Vintage Jewelry Refashion

If you've been following my blog for awhile now, you know that my sweet mother-in-law passed away in June.

She was an avid lover of jewelry, always making sure her earrings matched her clothing.  

After her passing, her two daughters along with myself, went through her collection, gathering things that we'd like to have to remember her.  (After her funeral, we gathered as a family at our house, where we had laid the remaining jewelry out for everyone to peruse and take at their leisure...it was a great way to "share" bits of her without having to give the bulk of it to charity.)

I selected several pieces, some of which I wear currently.

However, I was drawn to this pin for some reason.

It's high-fashion costume jewelry, but I loved the delicate leaves and pearl with "emerald" centered flowers.  It just spoke to me.

However, I rarely wear a pin, and I knew it was going to be hidden away... which would be such a shame.

Then I had a brilliant idea...

So I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased this.

I the jewelry section, I found this brown leather double strapped bracelet with a peg closure.  It was less than $10 after using my 40% off weekly coupon code.

I strapped the bracelet on to see where I wanted to position the pin.  

I KNEW that the pin would not be centered on the wide part of the leather as wrist size greatly affects how a bracelet sits on your wrist.

I then used a silver Signo pen to make dots where the ends of the pin backing touched the leather.

Next, I used my Crop-o-Dile to punch two small holes over the silver markings.

You can use an awl to do the same thing, I just have this crafty tool as a card-crafter.

You can see the silver mark through the hole of punch.  One squeeze over each mark and it was done.

I needed the holes to be precise so that I could thread the pin through one hole to the other hole.

Once I had them through, I clasped the pin back and it was secured neatly to the bracelet.

Next, I took the second thinner strap and threaded it under the pin, over the larger base of the bracelet.

This is exactly how it was to work in the first place.

It fit perfectly, and I was thrilled with my new "vintage" bracelet.

Because the pin is not glued to the leather, I can remove it if I want to wear it as a pin.

The backing doesn't bother my arm in any way when I wear this bracelet either.

I LOVE the delicate pin with the rugged leather and I know that I will wear it more as a bracelet than as a pin.

Think of ways you can take cherished pieces and wear them in different ways to make them current and fashionable.

It's the best part of breaking all the rules.

Chalkboard Art

As a retired teacher, I spent many a day at the front of the room on the chalkboard.

Then came the advent of whiteboards, and our sticks of chalk were relegated to the past.

Since chalkboards are now very much a part of decorating your home, I made one a few years back and have changed it periodically to match my mood or the season.

Here's our chalkboard.

This used to be a floor to ceiling bulletin board since the advent of this home in 1963.  Over time, the cork had crumbled so I basically "halved" it with some beadboard on the bottom and a new piece of smooth plywood on the top.

A few coats of black chalkboard paint, "seasoned" with some white chalk and I was in business.

You can see it's a fairly narrow space, and it's challenging to photograph because there's a counter directly across from it.

But I persevered and did my best.

I pulled out my school chalk and my Blick colored pastel sticks.

These can be purchased easily through Amazon and are fun to work with. 

They also clean up with a damp cloth when you want to change your image.

I have not, nor do I plan to use the chalk markers.  I like the "dusty" look of chalks and markers.  It's a personal choice... you do you!

I also ran two strips of painter's tape along the bottom edge.  

As you work with chalk and pastels, bits of their dust will fall.  Putting a tape "tray" will catch the bulk of that, making clean-up a breeze.

See?

It's a life-saver!

I had in mind to create a Mason Jar with wildflowers.

I started with my plain chalk and drew a jar, working to make the opposite sides as cohesive as possible.

Once I was happy with the general outline, I used a soft blue pastel to trace over and create the "blue" shaded jar.

Using a damp napkin, I carefully erased bits of the original chalk from the board.  This helps to keep the image neat.

I used a white pastel to add spots of light to the jar, giving it a dimensional look.

I worked until I was happy with my whimsical version of a Mason Jar.

Picking up the chalk, I sketched in stems for my stylized tulips.

Like any real flower arrangement, I started with an odd number of large tulips.

I drew the tulips in various sizes and heights to give the arrangement some foundational depth.

I also drew in a branch of leaves to get a feel for how I wanted to place them.

I took a bright yellow pastel and traced over the tulips in broad strokes.  

I also lightly shaded inside the petals to give it some overall color.

Once you use the pastels, they naturally flatten on one side, much like a pencil.  

This allows you to get thin, thick, or shaded lines with just a turn of the pastel or your hand.

I started to add in leaves and branches so that there was less and less negative space in the actual floral arrangement.

I stopped and took a step back to see where I needed to add anything.

Some tiny pink flowers were scattered in and among the larger tulips and leaves.

I also realized that it needed a leaf, draped over the mouth of the jar, directly in front.  This sets the background of the image because it becomes a part of the foreground.

I chalked it in first and then finished it with one of the greens from the pastels.

Using the white pastel on its side, I lightly created "water" in the jar, carefully blurring but not obliterating the stems in the jar.

I also added some shading under and around the jar so it didn't appear to "float" on the chalkboard.

I had a bit of room at the top of the chalkboard, so I free-handed "live simply" as a reminder to slow down and enjoy life.

And then it was done...

In the fall, I will change the image, using Pinterest for some inspiration.

Don't be afraid to copy or use images of chalkboards to inspire you.

I keep my drawings to simple, whimsical images.

I'm not an artist, so these types of creations are easy for me.

It's not necessarily breaking the rules, but I'm definitely setting my own.