Altered Art Charm Bracelets And Jewelry - How To Use Recycled Parts To Make A Fun Fashion Accessory

Altered Art Charm Bracelets And Jewelry - How To Use Recycled Parts To Make A Fun Fashion Accessory A popular trend in jewelry making is to re-purpose small vintage objects into one-of-a-kind charms to accent any accessory. These creations have been given the name "Altered Art" to describe the genre. It just takes a little imagination to fashion unique jewelry charms tailored to the wearers interests out of personal items or miniatures. And it's fun to make versatile low cost jewelry that can be attached to bracelets, handbags, or any wearable item. Also creating wearable jewelry out of old relics is considered a "green" activity as it reduces the amount of junk headed for landfills and gives new life to discarded items.

There are as many ways to make altered art charms as there are people who make them. There is no right or wrong in creativity. It's a process of taking items that are thought to be worthless or worn out and giving them new life as a token on a charm bracelet. It takes no special skill or talent, although you don't have to look long to find exceptional artists making altered art charms with advanced techniques.

Perhaps the easiest method is just to take apart old jewelry and reassemble by attaching the pieces to a charm bracelet. Broken earrings or necklace beads will already have a loop that a jump ring can fit through. Add some other items with a hole that a wire can be wrapped through like old watch hands, buttons, Monopoly game pieces, skeleton keys, or any other small object that can easily be retrofitted onto a bracelet.

For adventurous jewelry lovers that have a bit of skill and equipment, there are lots of books that have detailed instructions and photos on how to expand beyond the basics of altered art jewelry. There is an amazing array of innovative techniques. In my local craft store there are books on how to design charm bracelets from polymer clay, dice and game pieces, and tiny photo frames fitted with miniature print collage paper, to name a few.

More sources of inspiration are old miniature playing cards, old typewriter keys, lacquered puzzle pieces, scrabble tiles, old coins, and old ephemera glued and sealed onto small domino pieces.

These are usually jazzed up with trendy beads and other crafty adornments. There are great bracelets made with all kinds of unique media.

Once you've made a bracelet or two you will begin looking at small objects with a new perspective.

Boxes of worn out junk at a flea market now look like treasure chests of funky jewelry waiting to come to life. It's a wonderfully inexpensive way to get creative juices flowing and make a personalized fashion accessory for yourself or someone special. There are lots of fun ways to use recycled, upcycled, and re-purposed materials to make fun and personalized jewelry. Whether custom created by the wearer or purchased ready made by someone else, the possibilities are endless.

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