"Jenny, I've got your number..."

Created from vintage BINGO cards, this handcrafted necklace and earrings set pays homage to the music of the 1980s.

"867-5309" was written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone. This song reached number four in the Billboard Top 100 in 1982.

I usually create with game pieces, however I have a large collection of the associated paper pieces from various games. When I found out about this "Paper in Three Dimensions" show I decided to try to put some of my interesting vintage paper to good use.

While designing what started out as a BINGO necklace and going through the numbered squares, the song "867-5309" popped into my head. I decided to change direction and was able to find all the numbers I needed to represent the song.

It was meant to be playful and still is, but turned out much more humorous than a BINGO necklace might have, much to my delight.

Each numbered square is a section of a vintage BINGO card. Each square was coated with a matte varnish with UV protection. I used jump rings to attach the squares to one another and some pewter chain to make it wearable.

The overall length of the necklace is 19" with the main portion of the numbered squares measuring 7" across. The dangles range from 3" to 3 3/4" long from the bottom of the main number square. The earrings are 2 3/4" and 4" respectively excluding the Surgical Stainless Steel earwires.

I have been creating useful items and fashion accessories and jewelry with recycled materials for 7 years. The act of trying to recycle and reuse what might be thrown away is a challenge and helps me use creative ideas and innovative processes to achieve my goal. Sometimes I start with an idea and other times I let the materials lead me. No matter how a piece starts it is always gratifying to see where it ends.