Google+ House Revivals: Make Beautiful Jewelry From the Hardware Store!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Make Beautiful Jewelry From the Hardware Store!

You can create beautiful things using humble supplies. Craft stores are amazing, but we don't always have the time or extra cash to shop there, and sometimes we don't live anywhere near a craft supply store. Other times, we just want to create something beautiful from stuff we have lying around.


I recently found myself with a few moments on my hands, and cleaned out my purse. In the very bottom of my bag were some glass sample tiles from a big box hardware store.



That tile project is long since over, but it seemed a shame to throw away such pretty glass tiles!


I thought the iridescent tiles would make pretty pendants. I didn't have any jewelry or craft wire on hand, but I did have some copper wire from the hardware store. Using the same method I shared with you in this post, I wrapped the tiles with the copper wire.


Each tile took about twelve inches of wire. After they were wrapped, I snugged up some of the wire by grabbing it with the tips of my long nosed pliers and twisting slightly, to create a jog in the wire. this keeps the pendant very secure.


One of the tiles had some old adhesive on the back. I suppose I could have tried scraping or scrubbing or soaking the tile, but I took the lazy way out and adhered a piece of ribbon to the back. You can use paper, if you prefer. I used ribbon because it was closer.


Now, wrap the wire around the tile until you are satisfied with how it looks. End your wraps with both wires at the top of the pendant, but with one wire on the front and one wire on the back. twist the tails together and then wrap the tails around your round nosed pliers, or around a pencil or dowel to create a bail, then wrap the leftover wire around the neck of the bail. Don't worry about making your wraps look perfect -- the messy look is very popular right now.


Clip the wire if necessary, and tuck the ends in, so they won't scratch or snag clothing.


This is such a simple way to use bits of tile left over from other projects. These pendants are so pretty -- no one will believe the materials came from a hardware store!


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