Jan 20, 2009

Simple Funky Earrings

So you don't have any earrings to go with that dazzling muumuu with the colorful sea creatures and the bright, shimmering rainbow. No...those pearl earrings just won't do and that other one is kinda booorrring! Hey- no be shy...make your own earring and show off your distinctive
personality.

You can make earrings quite easily with inexpensive supplies purchased from your neighborhood craft store or recycled items from your home. Charms from broken necklaces can be attached to a jump ring and connected to an earring hoop or wire or just string up some beads to your earring wire. If you want something a little more eccentric, try working with stickers or paper cut- outs to create your own funky design like the fish earrings above. Instructions are as follows.

Materials:

decorative paper
sticker or cut-out image of your choice
craft glue
clear finger nail polish or sealer like Mod Podge
small paint brush (if you're using Mod Podge)
needle nose pliers
jump rings
earring wires
sharp scissors
needle

Directions:

1. Select your sticker or image that you want to make into earrings. In this case, a heart.
2. Apply a thin layer of craft glue to the cut-out or adhere the sticker to the back side of a piece of decorative paper that is slighter larger than the image.
3. If I am using a paper cut-out that is not already coated with varnish or sealer, I like to first seal to the image with nail polish. Let dry for about 10 minutes, then turn the image over and cover the decorative paper with sealer. Let dry about 10 minutes. Usually stickers are coated with a water resistant finish so I just seal the decorative paper with finger nail polish and not the sticker.

4. When your sealer is dry, carefully cut around the decorative paper with your sharp scissors getting as close to the edge of your image as you can.5. Next, you will need to poke a hole in the image where you want to insert the jump ring. Open up the jump ring with your needle nose plier, hook it through the hole and onto the earring wire. Close jump ring.
6. If necessary, touch up your heart earrings with sealer, let dry before wearing.If making jewelry for keiki, make sure you use lead free products such as sterling silver or gold.

Other easy earrings to make:

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