Welcome!
Found on eBay
I’m so happy you’re here!
Today I want to combine a few of my favorite things into one blog -
1. Jewelry
2. Alphabets
3. Anything Sparkly
4. Anything Crafty
Let’s get started with an alphabet made up entirely of old, discarded jewelry.
Elo 7
B Juliana Leo
To make your own monogram, start with a papier-mâché letter. My local crafts stores have these.
Paint it a base color. Pick a neutral that will show off the sparkly jewelry you will be adding.
Or
Choose a color in your decorating palette.
Etsy
Michelle Harisson, Etsy
Gather a LOT of broken and discarded jewelry pieces. You can many times find bags of jewelry at thrift stores for a small amount of $$.
Ask friends and family to save their old jewelry for you also.
This artist chose to mount their work onto a piece of lace, stretched in a frame.
Start laying your jewelry pieces out until you get an arrangement that pleases you. The better looking ones I have seen do not skimp on the amount of jewelry you use to fill the design out.
For instance, all warm oranges and yellows, or all cool blues.
Ms. Martin chose to use Red and its complimentary color of Green.
If you cannot find the letter you want in papier-mâché you can draw your letter onto a simple piece of linen. After finishing you may frame it as shown above.
If you cannot find the letter you want in papier-mâché you can draw your letter onto a simple piece of linen. After finishing you may frame it as shown above.
I love the inclusion of a watch face in the above sample.
This next one has used alphabet beads and small charms to fill out spaces in the letter.
Don’t you love the pink frou-frou pin at the end of that ‘J’?
Don’t be afraid to go outside the lines, just keep the basic shape of your letter intact.
Don’t be afraid to go outside the lines, just keep the basic shape of your letter intact.
Once you have an arrangement you like, get out the glue!
My favorite glue is Aleene’s Tacky Glue in the gold bottle.
Take your time and glue down one piece at a time. You can use binder clips or clothespins to help hold some pieces in place. I have even used small plastic bottles to help prop up pieces until the glue is dry enough on its own.
Take a look at the letter ‘O’. It uses some great design principles that are good to know.
First, use 3 or 5 items that are similar. The ‘O’ has large pearl jewelry for this.
They are evenly spaced out without being rigid in placement.
Bobbi Wolf has used another good design principle - choose something to ‘tie’ it all together. You want the uniqueness of each piece of jewelry, but you also need a cohesiveness to make it pleasing. In the letter ‘P’ it is the chain that outlines the piece. Using the string of pearls on part of it does not detract but still adds to the overall feel of ‘this belongs together’.
Mary Garrett, Pinterest
Your brain likes to make sense of things. Using a chain, or perhaps small beads to fill in gaps, or a repeating theme such as white buttons makes your brain happy!
Principle #3- symmetry is ok too! In the ‘Q’ the artist used 4 large pieces to anchor the design, spaced evenly.
In the letter ‘R’ a pretty brooch has been used as a focal piece, almost like a big bow, at the top corner. In the letter ‘S’ the focal piece is the large owl, placed at the end of the S stroke. Both work!
I recommend, by the way, Tacky glue and NOT a hot glue gun. Hot glue leaves those ugly strings unless you are a real pro using it (I am not!). Costume jewelry is made from a variety of materials. Not all of them may be compatible with hot glue. Use a low temp glue gun? You could, but you have to be exact in your placement.
I like the option of sliding my pieces around a bit to fit better.
‘X’ and ‘Z’ are not popular letters to be found in a Craft store, so I will end with the letter ‘Y’.
I do hope you try this beautiful craft. Send me photos!
‘Til next time,
inkspired
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