Create jewelry that is uniquely you with Custom Cool Jewelry. Add a personal, handcrafted touch to any piece using just a few easy-to-find materials for one-of-a-kind results every time. Melinda Barta, assistant managing editor of Beadwork magazine, shows clever ideas for boutique-style projects with a personal twist. All it takes is basic jewelry-making and crafting skills. Think outside the box with Melinda's unconventional uses of common crafting supplies. Learn to bake bead collages with resin in the oven, emboss antique playing cards, roll up some polymer clay, stamp and stitch fabric focal pieces, and wire-wrap to your heart's content. From flirty and romantic wireworked dangles to simple and understated polymer clay beads, you'll wear your jewelry with pride-be ready for the compliments! Learn to create some of the most surprisingly simple charms out of unsuspected, yet easily accessible materials. Make charms out of fabric and eyelets or wirework sweet little charms with bead frames. Melinda shows unique alternatives to store-bought beading components using a wide range of jewelry and basic crafting materials, including embossing powder, collage papers, wire, fibers, glass-etching cream, patinas, found objects, fabric, memorabilia, and more. Each project component is shown in a number of color and design variations, with each partially strung on colorful wire with a few beads to inspire readers to create their own complete jewelry pieces. And each chapter features a gallery of finished pieces using basic stringing techniques, plus sidebars share insider tips. The back of the book features a glossary of basic stringing and wirework techniques, plus a project resource guide and a shopping guide featuring all the products highlighted in the book.