Weddingbee Blog

I’m 24, but my love of antiquing puts me closer to age 64. I don’t even care. A Saturday morning amidst oldies XM radio, rifling through treasures and junk? Sign me up. If you’ve never done the antique thing, I highly recommend it, especially if you’re someone who likes the hunt in shopping. It’s like the TJ Maxx of really old stuff.

Anyway, in my antiquing endeavors, I gravitate toward brooches like a grandma to an early-bird dinner. I have one on the lapel of almost every coat I own, and I was running out of things to do with them. SO, today’s craft session is one-of-a-kind accessories for the bride or maids—for the wedding or for the rehearsal/bridal shower/everyday life.

Things you need:

1. Glue gun from 1998, which has persevered through your entire adult life.

2. Brooch from antique store. (This one cost a dollar-fifty—steal!)

3. Headband from Kroger. (Yep. The grocery store. For two dollars.)

Dismantle the pin from the brooch. Sometimes this is easy—just a little bending and twisting. Sometimes it’s trickier and involves wire cutters…or yelling for your fiance to come help you. Maybe that’s just me.

For a normal headband, I’d just dab some hot glue in the center of the flower and stick it right on—press and hold. For this wire headband, I flipped it upside down for better control.

Let it dry/cool, obviously. And, for less than five dollars and in less than five minutes, you have this:

(Clearly, I’m a bit shaky on self-portraits. I never had a Myspace; what can I say?)

Other little creations from old jewelry:

(Two-dollar pendant + three-dollar Forever21 faux-pearl strands)

More headbands, in this elegant display (AKA haphazard pile) on my vanity:

And there you have it. The fruits of antiquing and a glue gun—all easily completed during commercial breaks of, in my case, The Big Bang Theory.

Would you try DIY accessories?