This post may not focus on quilting, but there are “pins” involved :-)!
When my mother-in-law passed away this past January, I inherited a jewelry box filled with costume pieces not claimed by any other relatives. There were many clip earrings and a lot of things I would never wear, but I couldn’t part with because they were mom’s, and some pieces were from her mother and grandmother!
A friend said she was collecting costume jewelry at rummage sales in the hopes of making a wreath. I found that idea very appealing and did a quick Pinterest search for jewelry wreaths. A few pictures came up and the one that grabbled me was done in mainly white, gold and silver. So, I called my mom and asked if she had any old jewelry she would be willing to part with. She had pieces of her own, plus jewelry from both of my grandmothers, my great-grandmothers and a great aunt!
Next I went through my own jewelry box and unearthed charm bracelets from years ago. I hadn’t worn them for years, so into the wreath pile they went. I then raided Mike’s jewelry box and found the ID bracelet I gave him when we were dating, and both our class rings. He also had many tie tacks, award pins collected over his flight career, and a few treasures that had belonged to his father.
I was excited. At JoAnn’s I found a straw wreath, thin florist’s pins, and a couple of spools of wide satin ribbon. I wired a hanging loop to the back, wrapped the wreath in ribbon (and a bit of leftover lace) and let the fun begin! Are you ready to see it :-)???
The locket hanging at top, center belonged to Mike’s great-grandmother. It is rather chunky and ornate, and we were assured by a jeweler that it’s value was only sentimental. Still, it makes a lovely focal point. Here are a few close ups of the rest of the wreath:
The zebra pin in the next photo was my maternal grandmother’s. I remember being allowed to wear it on special occasions when I was a child.
Mike’s father had been a naval aviator and the tie bar below was his.
Some of my memory charms dangle over Mike’s volunteer firefighter badge on the right side of the wreath.
A variety of pearl necklaces and chains are wrapped liberally around the wreath.
This project was a joy and resulted in an heirloom my family will hopefully treasure for generations.
Sue Fox says
Such a great idea – maybe I can do something like this with John’s Mom’s jewelry.
Carmen Sommers says
Great idea, I have a ton of old jewelry from everyone. Will have to look into this one.
Pat Gilane says
What a great idea, Chris. It makes a great treasure for someone. Your wreath is beautiful.
Mary Beth Weeks says
What great timing; I just this past week gathered a similar collection to show to my daughter and daughter-in-law at Christmas but with little hope that they will want any of it. Will suggest this alternative and see what they say.
Emily Cunningham says
What an absolutely beautiful wreath full of memories. Great Job.
Miriam says
Beautiful!
Sandlin Poth says
Absolutely love this idea! We were burglarized shortly after we moved to Ireland and all of the “nice” jewelry was taken along with a fair bit of costume jewelry. I have a lot of single earrings for some reason and all the broken necklaces were left behind, so I think I will make a jewelry wreath from all of these! Thank you for sharing your ideas, Chris!
Liz says
Very cool idea. Thanks for sharing!
Lyn Robinson says
I might put some of the leftover jewelry from my family in a glass covered curio box. There are some other memories I have done that with and are very enjoyable to see as I’m passing by. Thanks!
Pat says
What a wonderful idea. I have a box of old jewelry I was going to give to Goodwill – not now!!! Thank you for sharing. What a treasure.