Friday, January 30, 2009

Make your own brooch challenge

Kasmira from the super wonderful blog, What I Wore Today is issuing a recession inspired challenge each month. This January it was to make your own brooch. I often wear pins (as I grew up calling them) so I decided to take up the challenge. It's the end of the month, so I'm getting this in just under the wire, lol!

I actually came up with a few different brooches. Every single one is uber easy & cheap, totally in keeping with the ideal behind the challenge. The first type is totally homemade -- I call it the "button brooch".

The basic materials for creating a simple button brooch are:

buttons, 4 or 5 sew-threw and 1 shaft type
a thin, flat wooden disc (available at craft stores)
a pin back (also available from craft stores)

also needed but not shown:

paint or permanent marker to color the disc background
regular glue to fasten the buttons to the disc

optional stuff: rhinestones, beads or other baubles

Once you see the finished product it becomes pretty obvious how simply this was created. I think the fun in this is how imaginative you could get for relatively little money -- there are soooo many really cool buttons & beads out there that the possibilities are endless.



So, here is a picture of all the button brooches I made, each one is very different (you can tell the one on the left is made of the materials shown)

I also had a single button that was interesting looking...I turned it into a small pin that will be perfect for closing open front cardigans so that they look like they actually have a button.

The next brooch I created by taking a piece of broken jewelry and simply gluing a pin back to it. Some of my readers may remember my Etsy destash loot -- well, I used a piece of a broken bracelet to create this next brooch in less time then it takes to pin it to a sweater, lol:

Here's the broken bracelet piece:

The pin back glued on...

...and the final brooch!



Finally I have 2 pins I made from pendants. This was just as simple as could be -- glue a pin back onto a pendant and you have the option of wearing it as a necklace or a brooch.








Of course there are endless ideas one could come up with ranging from delicate artistry to basic arts & crafts 101 and everywhere in between. The ones I've made here certainly fall in the latter category, lol, but that's what I like about them -- they were quick, easy & inexpensive yet creative and fun, too. Plus I really do like how they look!

Thanks for the VERY inspiring challenge Kasmira!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

SO impressed! And what a fantastic "new" collection of brooches you've amassed through your crafty endeavor.

Kasmira said...

Wow! You just ooze creativity! I particularly like the way you've turned a piece of broken jewelry into something new.

Jane said...

I am so excited as the backs for brooches I ordered from ebay arrived today. I intend to have a go over the weekend.
Love your brooches.

*Diane* said...

Wow! I Love, Love, Love your creations!! You're so creative :-)

WendyB said...

Great work! And I also called them "pins" growing up...

Cathryn said...

Great brooches! I also made a couple brooches out of buttons, but I hadn't thought of adding a different button to the middle. I'll have to try that!

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

Wow! I thought about that brooch (pin) challenge. For about a minute. I crocheted a "flower" and decided it looked too crafty. Those button pins would be great for little gifts. My sister once made me a pin with my initials made from Scrabble tiles. Cute, but sort of unwearable.

Sheila said...

Wow, I am so impressed and inspired that I'm going to go out tomorrow and buy a bunch of pin backs and make some brooches! Well...that's the intention, we'll see if it actually happens, haha!

Great work! I particulary love how you've reworked the broken jewelry - such a great idea!

LindaLou said...

Well, I wanted to be in the challenge and I did get the pin backs, like Sheila is going to do, and I thought buttons would be the perfect way to go, but somehow I couldn't come up w/cute ideas. I love yours - thanks for the inspiration. It will be fun to see all the results. OH! & I have a broken bracelet, too. Guess I'd better get my craft stash out. Love your blog.

Jean said...

Aren't you clever - and much more creative than I could ever be.

Btw, there's an award for you on my blog x

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

I know Supermum got here first, but I've given you the award as well.

Trace said...

Wow I'm super impressed! These are all gorgeous! I need to check out the recession challenges!!

Jane said...

By the way - I've awarded you a special blog for attitude - drop by and collect!

Erica said...

I love the button brooches, especially the cream one! Usually I just throw my broken jewelry away, but I will rethink that next time it happens.

Auset's Stitched Treasures said...

Very nice. You've given me a few ideas. I've got some bits and bobs laying about. Perhaps, I'll finally do something with them.
Angela

Sheila said...

Okay, so I didn't get the brooch stuff I was going to. It was just too overwhelming at the bead store.

I did end up getting some elastic for a bracelet that's been broken for over 7 years, though! That's something! :-P

www.cmbooks.vpweb.com said...

I never throw out trinkets (buttons, earrings with no mate, bottle caps, corks). I love crafting but I haven't perfected it. Thank you for the wonderful ideas, Your pins look good enough to sell and you probably are doing that. I too am a writer/stay-at-home mom/everythingelse. Love your blog. I'm going to have a peek at your novel. Good luck with the writing. It is not easy to stick to a schedule. I wish I could do 1,000 words a week. :-)

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