DIY Earring Making: Boho Style

Boho Earring TutorialWhat a dreary day, this day started out to be.  By 6:30 this evening the sun popped out coupled with a cool breeze.  I didn’t see that coming!  Thank you, Mother Nature.  My hubs fixed hot dogs, I made mac and cheese and after we ate (2 hot dogs each I might add), we felt we needed to take the dogs on a walk.

It was a great day.  I got a nice note from one of my Etsy customers first thing this morning.  She lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.  This amazes me.  I moved through my deadline/to-do list nice and easy and topped it off with a walk.   Now we are watching the Outsiders.  Well, I’m 3/4 watching and writing.

Now about these Boho earrings!  This is the final pair of orchid colored earrings for awhile.  I promise!  This tutorial will show you how to make an eye pin or a bead link.
Jewelry Making: DIY Boho EarringsTo do this, I am using Beadalon’s Artistic Wire 20g.  The pictures tell the story.  I’ll chime in from time to time if there’s something specific I want to show you (and also because I’m a babbling brook and just can’t help myself).
How to make a simple loop at the end of a wire 1Grasp the end of the wire at the point on the round nose pliers where you want that diameter of loop.  Tiny loop at the tip–bigger loop at the back of the jaw.
How to make a simple loop on a wire 2
How to make a simple loop in jewelry making
Round out the Simple Loop
Straighten the loopWhen you get the loop completely formed, it’s going to be wonky.  Here’s how you fix it:
Straighten the eye pin
Square up the loopBasically grab the loop at the back side and tweak it backwards.
How To Make A Wire Loop for Jewelry Making
How To Open a simple loop or eye pinTo open an eye pin, switch to your chain nose pliers and open the loop from side to side.
How to open an eye pin
Connect a leaf charm to the eye pin
Close the loop to secure the charmClose it in the same fashion.  See how it keeps its shape?
Finish the end of the wire in a loopString your select beads (by the way, those are from a Jesse James Beads Design Pack) and make a 90 degree bend at the top of the last bead.
Trim the WireTrim leaving approximately 3/8″ (or the width of the side of your finger like I do).
Jewelry Making  Earring LoopRoll the end of the wire into a loop with the round nose pliers.How to Form a Simple Loop in jewelry making
Finished Simple Loop on Earring
Open the loop from side to side
Attaching an ear wire
Boho Earring TutorialThis type of loop isn’t as secure as a wrapped loop, but for earrings, it should be ok since they aren’t in a high traffic area while worn.

On another note, the names in this movie are great!!  Pony Boy, Sodapop, Darry and Two-Bit.  I’m pretty sure we had to read this in school.  My memory is vacant, but Hubs says he actually read it.  Decorating my locker was more of a priority than reading if that tells you anything.

Funny how things change.  These days, I love reading and thankful for that change.

Earringology by Candie CooperReady to get on the earring making train?  May I humbly suggest Earringology, my latest book geared for beginners to enthusiasts looking for some new inspiration.

P.S. Katie Hacker is giving away a copy of Earringology on her blog!  Check it out!

**Earring resources:

Findings from Beadalon.

Beads from JesseJamesBeads.com

DIY Earring Making Bar

Candie Cooper Earring Bar   Are you looking for a fun party activity over the holidays?  Or any day for that matter?  This is it!  Your guests get to design their own earrings.  You would think men might snooze at the sound of it, but I’ve seen guys get in on the fun too, designing pairs for their lady friends as well as dads and daughters making them for momma bear.  It’s a lot of fun!  All you need are a few supplies and a little earring making know-how.  Here are some tips and ideas for your DIY Earring Bar:  Candie Cooper Earring Bar 1Keep it simple by leaving small amounts of supplies sorted in pretty champagne glasses, vintage coasters and plates.  Too many choices can be overwhelming.Candie Cooper Earring Bar 4Cut up vintage necklaces for beads (or you can purchase beads from your local craft store).  This bar had vintage Swarovski crystals.  Oo la la!  No one can resist the sparkle.  Candie Cooper Earring Bar 5Offer up two colors of metal–silver and gold findings are tried and true. This applies to spacer beads as well.  My favorite are the tiny ones with crystals like these balls from Ornamentea.com or these.  Make sure you get lots of those!  They are the glitter of jewelry making.Candie Cooper Earring 3Once people are happy with their stack of beads on the head pin, it’s your turn to finish the loop at the end and attach the ear wire.  I had a great time chatting with people while they picked through the bead bowls and helping with their designs.Candie Cooper Earring Bar 2Here’s a trusty check list of supplies for earring making.  I should also add that it’s nice to have a small jewelry pouch or bag to put finished earrings in so they aren’t easily lost into the bottom of purse abysses (that would be my purse btw).Candie Cooper Earring Bar 6I’m doing a trunk show this Friday night at Lux Boutique in Kokomo, IN where I’ll have another earring bar set up!  This time I’ll add a few different beads and findings to keep it fresh.  Party on with your sparkly self!