Recycle. Reuse. Revitalize.

What to do with the jewelry you never ever wear?  Pieces you’ve been given that have a few elements you'd like to isolate and extract?  Something you once loved but is now a tad tired?

Revitalize your collection by pulling everything out of their hiding places.  Evaluate what stays and what goes.  Isolate all that could be resurrected or reworked. Then begin playing with what’s left.

Gather together a group to share/rework/recycle.  Or simply enjoy the experience by yourself.  A little elastic, some beads.  Reformat tired jewelry into something you’re more apt to wear and enjoy. 

My pieces are simple/colorful/easy to make.  Effortless to disassemble and rework.  The other critical component: I'm a fan of instant results.  Fast and fun.

Where to start?  "Borrow” color stories from whatever's in your immediate environment:  Multicolored carpets/fabrics, scarves, nature, art.  Something you already love. 

I'll often try to keep the relative color proportions consistent, i.e., more peach than blue or green.  A hint of yellow.

Create a bracelet to match existing earrings or to complement a favorite necklace.  Super simple.  And very satisfying.

Left:  Seaweed-style necklace I purchased years ago but was never worn.  I recently found beads that resembled it. Then tea-dyed the macramé belt from its original far-too-bright white to a much more mellow almost-yellow.  Loved the result.

Other things to consider?  How to hide the knot:  Plan ahead.  Tie the elastic next to a bead with a hole large enough to accommodate the knot. 

Remember, nothing’s cast in stone.  If you don’t like it, cut the elastic and begin again. 

Right:  Earrings and belts are, for me, better store bought.  Bracelets, a total cinch to tackle myself.

It’s not just “a good thing.”

It can be a pretty great thing to experience together with friends.  Or by yourself.  A moment of quiet creativity.

Update on Monday, July 19, 2010 at 9:03PM by Lois

Now having gone on Facebook/why am I doing this?/I find another friend with cancer.  Damn.  Why can’t we figure out how to deal with this often-deadly/definitely debilitating disease?  I’m not only sad and disheartened but thinking what I just wrote is totally inane/off the mark/superfluous.  Who really cares about making jewelry when a friend is facing cancer?  If I totally immersed myself in all the sadness of the world I know, I’d have trouble resurfacing.  And enjoying the simple pleasures.  I hope that what I’m writing about focuses on the simple and very possible pleasures that take little money and time.  Pleasures that bring people together to enjoy each other.  Just as we’ve all done this past week. 

To everyone who was here with me, thank you.  What a wonderful time together.  I love all of you.

Update on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 9:41AM by Lois

Thank you, dear friend, Barb.

Lo,
Please don't beat yourself up re:jewelry fixin' vs friends in trouble.  I totally and completely understand your pain at finding another person you care about struggling.......totally appropriate; however, we ALL love to 'play' with beautiful items; jewelry, flowers, odd finds here and there, FRIENDS.  And these are the very activities that help struggling people to keep up the good fight.  A day with a buddy making new baubles would be a day of sunshine and escape from worry/pain.  So, you are actually being THERAPEUTIC, and not irrelevant. 

Update on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 12:05PM by Lois

Thanks to another dear friend!

Loved the blog today...

It's so true that you can't control a lot of the bad stuff in life, but you can make each day prettier, more fun, more meaningful.

As that card I gave you said,

"Life is what you make it, always has been, always will be."