* This post is sponsored by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. All designs and love for bling are my own.
When I was challenged by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores to create a glamorous gift as part of their Make Gifts Merrier movement, I knew exactly what I would make: JEWELRY, of course! I am such a jewelry junkie! In fact, that is how my blog got its name! I was designing and selling jewelry and my sister thought of the name “Bombshell Bling Jewelry” for my Etsy shop. The rest is history. 🙂
I have a two and a half year old daughter, so, as you can imagine, we watch a LOT of Frozen in our home. A LOT. We were even the cast of Frozen characters for Halloween! I have shared other Frozen inspired tutorials on my site in the past, but I couldn’t resist doing another one. I walked into my local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store and, despite seeing rows of glimmering goodies, I was immediately drawn to the icy blues and whites. However, instead of giving my Frozen inspired project a kiddie feel, like my prior tutorials, I decided to opt for a grown up take. And thus my icy dangle cluster earrings were born. If you can master a few basic steps you will be delighted by how quickly this earring making tutorial comes together, and by how easy it will be to customize in the future!
Let’s get started, fellow glam lovers! Below you will see the supplies that you will need. I got all of them at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. Blue crystals, white glittering beads, eyepins, extra large jump ring, kidney ear wires, round nosed pliers, flat nosed pliers, wire snips.
Start with one of your crystals or beads and an eyepin. Thread the eyepin through your crystal/bead. Use the round nosed pliers to bend the eyepin to the side, as shown below.
Next you will twist the eyepin back over the round nosed pliers until it loops around, as shown below.
While you are holding the pliers as shown below, grab the flat nosed pliers and use them to grab the eyepin’s wire end and twist it a couple of times around itself (the eyepin) so that it is secured, as shown below.
Use the wire snips to clip off the excess eyepin wire, as shown below.
Repeat this process over and over with a total of six white beads and six blue crystals. When you have them all completed, use your pliers to gently bend open an extra large jump ring and then simply thread the jump ring through the loops, alternating white beads and blue crystals.
Use your flatnosed pliers to bend the jump ring back into a closed position.
Finally, slide the kidney ear wire through the center of the jump ring.
All done! You can use this technique with any beads, so this tutorial is endlessly customizable! SCORE, right?!
If you loved this tutorial then be sure to head over to the Make Gifts Merrier page of the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores website – loads more ideas for handmade gifts, glamorous and not-so-glamorous alike! ALSO, fun news! If you share a picture of one of your holiday projects on Instagram and use the hashtag #MakeItGiveIt then you will be automatically entered to win a $100 gift card to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores! Awwwwwwesome, right?! This is an online sweepstakes partnership between Jo-Ann and the National Military Family Association. You have until December 25th to enter, so go get busy with your camera and capture all of the fabulous projects that you have been creating all holiday season! The 5 winners will be announced on December 30th, and Jo-Ann will also be donating five $100 gift cards to the National Military Family Association to distribute to families. You can see the official rules here: http://bit.ly/MIGI14. All entries will be featured on their Make Gifts Merrier Holiday Hub, so be sure to check it out!
Autumn says
so pretty!