Sapphire Chandelier Drop Earrings

Tradition dictates that a bride should carry or wear "Something old, something new.... something borrowed and something blue". For your big day why not make your "something blue" a pair of DIY crystal earrings that will have all eyes on the bride.

These stunning crystal earrings will make you look and feel like a million dollars without breaking the bank. With a sprinkling of Swarovski crystals and a fancy silver stamping, you can create that million dollar look using a combination of  flatback and chaton crystals. You just glue and set them in position. It can't get easier than that!

Tools and Supplies

Here's a shopping list to get you started:
2 Chatons 4mm, Sapphire
16 Chatons PP18, Crystal
48 Flatback SS6 crystals, Sapphire
4 Teardrop drop crystals 9mm (top drilled), Lt Sapphire or Denim Blue or Sapphire
16 links of silver cup chain PP24, Crystal
2 silver stampings: flower setting joiner
2 cubic zirconia set silver earring wires
10 silver oval jump rings
4 silver jump rings, 4mm
4 PP24 silver cup chain ends
5-minute epoxy adhesive
toothpick

You'll also need: chain nose pliers, flat nose pliers, flush cutters and a Krystal Katana. This tool will become your new best friend when you're setting crystals in a design like this!

How to Make the Chandelier Drop Earrings

Cut two lengths of cup chain, each one with eight links.

Place the end link of each chain in a cup chain end and gently press the claw against the crystal with flat nose pliers. Make sure that the crystal is secure.

Dispense a small amount of each part of the 5-minute epoxy and mix it thoroughly. Place a small amount in each cavity of the flower setting using the toothpick. Take care not to place too much adhesive in the cavities or it will ooze out when you position the chatons. Smear the adhesive around the walls of each cavity and then place the crystals in position using the Krystal Katana.

It will take several batches of epoxy adhesive to finish adding crystals to this design so whenever the adhesive begins to set, mix up a new batch. Attach a crystal to each of the connecting links in the cup chain (leave the middle link blank) and one on each cup chain end. When these are secure, add a crystal to the side of each cup. Repeat on the other side of the cups.

Hook a 4mm jump ring through each of the teardrop drops and close it. Open an oval jump ring and connect the teardrop to the middle loop of the flower stamping.

Connect this jump ring to an earring wire with another oval jump ring.

Once the adhesive has dried on the cup chain, connect it to one side of the flower stamping with an oval jump ring. Make sure that the cup chain is facing the front. Attach the other end of the chain to the remaining loop on the stamping. You'll notice that the crystals in the cup chain face outwards rather than to the front, so no matter where the light is coming from, you'll be sparkly!

Open the jump ring on the remaining teardrop crystals and attach them to the bottom link of the cup chain.

And now you have one gorgeous Sapphire Chandelier Drop earring. Make another one to match and then you're ready to sparkle through your next special occasion.

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Ombré Blossom Cluster Earrings

If you're itching for Spring colour to arrive in your garden, then this Ombré Blossom Earrings project will whet your appetite for what's to come as the weather warms up. With the cold, dreary days of winter gone, it's time to liven up your wardrobe with some florals and inject brighter colours into your accessories. And these pretty pink cluster earrings are the perfect fit.

Here's what you'll need to make your own pretty floral earrings:

2 6mm Garnet Swarovski rounds

2 4mm Clear AB Swarovski crystal bicones

2 17mm x 4mm burgundy acrylic or Lucite flowers

8 11mm x 7mm red acrylic or Lucite flowers

8 11mm x 7mm fuchsia acrylic or Lucite flowers

8 9mm x 5mm light pink acrylic or Lucite flowers

28 silver head pins

2 41mm silver eye pins

14 4mm silver jump rings

8 links Beadalon Silver Plated Small Cable Chain

Denatured alcohol and a disposable cloth

Seed bead tube or other curved object for shaping earring wires

Tools: round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, flat nose pliers, flush cutters, cup burr or metal file, ruler and permanent marker

If you've never made your own earring wires before, follow these steps. Or head on over to this tutorial which shows you how to make elfin earring wires. You'll need to make a matching pair.

Thread a red flower on a head pin and place it in the tip of the jaws of the chain nose pliers. Bend the head pin above the jaws at an angle of between 45° and 90°.

Using the round nose pliers, grip the head pin above the bend and wrap the wire around the top jaw.

 It should cross in front of the neck forming a loop.

Remove the round nose pliers and grip the loop with chain nose pliers, whilst wrapping the tail neatly around the neck of the head pin two or three times.

Trim the excess wire close to the neck. Repeat with all the flowers except the burgundy acrylic flower.

Thread an AB crystal and the burgundy acrylic flower on a head pin and make a wrapped loop.

Thread the Garnet crystal on a head pin and make a wrapped loop.

Connect the Garnet crystal to 4 links of chain using a jump ring. Link another jump ring to the end of the chain and attach the burgundy flower.

Hook another jump ring into the previous one and add two red flowers. Add another jump ring between these two flowers so that one flower sits on either side and add another jump ring and two more red flowers. Repeat with the fuchsia flowers. Add a jump ring, 2 pink flowers, the almond earring wire and the last 2 pink flowers.

Make a second earring to match.

Also, take a look at this related post:
Make your own elfin earring wires

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DIY Marbled Resin Cross

The cross is a powerful symbol in Christian life and its importance in many Christian celebrations is significant. Whether you're celebrating Easter or a Baptism, this beautiful marbled resin cross is a DIY project you can make and personalise as a centre piece for your Easter celebrations or to give as a special memento to mark the occasion of a Baptism of a special child. 

Here's are the materials you'll need to make one:

Colourants:
BLUE VERSION
Castin'Craft Opaque Pigment - white;

PearlEx Sapphire Blue; 

Golden Acrylic - Teal; 

Transparent blue resin dye

PINK VERSION
Castin'Craft Opaque Pigment - white;

FolkArt Acrylic Paints: Parisian Pink; Baby Pink; Color Shift Orchid Flash

• Epoxy coating resin
• 21cm x 14.5cm (8-1/4" x 5-3/4") Wooden Cross - mine is Nicole™ but choose a cross that you like.
• 2 56mm x 15mm (2-1/4" x 1-1/8") Silver filigree oval connectors
• Ivory acrylic half pearl cabochons assortment (4mm, 5mm and 12mm)
• 5-minute epoxy adhesive
• Crystal Katana
• Heat tool
• Measuring cups
• Disposable plastic shot glasses
• Wooden stir sticks
• 3M Painter's tape
• Scissors and a craft knife
• BBQ torch or gas lighter
• Disposable gloves

Apply the painter's tape to the front of the cross.

Trim away the excess tape around the outside of the cross with scissors and the inside with a craft knife.

It should look something like this.

N.B. Before measuring out the resin, put on the gloves as the resin will get sticky.

Measure the resin and mix it according to the manufacturer's instructions. You'll need approximately 30mls (1oz) in total for the first side.

Divide half the resin between three shot glasses. Colour the original mixing cup with white pigment. Colour one shot glass with transparent dye, one drop at a time so it doesn't get too dark. Colour another with the powder and the last one with acrylic paint.

N.B. When colouring resin with acrylic paint, add only a drop at a time and stir it through. Keep adding drops until the resin is opaque. If you add too much acrylic paint, the resin may not cure properly.

Pour the white resin in a puddle in the middle of the cross. Spread it across the entire cross.

Drizzle the three blue resins across the cross at an angle.

Use the heat tool to feather the stripes a little.

Cover the inner and outer walls of the cross with resin too for a more professional finish. The flat side of the stir stick will help with this. Leave the resin to cure overnight.

Working in small sections at a time, use the heat tool to soften the resin drips on the taped side of the cross. Here's a quick video showing you how to do it.

Remove the tape.

If you're going to hang your cross on the wall, then you've finished with the resin part. You can skip down to the decorating.

But if you'd like to use your cross as a centre piece where it will be viewed from both sides (or you just want to give it a more professional finish), then continue on.

To Make the Cross a Centre Piece

Tape the first side of the cross with painter's tape and trim away the overhang. This is really fiddly but take your time and do the best you can. The better you tape, the better your finished cross will be.

Mix 30mls (1oz) resin and divide it into 3 disposable shot glasses. Colour each one and apply the resin as you did on the other side of the cross. Make sure you apply resin to all the sides as well. Feather the resin with the heat tool.

Use a BBQ torch or gas lighter to pop the bubbles and leave to cure overnight.

Remove the tape.

Decorating your Marbled Resin Cross

Play with the arrangement of the filigrees and acrylic pearls. Once you're happy with how your piece looks, mix the 5-minute epoxy and attach the pieces one by one.

Create a cross with the two filigrees in the centre of the piece. Curve the top piece slightly so that it makes contact with the resin on either end.

Mix additional batches of adhesive to attach the half pearls as required. Leave the adhesive to dry before hanging.

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Lucky Shamrock Bracelet

When it comes to luck, the Irish have it all down "Pat", if you'll excuse the pun: Pots of gold, lucky pennies and the most famous of all, lucky shamrocks. So what would St Patrick's Day be without a four leaf clover! This Lucky Shamrock Bracelet is made using leaf beads strung together in a circle to create a clover shape.

Here's what you'll need:
4 emerald top-drilled leaf or petal beads
36 x 3mm light green fire polished Czech glass faceted beads
20 x 6mm faceted vitrail mirror beads
6” textured silver 6x8mm oval chain
2 10x13mm silver celtic square spacers
4 x 6mm silver jump rings
26 gauge silver wire
Beadalon Silver 0.015 19 strand Beading Wire
8 silver wire guardians
8 Size #2 silver crimp tubes
Silver ball and hitch clasp

Tools: Chain nose pliers, Round nose pliers, Flush cutters, Crimping pliers

Cut a 24” length of wire. String the leaf beads and move them to the centre of the wire, form them in a circle and then thread one of the wires through a bead to secure them in a circle. Position the shamrock so the two wires are at the top.

Take the wire on the right and cross it over the centre of the circle, wrap it around the back of the bottom bead, and back up across the front diagonally. Both wires will now be between the top and the left bead.

Repeat with the second wire, crossing over the centre of the circle, around the back of the right hand leaf and back up across the front diagonally. This wire is now at the bottom on the left hand side. Continue wrapping the wires around the beads making sure that each bead is wrapped with wire at least twice on the front and twice on the back (some will be wrapped 3 or 4 times). Finish with the wires pointing up.

Place one of the silver spacers over the both wires and position it on the front of the beads. Bend the wires around to the back and pull them firmly. Place the other spacer on the wires and bend the wires back towards the front.

Cut an 8” length of wire and feed it through the back of the shamrock, between the beads and the spacer. You may have to wiggle it to get it through. Pinch the two wires together near the beads and twist them until you have a tightly twisted wire. Repeat with the other end of the wire.

Create a wrapped loop at each end and trim away the excess twisted wire. You can see how to do that in this post.

Make a wrapped loop on the other side of the clover leaf as well.

Cut four 8” lengths of beading wire. On each wire, string a crimp and a wire guardian. Thread the beading wire back through the crimp and crimp in place. See this tutorial on how to crimp beading wire.

String eighteen 3mm beads on one and ten 6mm beads on another, string a crimp tube and a wire guardian on each and crimp in place to secure.  Repeat with the remaining beads.

Cut the chain in half, open a jump ring and hook on the chain, a strand of 3mm beads and a strand of 6mm beads. Attach it to the twisted loop of the shamrock and then close it. Repeat with the remaining strands on the other side of the shamrock.

Open another jump ring and attach the loose ends of the chain and bead strands. Before closing the jump ring, attach one end of the clasp. Repeat on the other side with the second half of the clasp.

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If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs