New Broken China Jewelry Dishfunctional Designs

Here's a quick look at some of the new pieces of broken china jewelry that I finished this week and just listed in my Etsy shop. Broken china necklaces, pendants, hearts, lots of new pretty pieces and some with patterns that I haven't used in a while. 

I have more in the works so be sure to check back again for the first look at my new pieces. I have been trying to go through some of my inventory of plates and dishes and pull out some patterns that I haven't worked with in a while...I hope to get some new pieces made with some of those patterns over the summer.

Click here for more info on these pieces

What do you think?

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018

all rights reserved

Upcycled Vintage Ladies Watches Into Photo Memory Bracelets

These days I think I have only one or two friends who actually wear wrist watches. I think most of us now rely on our cell phones to be our timepieces. But just a few years ago things were different. Before cell phones, nearly everyone wore a watch! 

And I think many would agree that wrist watches are one of the most inherited items in families. I love the dainty antique ladies watches from around the 1910's to 1940's. I once inherited one that belonged to my grandmother and although it stopped working long ago, I continued to wear it for many years, until one day, when I realized I had lost the watchface, and only the band and crystal remained. Ugh! I still feel sad about losing it. I never found it and have no idea where or when it went missing. But I still had the band and crystal, so into the jewelry box they went.

But lo. 

Behold the vintage watch band bracelet. 

By opening the crystal and inserting a small photo of a loved one (how about a photo of the person who you inherited the watch from?) you can give new life to your old inheritance, giving it a whole new look as an heirloom to pass on to your own loved ones one day. 

If you've lost the watch face and back (the inner watch workings) as I have, you can cut out your photo and insert it behind the crystal, but then you will need to find a way to hold the photo in place. 

If you have experience working with clear liquid resin, this might work, but I wouldn't try it unless you first experiment a bit with resin because it can be tricky and can take a little bit of time to get used to the ins and outs of the craft. 

Also, if you are putting resin on paper, you must seal the paper first with some type of sealant! I explain how to do this in my book Boho Chic Jewelry: 25 Timeless Designs Using Soldering, Beading, Wire-Wrapping and More in my Poetic Seashell & Stone Necklace project on page 93!

If you are experienced with metalwork or soldering, another idea might be to cut a small piece of metal to fit behind the photo and then secure it in place somehow. 

Either way, make sure you use a copy of your vintage photo and not the original!

Have you ever inherited a watch from a loved one? Leave me a comment below!

What do you think?

Click here to visit my shop

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018

all rights reserved

How To Cut Flatware For Crafts And Jewelry

Hi friends! I just uploaded a new video to my YouTube channel. It's a short one, but while I was working I thought I'd use the opportunity to record for you and share what I was doing.

I have a few jewelry projects in my first book, Boho Chic Jewelry, that use vintage cast off pieces of silverware—forks, spoons and butter knives—and turn them into unique pieces of jewelry. Each project in the book has detailed instructions with great photos to teach you how to do it all, but still, there's nothing like being there and seeing firsthand how something is done! 

Enter my messy workbench and a handful of vintage silver plated butter knives—a recent thrift store find at only 10 cents each!

To turn these vintage finds into usable components, all you need are a few simple tools, the know-how, and a little elbow grease. Really, anyone can do it! Watch the video below and then be sure to subscribe!

Here's the prize that you end up with in the end - a beautiful, vintage component that you can use for jewelry or in your craft creations. How sweet is that? 

And of course at the end of the video, I always offer suggestions for how you can reuse every last bit. 

I use these components to create my necklaces (shown above), and like I said, you can find the complete step by step instructions for this particular project in my book, but check out the video for a behind the scenes sneak peek! 

You can watch the new video here, and while you're there, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel to be the first to get updates when I post new videos! 

Here's an entire bowl full of these beauties. I love just sifting through them and admiring their beautiful patterns. 

Want one but don't want to make your own? I have just a few available here in my Etsy Shop, so be sure to check them out! 

Check out the video here!

Have a great week!

Laura

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Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2020 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area.