Vintage Button Earrings

Another type of earrings I will offer this year are made with vintage buttons. I featured some at the Vancouver Green Drinks' "Check em off Green" holiday bazaar last fall and they were popular with shoppers. So I have created more for the Recycled Art Festival. The buttons have all been mounted on surgical steel posts. 

New earrings!

Here are some upcylced glass earrings made just in time for the Recycled Arts Festival. 

Made from tequila bottle glass. 

Made from a Shiraz bottle. They remind me of lamps from the 1970's.

Made from a pinot grigio bottle. There is just a hint of blue in this glass...and for some reason lots of tiny bubbles. These beads really sparkle in the light. 

These were from some wine bottle.

The beads are a rich brown from a beer bottle. 

The color of this tequila bottle glass is so amazing.

Pinot grigio bottle beads accented with a mix of seed beads. 

Fabric Beads

This last year I have inherited a large amount of vintage fabric and quilting scraps. Since I am not a quilter, I found a way to use the materials in my jewelry. This winter when it was too cold to go out into the garage studio to melt glass, I stayed warm and cozy inside while I rolled fabric beads. It has been fun to take a piece of fabric and imagine what it will look like when it is rolled up into a bead. The results often surprised me.

These were made from scraps from the 1970's.

The fabric was scrap strips from a quilt. The large crystals were hanging from a vintage lamp.

This fabric was my favorite surprise. It was a piece of linen-like fabric with a forest scene with deer.  

Skeleton Key Pendants

 

Here is something new I will offer at the Recycled Arts Festival this weekend. I found some vintage skeleton keys at an antique mall. The beads on most of the keys are loose, so they spin freely. I think they would look great on a variety of chains or cords. 

Recycled Arts Festival

I am so excited to be returning as a vendor at the Recycled Arts Festival in Esther Short Park, June 25 &26. After a busy school year, it is time to focus on beads and my garden. I am a full-time teacher in the Vancouver Public Schools. During this school year, my torch, glass, garden and blog have not had much attention from me. I am looking forward to devoting more time to my hobbies.  I do have some exciting new things for this year's festival. Look for beaded skeleton keys, fabric scrap beads and dresses made from vintage pillowcases.