These earrings are stunning! As I've mentioned, I absolutely love buttons. They're inexpensive and can be paired with any type of material to create a truly unique piece. In this tutorial, we join small beads and buttons to create a feminine, flirty and ultimately fun look. This can easily be modified to include secondary accent beads or multiple buttons. With a little more experience, wire wrapping can be incorporated.
Materials:
Round nose pliers
2 Small beads, preferably pearlized, iridescent or highly reflective
2 Matching (similar) buttons, preferably low shine
2-4 eye pins*
2 earrings hooks and backings
*Number of eye pins depend on your level of expertise and the size of you buttons. 22 gauge wire can be substituted if necessary.
As always, it's a good idea to lay out your design before creating it. It reduces waste and makes sure you're happy with the finished result. We'll start by stringing the smaller beads. Using an eye pin, string the first bead. Clip the pin 1/2" from the bead. Place the end in the middle of the round nose pliers and bend it inwards, towards the bead, to create a partially closed loop. Make sure the loop is tight, leaving a small opening so that you can attach it to the earring hook.
If there is enough of the used eyepin left, you'll use this to string the button. If not, this second part can be a little tricky.
-Method 1: The Used Pin - Bend one end into a small loop, approximately the same size as the one on the bead. Adjust the loop by bending slightly backwards and then forward again so that the loop is on a right angle. This insures the button will hand vs. sticking straight out. Using the largest end of the round nose pliers,
- Method 2: Method 2 is pretty much the same as the first, only you'll need to judge how much of the pin to cut off.
Now that we have strung both our beads and our buttons, it's time to get them together. Place one earring hook, backing, button and bead to the left and create another pile to the right. This helps ensure that you are picking up only what you want. It also allows you to see the piece before it is assembled. Because these are handmade items, there may be slight (or major, depending on your skill) differences between the two sets. If one loop of a bead is too large, and the same has happened to a button, consider switching piles. That way, one earring won't hang significantly lower than the other.
Begin by joining the button to the bead via the slightly opened loops. Once both pieces are attached, insert the round nose pliers and gently turn the loop inward to close. Delicacy is especially necessary with glass beads - if the loop is too tight, closing it can lead to the bead cracking or shattering. If you are happy with the movement of your earrings, attach to earring hooks via small jump rings. If you don't wish to add the extra length, you can gently (again with that word) ease open the loop of the earring wire and slide your combination on that way.
Make sure to close your loops securely - there's nothing worse than them getting caught on something or even worse, falling apart and you losing precious stones and work.
And that's it ladies and gentlemen! You now have the cutest earrings on the block!