Stud Earring Organizer

Recently I constructed my own jewelry case (details in a future post) so that I could organize all my earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. All my jewelry was in such disarray that it covered half my dresser, and many of the pieces I never even wore. It was time to get organized.

After I finished the case and organized my necklaces neatly inside, I realized I needed a way to display all my stud earrings. The solution: plastic canvas.

A while ago on Pinterest I came across this fancy stud earring organizer. I loved the idea of using plastic canvas, so I kept it simple and bought a single 5.5" circle.

All of my stud earrings fit nicely, and I can actually see them all! No more sifting through a jumbled pile to find the perfect pair to wear for the day. I hooked the canvas right below my charm bracelets, so I can easily grab a pair and go. Look at me, all organized.

Sticker Happy: Black and Gold Glam Earrings

Give me a pack of stickers and call me happy! This all started because of my quest to find a simple pair of gold post earrings. I had pretty much given up for the most part, but then all of a sudden during my weekly stroll through Michaels, I came across these in the scrapbooking section:

Oh my glitter and gold! Right there in the middle of Michaels I reverted back to my eight-year-old self on Christmas morning when I unwrapped my new hot pink Barbie convertible and two-story Barbie dreamhouse. My eyes grew big, my heart fluttered with giddy excitement, and my pearly whites stretched a mile wide. Two inches to the right I found another pack in black and silver. I knew instantly these would make great earrings; all I had to do was add earring posts to the back.

First, I removed the round sticker on the back of the rhinestone. Then, I applied a dab of E-6000 glue to the flat surface of the earring post and glued it (slightly off-center) to the back of the rhinestone. Finally, I let the glue dry for a couple days.

TIP:  The sticker peels off easily, but it leaves behind a little adhesive residue. To get rid of the stickiness, I rubbed a small dot of hand lotion on the surface. Be sure to wipe the surface clean with a soft cloth before gluing.

 

Eight pairs of stickers come in a pack, so you can jazz up any outfit in your wardrobe, and they also make an easy and inexpensive gift for the holidays! Hope you like!

Charmed to Meet You! Earrings

So today I was rummaging through my good ol' jewelry box, and I found a charm bracelet that I had completely forgotten about. I'm pretty sure I only wore it once in middle school, probably because the fifth time it got caught in my sweater, I lost one of my favorite charms. It was a frog, but not just any frog; rather  a frog prince, silver plated and covered in bright green rhinestones. It was a sad sad day, but I digress. On either end of the bracelet I had added charms representing my first and last initials, A and R. I loved the two charms on the bracelet, but I knew I wouldn't be wearing it anytime soon, so I decided to use the charms to make a pair of earrings. It took less than a minute, and I love the result! If you have some charms and a couple minutes to spare, I encourage you to make your own.  It's easy peasy like pudding pie!

After I removed the charms from the bracelet, I grabbed a couple fish hook earring wire findings, two jump rings, and a pair of pliers.

First, I removed the two split rings on my charms, because they were a little bent out of shape.  Next, I opened the two jump rings with my pliers and put one on each charm. After I connected the fish hook findings, I closed the jump rings, and I was done! Now I have a charming pair of earrings to wear!

Sticker Happy: Sweet and Simple Earrings

"Collecting is like eating peanuts; you just can't stop."
— Unknown

I collect things...stamps, fortune cookie fortunes, super bouncy balls from the 25 cent vending machine...Just the other day I was cleaning out my drawers and found a huge collection of stickers that I had packed into a handmade box and stuffed behind two broken slinkies.  It was at that exact moment when I realized I may be a borderline hoarder and had eerie flashbacks of Hoarders: Buried Alive episodes.  Two seconds later I resolved to dismiss the possibility and justified my pack-rat tendencies by creating these sweet and simple earrings.

Just recently I discovered Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, and we're pretty much BFFs now.  Seriously though, it's my new favorite craft product.  Originally I had planned to use clear square epoxy stickers to create the 3D effect for my earrings though.  I searched and searched for them all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but several sighs of disappointment later I gave up the hunt.  Then, on one last trip to Michaels for some hot glue sticks (hot glue will always be my first love), I met this 2oz. bottle of magic. One quick read of the directions and I was skipping out of the store.

After I attached the "stickers" (a long time ago they were snipped from an unused batch of stylish address labels) to some sturdy cardstock paper and laminated them, I carefully applied a layer of the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.  At first I was a bit worried because it looked cloudy, but after a while it began to dry clear.  Once I let it dry completely for 24 hours, I glued a flat earring post to the back side of each square.  Now I have a half dozen new pairs of earrings to wear!

The whole project was fairly easy and inexpensive, and I love it because it can be done with any theme of stickers.  The two pairs above are my favorite so far, but I already have an idea for some Halloween stickers I found! Hope you like!