Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Watch the Birdie! Ruffle pendant tutorial.



Hi, everybody! Last month, spending a family weekend in the Eastern Washington desert, I had the following conversation with my brother.

Eric: Hey, Mich! On the way back from the grocery store I noticed a Dollar Store in town. I think it might be having a going-out-of-business sale.
Mich: (cool as a cucumber) Oh, I see. How interesting. (faints from excitement.)

Eventually, after being revived, I rushed out to that sale and had my way with it.  It was the final day, and nearly everything was priced 5-for-a-dollar. I'm dying to show you some of what I bought - and some of the wack-a-doo things I made. First ingredient:

Badminton birdies! I created several different kinds of jewelry from these. Starting with a fun pendant idea. Here comes the tutorial - follow along, now!

Snip the center section away from the rest. Then remove a little piece to open up the circle, leaving you with a strip of plastic lace. This pic shows the steps:


Next, make a wrapped loop at one end of some craft wire. Then weave the wire through the top edge of the lacy strip. Like this:


Now squoosh it up tight so you have a ruffle. Make another wrapped loop to hold the ruffle in place. You will end up with...


...a fabulous, funkycool, plastic ruffled pendant! I like it just as is. Hang it on a neckwire, chain, ribbon or cord. Tres hip!



But this piece is also a wonderful blank slate to embellish. Change it up, be creative! It is so much fun to style! I like the strange sort of winged effect it gives to just about anything.

You could go girly, with a silver pendant...

Romantic, with an angel...

Even practical, with a pretty timepiece!

Okay, those were cute. But come on, people! We're talking badminton birdie jewelry. I prefer it styled with a little edge.

How's about some petroglyphs?

Or way too many rhinestones?

Something for the Mahjongg ladies.

This one is the bobble end of a vintage elastic hair tie:


Hindu goddess, anyone?


These are some shrinky-dinks I made from #6 plastic:


And this one...well, let's just call it 'other.'


There you have it: Badminton Birdie Project the first. More later! Stay tuned.

14 comments:

  1. Wow now I want to go buy some and make that. You know me I wow girlie it up. That gave me an idea. Now I have to buy them. I just love your creativity with non jewerly items.

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  2. I saw those stores going out of business when I visited WA too...

    This is a cool project! You are so good at transforming things. Nobody would ever know the ruffle was from a birdie!

    Heh. you said wack-a-doo!

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  3. I love other something about it makes me smile!!

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  4. No way, that's too cool! Love the lace look... and the version with 'too many rhinestones' (is that possible?!?)

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  5. Too cool!!
    Who da thunk it?
    You!
    That's who!!

    Carolyn

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  6. Well i say! you are one creative birdie... :) or is it shuttlecock? i think birdie sounds more demure!

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  7. Oh how fun! I would have loved to have caught one of those sales! Thanks for the comment. Your blog is so much fun & it means even more that you liked my necklace, because you are great with jewelry!! ;) Thanks!

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  8. WOW! Now I´m surprised! It loks like lace! I love this idea...thanks for leaving your sweet comment on my blog. Saludos desde México! Clau

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  9. Wow, trying really hard not to resent you after reading that you went to a *dollar store going-out-of-business sale*...

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  10. Congrats on the CRAFT feature!!! http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/how-to_badminton_birdie_ruffle.html

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  11. Great idea! Love the variety. But aren't they kinda scratchy to wear?

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  12. Heather - thanks for letting me know. And (I suspect) for tipping them off. You are theee best! Amigurumigirl - actually, they're really soft & pliable, and not scritch-scratchy at all.

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  13. Is it my imagination or is "other" a head made using the "Ello Creation System"? My daughter has quite the growing collection of those but I hadn't really looked at them as potential materials for me. Maybe when she outgrows them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ello_Creation_System

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