Janet of All Trades

Sometimes you buy something at an Estate Sale and you don't know what you have until you get it home and look thru it. That is what happen to me a few weeks ago when I purchase a coffee can full of vintage wooden and bamboo beads.  Surprise! the beads are fun and remind me of summer camp, so I knew I needed to create a piece of jewelry with them.  I started with some Stretch Magic Cord in black and clear in 1mm thickness. I had never used Stretch Magic before and was happy to read that it is made in the USA and is very easy to work with. I first cut a piece about 12 inches long since I had decided to make a 7" bracelet and would need a little more on each end to knot. Now you will need to Pre-Stretch the cord as per the directions, which means stretching it about 2 or 3 times with one end in both hands. Then I started stringing my beads which is super easy and if you have a bead stopper it helps to keep the beads organized. After a few trial and errors with I figu...

Over the summer my husband and I have been to numerous Estate sales. We have not only bought interesting vintage pieces but we have learned a few things as well about these sale. I don't consider myself an expert at finding good deals or negotiating prices, but I have a few tips that might make attending estate sales and little easier and more rewarding. First don't be afraid to get dirty. Some of the best treasures are buried under a ton of other things. But make sure have some wet naps or hand sanitizer to clean up before you head to another sale. Secondly, go with a list of specific things you are looking for since you can be easily distract by interesting funiture,clothes and dishes, but thinking about how you will use them or how you will get them home.   Bring a small flash light since some lovey items hidden in dark basements and closets. It also helps for seeing in boxes and containers for hidden gems.   Lastly it's okay to offer a price for something, but mak...

I am lucky to have access to a wide variety of colorful and interesting leather scraps. I finally decided what I could make with them after looking at my button stash and my estate sale items and created some interesting pendants and rings made from both. Embossed Woven Leather and Recycled Estate Sales jewelry pendant Woven Leather and rhinestone button. Green Sueded Leather with recycled bead and earring pieces. Leather and Button rings. Just a little reusing of scraps and buttons to make some interesting Jewelry for the Spring! Enjoy!

Not to long ago I picked up this standard black lunch box at an Estate sale for $5.00. I loved it for it's worn and well used look and thought it would make a great purse.  The inside was pretty worn too and thought just a coat of paint would help it. I painted the inside this lovely shade of yellow given to me by my neighbor. Perfect I thought just the right color to brighten it up. But I was sadly mistaken and it turned out not so lovely. It looked like a banana had exploded in my lunch box. So it sat in my craft fail closet for about 2 months, until I decided it need yet another face lift but this time with fabric.. And a little Mod Podge and it started to look a little better. Carefully I cut and glued the pieces so this time it would not be a Craft Fail. Concealing the edges with satin rope and admiring how it was starting to look pretty. Lastly it was done and ready to it's new use. It has been come my traveling jewelry studio in a b...

I have been accumulating costume jewelry from Estate Sales over the last few months without a precise plan on what I would be using all of it for. I love the look of multi strand necklaces and bracelets and seem to see them everywhere. From Ann Taylor Loft JewelrySaga.com So I decided to create a few with my Estate Sale Jewelry. I started with a few pieces of chain and leather strips. Then added a length of strung beads and a few jump rings and I had my Bracelet. So simple,easy and stylish. I then made a necklace from cast of pieces of chain, an old pendant and leather strips. Once again easy to create and I just combined 5 or 6 strands of different chain and beads. Lovely! Now I must go since I feel the need to make a few more!  Enjoy! Joining these Parties:

I have been visiting numerous Estate sales over the Summer and Fall looking for old Jewelry and other items that I can use to make interesting pendants. Here are just a few of the items that I have created over the last few weeks with the treasures I have found. Antique button with flowerets from a vintage bracelet with coral beads. Antique Button, bottle cap and old zipper reclaimed from old clip earrings. Two Antique buttons and a new necklace connector piece. Antique button and vintage Knot clip earring. Vintage Buttons on Encyclopedia paged cover washer. So much fun to create no only because am I recycling and but reusing the items that others collected and saved and creating something beautiful.. Well at least I think they are beautiful! Enjoy! Linking up to these Parties:

A few weeks ago I found this four drawer mini metal cabinet at an awesome Estate sale. It measures about 6" x 6"x 8" and had four drawers with different space configurations inside each drawer. It was loaded with nails,nuts,bolts and some old bulls eye papers from the 50's. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I knew I could find a use for it. So when the weather was right I broke out the spray paint and painted it white. It took many coats but it looks great now and I even painted the inside each of the drawers.  And to add some interest inside I add just a little bit scrapbook paper to line each drawer. Plain paper for the larger drawer. Plain and striped for the other three drawers. They are the perfect size for thread,buttons or beads. The cabinet looks lovely with my sewing needs and rest on yet another newly painted metal cabinet that my Brother-In-Law gave me about a year ago. It had been patiently waiting for a fix up as well. It will be storing...