It's mind-boggling the fantastic pieces of jewellery you can make by going through your toolbox.
Did you say; "Tool Box, Anita?" Yes, I said it, tool Box. It's all about using your creative imagination and being very adventurous with it.
See that piece of material not just for what it is, but see the high potentials that can be conceived out of your vivid ingenuity.
As a woman, I have familiarised myself with the many items in my never-ending, overfilled tool-box, from hammers, drills, nuts and bolts, screws, nails, you name it, its all in my toolbox. My toolbox is that bad that I have to sit on it and do that bum shuffle dance for my box to close, lol!
Ok, you don't need to be knowing about my dance that can be for another time. But what got me designing with hardware over the years, is the beauty in these materials. You all know how obsessed I am with safety pins, but you never knew about my crazy obsession with nuts, bolts and washers.
I'm sure if you get your binoculars out, you will see quite a few of this hardware in the pieces of jewellery I hand make.
Possibilities are endless with what you can do with hex nuts. They can be used in any piece of jewellery. You can use it as spacers in between beads, and you can use it as jewellery fastenings, you can use it beautifully in rings too, Yes rings! That will be another "How To tutorial." watch this space.
Anyways enough about my rambling, let's get your magical hands creating.
What you need to make the stud earrings:
2 x Flat Back Stud Fittings with earrings stopper
2 x 6mm Hex nuts
2 x 4mm Crystal glass beads
Super Glue
Time: 2 minutes
Hex Nut Tassel Stud Earrings
What you need:
Beads and Findings
2 x Flatback stud fittings with earrings stopper
2 x 6mm Hex nuts hardware
2 x 4mm Crystal glass beads
4 x Washers hardware
6 x 50mm Eye pins
8 x 5mm Jump rings
4 x Filigree bead end cap
Coloured cotton yarn bundle
Tools:
Round nose pliers
Scissors
Side cutter pliers
Super Glue
Time: 20 Minutes
Step 1
Glue a flat back stud fitting onto the back of the hex nut, hold firmly till dry.
Step 2
Your glued earrings should look like this.
Step 3
Fill up the hole in the hex nut with super glue, affix the bead into the hex nut making sure the hole on the bead is facing outward, and hold till dry.
Step 4
Finally, repeat the process to create the other earring.
If you wish to add an extension to your already beautiful stud earrings, below is the step by step guide on how to.
To make the tassels.
Step 5
Wrap it up
Take one end of your yarn, and drape against your inner index and middle fingers. Begin to wrap the yarn around your index and middle fingers, holding firmly in place with your thumb. For the tassels on this project, I wrapped the yarn 18 times.
Step 6
Cut, Loop and Tie
Cut the desired length of the yarn from the ball with scissors, while holding the tassel firmly around your fingers.
Gently slide your middle finger out of the wrap, making sure you hold the looped yarn firmly with your index and thumb fingers.
Step 7
Loop through the centre of your wrapped yarn with the longer cut string, wrap multiple times, secure the top of the loop with a double knot.
Step 8
Loop the eye pin
Loop an eye pin through the centre of the looped yarn,
Bend the eye pin into a U shape, with the looped yarn trapped within the bent eye pin.
Step 9
Using round nose pliers, slide open the loop on the eye pin, cross the longer part of the eye pin into the opened loop.
Using your round nose pliers, close the loop and pull the wire to secure the tassel.
Step 10
Tie off the tassel
Wrap multiple times the longer length of yarn around the top of your tassel, double loop and knot, so it's securely held in place. Trim excess yarn from the knot, to seal the knot, dap super glue and leave to dry.
Step 11
Snip and trim
Using your scissors, carefully snip along the bottom of your wrapped yarn.
Trim to your desired length and tidy up any uneven yarns.
Step 12
Insert the filigree bead end cap over the eye pin, trim the end of your eye pin to (approx. 1/2cm) from the bead end cap using a side cutter and form a loop with round nose pliers.
Step 13
Repeat this fantastic process for the other tassel.
Step 14
Thread the glass seed beads onto the eye pin, insert through the crystal glass bead and thread further seed beads on either side.
Cut 1/2cm above the beads with a side cutter and make a loop at the top of the eye pins with round nose pliers.
Step 15
Slide open the jump rings, insert the round washers, attach onto the looped ends of the beaded eye pin and close with round nose pliers.
Step 16
Slide open furthermore another two jump rings with the round nose pliers, link through the looped end of tassels, attach onto the lower end of the washers and close with your round nose pliers.
Step 17
Finally, repeat the process to create the other earring.
I hope you enjoyed making your fabulous earrings? Now it's time for you to take yourself out on a date because you are amazing and you deserve this gift of "Me-Time" for yourself