Ear-bLiNgs!

Hello Inky Crafters, hostess Tami back again with a project featuring one of Clearsnap's NEW! products --- Smooch GLITZ!

Smooch GLITZ is a great product to use whenever you want to add a gLitTerY sParKle to your project. It works well and dries fast on a variety of mediums: glass, mirror, wood, plastic, fabric, canvas and yes - even paper.

Today I've used it to add some shimmer to these earrings...

Here's a closeup view of the parts...

These earrings are made up using vintage shell buttons, cube frosted glass beads and wood tube beads. All have been bLiNgEd using Smooch GLITZ. The wood tube beads were stamped with a scroll design before adding 3 layers of 3 different colors of Smooch GLITZ.


SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap Products:

• Smooch Glitz: Plum Spice, Lime Twist and Pink Fizz
• ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Black

Other Products:

• Hampton Art: Flourish Background
• Beacon Adhesives: Fast Finish 
• Indus Trading: DIY Bangles: 1mm Wood Tube Beads
• Vintage Mother of Pearl Buttons
• Frosted Cube Glass Beads
• Earwires, 6mm Jump Rings and 2" Head Pins
• Vintage Waxed Twine

Tools:

• Jewelry Pliers, Round Nose Pliers, Wire Cutters, Scissors and optional - Heat Gun and Wood Skewers

DIRECTIONS:
Hints:  

• You can use a heat gun to speed up the dry time of the Smooch GLITZ, but you need to keep the gun moving and avoid overheating or it will cause the Smooch GLITZ to bubble.
• Use a dabbing motion to add the Smooch Glitz to non-pourous surfaces.
• For more sparkle, add additional layers of Smooch GLITZ.
• Use wooden skewer to hold buttons and beads to make application of Smooch GLITZ easier. The skewers will also make it easy to heat set if you chose to. You can also use the skewer to roll the wood tube bead over the inked stamp.
• To protect embellished surfaces, add a layer of Beacon's Fast Finish

 To Embellish Beads:

1. If you didn't already do so, read the hints above :)
2. Working one on one side at a time, apply 2-3 coats of Pink Fizz to both sides of the shell buttons; allowing each layer to dry before applying the next.
3. Apply 2-3 coats of Lime Twist to each side of the glass cube beads; allowing each layer to dry before applying the next.
4. Ink the flourish stamp with the Black Dye Ink and then roll the wood tube beads over the stamp to add a background design. Heat set the beads or set aside to dry 10 minutes or so.
5. Add a layer of Plum Spice, then Lime Twist and Pink Fizz to the wood tube beads; allowing each layer to dry before applying the next.
6. Add a coat of Fast Finish to each piece to protect embellished surfaces if desired and let dry.

 To Assemble:

1. Tag tie a 3" piece of waxed twine to loop at bottom of earwire. Thread one end of twine through top hole of button and thread the other end through the same hole but in the opposite direction. Secure thread about 1/2" from loop with a half hitch knot on each side; trim ends. Use the end of a skewer to add a dab of Fast Finish to secure knot.
2. Thread glass cube, wood tube bead and another glass cube on head pin. Trim pin to about 1/2" above top bead. Use round nose pliers to make a loop at the top. 
3. Use jump ring to attach bead stack to bottom hole in button.
4. Repeat for other earring.

Keep coming back to see what exciting projects the team has come up with! Something new is added EVERY day!