Sunday, September 25, 2011

Edge of Urge- super hippie earring +diy

Handmade Edge of Urge-inspired Earring
The Real Edge of Urge Earring
Another Edge of Urge Earring
As seen on celebs like Lucy Hale (in Seventeen Magazine) these Edge of Urge earrings are totally popular right now, with the whole feather craze. So..... of course I had to find out how to make this myself. It seemed pretty simple; a hoop earring with feather, string and charm dangles. What's great about these earrings is that they are totally customizable. Colors, lengths of the dangles, how many dangles, what patterns, what beads, what string etc. are all choices that you can make to come up with a truly original earring, celebrity-style!
Plus, why spend $84 on the real deal when you can make one yourself for basically nothing? All that is needed is some wire, string, beads, paper, charms and feathers. Look below for the full tutorial!

Step 1: Gather materials. You will need wire (I just used a basic craft wire, but if you have sensitive ears use sterling silver because this hoop will be going through your ear. I'd say 18g / 16g wire, some embroidery floss, some hemp or other cool string, feathers, some charms, ribbon ends and some seed beads. I used size 11 seed beads and size 8.


Step 2: Crimp the ribbon ends to the ends of the feathers, making sure you crimp nice and tight so they are secure. I used three feathers, breaking into two groups. Take a piece of your wire, 4" or so, and wrap around the neck of a nail polish bottle to create a nice circular shape. Cut a little past where the ends meet.


Step 3: Make a small loop with the end of a roundnose pliers at one end of the wire. Loop the wire as seen in the middle picture, then bend the loop flat so it follows the curve of the wire (third picture). 




Take the wire with a regular pliers about .5cm from the other end, and bend straight up to form a 90 degree angle. Your loop is complete. 


Step 4: Set the loop aside. Make your first dangle; I deconstructed the embroidery floss into three individual threads, then braided them to a 3" braid. If you want yours to be longer or shorter, braid accordingly. Also, you could use three different color threads for a cool tye-dye look. I added three beads and a charm to the end, then brought my thread ends back up through the beads, and knotted at the top of the beads.


Step 5: Thread the other end of your braided dangle through a crimp, then back again to create a loop. Without crimping yet, add it to the wire loop, pull the thread tighter (but not too tight so it can't move on the loop) and crimp. Cut the ends. Now, this is the time to customize. You can add as many dangles as you want, as many braids, some charm dangles, whatever. I added one more dangle of embroidery floss with 3 size 8 seed beads tied on (this dangle was about 2.5"). I added a crimp to the top and crimped it onto my loop. Then I added my feathers to the other side. Go crazy or keep it simple. It's up to you!


Step 6: Create the signature Edge of Urge Cluster Flock feather. I tried to re-create as best as I could without spending 50 hours trying to get it exact. You can do the same; copy my feather or draw your own! The feather measures 3" long and about 1.25" wide. You will need a piece of wallpaper (you know those scraps you can get at Menard's? That's what I used. If you don't have any, you can use cardstock but they won't be waterproof. Or, you can use a piece of thick fabric. Whatever has the best pattern). I drew my feather on the blank side of the paper, and cut it out. Then, I glued it to the blank side again, and cut it out after it was dry, so it was double-sided. 

Last step; Poke a hole through the top of the feather. Add a jump ring, and attach to your earring. Finished!!! To close your earring, press the bent end of the wire up through the loop you created on the other side. It should easily latch.



The Finished Earring


If you share/use/post this tutorial, please link back to me. It is much appreciated 

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Chic Metal Earring Tutorial; Oasis-inspired designer jewelry

Oasis Metal Disc Earrings
Oasis Metal Disc Earrings
My newest tutorial; Make your own Oasis metal stud earrings! As seen on ASOS.com, a super-popular fashion site with pieces in many fashion magazines. Super chic and versatile for every new fall outfit. Plus, they are totally easy to make. You aren't limited to silver, copper and gold; with the versatility of nail polish (which we will use to paint our clay base), you can create any color combination. My tutorial shows how to make a metallic taupe pair, by using various shades of opaque and metallic brown nail polish.
Ready? Set? Go!

My version!


Step 1: Gather materials. You need some white opaque acrylic paint, two earring posts, a marble-sized ball of scrap polymer clay (any color works, we will paint over it), super glue, and some nailpolish (colors depend on what metal you want to replicate; I am using Nirvana by Sinful Colors for my opaque brown base coat, then various white and taupe shimmery shades by Sally Hansen for the top coats.) Make sure to get one opaque color and then maybe 1-2 shimmery shades for top coats. Sometimes, mixing shades turns out well too. Layer a dark black, then top with shimmery purple and green for a cool lamé effect. 


Step 2: Make two half-centimeter sized balls of clay. Flatten into a pancake. Drape over a fluted glass (here, I used a champagne glass) with a lot crevices. You could use any piece of glassware with a small pattern. Press down gently, then gently peel off the clay ball. You should have a subtle imprint in the clay. This step is crucial to getting that textured look the Oasis earrings have. Bake these clay pieces at about 150 degrees for 15 min. Your time may be a little different, as I use a small toaster oven.


Step 3: Glue posts to the back (the untextured side) of the clay pieces. Let dry. Paint a thick coat of the white acrylic on the pieces, and stick into a ball of thumb tack to dry. Wait a few hours to make sure it's completely dry. Paint your opaque nail polish shade on top of the white; make sure to get the sides and back of the clay disc as well. Again, stick in thumb tack and let dry a couple of hours.


Step 4: The fun part. Layer your transparent shimmery shades on top. I used one shade of Sally Hansen #4453 (a light shimmery taupe). Then I used two shades of Wet and Wild Beautiful in Bronze. Feel free to experiment with different layers and colors. If you want to give the illusion of metal (like the Oasis earrings) though, only stick with brassy, coppery, silvery, or gold-like shades. 
Make sure you let each coat dry a couple of hours before applying a new coat, or the paint will be gummy and never dry. Then, paint with a coat of clear lacquer or clear nail polish on top for extra shine. Let dry a couple of hours. You are finished!

The finished earrings. Super simple yet chic.



If you share/use/post this tutorial, please link back to me. It is much appreciated