I Did A Thing, vol. 37: More Upcycled Jewelry!

It’s been a hot minute since I posted an update on my craft project, so guess what? You’re in luck. Okay, maybe “luck” is a subjective choice of words here; I know some of you are only interested in my fashion content. This is sort of fashion-adjacent? I’ve been focusing exclusively on jewelry upcycling efforts lately, and I guess that counts as “accessories”, right? Let’s take a look.

My recent pieces fall into one of two categories: polymer clay pieces, or embroidered pieces. The latter are more time-consuming, in general, so my output there is lower; by comparison, polymer clay pieces take less time to create, but getting the raw materials has been difficult. Stones, in particular, have been difficult to source in the size and condition that I want. I’m wary of sourcing them online, without being able to handle/see the stones before I buy, but I also have limited options to purchase locally. I would love the chance to attend a gem tradeshow but, for obvious reasons, that’s not currently in the cards. Polymer clay has also been surprisingly hard to source lately; it’s sold out all over the place! I guess lots of people are exploring their creative sides.

For my embroidery-based projects, recently I was fortunate enough to receive a huge box of textile scraps from a friend’s relative who was wrapping up her seamstress business. These are high quality fabrics in some amazing patterns, so they’ve really inspired me to indulge my maximalist flights of fancy (as you will see). I love being able to take scraps and other odds and ends, and making something I think is beautiful out of them.

So, without further ado:

This is the Catherine necklace (named after Catherine II of Russia). With these more ornate pieces, I decided to draw inspiration for their names from various queens.

This is the Fortuna necklace. I got the inspiration for it from a broken brooch (shaped like a cornucopia) that someone gave me to upcycle.

The Medusa necklace. While most of my pieces are available for sale, some I end up keeping for myself. This is one of them. It was one of my first pieces using black clay, and I am obsessed now.

The Alexandrina necklace – named after Queen Victoria (who was known by her first name while growing up).

The Tory necklace. This one has a more unusual back story: I was inspired by the fabric of a Tory Burch skirt I saw on Poshmark. Hence the name!

These earrings had no name, but I was inspired by the interesting, big, geometric shape of the metal pieces. They’re a bit heavier than I normally like (due to the metal components), but I think they’re such a cool statement piece.

Another piece that I didn’t properly name. I’ve been trying to get more creative about using jewelry odds and ends. This was made from bits of 4 different necklaces.

The Trident necklace. No explanation required 🙂

Another untitled piece. I guess you can say I like dangly pieces.

The Antoinette necklace, named after, who else, Marie Antoinette. This was such a fun piece to make – I love the intricate gold lace (part of my box of scraps).

The Diana necklace. I have been using names from Greek mythology for most of my clay pieces, but made an exception here to choose the Roman version instead because it also happens to be an anagram for my name, and this is one of my fave pieces.

The Arachne necklace. Inspired by a heroine from Greek mythology who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest, and proved to good for her own good. She ended up as a spider. I love how this piece turned out.

The Margot necklace, named after Marguerite of Navarra (aka la reine Margot) – daughter of Henry II of France and the infamous Catherine de Medici, and wife of Henry IV.

Another untitled piece, also currently in my personal collection. It has a certain brutalist flair that I really like. The stones are raw rainbow fluorites (like many of the other pieces above).

More to come … a promise or a threat 😉