Display frame of earrings

I got this box frame given because the giver "thought I would be able to do something with it", the glass was broken so I took that out and popped it into my box of glass for fusing and stained glass work.  Then there was the frame.....

It sat in my craft room for a while, waiting for inspiration to hit.

Then I decided I would make a charity donation to the Animals Refuge, where Ruby came from.  Obviously we paid our cash donation as per, but I just wanted something a little extra for their gift shop.

So I took the frame.

Removed the back board and decopatched it in a pretty purple paper.  I mix PVA with a bit of water for the glue base and also use that as the varnish too.

Slapped it on...

Then I left it to dry before popping it back into the frame.

My business cards  (method in my madness, which I shall explain later on) with holes punched in, how many can I fit in the frame space?  24 in total.  I mark the spots where the holes are with a Sharpie pen.

And stick clear push pins into it.   They were tricky to get in due to the varnish on the paper, but got them through with a little twiddling about.

Yep, that's the look I was going for.

But need to do something about the sharp sticky out pins at the back.  With a strong wire cutter I trimmed them off, but they were still a bit sticky outy and a touch sharp.

We had some corrugated plastic sheets from making our Guinea Pig cage back in December, so cut strips of that and with double-sided sticky tape, placed it over the pin ends.

Here stands a slight issue.  The holes I have punched in the cards will not go over the pins.  So, I need a larger hole cutter or a smaller pin.

A trip to Hobbycraft got me a 10mm circle punch at half price!  Bargain.

Now for something different....

34 pairs of earrings, all made and put onto the cards.  The reason that I used my business cards is that the nice white back gives a good plain background for the earrings, but anyone who buys a pair takes away all  my details with them  :)  Always looking for a way to advertise  ;)

Now to hang them up on the little pins.  (with some in a bag as replacements)

And off to the Refuge they will go, in the hope it might earn them a few pennies in their collection pot.   I have also pledged to restock the frame with earrings, when needed, for the next year  :)

ps: The Amazon links I've scattered throughout the page are affiliated  if you click and buy I might get a few pennies - just so you know.

Falling Shell Earrings

Brightly coloured and cute, and with using shell charms you get a real taste of beach-side summer.  You can make them with any small shell shapes as long as they are top-drilled.

You will need:

1 Pair Earring Wires 

6 x 10mm Jump rings 

6 x 10mm Shell Hearts (Top Drilled)

What you do:

• Open one 10mm jump ring and slide on a shell charm. Close the ring tightly. 

• Open a second jump ring and slide on a heart and the first jump ring before closing tightly. 

• Do exactly the same with a third ring, this time attaching it to the last ring so you get a chain of three rings all with hearts attached. 

• Add a final ring with a charm and slip the earing wire on as well before closing tightly.

• Make a second earring exactly as before.

And here is a pair made with cute little heart shell charms.

© Sue Simmons / The Bead Shed /2006

Stardust Earrings

These sparkly little earrings were published in Beads & Beyond, November 2008.

Made from lightweight hollow beads, you get the full on look without having your earlobes dragged to the ground.

You will need:

• 32 x 6mm Stardust metal beads 
• 32 Headpins 
• 2 Earring Wires 
• 2 Extender Chains, or 16 link lengths of chain 
• 32 Seed Beads 

What you do:

• Take a head pin and thread on a seed bead and a Stardust Bead.

• With Round Nose Pliers, bend the pin over into a loop close to the bead, but do not cut off. 

• Thread the pin through the last loop on your extender chain. 

• Holding your loop tight with your pliers, wind the pin around the bottom of the loop twice to wrap onto the top of the bead.

• Cut off the excess wire as close as possible to the bead.

• Tuck the wire edge in neat to the bead so you do not have any sharp ends. 

• Repeat STEP 1-6, but this time adding the wire to the second link on the chain.

• Continue until you have one bead added to every link in the chain. 

• Open the hook on an Earwire and add the top link of the chain to the loop before closing securely.

• Make a second one exactly the same way. 

© S Simmons, The Bead Shed, 2008

Hammered Spiral Earrings

Really lightweight yet substansial looking earrings, and all you need is some nice wire, a few beads and earring hooks.

What you need:

• 36cm Coloured (Not Covered) Wire 
• 2 Earring Wires 
• 2 x 6mm Beads 
• 12 x Large Seed Beads

What you do:

• Cut the wire into two x 18cm pieces. 
• Using one piece and some long-nose pliers, form the end into a rough loop. 

• Hand curl the wire into a rough coil, leaving a straight piece of approx 3cm.

• Take a hammer and hammer the coil to get an interesting textured effect. (be careful when using plated wire as the plating can chip off if you hammer it too hard).

• Thread on three small beads, pushing them to the bottom of the coil. 

• Bend the wire immediately after the coil into a sharp right-angle, then thread on the larger bead followed by three small beads. 

• Form a loop in the excess wire with some round-nose pliers and hook onto an earring wire. 

• Repeat for the second earring.

© Sue Simmons / The Bead Shed / 2006

Figaro Earrings

These earrings have a little bit of work in them, but they hang and sway so nicely and are so eye-catching.

Published in Beads & Beyond magazine, March 2009.

You will need:

• 2 x Earring Wires 
• 2 x 16” Figaro Chains 
• 2 x 50mm Eyepins 
• 2 x 4mm Jump Rings 
• 12 x Sz 12 AB Clear Seed Beads

What you do:

1. Cut the chain as follows: 

••• Starting at a large link, count 5 large links down then cut the chain at the last small link before the 6th large link. 

••• 2 pieces in the same manner but with 4 large links in the piece. 

••• 2 pieces but with 3 large links 

••• 2 pieces but with 2 large links 

2. Onto an eye pin thread a 2 link piece with the large link at the top, then a Seed Bead, followed by the 3 link piece, seed bead, 4 link piece, seed bead, 5 link piece, seed bead, 4 link piece, seed bead, 3 link piece, seed bead and finally the 2 link piece. 

3. Turn the end of the eye pin into a loop the same size as the eye on the eyepin and trim off the excess. 

4. Cut some more chain, this time 3 large links long with a large link at each end – 2 pieces of this. 

5. Open the eye on the eyepin and slide on a piece of this chain before closing again, do the same at the 

opposite side. 

6. Cut a final piece of chain 2 large links long, ending on the last small link before the next large link. 

7. Open the jump ring and slide on one piece of chain connected to the eyepin loop, then the last piece you 

have just cut, then the other piece on the eye pin and finally an earwire before closing. 

8. Make a second one to match !

© Sue Simmons / The Bead Shed / 2007

I do apologise about the poor quality photos in this tutorial, I will endeavour to re-make them at some point with much better pics.

Rose Charm Earrings

Cute little metal rose charms make the focal part of this earring, don't be afraid of mixing gold and silver, they happen to work beautifully together, and of course there is the added bonus that they will go with any of your other jewellery too  :)

You will need:

• 1 pr Earring Wires 
• 2 x 50mm Eye Pins 
• 2 Metal Rose Charms 
• 2 Oval Tube Beads 

What you do:

• Open up the jump ring attached to the Rose Charm and lay to one side for later. 

• Open the loop on the bottom of the eye pin, hook on the rose charm and close the loop tightly. 

• Slide the long oval tube bead onto the pin. 

• Form a loop with the wire at the top using some round nose pliers, cutting off the excess with some wire cutters. 

• Using the coloured ring you put to one side before, link together the earring wire and the loop on the top of the pin. 

• Make a second earring.

© Sue Simmons / The Bead Shed / 2006