Vintage Found Objects Bracelet

It's already time to mail out the round robin bracelet I received at the beginning of the month!  As I explained in this post, each participant chose a theme and this bracelet's theme is "Vintage Found Objects." As you can see from the above photo, Brigitte would like antique-y looking charms with a distressed brass or silver metal.  You can't buy vintage at the local craft store, but I went through my stash to see what I could dig up. 

I came across these packages of lace and trim that I inherited from my mother, and she from her mother - they must be considered "vintage," right?  (39 cents for 4 yards?  3 packs for $1?  Wow!).  I thought the bracelet could use a touch of antique lace somewhere.

 Then I went through this stash of old jewelry that my next door neighber left for the girls before she moved away last June.  They took what they wanted and I kept anything I thought might be useful.  There are some nice freshwater pearl, carved stone beads, and artful metal pieces.

 This rather large earring caught my eye because of the distressed finish on the silver.  I decided to remove one of the shorter dangles.

But this is an Art Charm, and it should have some sort of handmade element to it.  Remembering the lace, I decided to tea-dye a small piece, stitch it into a little collar and put it around the dangle, as you see below.  I actually  made this almost as soon as I received the bracelet, but waited to see if I could come up with any other ideas.  I did create another charm out of a flower-shaped button, but decided to stick with the heart, pearl, and lace.

I think it really blends nicely with the charms Brigitte already made.

Incidentally, I recently bought a spray sealer called "Preserve Your Memories II."  In the book Mixed-Media Art Charms and Jewelry, Peggy Krzyzewski mentions it as a great all-around sealer, especially for polymer clay, which can sometimes react to other sealers and become soft or sticky.  I sprayed the little lace collar with this to protect it from water, perfume or other elements it might come in contact with.

I'm finding that this PYM II is a really terrific product.  It's made in the USA, dries quickly, has a low odor, and can be used on many materials, including paper.  I resisted buying it at first because I can't get it nearby at a store and had to order it online.  The shipping costs (it must be shipped UPS ground) brought the cost to nearly $20, when I knew I could get something "similar" at Michaels with my 40% off coupon.

 I've ended up buying spray after spray, and either they smell really toxic or don't dry completely and feel sticky.  I'll have to find some project to use these up on!  If you need a good low-odor, all-purpose sealer, try the PYM II first!  (I bought it here - and watch the video, it's short but helpful).