By Tricia Y. Petrinovich

I forayed into my jewelry box with one intention: To play. Like a four year old in her mother’s armoire, I twisted and snapped, hinged and clasped. Only not in the traditional way. Who wants to put earrings in your ears? Bracelets on your arm? B-O-R-I-N-G.

This trip into the chest was a little more specific. I wanted to take multiple items and put them together in a way that made something original and unusual. A hybrid, if you will, to get better mileage out of my existing pieces and show you how to do the same. (Aren’t I nice?)

It started off benignly, I must admit. Just a woman in a drawer, touching trinkets. But it didn’t take long before scarves were flying, necklaces were firing like projectiles off the ceiling fan, and bracelets were being used as sling shots to hit random objects with mismatched earrings for ammo. Somewhere along the way I ended up with a tongue piercing. In a very Dr. Evilish way, it got weird. But surprisingly, as rhinestoned objects rained down like unedible manna from heaven, I landed a few successful surprises.

In order to share my inventions with you, however, I need to let you know the ground rules I established for myself. First, as I had my hand in the proverbial accessory cookie jar, I decided I needed to use at least one of each of the following: a scarf, a necklace, an earring, a pin, a ring and a bracelet. Basically, one of every accessory type in the box. The second rule was that the final combo had to look adorable because, as you know, that is the aspiration for us all. Finally, it had to be easy to do. Not only because I needed to convey the assembly of said objects to you, but mostly because my air conditioner is broken and the less time I had hot things around my neck, the happier I was.

So let’s get on with it, all the ways to make your Bangles walk, besides the obvious

Scarflace

Not only is that fun to say, but it’s fun to wear. Simply don a necklace (I looped mine twice because it’s long) and then put on your scarf. Wrap the necklace around the ends of your scarf, and you’re done. It’s so easy, that I did it without having to look up the big words, like “don” and “of.” Plus, it’s practical. The necklace holds the ends of the scarf down so you don’t turn your Scarflace into Scarf Face, which sounds painful and would drag Al Pacino into the whole ordeal.

Scarfring

If you’ve always dreamed about giving your scarf pigtails, now is your chance. I basically slid a finger ring up each tail of the scarf and voila! I Pippi Scarfstockinged my frontside. It’s kind of mischievous, don’t you think?

Scarflet

This was kind of tricky, but I was determined not to have an epic fail in the bracelet portion of the competition. I slid the bracelet to the middle of the scarf and then wound the scarf around my neck multiple times, passing it through the bracelet loop each time until I had the tail lengths I desired. It’s high on the adorability scale (below flouncy skirts but much higher than white eyelets in general) and who doesn’t want a bracelet practically on their face? Boom!

Pinlace

Nothing like slapping a brooch on a necklace and calling it done. It holds the necklace together, plus puts a sassy bow right where I want it (covering my Rice Krispie size chest mole, if you must know).

Scarflobe

Look, everyone wants more piercings, even your scarf. I only single pierced mine, but you know you could binge and give it more earrings than your niece Roxanne has.

I know you’re asking yourself the big question: Why? Bracelets on scarves, brooches on necklaces? I hear you. I am listening. The most obvious answer comes from ancient Sanskrit wisdom that was found in a temple in Thanjavur that, when translated, said “If you like it then you should put a ring on it.” I take that sort of sage advice literally, always wanting to aspire to spiritual enlightenment. The second reason is because I have an editor. She made me. And it’s the most fun I’ve had in a jewelry box since I was four.