Amy submitted her beautiful bridesmaids’ gifts – handmade earrings!
You will need:
* Silver headpins
* Ball and coil earring posts
* Cutting pliers
* Round nose pliers
* Flat nose pliers
* 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals (two needed of different colors per earring)
* 4mm Swarovski pearls (one needed per earring)
* 6mm round Swarovski crystals (one needed per earring)
* 3mm Bali silver plated beads. These are very thin spacer beads. (two needed per earring)
* 3mm silver round beads (one needed per earring)
Instructions:
Place beads on headpins – here is the pattern Amy used:
From bottom to top: 3mm silver round bead, 4mm Swarovski pearl, 3mm Bali bead, 4mm bicone Swarovski crystal (color 1), 6mm round swarovski crystal, 3mm bali bead, 4mm bicone swarovski crystal (color 2)
Using your flat nose pliers, bend the wire on top of the last bead at a 90 degree angle.
Using your cutting pliers, cut excess wire to where there is about 3/8 – 1/2 inch of wire remaining.
Put your thumbnail in the corner under the 90 degree bend, and at the same time, using your round nose pliers, grasp the end of the wire. Then, use the pliers to turn the wire in a complete loop. The thumbnail trick really helps to center the loop over the headpin and beads.
Add the ball and coil earring post to the loop before closing it up with the flat nose pliers.
VOILA! A pair of simple, formal earrings!