Reduce, recycle, reuse. I hear these words a great deal, maybe because I am totally immersed in the movement. I started recycling when I would have to lug a trunkful to any place that recycled. Luckily, today we have curbside pick-up. Speaking of curbsides, I do a curbside crawl on trash days looking for items people consider disposable. My son’s solid wood dresser is from one of my hunts. If I can’t use it, I donate it.
This habit of hunting for
recyclables or items to repurpose has transferred to my art. My favorite sources are estate sales,
resale stores, Etsy, and eBay. I
also gather inspiration from my search.
I consider my ventures to be of divine providence since I have no idea what
I will find that will spark my imagination.
I look for metals in
silver-plated trays, copper, brass, and colorful tins. I haven’t stumbled upon anyone with
well-priced sterling but I keep my hopes up. I cut up these metal finds to create upcycled jewelry. I also search for pre-vinyl records,
books, broken jewelry, belts, vintage wallpaper, and anything I can cut up, use
for texture, put in resin or use as a tool.
The photo above is of a piece made from a cookie tin with some great designs and colors. The circular bracelet below was made from a belt and what used to be a copper vase. The cross piece is riveted onto a portion of a brass planter.
Jacky Sylvie with Hi Fi Jewelry
brings her love of music to the world of upcycling with her fantastic necklace
made from vinyl records. The records I use come from the early 1900s,
before vinyl, and are much thicker. I picked up a batch from an estate sale thinking they were worth a
bundle. No such luck. Somehow I decided to soften them in
the oven and cut them with cookie cutters to create pendants. The one below is my
favorite.
The metals I scour for are anything
from trays and vases to brass planters. There are some silver plated pieces that are plated onto copper. I particularly remember large compote I
found with a beautiful bird and flower design. I raced home to cut it while preserving the design. It will make a beautiful necklace for
the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash in April.
