upcycled jewelry | Indoor Air Quality Lab

5 Upcycled DIY Jewelry Projects share

Does your stash of accessories need a little kick? Try out some of these DIY upcycled jewelry projects!

Doesn't the right necklace or pair of earrings just make any outfit feel extra special? The trouble with store-bought jewelry is that it's often produced in a sweatshop and shipped all over the world. That means a big dose of cruelty and a side of greenhouse gas emissions. No, thank you!

The good news is that it's simple and fun to make your own DIY jewelry from all kinds of materials, from magazine pages to beans. Yes, beans! Here are a few DIY jewelry ideas to get you started.

1. DIY Statement Necklace

The beautiful, bold statement necklace pictured above is made using beans instead of beads! Pretty awesome, right?

2. Gift Card Necklace

Who needs shells when you have used gift cards? You can turn that single-use plastic into a super adorable necklace!

3. Nail Polish Key Necklace

Do you have a key with no lock to open? Instead of tossing it out, grab a bottle of nail polish and transform it into a hip necklace.

4. Magazine Page Bling

Grab an old magazine or some junk mail and use it to make a 1980s-inspired jewelry set.

5. Wine Cork Earrings

Is there any end to useful ways to repurpose wine corks? Slice them up, paint them, and create super sweet stud earrings.

Have you guys made any fun, upcycled jewelry lately? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: DIY, DIY jewelry, how to make jewelry, reuse, upcycled jewelry, upcycling

Jun

Spotted: DIY Bling from Old Magazines! share

Can you believe that this beautiful costume jewelry is made from upcycled magazine pages?

Crafty superstar Mark Montano shared a super awesome video tutorial on how to make your very own 80s-inspired upcycled jewelry from old magazine or catalog pages. You need a few simple jewelry supplies to make your own, so check the materials list below before you get started!

This tutorial makes a whole set of DIY jewelery. To make the complete set, you'll need:

an old magazine or catalog and scissors to cut it up
needle nose pliers
spray paint - spray paint can be nasty stuff, but you can choose Krylon H2o, which is a little bit better. I couldn't find the H2O in gold, but I think that white would look really nice, and still keep that 80s feel.
flat-backed beads - Dont' want to buy new? Salvage these from thrift store jewelry!
E-6000 - this glue is far from green, but it is durable, which means your finished product will last.
earring backings, ring findings, and a blank metal cuff - you can salvage these from thrifted jewelry, too!
white glue