Monday, October 11, 2010

Credit card charm bracelets

                                                              
It seems like the nature of a blog is to go in and out of it.  I'm trying to get back to my original vision, "Creativity Everyday."  This post is one that I hand-wrote in my blog journal in August which I never published but feel like it is a good start back into this process....


August 13, 2010
So what can I do today that's creative?  My outfit isn't particularly striking. I'm sitting in an ugly room at the Courthouse serving my civic duty as a juror-in-waiting and I haven't made anything in the last few days.  I have, however, made a lot of things in the past.  At times like this (when my creative spirit is taking a nap) I can pull from some of those older ideas.  Maybe that will even help me wake up and get inspired again!

Making jewelry, especially out of unusual materials, has been one of my passions for years.  For instance, does a charm bracelet have to have specific kinds of charms?

I'm sure you have all had occasion to cut up a credit card because it has expired, or you are determined to get out of debt, or you never wanted it in the first place.  But how many of you save the pieces and put them in your drawer full of other random junk that might be useful someday?  I sometimes get credit cards or membership cards in the mail that I don't want or need.  Yes, I am a member of the Humane Society, but do I need to carry a plastic card in my wallet to prove it?  Out of my paranoid habit to avoid identity theft, I started to cut the card up and noticed all the interesting little pieces that appeared.  (My favorite one is from a list of tips for taking care of your pet in an emergency, "Always remain calm," a good reminder for everyday life as well.)  I continued to cut the card up, choosing pieces and shapes that pleased me.  I have no idea how the image of a charm bracelet first occurred to me but it soon became a reality.  I poked holes in the pieces of the card with a small awl and attached them to a piece of chain with jump rings and finished off the bracelet with a clamp to open and close it.  Maybe I could offer to make charm bracelets out of your old credit cards as a way to encourage people to stop using them.  Let me know if you would like me to make one for you!
xo penelope

2 comments:

Patricia Markert said...

Hi,

Yes, please make me a bracelet with my many unused plastic cards. Must see which ones are colorful. American Airlines keeps sending me my frequent flier miles (measly measly miles).

I love this post, so well written so well thought out.

Penelope Cake said...

Yay - I would love to make you a credit card bracelet! Just cut up the card the way you want the pieces to be and give it to me.
xo penelope