What’s going to happen to the big craft stores once all of us run over to the home improvement stores for our craft supplies? Well, there are probably enough projects that the craft stores will still remain but, if you haven’t looked around at a home improvement store lately, you’re leaving out lots of cool craft supplies you could use. They have a huge variety of tiny wrought iron pieces, drawer knobs that can be used in other ways, metal strips, and much, much more. When you get to the home improvement store, go directly to the aisle where they sell small hardware. When you purchase ordinary, metal washers, you can create simple jewelry pieces that look fabulous.
Metal washers are flat, and shaped like donuts. They come in assorted sizes and, sometimes, various colors. The most common metal washer, though, is silver in color. Costing only a few cents each, the plain metal washers can be used to create a multitude of jewelry designs.
One thing you can quickly create is earrings. Stack one large, and one small washer, and align their holes. Take a tiny piece of chain, thread it through the washers, then bring the ends of the chain together. Using needle-nose pliers, open a single, separate link. Slide the end link at one end of the chain onto this single link, then slide the link at the opposite end of the chain onto it as well. Close the single link almost all the way.
Slide the open link of the washer arrangement onto the hole of a wire earring. Clamp the link closed. The dangling washer earrings are rustic, unusual, and lovely. If you want, make the washers more impressive by gluing on tiny mirrors, beads, or other notions.
A washer necklace is even easier to make. Stack two or three sizes, align the holes, and slide them onto a chain. To make them more intriguing you can paint the washers rather than glue on embellishments. Paint with bright colors, metallic shades, or another choice. You can even give the washers a distressed look by applying black or rust-colored paint, then wiping away part of it, or dabbing at it with a paper towel.
Make washer earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and even anklets, by choosing various sizes of flat washers. Paint them, glue things onto them, or even turn them into tiny picture frames. You can bet no one else will have any jewelry pieces that look exactly like yours.