As spring graces us with its presence, many of us take this time to do some spring cleaning. Backstreet boys CDs get alphabetized, dust bunnies get discovered (or at least pushed farther under the bed), anime magazines get vacuum-packed, and closets get cleaned.
But before you throw out your beaded cat necklace, or your tacky dollar store pearls (am I the only one who got sucked into those?), consider doing a little repurposing. With the help of a few basic supplies, you can turn your old necklaces into earrings with a simple MTV FORA DIY. So pour yourself a cup of OJ, grab your craft supplies, and let’s make this happen.
What You’ll Need:
- A necklace with at least 2 medium to large beads on it.
** Take the necklace apart by using the pliers to pry open the jump rings. Craft or beading pliers are ideal, but let’s not discriminate; regular pliers will also do the trick. Try not to break the jump rings when you open them; you can use them in future projects, or on step 3.
- 2 hook or loop style earring hooks.
- 2 eye pins (long pins with a loop on the end).
- 2 jump rings (round rings that are not soldered shut).
- 1 pair of pliers (preferably small and rounded).
- Any additional accent supplies you would like to add. In my case, I used 4 bead caps to add additional detail to the earrings.
Step 1
Separate your chosen beads from the necklace and insert the eye pins into the beads. If you are using bead caps, put them on before you insert the eye pins.
Step 2
Curl (shown right) or curl and flatten (shown left) the straight end of the eye pins into a loop. For a perfect curl, use round nosed jewelry pliers.
Step 3
Attach and close the jump rings on the top loop of the eye pins.
Step 4
Attach the earring hooks to the jump rings.
Show off your new earrings and know that you’ll never see someone else wearing the identical earrings. When people ask where you got them, tell them that they were custom made, and you know the designer personally.
& Here’s another pair:
Kendra Hagerman is a freelance fashion writer who loves vintage clothing, pancakes, & New York City.
Tagged accessories, diy, How-To, Kendra Hagerman, Van City Pretty
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