BTW: What is Old is New Again ~ Artbeads Blog Partner Project

 It began with some of these:

Roman Numeral Clock Steampunk Button

Swarovski Stairway Bead

Antique Brass Splendor Link

Retro Copper Coin Bead

About halfway through:

And this is the first completed piece of the group:

"Time Well Spent"

The project challenge as presented to us by Artbeads.com was to recycle or reinvent an outdated, broken, or unused piece of jewelry.  I chose five of the Steampunk buttons (two small for use as earrings in an upcoming project, two as focals, and one that has a more open design as a link).  I also chose the Vintage Splendor Link shown on the bottom of my piece (part of it is stitched into the design, leaving only about half of it showing).  Not incorporated in this piece are the Retro Copper Coin Bead and the Swarovski Stairway Beads, and a Brass Butterfly piece (the butterfly and the copper coin will be joined in one piece and the Stairway beads will be part of the earring design).  I added some tiny keys from the scrapbook company, 7 Gypsies and the item I recycled was a rhinestone crystal cup chain necklace that I cut apart and you see it wrapped around my button bezel.  I used size 8 grape metallic luster seed beads stitched upright anchored with a size 11 coppery matte finish seed bead that also is in the edge finishing stitch.  It matched the size 6 seed beads that I used around the outside of the metallic luster seed beads.  The dangles by the filigree are Chinese crystal in a coppery metallic finish that pulls together the copper and purple in my piece.  I added the Lucite flower/leaf/clock hand to the top of the pendant by the stitched bail and the chain is a LARGE antique brass ball chain. I didn't use the standard ball chain connector for the clasp, but wired on a antique brass lobster claw and ring.  I really love the finished piece and I have glued up the next one to get it finished hopefully by next week's Bead Table Wednesday post!   

I faced a bit of difficulty in attaching the dangles to the front of the filigree piece and finish the back edge behind the dangles.  I ended up doing them as separate additions.  Another issue I had was attaching my flower to the top and having it stitched in enough to support the weight.  I actually wire wrapped it like an earring to start and then stitched that to the pendant.  I also struggled with those seed beads stitched upright.  I evidently found the tube with uneven cut ones, because they gave me a headache trying to get them standing in a decent looking circle.  When I started out, I snipped a tiny hole in my beading foundation (Lacey's Stiff Stuff) and then glued the button down with the shank going through the hole.  I wasn't sure if I would use it as a connector in finishing the piece, but as I worked, the components weren't heading for a cohesive piece so I cut the shank off and added a piece of thin cardboard for stability and then glued on the ultrasuede.  

All of my techniques I learned a year ago at a Sherry Serafini class, and I was actually thankful her new book came out while I was working on this project.  It gave me a refresher course on bits I hadn't done for awhile.  Thanks to Artbeads.com for allowing me to work with their beading products and to participate in this fun challenge!  Stay tuned, I will get the rest of these fun components put together!

(Disclosure...As a reviewer of products at Artbeads.com, I received the products shown free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.)