Teens turn bugs into cash

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Jul 15th 2008 5:02PM

Categories: Teens & tweens, Money & Work, Weird But True, Shopping

We all know that when life you gives you lemons, you are encouraged to make lemonade. But when life gives you an infestation of cicadas, what should you do? Make jewelry, of course.

That's what 17-year-olds Katheryn Maloney and Brady Cullinan did recently after their Massachusetts town was overrun with the insects. After the summer bug bash was over, the enterprising pair paid their friends to collect the little dead bodies. They then sprayed the cicadas with lacquer, dyed them pretty colors and strung them on wires with sea glass and beads to create one-of-a-kind earrings and necklaces.

The results are either beautiful or totally gross, depending on your own personal ick threshold. Me, I could never relax with a pair of dead insects hanging on either side of my head. But clearly there are those who have no problem with wearing wearing bugs as jewelry: the teens made over $200 at a farmers market and a local shop purchased some of their creepy creations as well.

I think these teens are great. Not only are they creative entrepreneurs, they also recycle!

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