Craft Your Style: Make Your Own Button Earrings.

So I was thinking the other day, that I have so many nick-nacks and things that I have been saving because I thought I can potentially make something out of one day. I have boxes of old clothes from my mom or that I have just gathered over time, from which I plan to upcycle the fabric. I also have old hair accessories, chains, thread, and earrings who have lost their other half. You name it! I probably have it.

I decided that I was becomming a little bit of a pack rat, and for fear of becomming a hoarder, I decided I wanted to make something from the things that I already had, then I thought: "what is the easiest and simplest tutorial I can make for beginners to DIY fashion?" and then it hit me.. *SMACK*: earrings!!

I pondered for a second what I might make my earrings out of. Then realized I had so many buttons that I had to do make my earrings out of the mosaic of colors that was in my button jar.

*NOTE: In this earring tutorial I use buttons, but really you can use anything with a flat back... You can use shells, rhinestones, beads, studs... essentially anything that can be flattened on one side.

Earrings are so simple to make, and can be very elegant or very edgy, depending on what you use for your earring, you can change your look up or down and just with a little accessory.

CRAFT DIFFICULTY:
Easy

In this DIY tutorial you are gonna need:

-2 Matching (or not matching) Buttons
(*NOTE: The buttons you choose should have flat backs or a loop you can break off to make them
flat. Buttons that have a pointed back will not work for this tutorial!! Plastic ones work best.)

Here are the buttons I chose.

-Scissors
-Super Glue
-Flat Pad Earring Posts and Backs (you can find packs of these at any craft store for around $2)

-Metal File (the bigger the better)

I chose this one but ended up having to use a
bigger one later. The more ridges the better!!

1. Once you have chosen the buttons you want as a piece of jewelry, make sure the backs are flat. If they still have a loop and they are plastic, use your scissors to clip the loop as close as possible to the base of the loop. If you have a metal button (like mine), this part is little trickier. So you might have to bend back and forth (like a paperclip) the loop until it breaks off. If this does not work just continue to step two.

2. File any remaining ends of the loop that are sticking out. Try to make it as level as possible. If you are working with a difficult metal loop and couldn't snap it off in step one, then you are going to have to file the loop all the way down. It takes forever with a small metal file but with a bigger one, the ridges are bigger and with every swipe it takes off more metal than the smaller sizes.

3. Make sure both button backs are evenly flat.

4. Take one earring post and carefully put a drop or two of super glue on it. Be careful not to get any on your skin because it takes forever to get out. My super glue was extremely runny and landed on my floor!! Be aware that most super glue is not as tacky as most school glues.

5. Wait about 30 seconds then attach the button, filed side onto the super glued end of the post.

6. Carefully lay the button end face down so the post end is sticking up in the air. Make any adjustments to the post hile it is still drying to make sure that the post and the button make a 90 degree angle.