Making Mixed-Media

Art Charms and Jewelry

keepsakes, swappables, trinkets

by Peggy Krzyzewski & Christine Hansen

We all have our own personal reasons why charms appeal to us, but there is no question that for most of us they hold a very special place in our hearts. I myself have even shared a book on the history of charm bracelets with my sister; we each own a copy of it. Our family charm bracelets are irreplaceable to us because they speak of the legacy we carry on from our grandmothers, our mother, and our own selves.

Now here comes a new book with a very fun and artistic way of looking at charms and charm bracelets! As the authors say at the beginning, "Welcome to Charm School!"

I embraced their wonderful attitude toward charm making wholeheartedly. These are not classic gold or silver charms which you would find available pre-made at stores. These are fresh, fanciful, colorful charms made of all sorts of materials. As one of the authors, Chris, says at the end of the book, she loves Faberge' because "he treated each material as precious, even if it was something as mundane as wood." Couple that with a statement from her partner author, Peggy, who says, "a big part of my self-expression has to do with fun", and you have a recipe for a great book filled with fascinating new ways of seeing the classic beloved charm.

These charms are cool and new "art charms"! Make your own memories, starting now. Make them fresh and new, and make them super special by trying projects from this fantastic book!

The materials, what you will need in your tool kit, and the techniques required are all at the beginning in the first chapter, "Charm School".

Following that are nine chapters packed full of different media: a basic project begins each chapter, and then there are three variations! The initial project chapter, after the Charm School introductory chapter I just mentioned, concerns paper art charms and the many things the reader can do to embellish them. The authors' energy level is downright kinetic as they urge you to "Seal it, Stick it, Shape it, and Style it"! They suggest you look at your crumpled old maps (I have one of those!!!) in a new way, try using vintage sheet music: anything which catches your eye. You have to honor copyright laws, but we all do know about that. It is a good reminder, however.

Then, in the Paper chapter, the authors teach the reader how to make Mixed-Media Paper, Collage Charms(using the Mixed-Media Paper in a fabulous way!), a Mini Lotus Book project, which is enchanting, and the final project for the paper chapter, My Lucky Shooting Stars. As they say about the stars, "These charms are so fun and easy to make, you'll find it hard to stop! Use washi paper, scrapbook paper, or wrapping paper, or decorate copy paper with rubber stamps, calligraphy, or doodles. You'll be amazed at how many charms you can get from one piece of paper!" As you can see, it is easy to be caught up in their enthusiasm and they are both excellent teachers. Each chapter has a wealth of ideas and tips.

The next chapters include projects (and variations) of found objects, polymer clay, plastic, wood, fiber, resin, metal, and glass. They are fantastic, wonderful to see, and very inventive.For example, I loved the stark black and white Op-Art Bicones of polymer clay and the cool Totally Tubular charms (clear plastic tubing containing tiny treasures).

I also fell for the Resin Art charms. This chapter really is a boon to people who have never tried resin. It gives you a crash course on using resin right in the middle of all of the rest of the fun.

When you get to glass, try the Meet Me in Paris charm. It is a total winner and very clever! I appreciated the authors' ideas in the chapter toward the end, "Putting It All Together". In this one,they even suggest a chatelaine ( keys and jewelry once worn as a belt in medieval times by fine ladies ) as a way of displaying your charms! Yes, you can be your very own "mistress of the castle" as you hang your charms on your wall for everyone to admire!

Then they further expand upon ways of wearing charms and displaying them so that the charms are visually appealing, comfortable to wear, and appropriate to the design and the space.This is very very helpful to new designers.They show some of their charm bracelets assembled, some art charm earrings, and a fabulous Princess Necklace which will knock your socks off. There are even more suggestions and then ideas on how to start a charm swap. Concerning the charm swap, the authors have a conversation with the "Queen Diva" of Art Charm swaps, Amber Dawn Goldish, and the reader's interest is kindled further by this creative, playful, wonderful area of jewelry making, sharing your art.

Making Mixed-Media Art Charms & Jewelry, by Peggy Krzyzewski & Christine Hansen, is a pure delight from start to finish. Why shouldn't we have tons of fun while we create lovely, innovative art charms? I can't think of a single reason. With the help of this fabulously complete, delightful book, the reader can dive in and will instantly see that the water is FINE!

I love this book! Great for mothers and daughters, sisters to use together, wonderful for friends to try out and learn new techniques from.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.