Trinket #349 - Necklace Upgrade

I wore this aventurine necklace today and decided it needed a little more pizazz to help counterbalance such a long chain. I salvaged these silver leaves from an over-the-top gaudy necklace. The result? Two things that I didn't like so much before that came together to make something I do like. Excellent!

PS - I will be trinketing over the next couple of days, but will not be able to post again until Sunday evening. I'm leaving in the (way too) early AM for Denver!

Trinket #333 - Snake Pendant

This was a trinket requested by my daughter. The bit of snake-encircled turquoise apparently used to be some sort of hinged cover of something - a locket, maybe? Anyway, I was able to salvage the latch, attach a jump ring, and transform it into this pendant. Not my taste, but kind of cool.

Did I mention that I'm just over 30 days away from the end of the project? That's a good thing, because I'm starting to feel a bit burnt out.

Trinket #286 - Big Honkin' Heart Necklace

This is a big, old, heavy bead recycled from the junk box. I added a pin, jump ring, and the ribbon necklace. Quick! I needed a speedy trinket, too, as the October frenzy seems to have gotten to my brain and caused me to lose count of my projects. Thanks to Tara for pointing out my mistake before it was way too late to correct it. I'm back on track!

Trinket #282 - Duct Tape Hair Bow

Apparently duct tape CAN fix anything - even a bad hair day! My daughter showed me how to whip up this quick and easy bow, and I'm sure I'll be collecting all sorts of tape and making many more.

Trinket #278 - Leafy Earrings

So. Brain-dead. All I could muster that could even be considered remotely creative today were these leaf earrings made from two layers of jersey knit (t-shirt scraps) and a few odd seed beads. Here they are, hiding out in an orchid...

I hope that the rest of October whizzes by and life can get back to normal soon!

Trinket #276 - Recycled T-Shirt Necklace

I decided to give wire and beads a break for the day and use something softer for trinketing instead. I saw these necklaces about a year or so ago and they were selling for mad money. Since I am very selective about parting with cash, I held off and used an ill-fitting t-shirt to create my own. I watched this quick video tutorial, but switched up the recommendations a bit by using a rotary cutter instead of scissors and also opted for a shirt with no side-seams that would have created those icky lumps.

Apologies for the washed out photo - I've had no time to be in the sun lately and it's making my camera cranky.

Trinket #270 - Sticks and Stones Earrings

Another Junk Box creation. These earrings are made from a medley of shells, stones, bones, and wood. I may see about adding a feather or two later, but I think they'd be small ones if I go that route. I'll have to see what the chickens decide to shed this week.

PS - The jug is a liquor crock I made last year as sort of a joke gift for the husband. It's only sort of a joke because he thought it was more awesome than funny...

Trinket #252 - Feather Earrings

Apparently I am old or something, because it took my eleven year-old daughter to inform me that feather earrings are a current trend. In fact, she's been begging for some for the past three months. I decided I'd attempt to fill her request today by using what I had on-hand and seeing what I could do with it. In this case, I used two naturally shed chicken feathers, some silver wire, and a pair of silver ear hooks. Not bad for a first attempt, but those feathers are certainly difficult to secure. I'm sure I will be trying a few different ways of wrapping feathers in the near future - my little flock has let go of dozens of lovely supplies over the past week or two.

Trinket #220 - Better Late Than Never

Never during the course of planning and preparing for this project did I think that something would come along that was so disruptive that it would make me miss a day. It did.

Trinket #195 - Leather and Shell Bracelet

The thought of cutting and bending wires tonight just didn't do anything for me, so I pulled out some leather scraps and assembled this little trinket. The bracelet features a mother of pearl buckle that belonged to my grandmother, but I'm not sure what it came from originally The whole thing is fastened with a simple leather tie.

Trinket #194 - Paper and Hemp in Pastels

I've done it again. No, I've not created a smashing new trinket design today, but instead spent far too much of my creative energy on a writing project without reserving enough of it for a project of the visual variety. The results of such behavior, if you've not already noticed, are often quick-and-easy hemp projects like this one. Here, I've used a light colored cord and a few leftover paper beads that I made from pages of Highlights Magazine months ago to put together this bracelet. It's not my usual palette, but I like it.

Trinket #185 - Black Paper Necklace

The focal point of this necklace is actually a heavyweight cut paper design that was attached to a blouse tag. It was too lovely to trash, so decided it was tough enough to take center stage on this necklace. The cord is black hemp, so the entire creation today is made from plant material. Score!

Trinket #170 - Clockwork Brooch

In the interest of full disclosure, I purchased the bones for this brooch as a necklace from Etsy. It never worked well as a necklace, so I moved a few bits around, added a couple of little things, and attached the whole construction to a brooch pin. I think this reinvented trinket would look dandy on a lapel or even on a hatband with some sort of upscale lady's steampunk ensemble...

Trinket #167 - Leather and Copper Ring

Today's trinket is made from a recycled scrap of leather and a bit of copper wire for binding and decoration. The ring measures 3/4-inch high and is a size 7. It was crafted while squinting from migraine pain. Hooray, perseverance.

Trinket #164 - Grommeted Cuff Bracelet

Today's trinket is a recycled bracelet made from what was once my favorite belt. I wore that belt for years before the leather started to split and the grommets began falling out. I discovered it while cleaning out my wardrobe this past weekend and decided to give it new life. It's hefty and not really my style, so I think this may ultimately be destined for a friend or a listing on Etsy!

Trinket #150 - Keith Haring Earrings

My daughter requested a pair of earrings that go with anything, so I dug these paper beads out of the bottom of my junk box and delivered. The beads were made from a page of Hidden Pictures from Highlights magazine (remember the necklace?) and are simple black lines on a white background. Random black lines always remind me of one of my favorite artists ever: Keith Haring. What? You guessed that from the post title? Oh, good.

Haring pushed boundaries his entire life, creating art for art's sake. I think we could all stand to take a lesson or two from that example.

Trinket #119 - Earth-Loving Bracelet

Because I spent the day in my Birkenstocks, tending my garden and lecturing about compost, I decided to go with an eco-conscious trinket. This bracelet features three recycled paper beads and more of that Romanian hemp cord that I love so much. Expect more of these next week - this is my planned project while traveling!

Trinket #118 - Monster Eye Brooch

One monster eye patch + one pin back = a quick and quirky brooch.

Trinket #109 - Silver Platter Necklace

Another quick project tonight. My week is shaping up to be more busy than usual, so I'm just going to have to knock the trinkets out as efficiently as possible over the next few days. This necklace was made from a burgundy satin ribbon and a silver leaf cut from an old trophy platter I picked up at a thrift shop.

Trinket #76 - Leafy Hemp and Leather Necklace

Looks like I'm getting in touch with my inner Earth-Mother this week. I even reached back to my Grateful Dead days and pulled out the hemp cording for this one! The focal point of this necklace is another scrap of leather (from those salvaged riding chaps) which I cut into a leaf shape. A green wooden bead was added to give the pendant some weight and to add a bit of understated shine. This was a fun trinket to make - it reminded me so much of the old days of selling "hippie jewelry" out of the back of our car.

If you've noticed a trend, it's probably because I'm feeling awfully botanical this week. No, I'm not turning green, but I have far more dirt under my nails than usual!