Make Dog Earrings from Toys

Before: toys in the toy box.

It is a dreaded task. Nobody in our family likes cleaning out the toy box. I hate sorting the toys. My kids hate my queries. The task always takes longer than any of expect....but sometimes cleaning out the toy box yields nice objects that can be used for jewelry making.

I have no idea what the origin was for these two dog figurines. They were never a family favorite. They were buried at the bottom of the toy box where they inevitable sunk quickly (probably in the initial toss) and sat undisturbed for who knows how long. In short, these little dogs were destined to become earrings.

After: Earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
Two surgical steel earring hooks
Two small screw eyes
Two dog figurines

Tools
Pliers

Step 1
Select two matching figurines. We used two dogs, but there are many small toys that make great earring components.

Step 2
Make or select the ear wires. We used commercially made surgical steel ear hooks because the color matches the screw eye and we have a lot of them on hand, but consider the style ear wire and color metal when selecting findings for your earrings.

Step 3
Gather your tools and materials.

Step 4
Place the screw eye in the center of the back of the toy figurine. Make a divot and then begin screwing the screw eye into the back. You do not need to drill first, just mark and begin screwing the part into the toy.

Use your pliers for added leverage when screwing in the eye. It may be easier to hold the screw eye with your pliers and turn the toy figurine to secure the finding.

Step 5
Attach the ear wire to the screw eye. Adjust the screw eye or the finding to be sure the earring hangs straight.

Step 6
Repeat to create second earring.

Related Tutorials
How to Make an Ear Wire Jig 
Make Earrings from Grommets
Make Earrings from Steel Wire
Make Earrings from an iTunes Gift Card
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics

Further Reading
"Beaded Jewelry with Found Objects: Incorporate Anything from Buttons to Shells"; Carole Rodgers; 2004.
"Jewelry and Accessories from Everyday Objects: 19 Unique Projects Inspired by Found Objects and Ready-Made Materials"; Tair Parnes; 2007.
"Semiprecious Salvage: Creating Found-Art Jewelry"; Stephanie Lee; 2008.
"Junk Jewelry: 25 Extraordinary Designs to Create from Ordinary Objects";  Jane Eldershaw; 2008.
"The New Jewelry: Contemporary Materials & Techniques (Arts and Crafts (Lark Books))"; Carles Codina; 2005.

New & Noteworthy
"Jewelry Upcycled!: Techniques and Projects for Reusing Metal, Plastic, Glass, Fiber, and Found Objects"; Sherri Haab, Michelle Haab; 2011.


Day 55.  Month 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: toy dog figurines
New Jewelry a Day.
 

Make Duct Tape Earrings

Before: Duct Tape & Stickers

Duct tape is the rage of the middle school set. Look around your local middle school and you will find incredible duct tape wallets, purses, ties and iPod covers. After finding colorful duct tape and neon stickers, the youngest member of our team thought of an idea to turn these household items into earrings that look downright awesome. 

Materials

Duct Tape

Earring findings

2 stickers

Duct Tape Earrings by GeltDesigns

Tools

Scissors

Center punch or automatic center punch

Chain nose pliers (optional but recommended)

Step One

Gather all the materials.  You will need some colorful duct tape, two puffy stickers about ½-inch square and two brass fish hook earrings. We used Duck Brand duct tape because it comes in many bright colors, but any duct tape will do.

Step Two

Eyeball out about 2 inches of duct tape and rip or tear it (don’t bother measuring the length because you will cut it to size later).

Step Three

Fold duct tape so that the sticker can fit on with a little extra space above and below it. There should be lots of extra tape to the left and right of the sticker.

Step Four

Stick the sticker on the duct tape; try to center it, but if you can’t it will not make a big difference

Step Five

Trim the extra duct tape to the left and right of the sticker. You want to leave a little extra tape so you can see the color. Try to leave equal amounts of duct tape on each side so the sticker is centered.

Step Six

Drill a hole in the top of the newly made “bead”. Drill directly above the sticker on the duct tape (you may use either a drill or a center punch to create the hole).

Step Seven

Attach the drilled “bead” you just made to the brass fish hook earring finding.

Step Eight

ENJOY YOUR NEW EARRINGS! :)

Related Tutorials
Make Earrings from Shoe Charms 
Make Your Own Ear Wires
How to Make an Ear Wire Jig

Further Readings 
"The Jumbo Duct Tape Book";  Jim Berg, Tim Nyberg; 2000.
"Stick It!: 99 DIY Duct Tape ProjectsStick It!: 99 DIY Duct Tape Projects";  T.L. Bonaddio; 2009.
"Ductigami: The Art of the Tape";  Joe Wilson; 2006.
"Duct Tape Book: The Ultimate Duct Tape Book";  Tim Nyberg, Jim Berg; 1998.
"Got Tape?: Roll Out the Fun With Duct Tape!";  Ellie Schiedermayer; 2002.
"The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book";  Jim Berg, Tim Nyberg; 2003.

Day 28. Week 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Duct Tape, Stickers
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make a Neck-Ring from Copper Pipe

Before: Copper Pipe

Earlier we made a bangle bracelet from a copper pipe and we added a blue patina to made the bracelet colorful. For this project, we used copper pipe to make a striking, but

After: Copper Neck Ring by GeltDesig

simple neck-ring that looks great with a turtleneck and an open collar neckline.

Tools
Jewelers saw and saw blades
Bench pin and anvil 
Half-round file
220-grit wet/dry sandpaper 
400-grit, 600-grit, 800-grit, 1000-grit, 1500-grit
Necklace mandrel
Forming hammer, rawhide or plastic mallet
Renaissance Wax


Step 1
Determine the amount of material you need. Must neck-rings measure are about 16-inches long, but you may need a neck-ring that is larger of smaller depending on who will wear the jewelry.

Step 2
Cut the pipe. Coat the saw blade with beeswax to prevent the saw blade from slipping as you saw.  Use your jewelers saw and saw blades to cut the pipe. We used a size 2 jeweler's saw blade, but you may need to evaluate the pipe you use to determine the size blade you need. Steady the pipe on a bench pin and anvil as you cut. Some folks use a tube cutting jig to hold the pipe steady while you saw, but we did not use a jig since we found it more cumbersome when cutting from a long length of copper pipe.

Step 3
File the ends of the cut pipe with a half-round file to remove tool marks from sawing the pipe.

Step 4
Sand the ends of the pipe using 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove tool marks caused when filing the pipe ends. Switch to 400-grit, 600-grit, 800-grit, 1000-grit and then 1500-grit, if needed, until the ends are very, very smooth. Remember: sharp ends are not comfortable to wear as jewelry-- especially around the neck.

Step 5
Bend the copper tubing around a necklace forming mandrel. Use a forming hammer, rawhide or plastic mallet to move the metal into shape, if needed.

Note: If you are having trouble bending the copper tube, then the copper pipe may be work hardened from cutting, filing and sawing. If the copper pipe is difficult to bend, anneal the pipe with your torch to soften the metal and make it easier to form. Pickle the copper pipe with Sparex another pickling compound in a crock-pot or pickle pot  to remove oxidation formed when annealing the copper pipe.

Step 6
Finish the necklace. Polish the neck-ring. Texture the neck-ring or patina the neck-ring to add color. Treat the neck-ring with Renaissance Wax to protect your finish and prevent tarnish.

Related Tutorials
Make a Bangle Bracelet from a Copper Pipe
How to Make a Copper Bead
How to Make a Copper Necklace
How to Use a Jewelry Saw
How to Use a File for Jewelry Making
How to Use Sand Paper
How to Anneal Metal for Jewelry Making
How to Make an Acid Pickle Bath
How to Use Alum as a Pickling Solution
How to Create a Scratch Finish in Your Art Jewelry
How to Buff and Polish Jewelry
How to Oxidize Silver Jewelry with Eggs
How to Use a Dremel to Make Jewelry
How to Create a Blue Patina on Copper 
All about Patina
How Use Renaissance Wax
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics  

Further Reading
Contemporary Copper Jewelry: Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects
Mixed Metals: Creating Contemporary Jewelry with Silver, Gold, Copper, Brass, and More
Copper Art Jewelry: A Different Luster
Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition

Day 16. Week 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: copper pipe (for ice maker and refrigerator)
New Jewelry a Day.