Every old object has a story to tell—a history of who has held it, treasured it, used it and eventually lost it or maybe discarded it. The lovely buttons in this project are no exception.

This gorgeous pendant is a project from Semiprecious Salvage by Stephanie Lee. A charming journal/story element runs through the book, as an expeditioner gives an account of the primary oject in each project and suggests its orginal history. In addition to entertaining tales, there are plenty of jewelry techniques to be explored as well. You'll discover how to take remnants from the past and give them new life in beautiful pieces of mixed-media jewelry using techniques such as:

• aging with patinas

• making easy cold connections

• basic wire wrapping

• soldering bezels and much more

Download this free project here.

Purchase Semiprecious Salvage here.

Semiprecious Salvage by Stephanie Lee, $22.99

Got junk? One guy who can inspire you to make masterpieces from discarded (and even questionable) objects is artist Michael deMeng and ancient myths are a frequent source of his inspiration.

This week's download features an assemblage based on an ancient tale of a Zapotec Princess—Donaji—and her tragic tale of love and loyalty. Intrigued?

You'll find the full tale of Donaji, along with many others, in the book Secrets of Rusty Things by Michael deMeng. In this book, Michael lets you see inside of his head (cluttered as it may be) and witness the creation of art as he turns trash to treasure. Each chapter in the book features a new tale and a work of art to evolve from that tale, along with insight of how each myth relates to the modern day artist. Michael also recounts stories of his search for the most interesting pieces of junk and offers insight for looking at objects in a new light.

Purchase your own copy of Secrets of Rusty Things here.

Secrets of Rusty Things by Michael deMeng, $24.99

Organization is a often a challenge for the creative mind, but all hope need not be lost. An efficient place to work can be surprisingly liberating.

This week's download is a snippet from a phenomenal book by Sandra McCall, called The Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success: Turn Your Crafts into a Career. In this download, you'll hear from several artists about their own creative spaces and how they make them work successfully.

The book this download comes from is packed with information for the aspiring entrepreneur who desires success from their favorite craft or art form. Inside, in addition to tips for organizing your workspace, you'll also receive information on:

• Getting noticed for what you do.

• Writing for magazines.

• Building a career from what you love to do.

To purchase The Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success, click here.

Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success by Sandra McCall, $19.99

Quiet you sharp-edges fears with this smooth as silk pendant--no solder required!

This pretty pendant can be whipped up this weekend and will allow you to reveal yourself between two pieces of glass and you won't even need a soldering iron! This project comes from the queen of delights and magical, Sally Jean Alexander and her book, Pretty Little Things. In addition to creating pretty pendants, in this book you'll also learn how to:

• create dimensional boxes with a story to tell

• turn found objects into charms

• transform pop bottles into bracelets and much more!

To purchase this magical book, go here.

Pretty Little Things by Sally Jean Alexander, $22.99

We've all been there—a creative slump! So what do you do to invite the muse in and stay for a while? Sometimes hearing what other artists have been through is all the inspiration you need.

This week's free "project" is really more like some free creative advice. In this excerpt from Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery, contributing artist Sas Colby shares with readers a studio experience of her own as well as her own top Creativity Tips.

And if you like what you see here, there's plenty more inspiration to be found in the pages of Living the Creative Life. If you've ever wondered what fulltime artists do to keep their creative juices flowing, you'll find some answers here. Contributing artists come from a multitude of backgrounds and whether you are a collage artist, a beader or an assemblage guru, you'll appreciate the insights and offerings (not to mention eye candy) found throughout the book.

Purchase Living the Creative Life here.

Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery, $22.99