Shrink Plastic and Wire Earrings Tutorial

If you are familiar with my jewelry, you may have noticed by now that I rarely use beads, if ever. I love to incorporate color into my designs, but I try to do it in a new way. I try to use different materials like nail polish, alcohol ink, liquid polymer clay, and now illustration markers. It's cool to see how many unconventional materials I can use to make jewelry. 

For this pair of earrings, I used shrink plastic film, colored with Blick brand illustration markers. These are comparable to Prismacolor markers, but are a little bit cheaper. Illustration markers are primarily alcohol based. You can use Copic as well, but my goodness those are spendy things! Or bottles of Adirondack alcohol ink and a brush would work. Oh and sharpies! I can't forget about those. 

Materials Needed:

• clear shrink film plastic
• scissors and/or paper cutters (like guillotine cutters)
• hole punch (standard three ring binder paper punch size)
• alcohol based markers or ink (Copic, Prismacolor, Blick, Sharpie, Adirondack, etc.)
• 18 gauge wire
• 8 jump rings (you can make them yourself with the wire and tools)
• wire cutter
• round nose pliers
• flat nose pliers
• earring posts with 4mm pads (Or french hook ear wires if you want to eliminate a step)
• super glue/super glue gel/E6000 glue (whichever you prefer)

To begin, cut your desired shapes out of the shrink plastic. I wanted to use long rectangular shapes. When you bake the shrink plastic, it reduces to about 20% of the original size. I did some guess work when cutting my shapes. I cut strips of the plastic, wide enough to fit a standard hole punch with a little extra plastic on the sides. I would say my longest shapes were three inches or less in length and 3/4 inch or less in width. 

I punched holes in each rectangle and then cut irregular angles from the tops of the shapes with my scissors so the shapes wouldn't be so boxy. And sorry about the flash reflection in the pictures. The lighting in my work room was not bright enough to turn off the flash.

Next, I took my illustration markers and just started doodling.

I used tinfoil to line a baking sheet and placed all of my doodled plastics on it. The directions said to bake at 250 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. It's kind of fun to stare into the oven while the plastic shrinks. There's nothing wrong with a grown adult sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring into the oven. Silly? Yes. Wrong? No.

As you can kind of see from the last picture. The designs shrunk nicely, and the marker became more saturated and intense. The green pieces are my favorite.

Next, I made the swirly wire designs for the studs. Using 18 gauge wire and your round nose pliers, twist the wire tightly until it is wider than the post pad. I usually twist with the flat nose pliers for a better grip. Snip your wire with your wire cutter and then create a loop at the end with your round nose pliers.

Repeat this for the second piece.

If you want, you can pound the design with a chasing hammer and bench block for a flatter look, but that's totally optional.

Take your glue of choice and place a little drop on your post pad. Stick the posts to one side of your spiral designs and allow to dry according to your glue's directions. The super glue gel sets up in less than 15 minutes.

Using the cap of my super glue and more 18 gauge wire, I formed a circle for the next part of the earrings. 

Once you form the circle, twist one end with your round nose pliers to make a loop, then cut your wire from the spool. Twist the other end of the wire to make another loop like the sixth picture. I curled it into the circle. Repeat this for the second piece. 

Now, you will need your eight jump rings. You can make them yourself by following the pictures below, but you can also buy them if you want. 

Now you are ready to assemble your pieces. Using your flat nose and round nose pliers, open and attach the jump rings to your plastic pieces and connect them to the circle design. Then use the last jump ring to connect your stud spiral to the top loop of your circle design.  

There you have it. A nice pair of dangle earrings. The plastic pieces sound kind of cool when they click together as you wear them. If you have questions or comments about this tutorial, please let me know! I would love to hear from you. 

Abstract Art Paper Earrings Tutorial

If you have been following my blog, you would have seen my last tutorial for an abstract art pendant. As promised, I will show you how to make the matching earrings for the pendant. Now, the picture shows a purple pair of earrings instead of blue, but the technique is the same. I just wanted to switch up the colors, because I like variety. What do they say? Something about that being the spice of life...

Anywho, I have really fallen in love with this technique to make paper earrings. Pretty much, if you cover any paper in enough glue/mod podge/sealer of your preference, you can have a durable material for jewelry. I made a pair of earrings using scrapbook paper and it worked out perfectly, so was inspired to try using art as well. 

Materials Needed:

• Oval/circle punch of your choosing
• dimensional glaze and/or Tacky glue/Mod Podge (I like to use a gloss finish)
• small brush
• 1/8 inch hole punch
• four jump rings or 18 gauge wire, wire cutter, and round nose pliers to make your own (I will include tutorial for jump rings below)
• Earring hooks (I use titanium ear hooks since I am allergic to nickle based metals)
• art (follow this tutorial to make your own abstract art)
• cereal box or cardstock (I recommend anything higher that 100lb weight)
• flat nose pliers to assemble pieces

I used this purple pendant for color inspiration. I have made quite a few abstract art sheets during the last year, so I have plenty of colors to choose from.

As you can tell, I like to throw in some shimmer paint to make things sparkle. To make this purple art sheet, I used a purple acrylic paint, mixed with a silver paint. I usually get most of my art supplies from Dick Blick, but you can get quality acrylic paints from craft stores as well. You might pay a little more, though, so always use a coupon!

To begin, take your circle/oval punch and punch two pieces of cereal box/cardstock, and four pieces of your art paper. You will sandwich the cereal box piece between two pieces of art so that your earrings have art on each side. Using a small brush and tacky glue or Mod Podge, spread a little glue on one side of the cereal box and press your art onto it.

Repeat this step with both sides of each earring. I let the four sides dry for about 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.

From the second picture you can see that the earring is pretty thick. This will prevent the paper from warping when it dries. I made a test pair of scrapbook paper earrings without a thick center and it warped really bad and just looked ugly. Nobody wants that.

Once your glue dries enough, then take your 1/8 inch hole punch and put a hole in each earring piece. Next, using your dimensional glaze, spread a thin layer onto one side of your earrings. You could also use Mod Podge. It's up to you whether you want a glossy or matte finish, but I prefer glossy at this moment.

Let the glaze/glue dry completely before covering the back sides with more glaze/glue. I wait a couple of hours and work on other projects between glaze applications. Yay, multitasking!

Once your pieces are completely dry, you can begin assembling your earrings. If you want to make your own jump rings. Follow the pictures below.

Using your flat nose pliers. or whatever tools you prefer, open the jump rings and begin connecting your pieces. I use two jump rings per earring. 

And now you have a pair of abstract art paper earrings! If you have any questions or comments please let me know. I would love to hear what you think of this tutorial. Have you ever tried making paper earrings? 

I also made a pair from more scrapbook paper as you can see from the second pair of earrings pictured. 

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might also be interest in the following posts:

Scrapbook Paper Earrings Tutorial

Abstract Art Pendant Tutorial

Abstract Art Pendant Earrings Tutorial

Abstract Art Pendant Tutorial

Last night, I decided to make an icy blue pendant to capture the cold Minnesota weather. As I made this, I was wrapped in a blanket cocoon, because I am quite certain my craft room barely reaches 60 degrees in the winter (technically it's still fall, but nature doesn't seem to care about that right now). Stupid old houses and their draftiness.

Materials Needed:

• 1 inch pendant tray (I used the gunmetal colored tray)
• 1 inch domed glass 
• dimensional glaze
• necklace of your choice (The website I linked has a good variety.)
• scissors
• art or photo of your choice. If you would like to use handmade art, try this tutorial. I used the method in the tutorial to make my designs for this project. I used blue paint and white shimmer paint to give the art a sparkle. 

To start, squeeze a little dimensional glaze onto the glass piece. Then place the glass onto your art. Gently push down and make sure there are no bubbles under the glass. You can use any clear glue you want in place of the dimensional glaze, if you are feeling cheap. I used Tacky glue when I first experimented with this project, and it works decently. The main difference is that dimensional glaze is less likely to create air bubbles under the glass. So if you are picky, use a dimensional glaze. 

Let the glaze dry for a while. I think I waited an hour. Then trim off the excess paper. Next you will need to seal the back of the paper with more glaze. Use the tip of the bottle to spread a small amount of glaze onto the paper. 

Let this dry for another hour or so. Next, you will put more glaze on the back of the paper. Turn the glass over, and place it into your pendant tray. Allow to dry, again. There's a lot of dry time with this project. Maybe find other things to do in the spare time. Like make a matching pair of earrings! 

I used a 24 inch gunmetal chain for this pendant. 

And would you look at that! A matching set of paper earrings. Stay tuned for that tutorial. (Update: Here it is! Abstract Art Paper Earrings Tutorial)

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear from you and see what projects you are up to! If you enjoyed working with the glass pieces, you can take a look at some of my other tutorials like the ones listed below. 

DIY Abstract Art Refrigerator Magnets

Abstract Art Pendant Earrings Tutorial (You could easily make matching earrings with this tutorial!)

Stained Glass Wire Earrings Tutorial

It snowed. I know I make the choice of living in Minnesota, but seriously. A foot of snow in November is not cool. I have not left the house for a couple of days, so I figured I better make use of my time and start making more tutorials.

Lately, I have been getting tired of making fish hook style earrings so this tutorial involves stud posts instead.

Materials Needed:

• 4 mm pad posts
• 18 gauge wire (I used silver plated copper for all the wire) 
• 16 gauge wire
• 24 gauge wire
• round nose pliers
• wire cutter
• flat nose pliers
• super glue/super glue gel/E6000 (whichever you prefer)
• clear nail polish
• alcohol ink color of your choice
• scratch piece of paper and small snippet of 24 gauge wire

This tutorial might get a little long, since I just realized how many steps there are. They are all relatively simple steps, though, so it's definitely worth it to try this pair of earrings out! 

To begin, take your 16 gauge wire and round nose pliers. I began winding my spiral with the round nose pliers. Crimp the end down with your flat nose pliers so there isn't a hole in the middle of the spiral. Then wind the spiral a couple of times with the flat nose pliers. 

Cut the spiral from the wire with enough wire on the end to wrap a loop. Using your round nose pliers, grip the end of the excess wire and twist into a loop like the first picture below. Repeat this for your second spiral.

Using the glue of your choice, glue the posts to the middle of your spirals. Leave this to dry according to the recommended dry time on your glue. My super glue gel sets in a couple of minutes.

For the next pieces of your earrings, you will use 18 gauge wire. I cut two pieces, around 3.5 inches each. Begin by forming a loop at the end of your wire with your round nose pliers. Then with your flat nose pliers, grip the wire like the third photo, and angle the wire as pictured. 

Continue using your flat nose pliers to angle the wire into a rectangle. You'll have to do some guessing when it comes to measurements. I made a couple of scrap shapes until I got this one how I wanted it. 

Once you have formed your last angle, you will wrap the excess wire near the base of your initial loop. Sorry about the blurry pictures for photos two and three. Basically, you bend the wire behind the loop, and wrap it two or three times. I use the flat nose pliers to pull my wrapping tight. 

Once your wrapping is secure, cut off the excess wire with your wire cutter. To make sure there are no sharp edges sticking out, I crimp the end of the wire with my flat nose pliers. 

For the third part of the earrings, grab your 24 gauge wire. cut two pieces, about three inches long. Using your round nose pliers, you will form the loops that go on the inside of your rectangle. Play with the wire a bit if you have never worked with it before. 

The basic idea is to wrap the wire around your round nose pliers until a loop forms, then move onto the next loop. I use the ends of my pliers so the loops aren't too big. Start about an inch into the wire so that you will have excess wire on both sides of your design to use for the next step. 

I formed five loops and fit it into my rectangle to see how it would look. As you can see, I have enough wire on each end to wrap the design around the rectangle. Using your flat nose pliers, wrap the wire, pull it tight, and then cut off the excess wire. 

Next, you will fill in the loops with nail polish and alcohol ink. I used a third hand tool to hold the earrings while I worked with the nail polish. You don't need this tool. It's just more convenient. If you use your hands instead, just make sure that you hang the earrings on something as they dry. 

Using your scrap piece of paper, mix approximately five drops of polish with one drop of ink. Mix this together with a scrap piece of wire. I didn't include the pictures of how to put the polish in the wire, so if you want more visual directions check out this link. 

Basically, you dip the wire in the colored polish so that a drop accumulates on the end. Then, place the wire inside one of the loops. The polish should stick to the sides of the wire. You can use a light circular motion to touch the insides to the loop to help deposit the polish. If the polish doesn't hold tight, and form a complete surface, try adding more polish. If that doesn't work, the loop might be too big. 

Let the polish dry completely, then move on to the assembly stage! You will need two jump rings. You can either make them yourself with 18 gauge wire or use ready-made rings. Follow the pictures below to make your own jump rings. All you need is wire, your round nose pliers, and a wire cutter. 

Using your flat nose pliers, open your jump rings and connect the loop of the stud to the loop of the rectangle. Close your jump rings, and enjoy a nice new pair of earrings. 

If you have questions or comments, please let me know! And thanks for stopping by! 

Scrapbook Paper Earrings Tutorial: Using Mat Board or a Cereal Box

I used to mat a lot of my art and ended up accumulating a bunch of mat board scraps. I didn't really feel right throwing the smaller pieces away so I kept them in a box for a few years, hoping someday I would find some way to use them. Now, I finally have a project that incorporates my scrap pieces. This is also a great project to use up some cute scrapbook paper. You could also use an empty cereal box instead of mat board. All you need is a thick inner core to give your scrapbook paper some durability.

Materials Needed:

• 1 inch circle punch
• 1/8 inch hole punch
• scissors
• dimensional glaze  or glossy mod podge
• glue (I used Tacky Glue) 
• small paint brush
• jump rings (or use 18 gauge wire and a round nose pliers to make your own)
• ear hooks 
• flat nose pliers
• mat board or a cereal box

To start, punch out two circles from your mat board or cereal box. My circle punch wasn't the strongest, so I really had to force it to cut the mat board. It worked for the most part. Now, punch four circles out of your scrapbook paper.

Using your small brush, spread a layer of glue evenly on one side of the mat board/cereal box. Place your paper over the mat board and smooth it down. Repeat this for the other side and the other mat board circle.

I tidied up the edges with a scissors since my circle punch left some of the edges a little frayed. Next, use your 1/8th inch hole punch to create holes for your jump rings.

Using your dimensional glaze (or glossy mod podge), seal each side of the paper. I spread out my glaze on one side of each circle, let it dry for a few hours, and then flipped them over and repeated for the second sides. The surface is a little glossy, and waterproof now.

 I made two jump rings for each circle using 18 gauge wire. If you want to make your own jump rings, follow the pictures below. You will need a round nose pliers and wire cutter. Or you can buy some jump rings from a craft store. Use your flat nose pliers to open the rings and the ear hooks. Assemble your pieces and rock those unique earrings!

I didn't really enjoy the gray paper I chose, so I tried another pair with the black damask design. I think these ones are much better. The good thing about this project, is that it's super cheap to experiment with different designs. You can even do an abstract art pair using this tutorial! You can really have fun with earrings like this.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments! And if you like this tutorial check out this tutorial for making more paper earrings. 

Twisted Wire Stud Earrings Tutorial

Hey guys! Want to make some simple stud earrings? Well, I think you might like these little wire creations. 

Materials Needed:

• 18 gauge wire (I used silver plated copper)
• round nose pliers
• flat nose pliers
• wire cutter
• posts with 4mm pads
• super glue gel (or E6000 glue) 
• chasing hammer
• steel bench block

Begin by cutting two pieces of your 18 gauge wire. My pieces were roughly 3 inches. Form a tight loop at the end of one piece with your round nose pliers, and then crimp it shut. This is the beginning of the spiral where you will glue your post so you want to try and close the loop completely if you can. Now, use your flat nose pliers to wind the spiral. I wind it a couple of times. I am using 4mm posts, so as long as the spiral is bigger than the post pads, you are good to move onto the next step.

Using your flat nose pliers, like the 5th and 6th images, start to form your serpentine design.

Once you get near the end of your wire, use your round nose pliers to close off your design with one last loop. The next step is optional. Using a chasing hammer and steel bench block, you can hammer the designs a bit to flatten them out. You can tell between the 3rd and 5th image that the hammering I did is very subtle. So, if you want to omit that step, that's totally fine. Also, if you choose to hammer the wire, be careful not to hammer too hard with the silver plated copper. If you hammer the wire too thin, the copper color will show through. 

Next, take your glue, whether it be super glue or E6000, and attach your posts. You only need a little dab of glue on the post pads. Let the glue dry according to the bottle's directions. I choose to use super glue, because 1.) it dries much faster and 2.) it doesn't say it causes cancer like E6000. I worry too much about everything, so use E6000 if you prefer.

And there you have it! Since the loops at the bottom of the designs are open, you could add on to these earrings with beads or chain. Or really whatever you are feeling. Let me know if you have questions or comments, and if you try this tutorial, I would love to see the end result.

Scrapbook Paper Earrings Tutorial w/Wire Accents

Have a bunch of cute scrapbooking paper lying around? Don't know what to do with it? Well, here's a project you might like.

I don't scrapbook much, so I have a bunch of paper left over from previous projects. I saw a tutorial on making paper bead earrings from this site, and wondered if I could do something similar, but more my style.

Paper isn't exactly the most durable material for jewelry, but coat it with enough glue and it seals up nicely.

Materials Needed:

• paper
• cutting implements: scissors and eighth inch hole punch
• glue (Tacky, Elmers, Mod Podge, or anything that dries clear)
• jump rings (or make your own with 20 gauge wire)
• ear hooks (I used these from Rings & Things)
• flat nose pliers
• wire cutter
• round nose pliers 
• 20 gauge copper wire, or any colored wire of your choice

To begin, I cut two rectangular pieces from a sheet of scrapbooking paper. I glued the pieces together so that the pattern is on both sides of the earrings. If you have double sided scrapbook paper, then you can skip that step. 

I used Tacky glue and a small paint brush to evenly spread the glue before putting the pieces together. Once the glue dried, I cut the rectangle in half, and stacked the two pieces. Then I cut leaf like shapes from the paper. Using an eighth inch hole punch, I put holes in the ends of the paper leaves. 

Now, if you want a pair of temporary earrings, you can put them together from this point. Just don't get them wet, and they may last a little while. But, if you want something a little more durable, you will need to seal the paper. For these earrings, I took a small brush and spread Tacky glue on each side. Brush one side with glue, let it dry, then brush the other side and let it dry. Go ahead and add a couple of coats if you have the patience for it.

If you want a glossy surface on your paper, you can use a dimensional glaze, like this one. I've used this glaze on other paper earrings and like it better than the tacky glue. (I will post another tutorial later.)

Cut two equal piece of copper wire, roughly four inches. Using your round nose pliers, bend each piece of wire in the middle so that it forms a shape like the third picture. Check to see if the wire is matching up with the size of your paper cut outs, like the third picture. Adjust if you need to.

Grip one end of the wire with your pliers, and curl it into the design like the fifth picture. I trimmed a little wire off each piece to make the next step easier. You may or may not need to do that.

Sorry about the crappy seventh picture, but it get's the job done. Kind of. Gripping the other end of the wire with your round nose pliers, curl it into a loop like the eight picture. To assemble your earrings, you will need jump rings. If you would like to make your own, follow the pictures below:

I made four jump rings out of copper wire. I made two larger rings to put around the paper leaves and wire design, and two smaller rings to connect the first jump ring to the ear hook loop. To open your jump rings, use your round nose pliers and your flat nose pliers. Close them the same way.

Now you've got a pair of paper earrings! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know! As you can see from the picture below, these earrings work without any wire design. I only used the two jump rings per earring to assemble the pieces.