I Did A Thing, vol. 35: Upcycled One of A Kind Jewelry

I think I’ve mentioned before that my current favourite hobby is making costume jewelry. I have been making jewerly pieces (mostly beaded) by hand for many years, but my process has changed quite a bit in recent months as I have begun to focus more on the upcycling aspect – taking bits from old costume jewelry and using them along with my embroidery and beadwork to create new pieces. The creative aspect of upcycling is looking (thrifting) for jewelry that has potential to be re-imagined/re-purposed, and thinking of ways to do that in a mixed media format. It’s been quite a learning curve, but so much fun. It is sometimes frustrating to not be able to make exactly the pieces that I imagine in my head, but being constrained by the materials available – as I don’t have the means to do metal-work or create resin pieces, etc. – usually ends up spurring new ideas.

Here is a look at some pieces I have made and how they came to be.

Pansy Earrings

These earrings incorporate pieces from 2 different earrings, along with bits from an old Banana Republic necklace. I love the idea of asymmetrical earrings, and this design seemed to really lend itself to that.

Bib Necklace

This was a very simple upcycle in the sense that I used a plain cuff collar that I found at Goodwill, and adding connectors to the embroidered bib in order to attach it to the collar. I think the simple style of the collar works really well with the more maximalist vibe of the bib.

And same idea, with more beading (which was also upcycled from a thrifted necklace):

Metal Lace & Brocade Necklace

This bib was made from scraps of material from a thrifted J. Crew skirt (I am obsessed with this print!) and two thirds of a “metal lace” necklace. As with my other pieces, the bib is backed with felt so it’s lightweight but keeps its shape well.

The remaining third of the original necklace went into making this other bib:

Evil Eye Pendant

This is one of my favourite projects. This was made from an old Y-shaped pendant and an old earring, which serves as backing to the new pendant featuring a handmade “evil eye” (one of my fave motifs).

Rainbow Earrings

I struggle the most with earrings because they are more difficult to upcycle. Not all of them have hooks or holes that allow for extra or new pieces to be attached. Here, the posts are actually Kate Spade studs (I thrifted them without realizing they were branded, so that was a nice surprise) and I hooked in a connector through the gaps in the prong setting in order to attach the embroidery part. The bottom dangly bits came from a thrifted necklace, and added some extra movement. I love me a dramatic earring!

And speaking of dramatic earrings – these were made from another pair of studs plus some resin pieces from a thrifted necklace:

Butterfly Bib Necklace

As soon as I saw this large metal butterfly piece, I knew it had potential. I ended up painting and varnishing it, then attaching it to a felt-backer brocade bib (similar to the above). I “reconstructed” the body from beads, but otherwise kept the embellishments minimal to let the metal and fabric take centre stage.