a resource to make more unique one of a kind items.
I’ve watched a lot of friends and family members gather bags of this kind of stuff to either toss into a landfill or Goodwill/Out of the Closet. It’s not that I don’t think Goodwill or Out of the Closet isn’t a good recipient – It’s just unfair to donate broken or single items that could never be sold. Better to be reused than in a landfill!
3. How do you come up with ideas for creative reuse?
I usually spend an evening breaking things down. I look through boxes, sort through them and then bag them according to color or material. Then I pick one item and let inspiration run with me. With one piece of jewelry, I started with a broken sterling silver chain from the 50′s and it evolved into a pretty neat set of earrings. I suppose you’d call it a chain or flow of thought that I settle into and follow it to it’s completion.
4. How does jewelry making influence your painting and vice versa?
I’ve learned from my painting and drawing, that when you start to get frustrated with the object, to set it aside. Give it a little time, come back to it and look at it from a different angle. Some times you get so far into a painting you can’t see the discrepancies.
As for jewelry influencing painting, it’s given me a better sense of space and detail.
5. What advice do you have for anyone interested in creatively reusing something?
Go for it! Artists have been doing it for hundreds of years, painting over older paintings, drawing influence from something broken and making it even more beautiful.
6. What inspires your work?
Honestly enough, books and myths. I have ideas that come to me while watching movies, that sometimes never turn out to be exactly how I want them to be, but they’re beautiful anyways.
7. Any favorite artists?
Jackson Pollack, Rennie Mackintosh and Gustav Klimt .. there’s a few jewelry artists I like, but I don’t have their names at hand.
8. Where do you want to be in 5 years as an artist?
Honestly? To be just an artist full time and not part time. I’d like to have my jewelry and paintings in boutiques and not juggle a job and my art.
To see more from this artist visit the following links:
Blog: http://hydradesigns.blogspot.com/
Esty: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hydradesigns