I just wanted to quickly share my latest upcycling jewelry project with you. I made this gift for my mother-in-law out of an old necklace from that bag of beaded jewelry I mentioned in a past post. She had passed along the bag of beaded necklaces to us, so that we could do crafts with them. Little did she know that we'd make something for her, as well.
This particular necklace had already been cut and had some beads removed for other jewelry and craft projects. Therefore, it could not be worn again in it's present state. The word "present" refers to when this picture was taken, prior to when I reconstructed it into something new.
I had a pack of three heart-shaped charms that had yet to find a home, so I decided to make matching earrings and a bracelet. I incorporated some of the metallic beads from the broken necklace into the earring design, and then continued to use the beads in the bracelet.To make the bracelet, I cut the necklace into sections, removing some of the beads to reveal the connecting strands. I then borrowed some Legos from the kids to clamp the ends together while I worked. Such a fun idea :-)
I did some restringing and braided the strands. I even used the original hook and loop closure on the ends. Then, for a personal touch (and to match the earrings) I added the final heart charm. The finished bracelet is pictured below.
I also decorated this box using items cut out of old magazines, so my mother-in-law would know I made these before I even told her. I thought it turned out cute.
And, for those of you who like to see how the bracelets I make look on someone's arm/wrist, here's a pic of me wearing it.
I have very small wrists (I usually have to remove a few links from store-bought bracelets and watches to make them fit me), so I purposely made it a little big to ensure it would fit the recipient. Actually, I kind of like how it dangles loosely like a charm bracelet. I hope my mother-in-law likes it, too :-)
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Girl Scout Cookie
"Cupcake Wars" tonight
On another note, I look forward to Sundays, when the whole family is together. We go to my mom and dad's house for Sunday dinner and head home in time to watch both "Once Upon a Time" and "Cupcake Wars" (I actually record one of them and watch it commercial-free after the other is over).Tonight's "Cupcake Wars" has a Girl Scout theme, which reminds me of my own Rawdorable version of their classic cookies. You can find some of my recipes here on the We Like It Raw site, and the rest in this old blog post of mine. They'd be perfect toppers for the following Rawdorable cupcakes:
Put my version of a Trefoil on this S'mores Cupcake (you can't do a Girl Scout cupcake challenge without s'mores)
And, my version of a Tagalong on this Tastes Like PB Cupcake or this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake
These were just some ideas, but I opted to make Rawdorable versions of the winning cupcakes from last week's episode. I'll tell you more this week. Stay tuned :-)
*Just a reminder that these cupcakes are not meant to eat all the time, which is why I didn't make the Girl Scout Cookie-inspired ones today. They are just a nice treat every once and a while.
