Do your ears hang low?......

Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Remember that silly song.....then you ARE old.....like me! I always think of that song when I make earrings that tug on my lobes everytime I turn my head. If you want to avoid low hanging lobes and big stretched out pierced holes, try making these feather-lite earrings. You can make really large, long earrings.....read on.( Every once in awhile I take a good close-up of my jewelry. In this photo you can actually see the details without having to click on the image to enlarge it.) Can you guess what material I used to make these earrings? You're right if you guessed 'Shrinky Dink"! Remember the plastic sheets (Aleene's had some but I don't think it was called 'shrinky dink' plastic sheets.) that could be cut out and heated in a toaster oven or with a heat gun to shrink it down (and thicken it) to about 1/4 of the original size? Well, I still had lots of it in my collection of old craft stuff so I decided to experiment. First I lightly sanded the sheet and then scribbled over it with Copic pens (shades of blue and green) and added dabs of Staz-On silver metallic ink (from the refill bottle). After all the ink was dry, I used the Sizzix asymetrical circle jewelry die to cut out the pieces. Then holding each piece with a needle tool I blasted it with a heat gun. When the plastic curled and uncurled (but was stiill soft) I flattened it with an acrylic block (the type used for clear stamps). Next I linked up the pieces with 10mm silver colored jump rings, adding a large hole seed bead before closing the ring. I connected the pieces to earring hooks and I had instant lightweight jewelry that matched perfectly to my outfit because I made it myself! Sizzix has released a terrific line of dies that can cut small pieces (for jewelry and other embellishments) out of even thick chipboard. Go and check out this exciting product now available at Ben Franklin Crafts. The let your imagination run wild. Craft Happy...you'll live longer!