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.