Five Easy DIY Accessories to Make Using Natural Materials

My small hiking companions gather natural treasures by the armful. Acorns, feathers, pretty stones, shells, lovely bits of wood, flowers, pinecones, sand– on every single hike!

Even if you don’t happen to hike with magpies, I’m betting that you, too, have collected some natural keepsakes during your time in the wilderness. It seems to be instinct to spy something pretty and take it home to treasure.

Up until recently, I had been keeping all of our natural keepsakes on display in jars and baskets, on shelves and in bookcases. This summer, however, I’ve made it one of my projects to turn some of the prettiest treasures–fossils, shark teeth, pretty pebbles, etc.–into jewelry for myself and my girls.

How fun for my girls to wear as an accessory a favorite item that they, themselves, discovered! How comforting to me to keep a memory of one of my favorite places in a pretty glass vial around my neck.

Take a quick inventory of your own natural treasures, gathering dust on display (or not!) around your house, and then let yourself be inspired by these five projects that will help you turn those treasures into beloved, and well-worn, pieces of jewelry.

If you’re an artist of yarn and thread, perhaps you already know how versatile such materials are, but even if you’re a total novice, you’ll find Lune’s netted stone necklace tutorial, from Lune Vintage, an easy walk-through. The justaposition of soft yarn and hard stone is a lovely effect, and you can make your piece as elaborate as you’d like, since threading on beads and baubles and other decorations is quite simple.