Linky Love: Upcycled Object Accessories

Happy weekend!  Lately I have stumbled upon some awesome jewelry and accessories that have been made from upcycled objects and today I'll share a few of my favorites.

Maya from Little Treasures shared this fun necklace.  It gets its shape from underwire removed from a bra.  Mixing crochet with old bra wires?  Brilliant!

Rhonda at Dollar Store Crafts made this washer necklace from a plastic cup and some permanent marker doodling skills.  Seriously?!  Yes, I have actually tried the craft myself and ended up with interesting results--the trick, I have learned, is to use Solo brand cups.  The generic ones just don't do the trick.  (You will be able to see my project failure over at Craft Fail soon--be sure to check it out!)

Jessica from Sew Homegrown created an awesome Braided Head Wrap from old T-Shirts.  I could never get away with wearing this wrap on my head, but Jessica pulls it off quite nicely, don't you think?  I just made T-Shirt yarn for the first time recently and it's really a much quicker and easier process than I had imagined-and the possibilites for using it are endless!

The next two recycled accessories are earrings made by Jessica of Homemakin and Decoratin.  The heart-shaped pair is made of paint chips and the second pair is pretty obviously made from Scrabble pieces!  (Y'all know I'm a sucker for Scrabble art these days!)  Inventive, huh?

How 'bout some good old-fashioned shameless self-promotion now?  Tristin from Two Girls Being Crafty (hey, that's me!) shares a super-fab tutorial (if I do say so myself) on how to make a bracelet out of a toothbrush.  Go get some water boilin', and in an hour you can don one on your wrist, too!

So, maybe you're into super-expensive jewelry, but why not take a break from the norm and make something original?  If nothing else, you'll have an awesome conversation starter!

Cute-as-a-button DIY Earrings

So, I've told you before that I'm not much of a jewelry gal, but I totally enjoy earrings.  They're usually cheap (at least the ones I buy) and they can really add a lot to your look, especially if you're a t-shirt and jeans kinda gal like me. 

I recently made these earrings after seeing similar earrings on a movie that was set in the 1940s.  You wouldn't believe how many compliments I get on these simple/retro/funky/elegant pieces of flair!

The materials are pretty simple--you'll need:

Fabric scraps (I used fabric that has round patterns and centered the pattern on the button for a cool effect)
Button covering kit in the size you like (there are several types to choose from--they all accomplish the same goal)
Earring posts
Hot glue or some other strong adhesive

Follow the instructions on the button covering kit to make a button, and use needle-nosed pliers (or your fingers) to remove the little metal piece that is meant to make the button able to be sewn onto garments.  You definitely don't need that sticking out on the back.  When choosing my fabric I used fabric that had round patterns and centered the pattern on the button for a cool effect.  It was worth the little bit of extra effort!

Glue your earring posts onto the back of your button and let it dry--and voila--earrings!

You may recognize the pattern on the green earrings--I used the scraps from my hand-stitched potholder.  Aren't those fun earrings?  They'd totally make awesome gifts.

I told someone recently they cost like 50 cents to make, but really I think it's more like a dollar per pair.  You can handle that, right?

You'll look so glamorous on your Valentine's date wearing these sassy little earrings!

Upcycling Toothbrushes into Bracelets

First and foremost, we're so excited that Thrifty Decor Chick featured our blog on her series of newbies!  We're so excited to have so many new people visiting and we're equally stoked to welcome so many new followers!  Isn't Thrifty Decor Chick the bestest?  We think so.  Thanks, Sarah!  (If you're interested, you can see our highlight on the TDC blog here.)

And on to the crafty-ness...

When I was in middle school in California, I knew this gal named Kathryn who was super-cool.  You know, just one of those naturally cool kids--a trendsetter, too.  She wore a rad bracelet that she made out of a toothbrush and I thought it was awesome (naturally) so when she gave me the secret on how to make one, I rushed home to do it myself.  (See, even back then I was a DIY gal!)

Any-hoo, wanna make your own?  I thought you did! 

Here's what you'll need:

An old toothbrush (sans rubberized texture stuff)
Needle-nosed pliers
Vise grips (or you can get creative with whatever tools you have)
Tongs
A pot big enough to accommodate your toothbrush

You'll want to start with a super-plain toothbrush and avoid any of that grippy/soft plastic stuff that most toothbrushes have these days.  I use child-sized toothbrushes (What?!  I'm a small person with a small mouth... you wanna make something of it?  Obviously I have a short girl complex, too.) so they are pretty plain and perfect for making bracelets.

I used needle-nosed pliers to remove all of the bristles.

Umm, when you're using said needle-nosed pliers on the bristles, take it easy...  I teach by example guys.  So, learn a lesson from me be and gently remove the bristles from the toothbrush, and provide ample support to the neck of the toothbrush.

Obviously, I had to restart with a different toothbrush.  And I was much more gentle the second time around.

Doesn't the naked toothbrush look so awkward?

Once you have a naked toothbrush, boil that naked toothbrush for an hour.  Seriously, do it for a whole hour--don't skimp on time!  If you check it midway through, the toothbrush will seem like it will be pliable enough to form but if you bend the brush too early you may cause ugly white streaking (think: stretch marks) and possible snapping.

Once the toothbrush has boiled for an hour, you're ready to shape it into a bracelet.  You can use a bracelet you have as a size reference or you can just wing it.  I guesstimated and it came out fine!  I used tongs to hold the toothbrush in the middle and vise grips to shape the hot plastic.  If you make a mistake, don't worry--you can pop it back in the boiling water for 15-20 minutes and reshape. 

Common sense warning: that toothbrush is HOT!  You would be too if you'd just been boiled for an hour.  Be careful!

Once you're happy with your shape, drop the bracelet into a bowl of cold water to "set" the shape.  (I think that the Lemongrass Fiestaware bowl compliments the purple toothbrush quite nicely!)

And there you have it--a gorgeous toothbrush bracelet!

Pretty fun and simple, right?  I'm not a jewelry girl--but I think that even if I was, I'd much prefer for my husband to make me one of these for V-Day than to buy some generic piece of bling.  But that's just me.