Thrift Store Blog Hop -- Reveal!

One day while wandering here and wandering there on the web, I came upon the most delightful blog hop that sounded like a real challenge to me.   Quite the opposite approach from what I usually take, where I start with one or more art beads, nice stones, or metal work, here I was instructed to begin with a thrift store find for less that $1.50 U.S. and make something from it.   This seemed like a test of my creativity and it fit my budget just fine!   So in I jumped!

The host of the challenge is Sarah from Pookledo in the U.K.!   Following are the guidelines:

Thrift Store Blog Hop

• Go to the thrift store/charity shop and buy an item for less that £1 ($1.50 approx at at the moment)
• Take a photo of the item when you get home 
• Take an "in progress" photo
• Take a photo when you have finished making your item
• And blog about it on Saturday August 4th.
• Don't forget to include links to everyone else taking part in the blog hop so that we can all blog hop together :)

You'll find that list of participants down aways. But next, it's time to see what I found, and what I did with it...

This was my starter piece, made from who knows what type of  metal.
It looks like silver, but it's really light weight.
It was rather yellowish-looking, but polished up nicely.   

What to do with it?
The 2 decorated round pieces were okay.
I really liked the dangles, and decided they should stay.
The wirework on the dangles was nicely done too.
I decided I couldn't improve on those.   

But the jumpring chain that connected the 2 round pieces looked "cheapy" (ha!)
and had to go!   
My first vision of the piece had formed!

I replaced the little jumprings with a heavy antiqued silver chain.
I wanted something in the middle.  My first thought was turquoise, but I weighed my choices, and what I could find in my stash,
and decided on this purple stone I'd had for a while....
then looped it in with turquoise colored copper wire.  (Of course!)

And then made a bail out of a connector and wa-la!  
The pendant was done--the hard part!   
I could sit and do nothing for several weeks now...
uh...

...Okay, several weeks later....
just a few more days until the reveal?!
I think this necklace needs MORE! 
Not sure what more, but MORE!

Should I make the rest from chain?  From ribbon?
Can't decide?  How about both?

My chain for the upper necklace
seemed like it had come
from a thrift store too!
I had 2 pieces, unequal in length, and the links were soldered. 
I could cut one side and make them even, but I couldn't make into one long chain.
So I decided to hook the uneven lengths one on each side.  
In doing so, I added turquoise-colored rondelles (Howlite, I believe)
to the top of the pendant,
and hooked the chain lengths there.  
I also added violet Gilders Paste to the dangles to balance out the colors.



I felt better about the colors now, but what to do about the chain?  
I was planning to go with rougher stones, when I got the crazy notion...
to use glass crystals instead!  :-)

Beadcaps?   Too frilly, even with the crystals.  I used organically shaped silver-plated beads instead.
Turquoise, purple, turquoise, nice and even, until...
one end of chain ran out and the other just kept going.

I added 2 sterling silver plated sunflowers (State Flower of Kansas, where I live) on the long side, (making the centers purple) and another turquoise rondelle on each side.

Then created fasteners for the 2 layers of hand-dyed silk ribbons (one lilac, one multi-colored purple and turquoise. )  

I made a hook clasp, and finally, called it done.

                                                  

 

I looked at it and decided it was like someone living on the prairie long ago had found or had handed down to them, a bit of silver jewelry, perhaps Native American, and tried to make a treasured necklace from it.  Bits and pieces of beads and chains and ribbons to make something they would feel special in.   
So I've named it,
"Prairie Jewels."

My sincere thanks to Sarah for hosting this event!  

I started with a bit of nothing 

and made a little treasure out of it.  :-)

Please take a look at the other treasures created!

Participants :

Sarah - www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Deb - http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/
Kimberley - http://goddessesandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Ambra - http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/
Beti - http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
Emma - www.apolymerpenchant.com
Shelley - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Tammie -  http://ttedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com
Keri Lee - http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com 
Rochelle - acreativechelle.blogspot.com
Pam - http://pamelas-studio.blogspot.com/
Ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/
Audrey - http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/
Julie Anne - www.thepeacefulbead.com
Sharyl - http://www.sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com     <-- You are here!
Micheladas - http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
? -   http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/
Kala - http://maybejustperhaps.blogspot.co.uk/
Dyanne - http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/thrift-store-blog-hop.html

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Please visit Sharyl's Jewelry on Artfire!

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