Make "Kiss Me" Heart Earrings

Before: scrap book hearts

Today is project four of NJAD Valentine's Day week. We had some plastic hearts that were leftover from a scrap booking project. We decided the two pink "Kiss Me" hearts were perfect to make into post earrings.


Materials
2 plastic hearts
2 surgical steel post earring findings with 4mm pad

After: Earrings by GeltDesigns.com

2 surgical steel ear nuts
3M wet/dry sandpaper

E6000 or glue of your choice
Black Sharpie marker


Step 1
Select the hearts you want to use.

Step 2
Color the lettering with the black Sharpie or marker of your choice.

Step 3
Sand the pad of the post to rough up the metal and make the glue stick better. Sand the plastic where you plan to glue the pad.

Glue on earring post

Step 4
Glue the earring post to the back of the heart. Allow the glue to dry overnight or according to manufacturer's instructions.


Related Tutorials 
Make a Valentine's Day Pendant from a Scrabble® Tile
Make a "True Love" Bracelet from Scrabble® Tiles
Make a Valentine's Day Pendant from a Copper Washer and Scrap Sterling
Make a Heart Pin from a Glass Pebble
Make Button Earrings

Further Reading
"500 Earrings: New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry (500 Series)"; Lark; 2007.

Day 82.  Month 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: scrap booking supplies
New Jewelry a Day.

Make Post Earrings from a Gift Card

Before: History Channel Gift Card

Like Tony Soprano, my entire family loves the History Channel....so when we saw the History Channel Pop Shop in Times Square we had to check it out. The store gave each of my kids a gift card inviting them to download a free episode from iTunes. My kids were all psyched. Even the adults. My daughter and I were double psyched. Free downloads and a card that could make interesting jewelry! Excellent!

We decided to use one gift card to make post earrings. We used clip-on posts rather than pierced posts for this project (because that is what we had on hand and our pledge is to make stuff for a year for NJAD with things we have or we reclaim), but the process is the same with clip-on or post earrings.

After:Clip-on Earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
Credit card, gift card or other plastic card Clip-on earring findings
JB Weld  or other glue


Tools
Disc cutter
Wet/dry sandpaper, assorted grits



Step 1

Cut the gift card

Use a disc cutter, craft knife or scissors to cut the gift card into two 3/4-inch disks.

Step 2

Sand edges of plastic

Sand the edges of the plastic disks with wet/dry sandpaper to remove frayed edges and make the disks jewelry smooth.

Tip: place the wet/dry sandpaper on your work surface and move the disk for an easier time sanding.

Step 3

Glue the finding to the disk

Arrange the findings on the top third of the prepared disk. Placing the findings on the top third of the earring will allow the earring to hang best and make the earring more comfortable-- especially important for clip-on earring findings.

Mark the disk where you plan to glue with a marker, if needed.

Step 4
Glue the clip-on or other post finding to the disk. Allow the JB Weld or the glue of your choice to cure overnight or according to the glue manufacturer's instructions.

Related Tutorials
How to Use a Disc Cutter 
Make a Necklace from a Credit Card
Make a Bracelet from a Gift Card
Make Earrings from an iTunes Gift Card
How to Make Earrings from a Credit Card  
How to Make a Bracelet from a Credit Card 
Make Post Earrings from Vintage Game Pieces
Make Post Earrings from Buttons


Further Reading
"Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects: Creative Projects, Simple Techniques"; Marthe Le Van; 2007.
"Beaded Jewelry with Found Objects: Incorporate Anything from Buttons to Shells";  Carole Rodgers; 2004.
"Junk to Jewelry: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Found Objects in Jewelry You Can Actually Wear"; Brenda Schweder; 2007.

New & Noteworthy
"Jewelry from Found Objects";  Heather Skowood; 2011.

Day 48.  Month 3.  Jewelry from Found Objects.
Found materials: gift card
New Jewelry a Day.

TGIF!! 

Make LEGO® Christmas Earrings

Before: LEGO® in the toy box

We've used LEGO® parts to make earrings before and just the other day we went through our huge pile of LEGO® to  make a giant necklace inspired inspired by the Smithosonian gem collection from  LEGO®. 

Today we decided to use some small, typical LEGO® pieces to construct these quick and easy, green and red earrings that bring Christmas cheer. We made our earring using clip-on findings, but any post findings can be used.

Materials
LEGO®
JB Weld or the glue of your choice
Earring findings

Step 1
Gather your materials. Play with the LEGO® until you like your design.

Step 2
Attach the earring findings to the back of the LEGO® using glue. To hand correctly and comfortably on the ear, the earring finding should be centered in the top third of the earring.

Step 3
Allow the glue to cure overnight or according to the manufacturer's instructions.

After:  LEGO® Xmas Earrings by GeltDesigns

Step 4
LEGO® are interlocking and often need no glue to secure the design. In fact, the fun of  LEGO® earrings is you can change them....but if you love your design or are worried about losing earring parts due to dancing, skiing or other vigorous activities, then glue the pieces together.

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!!!
         ---from the girls at GeltDesigns.com and NewJewelryADay

Day 34. Week 5. Month 2. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: LEGO®
New Jewelry a Day. 

Turn an Earring into a Pendant

Before: Lost Earring

Sometimes upcycling is just using something that is broken or has lost parts.

I do not know what happened to the mate to this gorgeous earring. I just know it is long gone. The earring is very large and cried out to be made into a pendant, pearl enhancer or the focal point of a large necklace. We opted to make it into a pendant.

....the next question was how to accomplish the conversion. We immediately decided we did not want to solder a bail onto the back of the earring. Soldering would require removing the stunning fused glass from the setting. Whoever made these earrings did not leave a hole in the back that would ease repairs and removal of the glass. Soldering could be done, but we did not want to solder.

We knew we could drill to holes toward the top of the earring and attach a chain, bead strand or other necklace component, but we were worried that drilling holes would result in the pendant hanging oddly.

After: Pendant Repurposed  by GeltDesigns

So the solution we came up with was turning the post of the earring into a bail. The post was soldered about 1/3 way down the back of the earring. The location not only caused the earring to hang well on the ear it also would encourage the pendant to drape well on a chain.

Tools
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers


Step 1
Clean the earring.

Step 2
Use round nose pliers to form the ear post into a loop. Form the loop down (not up) and tuck the end of the post against the back of the earring.

Step 3
Use chain nose pliers to continue to form the post into a bail Adjust the wire so the loop is centered, completely closed and flush against the back of the earrings.

Step 4
Feed the chain through the loop. We tried using a simple leather chain, but decided it was not substantive enough.

Next we tried a sterling silver neck ring and that worked but sat a little to rigid.

So we borrowed a chain from another necklace for the  dramatic look the pendant demanded.

Further Reading
"The Jewelry Repair Manual"; R. Allen Hardy; 1996.
"How to Repair Jewelry";  William (Mike) Phelps; 1987.

New & Noteworthy
"Jewelry Fixups: How to Clean, Repair and Restore Your Jewelry";  David McLoughlin; 2011.

Day 30. Week 5. Month 2. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Lost Earring
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make Post Earrings from Vintage Game Pieces

Before: Game Pieces

Today was a busy day. The holiday season is in full swing. Schools will let out in a few days and everybody is looking forward to vacation. We did not have a lot of time to make jewelry.

When scouring our house for materials, we found a lot of game pieces from games we owned and played through the years. Many had broken or missing parts. The broken games were trashed but some of the parts are very cool. These were from an old backgammon set. We think.

After: Post Earrings by GeltDesigns

These vintage game pieces are lovely. Nobody knows for sure what type of material the pieces are made from. One expert said they were ivory. Another said they were bone. yet another said they were plastic.

When we thought they were plastic we considered stamping the pieces and embossing them with gold but that seemed a crime if there was even a chance they were made of ivory or bone. After doing a test assembly, we  decided the pieces needed little done to them to create simple, elegant post earrings.

Tools
Acetone
220-grit wet/dry sandpaper

Materials
Two game pieces
Two post earring findings with glue pad and two clutch earring backs
Glue

Step 1
Gather your materials. We used glue on findings and big backs because that is what we had. (Remember, our task is to make new jewelry a day without spending any additional money and using only what we have on hand from our craft supplies.) You may want to use different sizes.

Step 2
Clean the game pieces. Decide which side will be the front and which the back.

Step 3
Sand the back of the post earring finding using 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper to prepare to attach the finding to the game piece. Clean the sanded findings with acetone to remove grease and grim. Rinse with water and dry.We used cold fusion (otherwise known as chemical bonding or glue) to attach the earrings.

Step 4
Glue the finding to the top third of the game piece.

Step 5
Repeat to create second earring.

Step 6
Let the glue set overnight or according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Further Reading
"The Earring Style Book: Making Designer Earrings, Capturing Celebrity Style, and Getting the Look for Less"; Stephanie A. Wells; 2010.
"101 Wire Earrings: Step-by-Step Projects and Techniques";  Denise Peck; 2009.
30-Minute Earrings: 60 Quick & Creative Projects for Jewelers; Marthe Le Van; 2010.
Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings;  Jean Campbell; 2010.

Day 24. Week 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Backgammon game pieces
New Jewelry a Day.