Faux Stained Glass Earrings

This is a play on an earlier tutorial with nail polish. I have been experimenting with different materials in the last year, and this is one of my favorite techniques. Using clear nail polish and alcohol ink, I created a resin like medium (without the super toxic part), and the effect of stained glass. You can do this same technique with liquid polymer clay and alcohol ink, but this tutorial eliminates a step by not needing to bake the earrings.

To start, you will need a pair of earrings with loops small enough for the nail polish to adhere properly. Below is an example of a simple loop style earring. Or you can follow the Simple Loop Earring I from this post.

Materials Needed:

• round nose pliers
• flat nose pliers
• 20 gauge wire (Check Joann's too)
• wire cutter
• clear nail polish (any brand)
• alcohol ink of your color preference (I use Adirondack. You can get it from Joann's)
• third hand, if you feel like you need it (I just used it so I had a free hand for pictures)\
• earring hooks/french wires (I use titanium since I am allergic to nickle)

Once your earrings are formed, mix your ink and polish. I use a scratch piece of paper to mix a small batch. Since nail polish sets really quickly, I only work in small batches. I put a couple of drops of clear polish down, and then a drop of ink. Mix it together with a piece of wire.

Gather a drop of the polish on the end of your piece of wire and place it in one of the loops. I use a gentle circular motion to lightly touch the insides of the loop, then pull the wire out. If the nail polish pulls from the middle and doesn't cover the loop, try adding more polish. If adding more polish doesn't help, then your loops might be too big and you will need to adjust them.

Once you have each loop filled, let it set for a few minutes. I have a wire 'tree' where I hang finished pieces to dry so they are out of my way. You want to keep the earring from laying flat on a surface while it dries, for the polish might pool onto the surface and out of the loop.

After both of your earrings are dry, you can put your hooks on. Use a flat nose pliers to open and close the loops on the earring findings. Now you are ready to rock your earrings! I love the way the sun shines through these little beasties.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and check back often for more projects. I just can't stop making things. It's a problem.