Sparkly Paper Earrings

DIY jewelry crafts don't have to be complicated or expensive. Make a pair of Sparkly Paper Earrings from Candace Jedrowicz and wear them with your fanciest outfit. This project is simple enough for beginners but looks like something you'd buy in a boutique.

Materials:

Decorative paper – double sided – I used Tim Holtz Idea-Ology double sided paper pad – Lost and Found
Paper punches – 2″ round, 1 1/8″ round and 1/16″ round
Glitter glue – I used clear iridescent glitter glue
Dimensional sealer – I used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
20 gauge wire
Head pins
Beads – I used crystal beads
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters

Instructions:

Choose a pattern from the pad that you like and punch a 2″ round from it.
From the 2″ round, cut a 1-1/8″ round slightly off center. Be careful here – you will need room to punch 2 tiny holes, one right under the other, in the narrow edge of the 2″ round.
Add glitter glue to the paper rounds. Allow to dry then repeat on the other side.
Cover the paper with dimensional sealer on the rounds and allow plenty of time to dry. Repeat on the other side.
Punch 1/16″ holes as follows: One on the top and one on the bottom of the small circle. Two, one right under the other on the top (the narrow edge) of the large circle.
Slide a crystal on one headpin. Grasp the headpin above the bead with the round nose pliers and wrap the wire around, but don’t close it.
Put the wire through the bottom hole of the small round and match up the loop you just made with the hole in the paper, so the dangle will move freely.
Grasp the looped wire with the round nose pliers between the outer edge of the paper and the bead and close the loop by wrapping the wire tail around. Trim off excess wire. Repeat these steps to make the dangle for the inside of the large round, going through the lower of the two holes you punched in the narrow edge.
Cut a 3″ piece of wire and make a loop 1″ in, but don’t don’t close it. Slide the open loop through the top hole of the small round, like you did at the bottom and close the loop as before.
Slide a bead on the wire and make a loop above the bead, then close it. Repeat at the top of the large round, using a smaller bead to make both earrings the same length.
To make the ear wires – Cut a 3″ piece of wire and make an open loop on one end. Slide an earring on the loop and close as above.
Hold the ear wire just above the closed loop and bend the long end over the handle of a tool for the hook part. Cut off excess wire and lightly sand the points o remove sharp edges. Repeat for the other earring.