Wire Wrapped Glass Chip Necklace

 I've got way to many materials to recycle, including all the bottles from the kitchen renovation. I finally used some to make a wire wrapped necklace. I had my husband slice the rim of a beer bottle off and I filed down the edge of a chip from the same bottle for this creation.

Happy Mother’s Day

A day set aside to show our appreciation for all our mother’s do for us, even after we’ve long ago flown the nest. I know my mother still looks out for all her 5 kids and now their families too, motherhood never ends.

I usually make the 2½ hour trip to my mom’s to visit her on Mother’s Day, but with a 9-6 work schedule today that was impossible. I did find time this week to make her a nice pair of purple (her favorite color) earrings. She wears quite a lot of purple, but it turned out she didn’t own any purple earrings, so I made a wise choice there. I also found a sweet little pocket mirror at Happy Bug Designs on Etsy. She was thrilled with it too. 

A lovely picture of Mom in her youth

Etsy Treasury, Hippie Days are Here Again

I created a new Etsy Treasury today, I've really been slacking off on my Etsy Shop & Blog since starting my part time job in January. But this morning I was inspired to through a treasury together, Hope you like it.

New Clearance Section at Etsy Shop

I have a new CLEARANCE SALE section in my Etsy shop. Big savings on some cute handmade items. Stop by The ReFORMatory to see the bargains.

Miniature Handbag Earrings

Silk mini handbag earrings silver, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.

Dangle earrings in the shape of miniature purses, perfect for holiday or New Year’s Eve parties. In beautiful midnight blue silk or ultra-suede, each handbag is hand sewn and the chain handles are made from upcycled jewelry. Each pair is uniquely embellished with different kinds of beads. Some have silver findings, some gold. I hope to get more varieties made in the near future. Also great for gift giving.

New Flower Bobby Pin

A new flower bobby pin just listed at the Reformatory. I tried a little something different with this one. I put the flower at the open end of the bobby pin. That way if you are pulling back bangs or the front section of your hair, the flower is at the far end of the bobby pin. I like the way it looks, will be making more this way. This ones also eco friendly, all fabric is upcycled.

Handmade Pillow Covers

Handmade Pillow Cover, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.

I finally finished the pillows I made those covered buttons for. The fabric is from the piles of designer samples my girlfriend gave me which I'm always using for my craft. This was one of the few fabrics that I had large samples of, 4 matching pieces about 20" x 24". After looking at them many times and debating what to make with them, I finally realized they would go well in my own living room. And luckily I had some coordinating brown cotton to make the edges with. I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Don't Shrug Me Off - Treasury

Living in South Florida, I tend to wear summer/resort wear most of the year. I therefor don't often shop for knitted items or jackets often, but I'm always admiring them on Etsy & other craft blogs. Lately I've really been getting into shrugs, I think I may have to acquire some, they'd come in handy over strappy dresses and tops when we do get some slightly cool weather. 

So check out this treasury of lovely shrugs I put together on Etsy, perhaps you'd like one too.

Tribal Earrings

While working on ideas for the hoop earrings a few posts below, I started stringing together various beads from my collection. There was one set which I was quite happy with; in which I used some turquoise beads, red glass beads and various upcycled bali beads and bead caps. I had to put them to good use. I grabbed some silver hoop findings and hung them from the bottom of the hoops. I then had to string together one more dangle for the center of the hoop. So in no time flat, a birthday project also resulted in a new item for my ReFORMAtory Etsy Shop.

A Batch of Flower Hair Clips for my Niece

Here are the hair clips and bobby pins I made for my niece for her birthday. She wears a lot of bright colors, so I made a broad range of designs. She also loves butterflies and I recently found the enamel shoe clips but thought they were a bit heavy for shoes, so I incorporated them into the flowers. I enjoy experimenting with different ways to create the petals, and I especially like the two buttons (one shell, the other rhinestone) that make the center of the yellow flower.

 

New Hair Accessories

I’ve put together some hairbands, clips, bobby pins and scrunchies from my fabric flowers.

see them at The ReFORMAtory on Etsy

The Coral Rose Handbag

I made this elegant purse without a pattern. I used the coral color fabric sample just the size it was. I sewed up the sides and created a corner on each side to form the bottom. I thought it would look nice with a front pocket, so I looked thru my scraps & found the lovely floral fabric (left over from a round cushion I made). I cut out the pockets and flap and sewed them on. Then I realized I might have just enough scrap left to add a zipper closure across the top. My mother had recently given me a beaded necklace. I restrung one of its strands onto wire for the handle. Look for it in my Etsy shop.