Creating a brand new piece of jewelry gives me a real thrill – a creative contact high. But we can’t be on cloud nine all the time. Sometimes simple satisfaction is the order of the day because I don’t have the time, energy, money, or inspiration for a full project.

For that, I find that fixing or improving an existent piece of jewelry makes me feel creative when I can’t start a project from scratch. Recently, I did some work on a necklace my grandma had gone through great pains to pass on to my mom. My mom had never worn it, though, because the two halves of the twist clasp had fused together and one of the bead caps had broken. I restrung the necklace, adding new finishing components, and voila – instant gratification. I then moved onto a silver bracelet that was known for dropping off my wrist because of a decorative, but unfortunately ineffective, S-hook clasp. I replaced the S-hook with a lobster claw clasp and the bracelet’s back in business.

What do you do when you’ve got a creative itch but don’t feel like starting a big project?