One of my crafting principles is to reuse materials. This is a personal environmental objective, and has the happy added benefit of much lower cost in producing my products for Pretty Cheap Jewelry.

Last post I showed how to design and craft

Nifty Gifty Gloves inexpensively. Look at the middle picture in the post at the piece of red stretch sequin. That trim is a re-used part of a costume from last year (they were suspenders! for a mickey mouse costume). I couldn't bear to toss it, and voila! See the last picture how nicely it serves as the glove trim.

Not long ago I bought some 3-part house wiring to craft doll clothes hangers. This stuff is inexpensive at the hardware store. Did you know house wire has three color coded strands inside a bigger plastic housing? (guys raise your hand).

I wanted only the white and black plastic coated strands and a few feet were plenty to make a dozen hangers (6 white, 6 black).

There on the craft room floor was the lonely yellow (I think yellow) coated strand. Well I stripped off the plastic and inside was a superb length of HEAVY PURE copper wire. Ahhhh.

This wire was NOT to be wasted. Here's what I did with it:

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC COLLECTION



Hand formed shaped instruments and musical symbols coming from Pretty Cheap Jewelry this summer. Hammered copper is accented with perfectly placed beads to represent popular items.

Shown: Acoustic Guitar (tuned with red cut glass accents, small halfnotes charm attached, on 18" bronze satin cord); Large Half Notes (accented with tiny glass beads, on 18" black satin cord).

The most beautiful thing to me? Reclaiming the wire and staying true to my motto "Creating things of value at inexpensive prices."

Watch for more BEAUTIFUL MUSIC work in coming weeks (I still have some wire left!). G clef, and ? Suggestions?

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