How to Make Use of Old Jewelry

I recently came across a box of my grandma's old 'dress up' jewelry, that was handed down to me when she passed away. While some of the pieces are high quality and sentimental, others are just plain ugly and out-of-date. There are plastic strands of beads, fake pearls of every color, rhinestone brooches, rhinestone base metal rings, and rhinestone clip on earrings. I began to make a pile of stuff to throw away and give to goodwill, after I sold what I could at a Cash for Gold party (more to come on that in a future post ;) ), but just couldn't bring myself to trash things that my grandmother might have found special when she was my age.

So, I decided it was time for a little something I like to call:
DIY MISSION: reWork what yo' granMammy gave ya!

The first hideousity (pronounced: hid-y-oss-e-tee) to be found was a gaggle of base metal, rhinestoney, bauble-encrusted brooches! Luckily, brooches are super easy to craft with and turn into something gorg!

MAKE A STATEMENT!

To use a brooch to make something modern, clip it assymetrically on a strand (or more) of pearls:



GET YOURSELF IN A 'HAIRY' SITUATION!

Simply use some super glue or mod podge to adhere plume of feathers (found at your local craft shop) to a thick bobby pin or comb clip. If you are having trouble making them stick, apply the glue, then tightly wrap thick string around the feathers and bobby pin or clip, and glue the string -- this will provide extra security! Once feathers have dried thoroughly, take a brooch or as many as fit nicely, and pin them through the bobby pin or clip and over the feathers. Make sure the glued end of the feathers is completely covered by the brooches. A tossled side bun is the perfect accessory to this easy DIY accessory! Also makes an awesome bridal gift :)

DO THE SHOE!

An pair of boring old pumps the the perfect reason to get crafty with some old jewelry! The only catch is, you will need two match brooches. Luckily, I found two rhinestone hair pins that were identical, so this project worked perfectly!

First you need a cute, simple, pump or flat:

Apply a liberal amount of mod podge to the front, or back outter edge, and wait until tacky. Once it is tacky, hold the brooch on it. You may want to tape the brooch in place so that it dries in the right place.

The second hideousity to be turned into something extra fab is fake pearls! Pearls are super easy to make an awesome statement necklace or bracelet with! Just wear multiple strands at once, tangle a mess of them together with a few strands of rhinestones for an easy statement necklace, or braid or knot strands of 4 or more for a thick but neat look!

Hopefully this has helped you salvage some of your granny's special items! And if you haven't inherited anything yet, you now know what to keep your eyes out for at garage sales, flea markets, and goodwill stores <3 Happy DIYing!