We all have those things that we hang onto forever even though we rarely if ever use them. They live in the back of our closets and in the bottom of our junk drawers. We keep them because we have “emotions” and “memories” and that prom dress from 15 years ago that is stained and will never fit again and was only relevant in the 90s has SENTIMENTAL VALUE, okay??!!
*white polyester with glitter dots and rhinestone straps, two side slits, plus a sheer white shoulder wrap.
This especially applies to wardrobe pieces and in particular: jewelry. It might be broken, or outdated or there’s only really one thing about it that you like. But still it remains, totally neglected, tangled in a jewelry box on a dresser.
You need:
This isn’t an entirely new concept: most of the things I make are from pieces of old and broken jewelry. There are blogs like A New Dress A Day and others who transform tired clothing into adorable, trendy outfits. The Stuffed Animal Hospital is indeed a thing.
Camille (a friend) had this vintage Mardi Gras necklace with beautiful glass beads. The clasp was broken, which is easily fixable, but Camille has the best taste in jewelry around and she’s always rocking something unusual and awesome. The necklace had a lot of potential, but needed a serious makeover.
Of course, I lost the before photo (like a boss). But it looked approximately like this:
I borrowed that photo from an ebay store that sells vintage mardi gras beads.
On the basic concept that Things Look Better When Organized, I took the beads apart and rearranged them, added some vintage chain I had hanging around, made a pendant with the larger, unique beads and made this badass, asymmetrical retake on the classic Mardi Gras necklace.
Hope you enjoy your new necklace, Camille!
Got a necklace that you adore, but never wear?
Jewelry need a facelift?
Get at me!
