Some Inspiration: Stud Earrings

I have a bad habit of looking for things to make into stud earring wherever I go. They are one of my favorite things to make, and so easy that anyone can! Here are some selections from my massive collection to inspire you to get gluing.

These little flowers are adorable, and not what you think they are! I've seen little flower cabochons (its a good thing I'm typing because I cannot pronounce that word correctly) around, but have not really been a fan of their price.

These flowers I found in the clearance section of Michael's are actually scrapbooking decortation stickers. I just peeled the sticky thing off the back and glued them on.

 

You may not know this but I'm a bit obsessed with lace. And when I say a bit I mean a lot. These earrings are made from lace trimming (I cut the flowers off) from my local fabric shop. Amazingly, the glue did not ruin the fabric one bit.

I also have a bit of a thing for leather, which is what these earrings are made of. Little triangles cut out of scrap leather. Some fabric stores carry leather scraps if you don't want to buy a whole bunch.

 

I've had these tiny shells forever, but just recently turned them into earrings. 

They are meant to be mismatched because, well... I didn't have any that matched.

 

If your going for a beachy theme, sea glass is another beautiful option. These pieces were collected from a beach near my Grandparent's house. Searching for sea glass requires patience, especially if your going to use it for jewelery. Finding two pieces that are large enough and match can take awhile. 

 Tiny semiprecious stones look awesome on earrings. Like these pieces of amethyst that have holes drilled in them to be beads. 

These pieces of pyrite are actually beads, as well. Pyrite is great for gluing onto earring backs because they are naturally square with flat sides.

I have more buttons than I know what to do with. I'm talking bags, and bags, and BAGS. Making earrings out of them has unfortunately only diminished my stock slightly. Those things that I am using to display the earrings on are actually old cut-up business cards (I have gone through many variations). I put them in a bowl at craft fairs and people love sifting through them.

 

If you have buttons that have loops on the back they are generally pretty easy to cut off. If they're plastic you can just use wire cutters, if they're metal that might take a little more work. 

These are flat little triangle shaped beads. Triangles are probably my favorite shape. This is another way I display earrings. These are my latest business cards (information on the back) with a hand stamped 'frame' around the earrings.

Tips For Making Stud Earrings: 

• Have a favorite little item, but only one? Or two things that sort of match? Don't be afraid to go asymmetrical or mismatched! It's actually in style.
• After having mishaps with earrings falling apart, I found out that it was my glues fault. Don't use a glue that dries like 'glass', for example Superglue. What happens to glass when you drop it? It breaks, which is exactly what happens when you drop an earring stuck together with this type of glue. Use a glue that dries like 'rubber', for example E6000. I'm not saying that Superglue is not a good glue, there are many other situations where superglue is better suited than other glues (like gluing your sisters fingers together).
• When purchasing stud earrings at a craft store, you may be concerned about the amount in the package. If you don't plan on selling them (like me) don't forget that they can make great personalized gifts. 
• The stud part of the earring and the backing (either metal 'butterfly' or rubber thingy) are usually sold separately. If you are just planning on making them for yourself don't buy the backing part, you can just use ones you already have from other earrings.
•  Flat objects are best for making stud earrings. But if you are using a 'not-so-flat' object, try to glue on the flattest part and use a little extra glue to fill in the holes or crevices.
• When using beads for stud earrings, make sure the hole isn't visible.

Happy Gluing!