10 Minute Pearl Earrings Tutorial

Let's make some timeless and classic pearl dangly earrings!

Wouldn't these be great for a Mother's Day gift?

This post was originally seen on Luxe Boulevard. 

I'm just reposting in case you missed it!

These earrings are so quick and easy. Even if you've never made jewelry in your life. Seriously.

First gather your materials. If you don't have any on hand, all these supplies can be found at any craft supplies store. Check for sales and always use coupons!

You'll need all those tools except the crimp tool.

Get 2 10 mm pearls and 4 8 mm pearls. (I usually just use glass pearls.)

You'll need 4 eye pins, 2 head pins, and 2 ear wires.

And here we go.

Here are the detailed instructions to make a simple loop that I copied from my Huge Flower and Bow Necklace Tutorial in this post here.



After your simple loop is made,

Make another simple loop above that pearl and connect another eye pin. Slide the last 8mm pearl on and make another loop above it.

 Now you're done!

Here's just a few tips.

 When you make the loops above the pearl, be sure to make them as close to the pearl as possible. If you look at the one on the left, it is not very close to the pearl. I just cut that one off and re-did it (so it might be good to have some back-up head pins and eye pins available.) This makes it look much cleaner and more professional.

Also, when you are making the loops, be sure to create the loops so that they are going in the same direction.

DONE!
While it seems like a lot of steps, it really is so easy and shouldn't take much longer than 10 minutes!
Happy jewelry-making!

Linking to these parties

Naptime Crafters is Here with a Tutorial!

I've got a special treat for you today! Amy from Naptime Crafters is here! Get excited because she has something super cute to share today! Go check me out over at her blog today, too!

Here's Amy!

I'm Amy from Nap Time Crafters and I'm so excited to be here today- I LOVE swapping!

I'd love it if you stop by and say hello:) And...don't miss your chance to audition for American Crafter!

Enough rambling...I do have a tutorial for you today:)

Earth Day is tomorrow!

So...in honor of Mother Earth I have an up-cycling project to share with you:

Going green is making us all pretty happy:)

 When my favorite pair of jeans bit the dust I just couldn't part with them, so I transformed my holey jeans into shorts for me and the little miss. 

Let's start with my pair

1. Cut off those jeans just below the knees

2. Zig zag stitch across the bottom to cut down on fraying

 

3. Roll up twice and then stitch in place along the side seams. This will keep everything held together and keep your shorts from raveling away to nothing in the wash (trust me- I learned this the hard way with my last pair of cut-offs)

Finished! Now for a pair for my mini me

1. Grab a pair of well fitting pants, fold them in half, and line up the outside seam of your kiddo's pants with the inside seam of the jeans-we'll be keeping the side seam of the jeans to save us a step. We're going to use the original hem of the jeans, so line up the pants so that when the hem is rolled once it will be at the right length (I wanted capri length). Leave a little room for seam allowances and some extra space for the waistband at the top and cut out your pant leg. Repeat for the 2nd leg. 

2. To keep the roll in place stitch along the very edge of the original hem

3. With right sides together stitch up the side seam of each leg- use a serger if you have one (sure wish I did!) or just straight stitch and then zig zag the stitches afterwards

4. With a leftover the bottom hem of the pants make some back pockets. Just tuck in the edges and topstitch it to the seat of the pants. You can make front pockets too if you want:) I was out of hem, so I just used a scrap of denim and tucked the top edge under. 

5. Slide one pant leg inside the other with right sides together and stitch up the crotch seam. 

6. Fold the waist band over twice to form a casing along the back half of the jeans. Thread some elastic through with a safety pin and then tack it down at each edge. 

7. Finish the wait band in the front. 

8. Add a button and some button loops for a bit of extra decoration (sorry about the sideways pic.) Later I also made a little belt for it:)

Enjoy your new old shorts:)

Thanks so much for having Allie! I'm loving your blog:)

Thanks so much Amy for swapping with me! It was so fun! :)

Spring Moss and Rosette Wreath

After seeing all the beautiful moss wreaths out there (and knowing my step-mom's birthday was coming up) I had to create my own version. 

Here's some of the inspiration I found that made me want to try it out:

Moss, Butterfly, and Birds' Nest Wreath from A Diamond in the Stuff

Simple Moss Wreath at Moody Girl Projects

Tutorial on Egg and Moss Wreath at HGTV.com

Great Moss and Rosette Wreath from Homemade Ginger

Ahhh!

 I just love all of those! Especially the last one. I thought rosettes would look so lovely and simple on a moss wreath. 

 I used Spanish moss because it was the cheapest at Hobby Lobby. 

(And I still have half a bag left!)

 My parents like monogram W things.

At first I was just going to use white rosettes. So glad I threw the aqua and tan in there. 

It made it so much prettier! 

I tried spray-painting the sticks, but regular acrylic paint worked better. 

I wanted to hang it on my parents' door like this:

but as you may be able to tell in the picture, the door wouldn't actually close with the hanger that I bought for them. 

A crafty gal always has a Plan B.....

.....or at least figures one out last minute.

 They already have one of those fantastic heavy duty magnetic hooks that attaches to glass or metal so I just made a little loop to glue on the back of the wreath,

And then just tied the excess ribbon into a bow. 

So it actually ended up hanging on the storm door instead. 

These moss wreaths, while time-consuming, are actually pretty easy.

Just know that you will definitely get moss everywhere. 

 Ok so maybe your mess wouldn't look as bad as mine, but this is just to show you how it could be (and will be if your a messy crafter like me). Definitely lay down a sheet.

 I mean, really, Allie? hahahaha. 

All you really need to know to make this wreath is:

• Hot glue that moss on there like crazy, pressing down firmly each time to be sure it fills in all the holes. This will take longer than you think. :) And more glue sticks than you think. Stock up!
• Make some fabulous rosettes in 3 or more colors
• Paint some sticks white and glue them on first and then glue the rosettes on top so it looks cleaner.
• Paint a letter and hot glue it on. 
• Find some matching ribbon to hang it with and you're done!

Easy!

Since I have half a bag left, I might need one for me.

As always I'm linking to these parties.