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Harlequin glass bracelet

recycled glass bracelet

Today I needed a bit of comfort, and a bit of cheering up. It was a lot to ask of a bracelet! I didn’t really know what I was going to make, but I’d had this idea lingering in my head for a while, so today seemed like the perfect day to pull it together. Beautiful Harlequin Glass beads made into a beautiful plaited bracelet.

I actually used to make this style of bracelet ALL the time, way before I started making my own beads. I made a few using my own handmade glass beads, but that was many years ago, and now that I have made this one I am wondering why I stopped making them. I really like how this one turned out.

recycled glass bracelet

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A visit to Bethany Wines

recycled glass necklace

It was lovely to visit Bethany Wines this morning! I love the drive from Murray Bridge to the Barossa Valley, and autumn is a great time to visit as the countryside is rich with colour!

Before I left this morning I finished off a couple of necklaces for Bethany Wines. I love using their wine bottles to make beads and jewellery for their customers!

recycled glass necklace

recycled glass necklace

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Hendricks Gin bottle earrings with gold leaf

recycled glass earrings

I was asked to tweak the design of a recent pair of earrings that I had made. In case you were wondering, this is the pair of earrings.

I was happy to take the challenge.  I used Hendricks Gin as the base of the beads, and decorated them with gold leaf. And I feel like they have turned out to be quite an elegant pair of earrings.

recycled glass earrings

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April Colour Play #1 – Red

long red bead necklace

As you may know I have been making all sorts of new necklaces as part of my recycled glass jewellery challenge. At one stage I got my seed beads out and made a few necklaces. Check them out here, here and especially here!

They all received lots of positive feedback, so I thought I would go ahead and make some more as part of April Colour Play. This time I have used Italian glass to make the feature beads in the necklaces and earrings.

This week I’m showing the red version of the necklace, and the square hoop earrings that I made to wear with it.

long red bead necklace

red glass bead earrings

long red bead necklace

long red glass bead necklace

red glass bead earrings

long red glass bead necklace

long red glass bead necklace

red glass bead earrings

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Colourful Flower Earrings

recycled glass flower earrings

I was asked to make some colourful flower earrings out of wine bottles for Bethany Wines, and when I put them together this morning I wondered why I had never made them like this before!

I love using old wine bottles to make beads, and it’s nice to be able to add so much colour to them just by using bits of smashed up glass.

recycled glass flower earrings

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Bombay Sapphire Gin earrings

recycled glass earrings

I have had some time this week to enamel some copper tubes, and I have been really enjoying the process. I love being able to get even MORE colour into the jewellery that I make!

These earrings are quite long, quite dangly, and very eye-catching. I was already a fan of the Bombay Sapphire gin bottle glass, but adding the enamelled copper makes it really pop.

recycled glass earrings

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One for the beer lovers!

recycled glass necklace

I was so pleased with how the pendant that I made using gin bottle beads turned out yesterday, that I decided I had to try making one with beer bottle beads!  In the photo you can see all the different types of beads that I used. Some had gold leaf, some had gold pixie dust, some had frit. It’s a really diverse mix of beads! I love the little copper tube that has been enamelled, tying it all together along with the little Swarovski crystals.

I wore the necklace from yesterday for a while, just to see how it went, and I have to say I really enjoyed wearing it. I found myself reaching for it every now and then, and because it had so many things going on, it was quite a tactile experience! A bit calming as I was rushing around trying to get everything done.

recycled glass necklace

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One for the gin lovers

recycled glass pendant necklace

I have been thinking about making pendants for SUCH a long time. I have tried a few different ways to make them. See here. And here. And here.

And while I like all of those, I was really wanting to try something a bit different. So, when I got a bunch of toggles clasps delivered last week, I wondered if I could use part of them to dangle things from.

And….this is what I have made! Beads were made from Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire Gin bottles. I have also added one of my enamelled copper tubes, and a little Swarovski crystal dangle too.

recycled glass pendant necklace