Razzle Dazzle Inlaid Earrings

February 10, 2015

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By Judi Kauffman for Elizabeth Craft Designs

Hello, everyone. It’s Judi Kauffman, back as today’s Guest Designer. Who’s ready to make some Razzle Dazzle Inlaid Earrings? They’re as much fun to make as they are to wear. They’re super light in weight and are sure to elicit many compliments.

I used Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Jewelry Set 1 – Sea Glass to create four pairs of post-back earrings, a pair to keep and three pairs for gifts. The die set includes four shapes, two sizes for each shape. Each pair of earrings uses one of the shapes in both its large and small size.

This is a project that’s easy to customize:

*If you prefer earrings that dangle, instead of adding synthetic suede and a post-back finding, all you need to do is punch a hole at the top of the shapes and attach them to earring wires.

*Change the palette from hot to cool, bright to muted, by choosing different Shimmer Sheetz colors and/or by changing the alcohol inks.

*If you don’t have alcohol inks, substitute StazOn. (Allow a bit more drying time with this substitution.)

*For even more sparkle, skip the sanding in step 7.

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using an ink applicator tool to randomly apply 2 or 3 alcohol inks, alter a 4” x 5” piece of Red Iridescent Shimmer Sheetz with colors of choice (hot colors shown: Raspberry, Lemonade, Tangerine). Allow some of the original surface of the Shimmer Sheetz to remain visible.

2. Back the above rectangle with a 4” x 5” piece of ECD Transparent Double Sided Tape Sheet and a second 4” x 5” piece of Red Iridescent Shimmer Sheetz. This doubled layer gives the earring a nice substantial feel.

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3. Choose one of the Sea Glass shapes for each pair of earrings. Each pair uses both the large and small die in the selected shape. Earrings are made as a mirror-image pair (like butterfly wings) – one for the left ear, one for the right. The shapes are NOT identical (that would be like having two left shoes…).

Follow steps 4 and 5 very carefully to make sure the pair is symmetrical (mirror-image)!

*TIP: If steps 4 and 5 seem too complicated, use Jewelry Set 2 – Droplets instead of Sea Glass. The Droplets die shapes are symmetrical and both earrings in a pair are identical.

4. Die cut the large Sea Glass shape for the first earring with the altered side of the Shimmer Sheetz facing TOWARD the cutting edge of the die. Die cut the same large Sea Glass shape for the second earring with the altered side of the Shimmer Sheetz facing AWAY from the cutting edge of the die.

5. Now cut the smaller shape out of each larger shape to create a pair of ring shapes, open at the center. Make sure that the ink-altered side of the shape is facing TOWARD or AWAY from the cutting edge of the die, same as in step 4, to ensure a symmetrical mirror-image pair!

REMINDER: You MUST use the Metal Adaptor Plate to die cut Shimmer Sheetz! Inside your machine’s standard cutting “sandwich” place the metal plate, then the Shimmer Sheetz, then the die with the cutting side facing toward the metal plate. 

The cutting side of the die faces the metal plate regardless of which direction the Shimmer Sheetz faces. (for most projects, if there is a “front” and “back” to the Shimmer Sheetz it will face UP, toward the cutting side of the die – for this project the Shimmer Sheetz faces “front side up” once and “front side down” once).

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6. Place the ring shapes inside an all-over pattern embossing folder with the ink-altered side of the Shimmer Sheetz facing so that the background will be raised and the pattern shapes will be de-bossed. Folder shown: Swirly Curves. (Experiment with Shimmer Sheetz scraps – you may prefer it the other way.)

7. Lightly sand the alcohol-ink altered side of the de-bossed (or embossed) ring shapes. Do not emboss or sand the smaller pair of shapes.

8. Die cut a mirror-image pair of Sea Glass shapes from Transparent Double Sided Sheet. Expose the adhesive on one side and place the matching embossed ring on the shape, then place the smaller shape in the middle so it looks like an inlay. Repeat for the second earring. Set aside (do not expose the other side of the adhesive till step 10).

9. Die cut a mirror-image pair of Sea Glass shapes from synthetic suede. (Use the metal adaptor plate.) Hold these two pieces together and use an awl to pierce a tiny hole for the post of the earring finding toward the top of the shapes. This will allow the completed earrings to hang down from the earlobe. If the post-back is too low the earrings will flop forward. (Hold the shapes against your ear and look in the mirror to make sure you are getting the posts in the correct place.)

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10. Poke the post of the earring findings through the holes in the synthetic suede. Remove the release sheet so the adhesive on the back of the Shimmer Sheetz earrings is exposed, align and firmly position the suede (with the post sticking out and the pad of the post held by the adhesive – All you see on the back of the finished earring is suede and the post). Add the earring stoppers to complete the pair.

Tip: If the suede did not match up perfectly, carefully trim any excess that is visible. Work from the front of the earring to do this trimming, that way you can’t accidentally cut the Shimmer Sheetz.

SUPPLIES

Elizabeth Craft Designs –

954 Jewelry Set 1 – Sea Glass

E119 Swirly Curves Embossing Folder

Shimmer Sheetz in color of choice (shown: Red Iridescent)

502 Transparent Double Sided Tape Sheet

803 Metal Adaptor Plate

Other – 

Alcohol inks; Ink applicator tool; Synthetic suede in color to match Shimmer Sheetz*; Sanding block; Post-back earring findings with earring stoppers in gold tone or silver tone

(*Option – Use basic black or a funky leopard print synthetic suede for all post-back earrings instead of having to buy different colors to match Shimmer Sheetz!)

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  • Karen Aicken February 10, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    Just beautiful!!

    • Judi Kauffman February 10, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      Thanks, Karen. I sure do like the new jewelry dies. I worked on some Dog Tags today – they look great on simple ball chain.

  • Frances February 10, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    beautiful earrings Judi, fun technique.

    • Judi Kauffman February 10, 2015 at 9:22 pm

      Thank you, Frances.

  • Darla February 10, 2015 at 11:06 am

    I love the sea glass set. It is so incredibly versatile. RED is my favorite shiny color.

    • Judi Kauffman February 10, 2015 at 11:41 am

      Red is so upbeat and lively! I agree about the Sea Glass dies – versatile and then some.
      For anyone who wants to see more Sea Glass projects, go to http://www.scrapbooking.com (Scrapbooking.com Magazine February 2015 issue) and look at three articles: Mixed Media, Bonus Department Sea Glass Birds, and Studio Els!

  • Judi Kauffman February 10, 2015 at 11:00 am

    Thank you, Raquel. They’re definitely earrings that make a splash, colorwise. It’s so easy to switch to very muted colors for a another direction. Chocolate brown, black, and a tad of cordovan or navy would turn them into something very different. Or Australian Opal Shimmer Sheetz, just some embossing and sanding and skip the alcohol inks. I’m madly in love with the Jewelry Dies, that’s for sure.

  • Raquel Mason February 10, 2015 at 9:01 am

    Beautiful & brightly colored earrings! They are sure to make a statement when worn.

  • Candy Spiegel February 10, 2015 at 8:25 am

    These are beautiful!

    • Judi Kauffman February 10, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Thanks, Candy. I haven’t yet decided which pair to keep. (probably the long, narrow ones)

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