Homemade Earrings

These sparkling earrings look fancy but they're super simple to make using inexpensive craft items. Your child can have a unique piece of jewelry with no beading or dangerous tools required! She can mix and match gems and other objects to create a set of earrings for every outfits, or make friendship earrings for all her friends.

What You Need:

• Craft wire
• Needle-nosed pliers
• Rhinestones
• Small adhesive dots
• Drop earring findings (fish-hook or clip-on)

What You Do:

1. Have your child cut two 3" pieces of craft wire.
2. Using needle-nosed pliers, turn one end of each wire into a loop and twist it around a few times to secure it.
3. Have your child place small adhesive dots on the flat sides of two rhinestones.
4. Sandwich the piece of the wire between the two gems so the adhesives attach to each other.
5. Now she can add more gems to the wire in the same way. She can experiment with different styles by making color patterns.
6. Make sure to cover the bottom tip of the wire with two gems so the wire doesn't stick out.
7. Show your child how to bend open a small gap in the loop on an earring finding by using the needle-nosed pliers.
8. Slide the loops of the rhinestone earrings through the ring of the earring findings, and twist them shut again with needle-nosed pliers. Repeat until you have as many pairs as you desire!

If giving the earrings as a gift, your child can cut a piece of cardstock, poke two holes in it with a pin, and hang or clip the earrings to the card to make it look professional!