This is a simple upcycle project that anyone can do that is not only one that is environmentally concious, but also nostalgic and heartfelt.
I discovered I was pregnant the year after my grandma passed away. Of course, I wished he could have met her, but that wasn’t to be.
Like many women from her era, she loved jewelry and had quite a bit of it. Much of it was costume jewelry or random beads she set aside. I kept some of the beads, knowing that she also occasionally made jewelry and thinking I might use them in something for myself someday.
When I decided I wanted to make a mobile for my son’s room out of some star and moon crystals that I had, the beads didn’t come to mind immediately. But, as I sat down to make the mobile I realized that they were the perfect fit for color. It’s as if she had picked them just for him. So, the Swarovski crystal beads that were the perfect shades of blue became part of the mobile and hang in his nursery. In my heart it’s almost as if it’s partially a gift from her to my little one.
This made me think of all of the costume jewelry I’ve seen in estate sales that people just didn’t know what to do with, so they sold it because it was out of fashion. Why not make windchimes or mobiles or other beautiful things with them?
I won’t bore you with the finely detailed instructions. If you have questions please ask and I’m happy to oblige in an answer. All I did was use the following materials for my mobile and these basic steps.
- Thread the crystals onto various lengths of the filament string, then double the line over (sort of like you were make a necklace).
- Thread the beads onto the doubled up line (so both ends of the line go through the bead together).
- Tie the lines to the wooden hoop.
You can sort of see what I mean in this image. The star is step 1 and the blue bead is step 2.
One last tip: To keep everything from tangling while assembling, I used a bowl and laid the wooden hoop in the bottom.
Now, you’ve created a somewhat heirloom piece that has far more meaning than what you could have bought in the store. Happy crafting!
Materials list:
- Grandma’s beads from various necklaces or earrings
- Large focal pieces for the ends (Earrings or pendants are perfect, but brooches and large beads work great too.)
- Wooden hoop (You can use an embroidery hoop, but I specifically had this style in mind and searched high and low for them. I found these Natural Unfinished Wood Rings
that worked perfectly.
- 8# clear monofilament
that worked perfectly.