June 10, 2011

Jewelry Upcycled by Sherri & Michelle Haab

Green is in.  One person's trash is another one’s treasure.  In “Jewelry Upcycled, “ Sherri Haab & Michelle Haab work with both of those themes.   

They start the book with a solid list of materials needed for their upcycling projects.  Jewelry hobbyists probably have many of these materials already, such clasps and round nose pliers.  Other tools, for the more advanced users, include a jewelry saw and electric drill.

Projects are divided up by the type of material used, including metal, plastic, glass, fabric and found items.  With the large color photographs of the final project and of the steps along the way, crafters have a good idea of how involved a project is before they get started.

As a sewer, I knew that I had clasps on hand, so I used my own interpretation for a pair of the snap dangle earrings using jewelry findings I already owned (see photograph).  People who are not currently creating jewelry will need to invest in some tools but can easily start with some simple projects, such as the earrings mentioned above.  

The one criticism I have is that the projects really are quite a range, from beginning to advanced. Even though the instructions were good, it would help to label 'beginner' , 'intermediate', or 'advanced' at the first page  of each project.  That would make it easier for someone to decide (at a glance) if they want to get involved in a specific project. 

Other projects I plan to try are cutting out shapes from shampoo bottles for jewelry and using electronics parts which gives jewelry a very modern appearance.   It's definitely a creative outlet for making jewelry.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher.

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