So over the last few years, I’ve blogged about how I decided to try and be more creative and part of that creative process was reusing formally loved bubbles and bits.

So I started that journey when I started to decide on ways to decorate coffee table books. .Using old vintage jewelry that had been left to me. When I got a little bored with those, I decided it would be fun to create something for the holidays, as a way to raise the spirits of seniors in senior facilities by making mini holiday trees . Again using random pieces of jewelry, beads and chains paired with pinecones I painted green. During that same time that I decided to amp up the concept of collage and work on a “crown collage” for a friend that Christmas.

As a result of that, in the middle of 2023, when I got word a friend had passed and the family offered me an entire crate of custom vintage jewelry with the express desire that I turn these into something new.

So my first goal when I worked  out what the family and friend wanted. Was to create some memory items which were in the shape of similar “crown” frames that I’ve done in the past, but shadowboxed. These would go to family as a reminder.  In fact two of these actually went up for auction to raise funds for health issues.

Then still having a lot of material to use up I had to figure out what to do .

Well, the result of that is what recently launched on my Etsy page away to amp up Well, the result of that is what recently launched on my Etsy page as way to show some love to those of us still read actual books or use binders/planner and amp them up with metal bookmarks with whole lot of bling and a little bit of sparkle. At the same time I took some of the materials, and created cocktail and beverage skewers for those who are a little “extra” as well as jeweled floral picks to be used in vases or added to arrangements.

It all comes down to making people smile

I love seeing peoples faces when they realize that these are all reused, reformatted and sometimes repaired pieces of vintage jewelry. My favorite comment was from one recipient who I gifted one too who puts hers in her Bible saying  “she thinks she is all that, when she’s at church each Sunday and the glint of dangle on her jeweled  bookmark catches everybody’s eye.