The Vanity Reciprocity Challenge

The older I get the harder it is to maintain the illusion of dewy beauty, especially since I was never a natural beauty to begin with. This is not a Woe is Me pronouncement—I reserve self-pity for the truly dire circumstances. Fact is, this year, the year before I turn the golden 5-0, I've noticed a bulking up of packaged promises in my lotions and potions drawer.

They promise to firm me, smooth me,
tighten and clear me,
soften and refresh me,
deep cleanse and unclog me,
shine me up, matte me down,
strip me gently, kill me softly...
hey how'd Roberta Flack get in there?

So when my teammates with etsy's Upcyclers asked me to pick the August challenge material to repurpose, the obvious choice was to survey all that glossy packaging and make something beautiful out of what helps keep us beautiful. I call it the Vanity Reciprocity challenge. You can read about it here. In a few days, a wrap-up post will also appear on the team blog, here.

Dude or dame, you likely use some grooming goop with regularity. A shame all those gorgeous boxes, cases and jars get tossed. Unless...

Vitamin C face capsules brighten an old brooch.

I have nine jars (so far) of these now-empty luminous capsules with the silkiest elixir for brightening skin tone. They're so round and healthy-looking they make me want to flatten them like bubble wrap. But they're so much more resilient. And versatile...

Skewing closer to my fabric art background, this one's an attempt to make a ginormous pendant that stays light thanks to the airy dangles. It's about as wide as your hand is long. I have no idea yet how to hang it around my neck, whether to use leather, ribbon, chain or braided trim, so this one's on the shelf for now.

It does let the light through, and can double as a suncatcher of sorts, I suppose. More creative minds than mine would've taken this concept and ran with it. Me, I procrastinate.

I auditioned different colors of seed beads for my next project...

In the end I went with the color closest to the Vitamin C capsules, the better to suggest a persimmon tree in full fruit.

I have some flattened glossy boxes waiting for me to whip them into something next. They housed my probiotics, aspirin, joint pills, and "excess carb absorber"—necessity combined with more vanity products! Thanks to them I can walk upright without clutching my gut, head, and knees.

If you are so inclined, dear reader, jump in and create something from your grooming goop stash. Then drop me a line here and link back to your blog, Facebook page, Flickr account or wherever else you've posted a photo. I wish blogger would allow picture embedding in the comment section, but we're not there...yet.

What else should I make with the nine jars of Vitamin C capsules?