I'm a traveler of both time and space

This past weekend I went through my closet, and I came across a black leather jacket that I've been meaning to upcycle for some time now. I've had the jacket since college. It was a big purchase for me at the time so I held onto it all these years, intending to find a better purpose for it. But until this past weekend, I completely forgot I had this treasure lying in my closet! {I can be a bit of a hoarder}

ALL DAY yesterday I couldn't get this leather out of my mind! Plus it's NY Fashion Week, so I've been thinking about big, bold statement pieces for fall. I while back I read a fantastic leather cut-out statement DIY by ...love maegan and thought this would be a fun and easy project to try...

I especially like this piece because it's made from all recycled parts:

* Leather - recycled from a leather jacket I've had since college
* Gold chain - recycled from a necklace I bought at H&M about a month ago. I wanted to quickly add gold tasselss to a black satin shorts romper I was wearing later that evening, but I didn't have time to get to the jewelry store for proper gold chain, so I improvised. That necklace has proven to be most useful...there's still more left!
* Glass beads - recycled from the same H&M necklace {I have since removed the beads from the end tassel because it was too heavy for the necklace when with the tassel worn down the back}
* Gold jump rings - handmade by me; 24ct gold jump rings made from a scrap of leftover wire from a ring I'm making for a customer
* Brass clasp - handmade by me; brass from a jeweler / Metallurgist I met on my recent trip to Toronto from The Beadery.
* Leather strips - you can't see them well in this photo, but the tassel at the end of the chain also has two triangular leather strips attached with a gold jump ring.

I kind of like the simplicity of this piece, but I will probably add some detail / character elements to it {or make a new one altogether}.




Have a great Tuesday, beloved!

Title: lyrics from Kashmir - Led Zeppelin