Treasures and Trinkets Tuesday. . .Jewelry Hearts

 
 
Hello my friends,
with Christmas over many of us are starting to think Valentines.
 
  Although I am not ready to start pulling out the Valentines décor, I am ready to do a bit of creating.
 
It's been quite a while since I did
 a 'Treasures and Trinkets Tuesday' post.
 
I thought this project fit the bill.
 
 


 
You might remember that last year I was helping with the estate of my friends late Aunt.
 
We held 8 estate sales total and still haven't emptied the house.  We will probably pick it back up this spring.
 
While sorting through all of her treasures we saved some of the jewelry and tossed it into a large tin.
 
This photo was actually taken after we had created three hearts.  We were so busy having fun that I forgot to take photos.  :)
 
 
Julie and Dolly rode up last Thursday and spent the night.  We thought we would create hearts with all of that treasured jewelry
 
I actually took photos earlier today, when the lighting was good.  I realized that my SD card was not in all the way and none of them took.  So here's my second go around.  They are not as good, and I didn't do as many.
 
We used frames that we already had.  I chose a smaller one because I have a lot of large framed things I use for Valentines.
 
We removed the back and sprayed it with Elmer's spray glue.  Then we laid it on a piece of drop cloth I had left over from a project.  We did not cut the piece to fit perfectly, because I wanted to lie them onto my cutting mat and make a nice clean cut with
 my rotary cutter.
 
 
Fold a piece of paper in half and draw half of a heart.  Cut out with scissors.
 
 
Center it on your backing.  We measured to make sure we had it exact.  Then trace around it lightly with pencil.


 
Now the fun begins!
 
We started laying out jewelry pieces.  Julie and Dolly laid out their entire heart before gluing any of it down.  Me, not being the patient one; laid out 5-6 pieces and then cut the backs off and glued them down.  We just used hot glue. 
 
Either way works.  They did say that when they went to glue they did not get it to fit exactly as they had it laid out.
 
Be creative and have fun playing with those gorgeous jewels!
 
I wanted quite a bit of aqua in mine.  Notice we added small pearls to fill in some of the gaps.
 
 
So many pretties!  We used wire cutters to cut off the backs so that they would lay flat.  Some of them were easy, while others were a bit difficult.

 
I didn't mind the void space behind this pretty flower pin.  In fact, I laid a few pearls inside and decided that it took away from it.

 
I cut one end off a watch and used the other to frame the top of the heart on one side.

 
I really did center my heart on my background.  But I used a piece on the bottom that hung down quite a ways.  It didn't bother me, in fact I loved the look!  Notice the space on the side of the aqua pin?  You only see it from the side, but I've decided that I will tuck more pearls in there.

 
Now, here's another look at the finished project. . .
 
 
This is my sister Julie's.  Love how she framed the top of her heart with bling!

 
and my friend, Dolly's.  So many fun pieces of jewelry!  The chippy frame is one that I had made with a crackle product years ago.  Both Julie and I painted our frames with white chalk paint and sanded them.

 
They turned out so pretty that I think I will hang mine in my sewing room after Valentines.
 
What do you think?  Is this something you would try making?
 
 
hugs,
I will be sharing with these fun parties:
 

29 comments

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Jann this is so pretty. I have some old jewelry from my Mom that I would love to try this with. Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jann wow i love the whle 3 of these hearts they look fantastic,well done you are all very clever xx

Stacey said...

Jann, first I have to say how beautiful your blog is!! Love the makeover.

Now, I would love to make this! Did you just collect the jewelry as you went along? I have a few pieces that belonged to my Granny. I wouldn't mind using them along with others. I love seeing that petite little watch in yours. :)

Connie said...

Jann, that is absolutely beautiful. I would love to make one to hang in the bedroom and wouldn't it make a perfect wedding gift with the couples Mr & Mrs name and the date of their wedding embroidered on it. I've seen this done before in the shape of a Christmas tree, but this is much nicer. It can be on the wall all year:)
I love it!
Connie :)

Sarah said...

Jann, it's aways fun to see what creative project you are up to. The hearts are beautiful. Must have been a lot of jewelry to make so many hearts. Did you use the same stash for your Christmas tree project?
Thanks for sharing. Have fun!

At Rivercrest Cottage said...

Oh Jann, very pretty idea! That must have been fun working with all that jewelry.

Debra@CommonGround said...

so gorgeous!!!! I LOVE using old jewelry, you all did a fabulous job, they're amazing. I'm pinning them all to my jewelry board on Pinterest!

mimi_62 said...

Simply LOVE it, Jann! Love your frame too! Of course, I love all the fun things you put together. Julie's is also beautiful!

Happy@Home said...

What a great idea and the finished products are so pretty. I love the little pearl hanging at the bottom of your heart. I have a collection of Christmas pins that I've been thinking I should do something with. Currently they sit in my drawer year after year. I'll be giving some thought to whether I could do something similar with a Christmas theme.

Creations By Cindy said...

How precious Jann. I have seen this done with different shapes like Christmas tree and have thought, "how sweet". I have some old jewelry that I have been holding onto and I really need to do this. I have some of my own from the 80's. DANG, that's really vintage so I might need to sell that. LOL! Love this idea. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Jeanie said...

this is stunning. I've seen Christmas trees done like this, not a heart. I do have bunches of old jewelry. (That's what happens when you do mixed media.) I might just have to try one of these!

NanaDiana said...

That is just a GREAT project. I have a whole container full of old jewelry and also one full of fancy buttons. I may have to try this project myself. LOVE it! xo Diana

camp and cottage living said...

I think your hearts are all beautiful!! How you all got them to turn out so perfectly I'll never know....
Love you new banner heading too, Jann. I hope you're doing well!

sandi s said...

They are all gorgeous, I love them. I’m so glad you shared this idea with us. Thank you. Hugs,

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Jann, this is beautiful. Love the concept and the creative process. Last year, my mom and I went to a craft show and some lady was creating these for customers. The concept was to create something out of the deceased loved one’s jewelry as a memento.
She set this up as a business. She even created some for men with watches, cuff links, etc. Thanks for sharing your clever project. I hope you are enjoying your new blog design. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Xo

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

BE STILL MY HEART!!!! MAN -- that is just about the best haul I've ever seen!!! LOVE the hearts you all created - those are stunning!

Debby Ray said...

I saw this when you posted it on facebook and fell in love with them! I have a small collection of these vintage jewelry pieces that keep adding to. I saw a project a few years ago like this except it was in the shape of a Christmas tree. I think will change my plans to make the heart!

Gingham Gardens said...

What a fun craft project and they turned out so pretty.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

These are stunning! Yes, I would try this. I actually have a nice collection of vintage jewelry. I will have to see what I come up with. I would leave these out year round. Each one is different and so gorgeous.

Rose L said...

Such a great idea! Great use of jewelry that may never get worn.

Kim said...

Oh I love this! I see cheap jewelry at sales all the time, but I never buy. I may now... Thanks!

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

Oh girl! You know how to have fun like no one I know!
Love the heart!
Blessings,
Enjoy!
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

My thrift store addiction said...

It's beautiful, Jann! Thank you for sharing at Vintage Charm--pinned!

Katie Mansfield said...

This is adorable. I have a ton of vintage pins. I may be making one of these. Thanks for linking up to Keep In Touch.

Naomi said...


Those are all so, so pretty, Jann! I would definitely do one if I had the jewelry pieces to do it. You really hit the jackpot with all the pieces from the estate. I do pick up pieces of vintage and costume jewelry from time to time at thrift stores and garage sales but don't have enough really good pieces to do a heart. I have seen a heart done with white buttons of different styles and sizes and I've been thinking I might have enough buttons to do one of those.

I enjoyed seeing your hearts--great eye candy!

Linda Nelson said...

Oh gosh, these are all so pretty. Love, love, love them!

Sheltie Times said...

Beautiful project. What a great way to reuse the costume jewelry.

Kathy said...

Your hearts are all lovely. I think these hearts were the nicest examples of "art" that I have seen. Maybe it's the time you took to organize them and the pearls to fill in. I think vintage buttons would work in well, too. As a romantic, I'd leave it up year round, especially if it were a relative's jewelry!

Jill said...

LOVE these! ♥♥♥

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