A few weeks ago, I inherited a 10-pound bag of costume jewelry. At first, I didn't know what to make of it. I peeked inside to find a huge, tangled mess of mismatched pieces.

Once I took a closer look, I realized it was a treasure- trove of opportunity. I'm talking a major pirate's booty score! With my first scoop I lifted out a handful of shiny, sparkling goodies: several decades' worth of rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and rings. I cleared off my worktable, whipped out my needle-nose pliers and went to work on major jewelry reconstruction. I turned old pins into mod-looking necklaces, small pendants into earrings, boring necklaces into charm bracelets and so on. The best part? I didn't need to buy a lot of supplies, just a bag of assorted jump rings to connect the pieces.

I highly suggest giving this project a try. It's easy to execute and you'll end up with a variety of one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. To start, visit your local thrift store or flea market and buy all of the vintage costume jewelry you can. (Look for the discounted, tangled stuff.) Once you are home and have a pile of it in front of you, disassemble everything and find new ways to put it back together. I've decided that for my next round of designing, I'll incorporate contemporary elements along with glass beads and charms. This idea also works great for a girls' night out. Ask your friends to bring a sandwich-size baggie from their personal jewelry graveyard. When you meet, dump all of the pieces in the center of a table and have everyone dig in. At the end, everyone swaps pieces. Not only will it make for a fun activity, you'll also have new jewelry to show off.
Reconstructed Jewelry
Supplies
• Assorted pieces of vintage or contemporary costume jewelry
• Needle-nose pliers
• Assorted chains, cording, ribbons
• Jump rings in assorted sizes
• Jewelry findings: clasps, fishhook earrings, ring blanks
• Industrial Strength Adhesive
• Assorted glass beads and eye pins (optional)

Directions: Lay out all of the jewelry pieces and choose the ones that will make nice pendants, charms or earrings. Match chains, cording and ribbons with the jewelry pieces.

To turn brooches into necklaces, add two jump rings to the pin and then add a strand of chain to each side. Add a clasp at the top. To turn an old earring into a charm, add a jump ring to the top hole. Some pieces may not have a hole. In that case, use extra-strength adhesive to adhere a jump ring to the jewelry. Let dry for an hour before connecting to a chain. Follow similar steps to make earrings and charm bracelets. To make rings, use the industrial-strength adhesive to attach a jewelry piece to the top of a ring blank.

Variations: If you find pieces made of wood, use a drill to make holes to connect them to a chain. If you like, use eye pins to add beads to your necklace, charm bracelets or earrings. If you need chain, check out a bead shop or craft store to find different grades. You also can use old jewelry pieces to brighten up a picture frame or other home décor items.


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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: jewelry, wearable art

Ihave a confession to make. I make a special effort to add to the kitchen junk drawer. I toss in matchbooks from nightclubs, notes from my kids, cool pieces of wrapping paper, punker pins, pretty sugar packets from vacations, trinkets, minidolls, postcards and - whew! - any other small items I come across.

This habit doesn't come out of laziness or lack of organization. It comes from the thrill of emptying the drawer after a couple of months and sorting through it to find a theme for a funky shadow box.

If you are a structured person who colors within the lines, this still is the project for you. It's a way to cut loose and make art in a fun, free-form fashion. And if you are loca - like me - you will appreciate the idea as another way to express your personality.

Most of the items from this box came from Hawaiian knickknacks I collected a few years back. I have yet to go to Maui, but at least I have a fabulous art piece for my home. And it's a creative way to clean the junk drawer.
Junk Drawer Wall Shrine (hula style)
Supplies
• 1 large wood box, wood fruit crate or old junk drawer
• Sandpaper
• Acrylic paints, brushes
• Adhesives: Hot glue, industrial strength, white craft glue, and double stick tape
• Decorative paper
• Assorted knickknacks
• Trims

Directions: If you are using a recycled wood box, sand it to soften rough edges. Paint the box in whatever color you like. Let dry. Use white craft glue or double-stick tape to affix paper to the back of the box. Sort your items according to size. Find one or two that will be the focal point. Arrange the other objects to your liking and then hot glue them in place, leaving room for the larger pieces (or vice versa, whichever way works best for you). Add painted decorations, trims or objects to the top and sides of the box.

Tips: If you are missing components for your box, visit a thrift or discount store to buy filler objects, or check out a paper-arts store for colorful papers, trims and findings.


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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, home decor, inside, multi-culti

Here's a crafty catastrophe if I ever saw one: Dropping an entire box of "sorted" beads on the tile.

When it happened, at first I fell to my knees, slapped my hands on my cheeks and screamed to the heavens (we artistic folks are dramatic). But then I took a series of deep breaths, calmed down and considered my options. I could either spend hours crying while putting the beads, one by one, back in their tidy compartments or I could make the best of a bad situation and create something with them on the spot. I opted for the latter and came up with this funky beaded mirror project.

I love it so much and totally agree with that "everything happens for a reason" philosophy. By being a bit of a klutz, I went from frustrated to fabulous with the help of a drill, wire and a wood mirror. Here is a tip: If you can't find a wood-framed mirror, you can always buy a piece of wood at the home-improvement store and glue on a mirror from the craft store. Let this be a lesson that any accident can be remedied with a bit of creative intervention.
Loopy-Do Beaded Mirror
Supplies
• 1 wood mirror or frame
• Paint, paintbrush
• Drill
• 1 spool of 36-gauge wire
• Assorted beads
• Needle-nose pliers
• Small crystals
• Craft glue

Directions: Drill holes around the edge of the mirror, leaving about two inches between each one. Paint the mirror in desired color and let dry. Cut a piece of wire about 24 inches long, insert the end into one of the holes and twist to secure. Feed the beads on the wire. The more beads you add, the bigger your "loop" will be, and the fewer beads, the smaller it will be. Insert the wire through the next hole and repeat the pattern. Keep going until you run out of wire. Repeat the process of adding more wire and beads until there are loops all around the outside of the mirror. Glue the crystals around the outside of the mirror. Hang and enjoy!

Variations: Use all the same kind of beads for a more uniform look, or use letter beads to spell out a phrase or family names. Decoupage the mirror or paint other designs on it.

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: home decor, inside

Fall is around the corner, which means we're approaching time for a wardrobe change. Why not perk up those hangers, too? This project would make Joan Crawford proud ("What's wire hangers doing in this closet when I told you: no wire hangers EVER?" - Mommie Dearest). This project uses sturdy wood hangers you can decorate to fit your style. Use them to hang coats, pants or T's or anything else that fits. Add your initials or favorite saying or even paint on the logo of your favorite designer. Another option is to decorate a hanger, screw in small mug hooks and use it as a jewelry or scarf holder.
Personalized Hangers
Supplies
• Wood hangers (available at Ikea)
• Painting: acrylic paint, brushes
• Woodburning: Pencil, woodburning tool, sand paper
• Decoupage: scissors, decoupage medium, lightweight tissue paper, brush
• Varnish

Directions for painting: Use the brush to basecoat the hanger. Make sure to cover the entire piece. Use stencils or freehand a design. Use squeeze glitters, too, if you want. Let dry and varnish. Allow 24 hours to dry before using.

Directions for woodburning: Use a pencil to sketch your design on the hanger. Plug in tool and when hot, go over the pattern several times to achieve the look you want.

Directions for decoupage: Cut out the paper shapes you want to put on the hanger. Brush the decoupage medium on the hanger surface and carefully apply the paper. Use the brush to remove any bubbles, working from the center, outwards. Continue the process on the rest of the hanger's surface. Let dry and varnish.

And here are some other pictures of painted hangers. I bought the wood hangers at IKEA.






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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: home decor, inside