Brooching (*ahem*) the subject

For those of you who don't know, I'm a volunteer intern at Craft ACT one day a week. Which means I'm surrounded by arty people wearing arty things. Now, much as I'd like a jewellery box filled with clever little bits and pieces from the Craft ACT shop, my budget doesn't quite stretch that far. Yet.

So I have to be inventive.

While I was in New Zealand recently I spotted a very cool paua shell caravan* fridge magnet in the Te Papa gift shop: It cost $NZ 14.99. Brooches made by the same people cost $NZ 21.95 (and they didn't appear to make a caravan brooch, just lots of boring birds).

I brought it home, raided my jar of brooch backings, and after a dab of contact adhesive(and 24 hours waiting for it to cure) I had me a very fine brooch which got lots of comments when I wore it for the first time to the Craft ACT Christmas Smash.

Next on the list for recreation is this black plastic tiki I picked up from a $2 shop:
And now my brain is buzzing with other cheap and cheeky jewellery ideas...

(*You know how I feel about caravans)