Snow Day Crafts: Junk Drawer Jewelry Projects

Sometimes we are prepared for snow days and other times they catch us completely off guard. A snow day is a great day to stay inside and do craft projects. Of course, we may or may not have stocked up on craft supplies before the white blanket covered our community. This makes junk drawer jewelry projects perfect for a snow day because it is a "use what you have on hand" craft. This means it is also a green craft and an inexpensive craft.

If one of your New Year's resolutions was to get your home more organized then junk drawer jewelry crafts can help with that too. We placed two trays on the counter to help us sort through our junk drawer. On the first tray we put large piles of junk from our drawer. On the second tray we kept finds that we might use in our DIY jewelry projects. Eventually we returned many items to the junk drawer but in a more organized fashion.

So what did we find in our junk drawer to help with our jewelry making?

Tiny shells (actually picked for their jewelry potential)

Buttons (no longer sure what they went with)

Colored paper clips (more than a lifetime supply)

Tiny keys (maybe went to a diary)

A straw (who put this in here?)

Sequins (fell off of an Easter egg)

Beads (half pack left from a cell model science project)

An old dog tag (R.I.P.)

A washer ring (no idea what this came off of)

A dog pendent from a broken earring (no clue where the second one is)

A piece of yarn (another cell model science project leftover)

A leather shoe string (husband replaced boot laces)

How can you create a bracelet from junk?

At first we eyed the leather shoe string for stringing our jewelry but realized that it was too thick for many of our treasure. That doesn't mean we didn't use it though. We put all of the odd pieces onto yarn. Then we cut and tied pieces of leather to make a fringed look for our bracelet. We did this step last so that we could add the pieces of leather fringe symmetrically about every inch. Leather is a fun addition but you could also create fringe with ribbon as well.

Need more pieces for your homemade jewelry?

If you don't quite find enough pieces for your eclectic charm bracelet in the junk drawer, a quick look through the laundry room can help too. You know, that odd little pile of buttons or things found in pants pockets. The next stop should be the work shop, garage or wherever the tools are kept. Washers and other interesting types of hardware items are fun for DIY jewelry projects too.

For more winter fun from this featured Yahoo! Voices contributor:
5 Preschool Movement Games for Indoors
Make a Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Rag Wreath
Repurposing Ice Cream Cartons: Make a Valentine's Day Keepsake Box