The Impatient Crafter Free Holiday Project Idea: Revamped Cheap Jewelry

I make a lot of revamped jewelry. Oh heck I make a lot of revamped everything, it comes from years of shopping in thrift stores and flea markets and having to make something out of nothing. My corporation is called Two Sticks and a Rock, Inc., because with two sticks and a rock and a little imagination you can make anything. I even revamp myself every few years for good measure.

Sometimes I see something that is almost there but not quite and I add a little dash of extra spice and voila...fabulous! When it comes to my own personal pieces, honestly I'm often so busy I don't have time to sit and make something complex to wear to a party or a trade show. Forever 21 always has interesting jewelry for sale at ridiculously low prices, sometimes I buy stuff just for the components so I can rework them into something else. I have a mod wired crystal necklace in Simply Beads this month that I did with a piece I bought there last year. Here's a link to the project photo and description online. The reason I'm sharing these projects is to show you that you can do this too, even with stuff you probably have in your jewelry boxes or can score really cheaply at a flea market or yard sale or thrift store. You don't always have to start from scratch and reinvent the wheel. I like to think of this as being like the cake mix recipes. You have a foundation and you build upon it. You can take it as far as you want to or keep it simple like I did here.

In this case, I took this $4.80 brass necklace from Forever 21 and started by removing their inconsistently applied finish with alcohol ink blending solution on a felt applicator. Then I inked the pendants with jet black alcohol inks, dabbing them on and rubbing across the surface with a felt applicator to brush the ink off of the raised areas and let it settle into the crevices. My fingers and nails turned black in the process, so if you've got a big night on the town you may want to wear rubber gloves!

I let the ink dry and then added CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements 11mmx5.5mm briolettes in jet and crystal ab on 6mm gold plated jump rings to the spaces at the bottom of the pendants. Voila...instant Haute Couture!

This necklace is HUGE and looks so amazing on you can not believe it cost so little to make. This would be the perfect gift for a friend who likes her jewelry big and bold. You can opt for other beads at the bottom of each pendant, maybe even a more colorful peacock inspired palette. That, my dear, is entirely up to you!

Cheers,
Madge