Making Jewelry From Recycled Materials Like Trash!

When most people think of jewelry, he/she may think of gold, silver, and/or diamonds--you know, the pretty expensive stuff. Those are only the high-end jewelry (if it's real, that is!) It doesn't have to be expensive to have and wear beautiful jewelry. Did you know that some jewelry designs are derived from recycled materials? That is true! The good news is that you cannot tell that this type of jewelry is repurposed. In addition, it is a way to become more eco-friendly and saving the environment and planet.

This is where this term, trashion comes into play. What is trashion? Of course, it is a combination of trash and fashion; it refers to using elements that already have some other defined purpose and turning it into art.

This bracelet is a great example of trashion:

The beads in the bracelet were made from recycled newspapers!

Trashion was originally used in reference to art-couture costume that was frequently connected to contests or fashion shows. But as the environmental issues became more mainstream and recycling was the norm, this term suddenly was very fashionable, even with jewelry.

Just think of trashion as a very innovative and creative idea and at the same time saving the environment. Creating jewelry, or anything else from recycled materials, can also be called trashion. The benefit: you can make very fashionable and stylish wearables to that of upcycling, in which it begins with fashion innovations. Like upcycling, trashion re-utilizes objects that are valued for a second chance at life (I am not suggesting that anyone participate in dumpster diving--it's pretty illegal in many jurisdictions and it's just plain gross!), however, depending on the artisan's skill level, it may be on the low-end or on the high-end.

Did you know that indigenous people from across the globe have been creating jewelry from trash for thousands of years? This is fact--ever since people have been existing on planet Earth! For example, the people of Africa created bags from juice and ice packets. Also, Haitians came up with the creation of sculptural jewelry as a result of old oil cans.

The bottom line: this word trashion has been around for the longest, but we were not aware of it. Since the beginning of time, individuals were creating wearable products from "useless" resources. I guess the saying goes, "What is one's trash is the other one's treasure!"

That's it for now!

I will "see" you later!

Some More of My Macrame Jewelry Works

In the previous post, I promised you that I will post some more of my macrame jewelry works. Here they are:

Beaded Bracelet w/Paper Beads #1
The Beaded Bracelet was made from the
creation of beads that were recycled from
a pile of newspapers. Unlike the rest of
my jewelry I created, I did not use twine, but
instead threaded them with jewelry thread.
This beaded bracelet demonstrates a simple,
yet sleek design.

Beaded Bracelet w/Paper Beads #2
Like the 1st beaded bracelet, the beads was the
creation from recycled newspaper. The paper
beads were incorporated into the square knot
design--the shamballa-type design.

Bracelet w/Pink BeadsThis bracelet includes two pink pony beads,
which accents the tan jute twine and yellow yarn
that is used in creating the bracelet. Two sets of
square knots was used as part of the design. At
the end of the design, one set of square knots
was applied along with the fringed method.

Roller Coaster Bracelet
When you take a look at this particular bracelet,
it will make you think of a roller coaster ride. This
bracelet uses a combination of knotting techniques:
square knots and double half hitch knots. As you
can see, the design alternates between the double half
hitch knots and the square knots. This bracelet uses two
different types of macrame cords: yarn and jute twine.
The combination of these two cords create contrast
throughout the bracelet.

Square Knot Bracelet
This bracelet consists of  the usage of green and tan jute
twine along with yellow yarn. Square knot technique was
used, alternating from two sets into one set of square knots,
which forms a diamond-like design throughout this
particular bracelet.

There will be other topics posted on this blog in the near future. Stay tuned....

Bettina

Just Started on Another Piece of Jewelry

As I stated earlier, I will begin posting my macrame jewelry works on this blog, but in the meantime, I have just wrapped up on creating a necklace that took me for approximately 3.5 hours to complete; this included creating the pendant for it, which is made from a can tab. It took a little while to complete, but it was well worth it.

Tomorrow, I will begin creating my other necklace piece in which the pendant will also be made from a soda can tab. Maybe it will not take as long to complete as the one I completed today. In addition, I am also putting together a basic macrame class where I will be teaching it online and I also want to teach it offline as well.

Until then, I will be posting new things in the very, very near future--as soon as I upload my pictures!

Bettina

Welcome to Tina's Unique Macrame Blog

My name is Bettina R. Smith and I'm a jewelry designer, graphic designer, a writer and a student of life, among other things. In addition to those accomplishments, I am also starting my own business called Tina's Unique Macrame, which specializes in creating handmade jewelry that is created by me. The material that I use to make these jewelry pieces is eco-friendly and biodegradable.

Each jewelry piece has a story of its own!

The good news is that some of the proceeds will go to different charities and non-profit organizations, a way of giving back to the community.

In the near future, I will begin to post my macrame jewelry works on this blog.

Sincerely,

Bettina