Pencil Shavings as Jewelry, Not Trash

If we remember correctly, one of the best timewasters in elementary school was getting up to sharpen your number-two pencil. You could sneak a quick chat with your friends, give your legs a stretch, and more importantly, make lots of noise and mess at the sharpener. Dublin-based Etsy shop KarolinFelix Dream has seen the value in these shavings, rescuing them from the garbage pail by making trippy accessories out of them. Collagey earrings and a pendant necklace that more closely recall geometric ruffles and sharp rickrack than fourth-grade history class. KF Dream also makes straight pencil-as-accessory pieces: brooches, dangly colored pencil earrings and hand-painted pencil-end neckwear. These babies aren’t just for poindexters—hand-painted swirls and bright colors make these a-okay for wear outside of school grounds. Consider these the perfect vicarious accessory for those of us sad about not going back to a campus this fall. (Etsy)