Month of Makeovers Day 30: Lucky charms!

We’re finishing out this 31-day makeover project with a whimper, aren’t we? I’m away from home. And Janeray’s modem and her refrigerator both went kaput yesterday, so she’s out of commission for a bit. That leaves me, the technological dinosaur, to make a total mess of things here on a borrowed computer. Whee!

Back to the makeovers! Because we’re ladies of a certain age, Janeray and I are both owners of silver charm bracelets. They were a big deal in the ’50s and ’60s.

Mine is loaded with charms from places we lived and visited. Some are movables—my favorite is the little English church that opens up to show the bride and groom. Or maybe it’s the little typewriter with the roller that slides back and forth. I can’t decide. All are big heavy charms, not the dinky ones like you get now. Believe it or not, silver used to be cheap.

But some days you don’t want to wear a wristful of heavy silver. Some days you want something just a little . . . tackier.

I’ve wanted to make a tacky, jangly charm bracelet ever since I scored a box of old board game bits at a yard sale.

So I start with some Scrabble letters from my box of what our grandma used to call “jing-jang junk.” And a scavenged modern link bracelet.

Yes, yes, I know that things made out of Scrabble letters are so last decade, but I’m doing this anyway. Since when has the breathless “what’s in style right now!” mentality ever mattered to me? There’s a souvenir plate over my kitchen stove that reads, “This is my house and I’ll do as I darn please!” I’d show you a picture but I’m not at home right now.

I drill tiny holes in all the game pieces I thought I might use, with my handy Dremel tool. Except for the really thick ones. For them, I plan to use tiny screw eyes, which I don’t have at the moment. Maybe I can get to a hardware store near Janeray’s house.

That solid gray surface of my mom’s sewing desk is boring, so I snitch a lace doily for the rest of the shots. Here’s my progress.

Letters are on! My wire skills are not the greatest. I need a lesson from my niece, Janeray’s gorgeous daughter, who’s an amazing jewelry designer.

Now to add more bits of jing-jang junk! Checkers, plastic poker chips, wood game pieces, a lucky 7 bingo number, wood Monopoly houses, dice.

Blue plastic chip with card suit symbols? What game is that from?

Here’s as far as I can get. Janeray’s never-fail hardware store didn’t have the tiny screw eyes I need, so the dice, bingo numbers, and Monopoly houses can’t join the fun yet. Grrr.

Still, it’s jangly and fun and jing-jang-junky, a great piece to wear to a fall game night with friends!